Yesterday was my niece Lottie’s birthday. 🎂🐩💕
I knitted & crocheted this little flower collar for her as a birthday present. 🧶🌼
As her proud aunt, I think it turned out rather sweet. What do you think? 🤭
Hi everyone! I’m a Japanese picture book artist living in France, and I wanted to share a heartwarming story with you all.
I’ve recently created a picture book starring a little poodle named Kimchi. You might think, ‘Why on earth would you name a poodle Kimchi?’—well, that exact thought was where my story began! 🤭🍀
Last May, while visiting London, I bumped into a lovely elderly gentleman walking a small poodle. Thinking it was a puppy, I struck up a conversation. He smiled warmly and told me, ‘Actually, she was supposed to be a teacup poodle, but she grew too big and was left unsold in South Korea. Back then, she already had the name Kimchi.’ He spoke about her with so much love and joy. 🫶☺️
Seeing how happy he was, and how incredibly loved this ‘too-big’ poodle was, just filled my heart with happiness. I’ve always wanted to write a story about how pets and their owners somehow end up looking alike, and that serendipitous encounter inspired me to create my book, Kimchi the Super Solo (おひとりさまのキムチ). 🙏🌷
I thought it was just a once-in-a-lifetime encounter. But here is the miracle: it turns out Kimchi goes to the exact same grooming salon in London as my friend's poodle! 😳🙌👯 Thanks to this amazing connection, I was safely able to get a copy of the book into the lovely gentleman's hands.
It makes me so happy to think that a story born from a brief moment in London traveled to France with me, and found its way back to the very person who inspired it. I just wanted to share a bit of this happiness with you all today. Thank you for reading! 😽🐾
Thank you all for your advice! 🫶🙏😽
In the end, I decided to frog it and start over. 🍀 I also gave it a dry block, and I’m so glad I did! 🍀
The fabric feels much sturdier now, and because I’ve finally mastered the 1x1 rib bind-off, I managed to fly through the armholes without any problems. It’s officially finished! (Though I haven’t given it a final press yet…) 🙌🌷😽🧶