Imports

I've been following the Japanese knitters' love of fair-isle knitting (see here). Japanese knitters cherish all things "Northern." Japanese knitting books not only focus on fair-isle garments; many also highlight Canadian (Cowichan) knits, Aran or Irish knits, the traditional styles of Icelandic knitting, and various Scandinavian techniques.

I learned recently that a Hiroshima shop, "Little Lithuania," sells knitted and fabric garments produced in Lithuania. The shop's blog lingers on some cultural details; last month, the blog featured a post about Kūčios—Lithuanian Christmas Eve.

UPDATE: Here's an article (in Lithuanian) about the Japanese shop.