I made a needle felted baby snow monkey for a Christmas ornament. It is a perfect ornament for a Christmas tree with a string. This baby monkey wears a green scarf and plays in the snow. He made a snowball and I put an “M” on the snowball because “M” is for Monkey! https://www.etsy.com/shop/kokobiyori
Spring is just around the corner and March 3rd is Hinamatsuri – Girl’s day in which people celebrate and pray for young girl’s growth and happiness in Japan. When a baby girl is born, her family buys Hina dolls which are displayed with five or seven tiers where on the top step are the Emperor and Empress. The dolls in the pictures were given to me by my aunt. When I was a child, most of my friends had a big set of dolls which even reached six feet tall, and I remember I wanted a bigger one like my friend’s. Mine is a miniature set of dolls that can be placed on a table. However, as I got older, I thought the intricate details of the dolls and accessories like the pink cheeks, lanterns, and musical instruments were unique and special and I came to like my Hina dolls very much.
When my daughter was born, I passed my Hina Dolls on to her. As March 3rd approaches, I display these dolls with spring flowers to symbolize good health and happiness for my daughter.
This year, I also made Hina dolls with origami paper, with design instructions that I found on the internet. The dolls are very beautiful and simplistic, but were actually very difficult to fold.
I hope that girls around the world enjoy good health and happiness.
These crochet mini bags are the perfect size for daily handheld things, like snacks, lunches, phones, or cosmetics. I bought 3 different kinds of yarn; green, orange, and ivory of 100% Peruvian Highland Wool to make bags in each colour. As I was making the crochet bag, I realized I did not have enough yarn, so I decided to combine the colours.
This is a star shaped crochet stitch, so a star shaped pattern can be seen in the bag.
The insides of the bags are lined with similarly coloured fabric and Kokobiyori’s logo.
Besides the crochet mini bags, I made a crochet doughnut shaped pillow for Haru, which she loves! As I was making the mini bags, she was lying on the pillow keeping me company.
This is my second post about hand warmers. After knitting my last pair, I decided to try out three new designs. One is grey, another is orange and yellow patterned, and another is an ivory color with eyelet stitches.
I like to knit hand warmers because I don’t need much yarn to make a pair and it only takes a few hours to make. Once I decide the design, I can knit hand warmers in various colors.
I especially like the off white colour because it gives the essence the snow.
Living in a city, I walk everywhere; to the Sunday Market, the café, the library, the park. It is fun to simply walk around the city in search of a new shop or to go on a picnic with Cocoa and Haru in spring and summertime. It is, of course, not as much as fun in the very cold winter. Although we don’t have much snow, it is very wet and windy. Therefore, I love wearing boots in the wintertime because they keep me warm and dry. To dress up a simple pair of boots, I knitted leg warmers (brown with white lace & white with pink lace and white pon-pon) to match my boots. This is one of my small tricks to make the cold wintertime a little more enjoyable.
When the colored leaves begin to fall, I know that the hand warmer season has begun. Unlike structured gloves or mittens, the hand warmer allows for more flexibility. Without taking them off, I can pay a cashier using my credit card or pick up the bills and coins from my wallet. I can type on the laptop in my office until the heater works enough for me to feel warm. I can wander through the book store looking for a book and flip through the pages.
I made this pair of simple design hand warmers with 100% Peruvian Highland Wool. I also accented them with small crocheted flowers. I love the color of teal or ocean blue color of the yarn and I was instantly drawn to the yarn when I entered the store.
I made another pair of hand warmers of the same design, alternating a green and blue color.
Of course, I also wear the hand warmers when I take Cocoa and Haru on walks.
I love hand warmers, and for me, they are an essential for the wintertime.
When my daughter was in elementary school, I used to knit her all kinds of scarves and sweaters to wear. As she grew older, my focus shifted to my two other babies; wiener dogs named Cocoa and Haru. Like many other dog owners, I constantly spoil them and spend precious time and money buying them toys and little outfits.
One day I saw an adorable picture in my kitchen calendar.
The rainbow colored knit hat inspired me to make a similar one for my cream colored, long haired pup, Haru. So I picked up my knitting needles and alpaca yarn that I hadn’t used since my last scarf. Simply eyeballing the picture and about a million mistakes later, I had completed a pretty, pink, mini hat.
Ecstatic with the outcome, I excitedly plopped the hat on Haru’s head, and tied the bow below her chin. Much to my disappointment, the hat made her head look like a mushroom, and she looked like a canine water polo player. A bit distressed, I turned to my other dog, Cocoa, who was lying dejectedly on his bed. Calling him out, I hopefully tied the hat to his head. It turned out that Cocoa looked much better in the hat than Haru did, and my hat making efforts were rewarded!
