Occasions we imagine would be just perfect for making and scoffing these easy-peasy Pocky ‘pencils’ from Handmade Charlotte: A live nude sketch class, just to break the ice. Crossword Club. Or Sudoku Club, if you’re that way inclined. As a birthday present for someone who really likes taking standardised tests.

If we had a Euro for every hour we’d spent gazing lovingly at awesome Frenchy illustrations, we would have a lot of Euros, frankie friends. Enough to retire and look at illustrations full-time, and nibble on very nice cheese all day. Having established our very real credentials, here are five of our current favourite French lady artists for you to enjoy, too.

Alpacas are herd animals with cute butts that like to spit at things and fight. This is all we normally need for a good night out, so we feel a certain amount of solidarity for their little floofy faces and big floofy heads. No doubt Holly Guertin – the fibre artist behind craft label Ernie and Irene – feels the same.

We get it. Not everyone thinks of themselves as a crafty person. We could tell you that we believe everyone is capable of making cool stuff with their hands. But it's easy to forget that when the only things you have time to stitch are loose buttons, and the last time you wielded scissors and paper was to wrap a quickie birthday gift.

Hello, hookers! Want to learn how to stitch ridiculously cute strawberries onto every damn thing you make? Check out this tutorial from Iin Wibisono over at Crochet Rockstar. All the steps to stitchy strawb domination, plus some how-to videos as well.

In a dystopian future when all smartphones are dead and we have to resort to old-fashioned words, text and vocal chords for communication, how will survivors indicate to each other that they’re OK? They could place their index finger on their thumb and curl the rest of their hand around – sure. They could open their mouths and simply say the words – yes.

Are you feeling something in the air today? A hint of anticipation bordering on pant-wetting excitement, perhaps? A sudden urge to enthusiastically punch the air and grin like a maniac? A strange feeling that perhaps it IS Rex Manning Day and you are Liv Tyler wearing an extremely short skirt? Well, there’s a reason for your barely controlled hysteria: everyone’s favourite Japanese retailer, UNIQLO, is dropping a special edition collaboration line with iconic Finnish design house Marimekko, and they’re doing it TODAY.

Let us take you down, frankie friends, 'cos we’re going to Strawberry Fields. A fuzzy and knittable version, anyway, with these sweet patterns from Spotlight’s new Abbey Road yarn collection: the Strawberry Fields Beanie and Strawberry Fields Oversized Scarf. Whether or not you’re a fan of the Fab Four, with colder temps on the way, it’s a good time to crack out the old knitting needles and get stitching and purling for some new winter woollies.