Answers

• Alexandra
• German, living and crafting in Japan, writing about both
• I titled the crafty set on Flickr QUERBEET (strewn at large, a bit of all) which relates to my inability to focus on just one thing at a time. I hardly can decide if i am a knitter, crafter or seamstress.
• The same applies to my favourite colour, music or movies. Or if I would rather love to live in the city or a secluded cabin at the sea (internet access provided)...
• love to take photos, too, mostly of what is surrounding me here in Japan
• I have no professional background in arts or photography, it's all just plain dilettantism.
  
• My camera and all photo related: Canon EOS 5D, three lenses, 50 mm 1:1.4, 85 mm 1:1.2 and a macro 100 mm 1:2.8, SLIK ABLE 400 DX-LE tripod, Canon TIMER REMOTE CONTROLLER TC-80N3, Adobe Lightroom, never using a flash light.
• I am not selling anything, especially not large batches of woowls, they are really quite easy and much fun to make, if you like you can try yourself, here's the tutorial. Here our gallery of owls Owly Love on Flickr, here lots of my own owls,  and here a link to a tutorial of mine for making flat owls (Zakka Style Owl Pennant)
• Hexagons: I am sorry but I cannot provide you with a pattern for the crocheted hexagons. The pattern I use can be found in Crochet Motif Item, ISBN 4415103650 or978-4415103655. The book is Japanese but there are charts and sketches easy to be understood by everybody. The book is available via various online stores, such as Amazon Japan, Yesasia or on ebay. For actual information how to get hold of the book please ask on this ravelry board. I just assume you are a member, too. Oh, and of course there are lots and lots of free hexagon patterns on the net, information also on the mentioned discussion board. 
• When joining crocheted hexagons, this tutorial might be helpful, also I have written about my colour choices for the hexagon blanket here on the blog. Beautiful crocheted hexagons in our Hexagon Love pool on Flickr!
• For a long time I hesitated writing my blog in English because as a non native speaker you never know what you are actually writing... I got more comfortable over time and think in general you will understand what I mean but of course there are lots of moments when you might just wonder what I am talking of. Bear with me.
• My sewing machines: Brother Pacesetter 9000, same model as NX 600 and a serger, Babylock eclipse. Both a couple of years old yet I do not plan on getting anything newer or better as both machines serve me well.
• I prefer knitting on circulars, mostly bamboo
• I am a continental knitter and was totally confused when I once saw Julia Roberts knitting in a movie, doing very, very strange moves that looked more like sports than knitting. Since I taught myself how to knit I was wondering if I had been getting it all wrong... only later I learned there were thrower and picker...
• Love knitting in public wherever I am, whenever I can. All those few minutes add to a lot of time and you get a lot done by using that time.
• My username wherever I go is something like MOONSTITCHES or mangetsu, which is Japanese for full moon. I chose the name mangetsu when I made my first steps in this virtual world around 11 years ago, the time when I had to pick my first email address and username. As a child I was a sleepwalker, still cannot sleep well during nights of full moon and I am having a certain affiliation with that fellow up in the skies. I also am a night owl by nature and do much crafting between 10 PM and 2 AM, therefore many of the things I make consist of a lot of moonstitches.

Emails to this address, please: 

moonstitches@af.em-net.ne.jp

I always try to answer but often I get distracted or have no time to do that immediately which means I possibly forget to write back later. My apologies for that. Please simply ask again or remind me on your question, bother me without hesitation because I really want to answer. Thank you.

Have a nice day. Be creative, make something, have fun!

Alex

Comments

[Fauzzie]

Hi Alex,

I really love the purple bag from a Japanese magazine you posted under your blog topic 'Hand Bags' where you posted your brown leather handbag. How can I get that purple bag from the magazine? Do you know the price, dimension and material?

Look forward to hear from you.

Thanks for reading.

Fauzzie.

[LyB]

I love the explanation for mangetsu and moonstitches. You should be a poet as well as an accomplished artist. :)

[Karin]

Ended up here from sew-mad, I think. LOVE your owl tutorials. I've added a link to the garland tut on my blog under "projects to do someday" -- have to get through the Christmas gift making first!! So thank you so much for sharing that, and for the great pictures.

And I love the "counting" photos. I can't believe December is halfway over!

[Anat Rodan]

Hi Alex
I'm trying to purchase the book that has the short apron pattern you made for your swap (I love them...). I have a front cover picture, since I don't read Japanese, may you send me the ISBN number, or the link to Amazon Jp, or tell me the name. I know that you took your pattern from a diff source, but you had a link in your blog to the book, that I can't find anymore... and didn't have the ISBN number either.
Thanks for posting your amazing work.

Take care
Anat

[Donna Gillette]

Dear Alexandra
I look forward to your photos of Japan your neighborhood as well as updates and photos of your sewing especially for your girl. I live in Central New York in the States in a fairly small city/rural area and its covered in snow now. I'm expecting my new sewing machine today via parcel service and cant wait to get sewing again for my own girl, my grandaughter and my home. I am so glad to have found your personal information and am getting to know the simple beauty of Japan as well as your view of it which is always fun to see. I am hoping to figure out how to share my own life and work online as you do. Best wishes, Donna

[Michelle]

Hi Alex,

Is your email address correct? I am having trouble emailing you.

Thanks!

[Anne Marie]

Love this frequently asked and asnwered section of your blog! How practical, and at the same time fun.

[aqdb]

I have just discovered your blog tonight and I really love it, all the crafts all the photos and what you say. Thank you also fort the tutotrial that might be useful one day or the other.
I thought you might be french because of the french words but I know you are german in japan, what a pity I dont speak german, so we can converse in english.
Marie

[Neza]

Hi Alex!
I finally opened a flickr account and uploaded photos of an owl I had made, joined the owly love pool... Whooooa...
There's so much I have to learn and try. And it's fun!
Don't know how to link to your tutowlrial yet, but I'll find out ;)

Stay well and have fun! Thank you.

Neža

[Neza]

Ooops, silly me is:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/carlina-acaulis/

[Karen]

Can you tell me the name/manufacturer of the fabric you used in the bag you posted on Flickr on March 2006? The 2 patches I'm curious about have girls on them - one has a pink background and the other has a blue background. The bag is made with a purse frame. It's gorgeous! You did a wonderful job! I know the fabric might not be available since it was from 2006 but I thought if I knew the name/manufacturer I might try to find it. Thank you. Karen

[Facile Cécile]

Make a nice place for a cosy world...