Amizu Japan

Keito Dama, Knit Marche, and Amirisu: A Field Guide to Japan's Knitting Magazines

Which Japanese knitting magazines exist, who publishes them, how often they come out, what's in them, and how to get a copy from outside Japan.

By Naruhiko (Naru) ·

Drafted in English with AI, from the sources listed at the end. How these guides are made.

On this page
  1. A quick note on names
  2. Keito Dama (毛糸だま)
  3. Knit Marche (ニットマルシェ)
  4. amirisu
  5. How to get a copy from outside Japan
  6. Reading a Japanese magazine when you don’t read Japanese
  7. FAQ
  8. Sources

Short answer: Keito Dama (毛糸だま) is a quarterly hand-knitting and needlework magazine from the Japanese craft publisher Nihon Vogue, out on the 5th of February, May, August and November. Its sister title Knit Marche (ニットマルシェ) is aimed at beginners and small projects, and now comes out twice a year, in March and September. amirisu, the knitting magazine printed in Japanese and English, has turned into a bilingual pattern book. Nihon Vogue’s own shop ships only within Japan, but buyers abroad can order through a forwarding service.

The details below were checked against the pages listed under Sources on November 5, 2026. Issue numbers and prices change, so check the official pages before you order.

A quick note on names

Nihon Vogue (日本ヴォーグ社, Nihon Vōgu-sha) is a craft publisher, not a magazine. Its English company page lists regular magazines for hand knitting, quilting, embroidery, pressed flowers and tole painting. The two knitting magazines are Keito Dama and Knit Marche. Nihon Vogue also runs the online shop Tezukuri Town (手づくりタウン, Tezukuri Taun), which hosts both magazines’ official pages.

“Let’s knit series” is not a magazine either. It is the series name on many Nihon Vogue knitting and crochet books. A search of Japan’s National Diet Library catalog returns hundreds of records for it, going back to at least 2000. They include an autumn/winter crochet book, 秋冬のかぎ針あみ (Aki-fuyu no kagibari-ami), with September editions recorded from 2009 to 2024 (the 2017 edition is a best-of selection, ベストセレクション).

Let’s Knit, without “series,” is a magazine with 13 issues a year and “a big following in the UK,” according to its licensing agent, which lists it under the publisher Aceville. This guide doesn’t cover it.

Keito Dama (毛糸だま)

Keito dama means “ball of yarn.”

PublisherNihon Vogue (日本ヴォーグ社)
FrequencyQuarterly, on the 5th of February, May, August and November
Latest issue (November 5, 2026)Vol. 212, Winter 2026, released November 5, 2026. Fujisan lists the next issue, Vol. 213, for February 5, 2027.
Price¥1,980 including tax (Vol. 212, publisher’s shop). The previous issue, Vol. 211, was ¥1,870.
Tagline手あみとニードルワークのオンリーワンマガジン, “the one-and-only magazine for hand knitting and needlework”

What’s in an issue. Nihon Vogue’s English page gives Keito Dama’s basic concept as the “go-to magazine for hand-knit and needlework,” with seasonal designs in hand knitting, embroidery and beadwork. The Winter 2026 issue leads with 一生ものセーター (isshō-mono sētā, “sweaters for a lifetime”). Fujisan’s table of contents says the feature draws on traditional knits from around the world: Aran, Fair Isle, Gansey, Lopi, Bohus Stickning and Cowichan. The official page also lists Aran patterns worked with a crochet hook, winter frills, fluffy knits, recipes for variegated yarn (段染め, danzome), a feature on the world of Eisaku Noro (野呂英作の世界, Noro Eisaku no sekai), knits for the Year of the Sheep (ひつじ年, hitsuji-doshi), and small winter pieces. The publisher’s shop sells yarn sets and kits for designs in the issue.

Running series. Fujisan’s table of contents for the previous issue, Autumn 2026 (Vol. 211), lists numbered series: the 40th installment of a darning-and-repair series, the 32nd of a series called “4 size knitting,” and the 14th of “Let’s Knit in English!” (英語で編もう, Eigo de amō), a column in the Japanese magazine. That issue also had a report from Shetland Wool Week.

“No seaming” in Japanese. The Autumn 2026 issue’s lead feature, on seamless knits, used the phrase とじはぎなし (toji-hagi nashi) in its heading. Nihon Vogue’s basics pages define the two words: toji (とじ) joins rows to rows, and hagi (はぎ) joins stitches to stitches. The guides to mattress stitch (すくいとじ, sukui-toji) and Kitchener stitch (メリヤスはぎ, meriyasu-hagi) show each one.

Subscriptions (inside Japan only). Nihon Vogue’s subscription page lists a year of four issues starting with the Spring 2027 issue at ¥7,920 (four issues at ¥1,980), with shipping and handling free. The same page still lists a year starting with the Winter 2026 issue at ¥7,480. Orders close on the 20th of the month before each issue. Nihon Vogue’s subscription guide says subscriptions ship within Japan only (国内発送のみ). The official page also has a back-issue section (バックナンバー, bakku nanbā).

Knit Marche (ニットマルシェ)

PublisherNihon Vogue
FrequencyTwice a year: a spring/summer issue in March and an autumn/winter issue in September
Latest issue (November 5, 2026)Vol. 32, Autumn/Winter 2026, released September 14, 2026
Price¥1,650 including tax (publisher’s shop)
Tagline「かわいい」を編もう, “Let’s knit cute things”

The schedule has changed. The official back-issue list labels Vol. 1 to Vol. 20 (2006 to 2015) alternately spring/summer and autumn/winter, Vol. 21 to Vol. 30 (2016 to 2025) autumn/winter only, and Vol. 31 and Vol. 32 spring/summer and autumn/winter 2026. Fujisan’s back-issue list dates Vol. 21 to Vol. 30 in September of each year, and Vol. 31 to March 16, 2026. Fujisan, which handles the magazine’s subscriptions, now lists it as twice a year, with issues dated March 14 and September 14, 2027.

What’s in it. The official page lists Vol. 32’s contents, including layered winter garments and accessories, flower ornaments and accessories, sleeve patterns and shapes, an introduction to アフガン編み (afugan-ami, Tunisian crochet), and small first projects to make on a weekend. Fujisan describes Knit Marche as a knitting magazine for beginners, built around small knitted goods you pick, knit and enjoy like everyday accessories. The magazine has its own accounts on X and Instagram (@knitmarche), linked from the official page.

amirisu

amirisu (the brand writes it in lower case) is a knitting magazine launched in 2012, according to its company site. The company itself was founded in Kyoto in 2014 and now operates from Kyoto, Tokyo, and Portland, Oregon. A 2017 Seamwork profile described amirisu as “a dual-language Japanese and English knitting magazine that reaches knitters worldwide.” Seamwork named its founders as Tokuko and Meri, and said amirisu began as an online magazine and ran a test print in 2014. The founders also run two yarn shops called WALNUT, one in Kyoto and one in Tokyo.

From magazine to pattern book. amirisu’s online shop says the magazine “will end with the 27th issue in 2023, and will start anew as a pattern book”. The first one, amirisu assemblage Volume 1, came out on February 7, 2025. It is A4 size, 138 pages and Japanese-English bilingual, with 12 knitwear designs and a Ravelry download code. The shop also lists Volume 2 (2025) and takes pre-orders for Volume 3 (2026).

Ordering from abroad. The shop’s product page says it has stopped shipping to EU countries, and it sends North American customers to a separate website.

How to get a copy from outside Japan

  • Nihon Vogue’s shop ships only within Japan. Its delivery guide says orders from abroad are possible through two outside forwarding services, 転送コム (tenso.com) and WorldShopping Biz, except for some items.
  • The “Global Shipping Service” link is WorldShopping. If you open Tezukuri Town from outside Japan, a WorldShopping cart appears automatically, and it shows only the items that can be bought from your country. WorldShopping buys the items for you. It charges a 10% service fee on the product price plus shipping inside Japan, then sends a second payment request for international shipping, handling and any other fees. Orders placed through WorldShopping can’t be canceled or returned.
  • Check the fine print. The shop says it handles inquiries in Japanese only, as a rule. Its FAQ says some items can’t be shipped abroad, and that cards issued outside Japan are restricted except JCB, American Express and Diners Club. Neither page says whether the magazines are among the items that can ship, so check the WorldShopping cart before you count on it.
  • Subscriptions to Keito Dama ship within Japan only (see above).
  • amirisu sells from its own shop, with the shipping limits above.
  • Proxy services such as ZenMarket and Buyee are compared in how to buy Japanese craft books from outside Japan.

Reading a Japanese magazine when you don’t read Japanese

Expect charts, not written row-by-row instructions. As the Seamwork profile put it, Japanese knitting patterns “typically do not include written instructions, just a single chart for the pattern.” Start with how to read a Japanese knitting chart and the Japanese crochet symbols. Then check tool sizes with the knitting needle and crochet hook conversion tables. If you’re thinking of translating a pattern to share, read what Japanese copyright sources say about translating patterns first.

FAQ

Is “Let’s knit series” a Japanese magazine? No. It is the series name on many Nihon Vogue knitting and crochet books. Let’s Knit, without “series,” is a separate magazine with a big following in the UK.

What’s the difference between Keito Dama and Knit Marche? Both come from Nihon Vogue. Keito Dama is a quarterly for hand knitting and needlework, with numbered series (the Autumn 2026 issue had the 40th installment of a darning-and-repair series). Knit Marche comes out twice a year and is aimed at beginners and small projects, with the tagline “Let’s knit cute things.”

Are they still being published? Yes, as of November 5, 2026. Keito Dama Vol. 212 came out on November 5, 2026, and Fujisan lists the next issue for February 5, 2027. Knit Marche Vol. 32 came out in September 2026, and Fujisan lists the next issue for March 2027. amirisu’s shop says the magazine was to end with its 27th issue in 2023; its bilingual pattern book has come out since 2025.

Is there an English edition? Neither Nihon Vogue magazine’s official page mentions one. (Keito Dama’s “Let’s Knit in English!” is a numbered column in the Japanese magazine.) amirisu assemblage is printed in both Japanese and English.

How much do they cost? At the publisher’s shop, ¥1,980 for Keito Dama Vol. 212 and ¥1,650 for Knit Marche Vol. 32, tax included. Ordering through WorldShopping from abroad adds its 10% service fee, plus international shipping and handling.

Sources

All pages below were opened on November 5, 2026.