Still no games yet but WOOT! I received my Japanese book “かぎ針編みパターンブック300″ (or “CROCHET PATTERNS BOOK 300″)! Before anything else, here are pictures (all clickable for bigger versions of the image).

Cover of book

Two of the inside

One of the inside pagesCloseupCloseup

Squeee!! OMG where to start! I bought it from Yes-Asia. I was incredibly nervous about buying it online even though the price was so affordable (for a Japanese book) PLUS free shipping (AU$35!!). I thought there had to be a catch! I went to Kinokuniya to make sure that I couldn’t get it there instead but the price listed was AU$47. On a whim, I thought what the heck and bought it. With a coupon I ended up ordering the book for an awesome price (US$25, AU$32). Many common and mediocre English crochet books (not like there’s that many anyway) costs more than that and this one is shipped from Japan.

The order was made on the 1st February and shipped on the 15th and I received it today so the time it took was reasonable (given the the headquarters were apparently in Hong Kong and that the book wasn’t readily on hand). I was flabbergasted that for FREE economy shipping, the extent to which they wrapped the book was so thorough. It was in a huge, sturdy, grey bag, with a layer of bubble wrap encasing over two rigid cardboard pieces that was on the front and back of the book and the book itself came in a lovely plastic wrap. The book was in PRISTINE condition (see first picture)! One of the best purchases I’ve made!

And onwards to the book! I still haven’t had a detailed look at it yet as I had gone out after opening the package, but the lack of Japanese and abundance of diagrams and pictures is really relieving. This is a book about patterns and that’s all there is, pure and simple. There are no boring repeats from a flick I’ve had; the patterns range widely from the very lacy (see 4th picture) to the more sturdy but unusual (see 5th). All the photos come with what seems to be internationally recognised crochet diagrams and I’m sure with a bit of studying, I could get to knowing how to read it properly. Fortunately there are quick mini-diagram tutorials at the end of the book describe what each type of diagram represent which kind of stitching. COOL BEANS! All pages are glossy so do excuse the glaring circles in the photos. I’m can’t wait to start creating something from the diagrams!!

So yup, I’m really happy with my purchase. I don’t usually buy many things, but this seems to be a solid investment. :D