I sat down with my tea and toast this morning to have a quick look at Rosa's blog (one of the original craft blogs and still as true as ever to its creator's style, interests and passion for Portuguese history and heritage). Before I knew what had happened, two hours had passed, no children had emerged, I was still in my pyjamas, had drunk several cups of tea, and had a basket full of books at Amazon Japan. Oh, the joys of uninterrupted browsing, searching and discovering. And all because this book was out of stock with Rosa.
It's so long since I've had a good look at Amazon Japan and YesAsia, carefully noted ISBN numbers, gone back and forth between sites to see if I can look inside any of the books with beguiling covers whose contents can only be guessed at wildly, that I was quite carried away. (I also looked at Pomadour24's shop but the search function isn't too good which is a shame because I've bought from her before and she has a great selection of books and takes the trouble to show some of the content photos.)
Then the house woke up, and I had to leave my dream of owning every beautiful Japanese craft book ever published and sort out real life. The million yen question is, what will happen at breakfast tomorrow when I go back to the basket?
What a pleasant morning to have. I have a special affinity with Japanese things as I was born there and lived there until I was five, I have such fond memories. I just love looking through Japanese craft books, aren't they brilliant? Can't wait to see if and what you get. Have a great day.
Posted by: Jennifer | October 29, 2009 at 14:22
I have a tall stack of Japanese craft books I can't resist buying. I really should learn Japanese before I get any more!
Posted by: Kristina | October 29, 2009 at 14:30
What a coincidence, I have done one of my weeks of "crazy hours and no sleep" at the hospital and last night must have ordered a Japanese Crochet book on Amazon. I woke this morning to find the confirmation e mail and did not even remember ordering it!
I MUST get some sleep!
Posted by: lucy | October 29, 2009 at 14:48
Thank you for the links, Jane! That book is as good as it looks and made me think of you when I first saw it :) I will have it in stock again within a few weeks.
Posted by: rosa | October 29, 2009 at 15:25
Hmmm...timely post! We got back from Toyko just yesterday and I am already lamenting the books I didn't buy due to the overwhelming number of real beauties to choose from. So inspiring, so many fascinating ideas presented in such an exquisite way.
Missing Japan already *sigh*
Thank you for sharing Rosa's blog, which might just be the remedy!
Posted by: Gill | October 29, 2009 at 16:52
I share your love of Japanese craft books...what a dent they have made in my bank account. My favourite site for browsing the pages of the latest books is at ebay.com. There is an ebay store called Rose Tree Crafts that has tons of Japanese craft books in stock, including the sock book. Every book listing in the shop is profusely illustrated with photos of pages from the books. It is US-based, so perhaps not as economical in terms of shipping, but a great opportunity to browse.
Posted by: dawn draper | October 29, 2009 at 18:18
I simply love Japanese craft books, but I find not knowing the language intimidating. I have never actually bought any for myself because of this. Do you all find them easy to follow even though you cannot read the text in them?
Posted by: Amy | October 29, 2009 at 18:21
I've never dipped a toe into the heady world of Japanese craft books (good thing, at the moment, since I have NO crafting budget!), but I've always enjoyed your posts about them. There's something so lovely about a new creative book (any genre, any provenance) - the sense of delicious potential, the ideas sparking.
Posted by: Lean Ni Chuilleanain | October 29, 2009 at 18:35
Yes, I love these books too, but as Dawn says above they can dent your bank balance as it's so difficult to choose just one or two. I've been using a lovely Etsy site called This and That From Japan, which has a good selection of books and fabrics. It's run by Lisa who ships orders really quickly with nice little messages -ThisandThatFromJapan.etsy.com. Off now to the Autumn quilt show at Malvern to deplete funds even further! Enjoy the rest of halfterm.
Posted by: Jane | October 30, 2009 at 12:05
Fortunately I am blessed with a Kinokuniya nearby so I am able to shop for japanese craft books in person. Unfortunately I have to approach the store with caution or like my last visit I end up with an arm load and a weeping credit card.
What is it about japanese craft books that are so alluring? Its like cat nip for crafters!
Anyway here's another source for peeking in the books online. http://www.craftlog.org/craftingjapanese/
Posted by: Olivia | October 30, 2009 at 19:14