Sachiyo Ishii was born and raised in Japan. She was a money broker on Wall Street and in London before discovering the joy of handicraft after her second son was born. She learned dressmaking and Waldorf doll making and has been designing and creating dolls and toys ever since. She teaches knitting, doll making, wet and dry felting, sewing, crochet, spinning, hand dyeing, Japanese doll making and paper crafts to adults and children. She has authored a number of titles for Search Press, including Mini Knitted Safari, Mini Knitted Woodland and Mini Knitted Toys. Her work has appeared in knitting and parenting magazines and her knitted toys are very popular. She believes everyone should be involved in some kind of creative activity and loves sharing the joy of craft with as many people as possible. Sachiyo lives in Sussex with her husband and two sons. Visit her website http://www.knitsbysachi.com.