Mini Knitted Cosmos

Sachiyo Ishii was born and raised in Japan. She was a money broker on Wall Street and in London before discovering the joy of handicraft after her second son was born. She learned dressmaking and Waldorf doll making and has been designing and creating dolls and toys ever since. She teaches knitting, doll making, wet and dry felting, sewing, crochet, spinning, hand dyeing, Japanese doll making and paper crafts to adults and children. She has authored a number of titles for Search Press, including Mini Knitted Safari, Mini Knitted Woodland and Mini Knitted Toys. Her work has appeared in knitting and parenting magazines and her knitted toys are very popular. She believes everyone should be involved in some kind of creative activity and loves sharing the joy of craft with as many people as possible. Sachiyo lives in Sussex with her husband and two sons. Visit her website www.knitsbysachi.com.

Wow, some of the projects really are tiny, made the penguin which is a dinky 4cm! A great way to use up those odds and ends left over from other projects. All use DK and 4ply but I guess you could scale them up.The book takes the usually format; tools & materials, some knitting info/tips, abbreviations and a fairly detailed bit on construction, all accompanied by lovely pictures and illustrations. Next come the projects, and there are lots, all written in simple terms, and only using knit and purl! The more in depth patterns have some traceable templates in the back for cardboard reinforcement.Aliens, people and space animals, rockets, UFOs, even a satellite and moon buggy! All adorable and fun!As they're all knitted flat (and small) I found them quite quick to make although some bits a tiny bit fiddly to sew on due to the size, made easier by some well placed glass headed pins.Perfect for anyone just getting in to toy making or someone wanting a quick scrap buster project, I was surprised at how creative the projects were despite the simplicity and it certainly won't break the bank! And your kids will love them!

• Introduction 10Materials and tools 12Basic knitting 16Abbreviations 17Sewing up and stuffing 18Key techniques 23Basic embroidery 25The Projects 24Green & Orange Aliens 28Round Alien 30Mushroom Head Alien and Brown Alien 32Bug-eyed Alien 34Horned Alien 36Striped Alien 38Astro-bunny 40Astro-elephant 42Astro-bear 44Astro-dog 46Astro-giraffe 48Astro-mouse 52Astro-penguin 54Astro-kangaroo 56Satellite 59Planet Earth & Moon 62Small Rocket 66Rocket Children  70Parachute Children 74Soyuz Spacecraft 78Small Space Shuttle 81Large Rocket 84Astronaut in Orange 87Moon Buggy with Satellite 90Space Shuttle & Astro-kids 94Ground Staff 98Astronaut in White 100Flying Saucer Child 104Planet Mobile 107Star Babies Mobile 112UFOs 118Templates 124