You’ve Got to See Japan’s Awesome Stamp Story, 12 Years in the Making

As you probably know, Japan traditionally uses a zodiac calendar in which each year is represented by an animal, and the animals repeat every 12 years. One of the traditions that goes with marking the new year is sending new year’s cards, or nengajo, which include a stamp that commemorates the animal of the year, according to the blog Spoon & Tamago.

This coming year happens to be the year of the sheep, and the designer of this year’s stamp, Ayaka Hoshino, also happens to be the person who designed the stamp 12 years ago. Whether it’s coincidence or serendipity I don’t really care, because the results are awesome.

Back in 2003 the sheep was working on a knitting project, and now it’s done!

I know we’ve all felt like we had projects that lasted 12 years. Maybe there’s a UFO in your pile that old.

Perhaps in honor of the sheep, 2015 should be the year of finishing projects. What do you think?

[Photo via Spoon & Tamago.]

Next Pattern:

It seems like every summer there’s a new crop of tank top knitting patterns, and what I noticed about a lot of the new releases this year is that they have fun little details that make them a little more interesting both to knit and to wear.

Like the Sailoress Top from Joji Locatelli, which has a pretty cable worked up the center from and back, with shorter sections of cable work on the shoulders. It uses DK weight yarn and comes in 10 sizes up to a bust circumference of 72 inches/ 158 cm. You can find the pattern on Ravelry.

Combine lace and cables in an allover pattern on the Mountain Laurel Top from Andrea Gaughan. This sport weight pattern is worked from the bottom up in the count and has 10 sizes. It’s available on Ravelry.

The Vienna Textured Tank Top by Sarah Hatton has wide ribs broken up by eyelets. There’s very little shaping so it’s a pretty easy knit worked in fingering weight yarn. There are nine sizes available and it’s a free download on Ravelry.

Make a tank with a boho vibe perfect for festival season with Mary Beth Temple’s Tropical Sunset Tank Top. Worked in worsted weight cotton yarn, it’s knit from the bottom up in pieces to make it more stable. The coloring changing yarn is perfect for this one, or you can make it solid or work in your own stripes. You can get the XS size free on her blog, and other sizes are available on Ravelry.

Looking for a cropped lacy V-neck top to knit for summer? Jessie Maed Designs has the Sundae Swirl Tank, worked in DK weight yarn in the round with a fun combination of lace and cables. The ribbing under the arms helps give it a great fit. There are six sizes up to a chest measurement of 62 inches/157.5 cm. You can find this one on Ravelry.

How about a tank top with buttons? The Ridge Tank Button Down from Bluebird Pine Shop could double as a vest in cooler weather. This one is made with light fingering weight yarn and comes in 10 sizes. Grab a copy on Ravelry.

An otherwise simple top can be made a little more interesting with the addition of a fun edging, like on Sarah Opie’s Seashell Tank. Worked in fingering weight yarn, it has a whopping 24 sizes and lots of customization options for making it fit the way you want. The edging is crocheted. Learn more on Ravelry.

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Next Pattern:

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