WRITTEN ON August 7th, 2009 BY Eric Scout AND STORED IN Country Reports

New Zealand is definitely holding it down when it comes to getting crafty. A virtual cornucopia of craft fairs has appeared in recent years on the island nation, including Craft 2.0, Fabric-a-brac (supporting crafters via it’s fabric selling mayhem), and craft markets popping up left and right all over the country. They’ve even got their own online marketplace for handmade goods, Felt! The fellow above is the Sweet Yeti from Bad Animals, makers of cute plushies and other felty cuteness.

World Sweet World, a ReadyMade/CRAFT-style publication, delivers DIY/MIY (Make It Yourself) tutorials to an ever-growing New Zealand and Aussie crafty crowd, and has a nice calendar of events available online.

Here are a few more gems from other crafty kiwis:

The “Blue Leaves” handmade cloth journal and more by Cat Taylor, who has an eye for patters and color!

Kati Brown’s “Just Me” handmade agate earrings.

Lilu No. 1 – 2 Birds, stuffed prints and more from Minu, whose cute printed goods have “lots of love in them and (hopefully) some magic.”

New Zealand has plenty to offer the crafty world, above and beyond hobbits and Flight of the Conchords. If you’re taking a trip over, try to stop by one of the many weekly and monthly craft happenings and support handmade!