Souvenirs from Japan

Hi knitters,

A few months ago I went to Tokyo, Japan and had a pleasant vacation there.  It was summer and of course nobody was wearing knits of wool.  Anyhow, I went to Kichijoji and shop in a mega craft store called Yazawaya.  And here is the official website of the store: http://www.yuzawaya.co.jp/

You can find not only knitting and crochet stuff, but fabrics, buttons and even books.  However, the proportion for animono is rather small.  I could not even find needles of one brand in all sizes.

Still, I found something very interesting like this one.

This is actually a Tunisian crochet hook with a clip and string that are used as attachment.  I have not tried the set.  

Below is a crochet hook of the brand Misasa.  Made in Japan and made of wood from India.  I tested it by crocheting some simple double stitch and it worked quite well.  The weight is much lighter than I had expected.  It's a Japanese size 7 hook.  And as you can see, it's a beautiful design.  Hopefully I can spend some time crocheting.

Well, as I was short of travelling expense, I did not buy any yarn.  Still, I managed to spend almost two hours there browsing around.  There're some used books for sale as well.  Anyhow, next time when I go to Japan, I would like to check out another yarn store.  If you have any tips for me or recommendation, please feel free to comment.

Happy knitting and crocheting

Hooks for Crochet Beginners~ Raku Raku from Hamanaka

Hi knitters,

These days I've been trying different stuffs.  I even tried crocheting.  Unbelievable... I finally get the idea behind crocheting double stitch and half double stitch.  Once you got the concept, everything will be explainable.  

When I was lost and doing trial and errors, my hands got really tight.  I got nervous.  Therefore, the way I hold the crochet hook made me very uncomfortable.  I tried several hooks before.  And I gave up and picked up.   In the picture below were the hook I tried.  

I can't blame the hooks.  It was totally my problem.  But things got easier when I started with crochet hooks with rubber.  Yes, rubber.  It's soft rubber. It's called elastomer.  And the hook is made of aluminum. They are all light in weight.   My fingers were more relaxed. To be fair with the hooks I tried, I will test again once I get more used to crocheting.  At this moment, I'm on cloud nine!!!

Therefore, I highly recommend this hook to crochet beginners.
What is the brand?  It's Hamanaka from Japan, the rival of Clover.  
Here is the link to the official website of Hamanaka.  I think it's called RakuRaku, not 100% sure.

I got the whole set from a local yarn store in Hong Kong.  But I think you can get one from eBay.  As you can see, there are two hooks in the tip of each needle.  And each one is 13.5cm long.  Totally there are 10 hooks!!!  Some people like the idea of economic spacing.  But I also heard a little complaint: you may accidentally hook on your piece of work when with the hook you're not using.  Well, I hasn't happened to me.  Let's see.

Anyway, crochet is like knitting: only by mastering the basic techniques, you can do a lot more than you think.  

I know, I need to practice in order to crochet neatly.  This is a good beginning though.  I'm getting obsessed with crochet.  But don't worry, I still knit.  Just finished Op. 22 toddler's hat.  Stay tuned for more news and my reports on yarn craft.

HAPPY KNITTING AND CROCHETING