Let's make happy
Mochimochi Friends
Pencils Ready?
Sep 2nd
So I guess it’s September! Summer always seems to slip by quickly, but this year’s record heats are making me less nostalgic than usual for sticky days. (Fingers crossed that today might just be the last of those!)
It’s back to school time for many, so why not kick off the season with some adorable Petite Pencils made from the pattern in Knitting Mochimochi?
From Greetingarts, Mr. Stubby and his friend look a little ambivalent about this pop quiz.
The pencil made by estars 100 thinks he’s found a clever way to avoid doing homework…
And cupcakefields’ no. 2 is getting right down to business on the first day of class.
I love all of these silly guys! Now I’m thinking I should have made a couple Petite Pencils for my friends who just started grad school. Maybe for midterms!
You can have your own photos of Mochimochi toys appear the gallery by adding them to the Mochimochi Friends group on Flickr.
By the way, we have a couple updates about this year’s Mochimochi Photo Contest: Knit Picks will again be a sponsor with fabulous gift certificates for the winners (yay!), and John will also be traveling to Japan in a few days just to pick up some other cool prizes. (OK, so he’s not making the 13-hour flight just for the photo contest, but he promises to get some neat stuff in between his work at the Tokyo Game Show.)
It’s looking like the deadline for the contest will be November 1st—I’ll make an official announcement later, but until then, you can check out the guidelines for last year’s contest.
Photographing Tiny
Aug 19th
I’ve been happy to see photos of tiny gnomes, frogs, pancakes, and trash cans from the Tiny Things Collection 3 appearing in the
Mochimochi Friends Flickr group lately!
Some of my faves are…
vapmore’s watering can-guarding garden gnome:
(a cute photo, and a fantastic pattern tester!)
Margaritas8’s
frog-in-a-spoon:
and marianne’s stuff’s stacked pancakes!
Marianne also tested the pattern collection for me, as did Marti – thank you to all three of you testers!
As these knitters and photo-takers know, the two tricks to photographing tiny knits are focus and props. If you’re using a point-and-shoot camera, check to see if it has macro setting (the symbol for it commonly looks like a flower)—this will help you get your subject in focus when you’re shooting it up close.
As for props, this is something I could get more creative with myself! I like to use my hands as props a lot, because they’re always on hand (ha, ha), and they instantly show scale. But any common object, especially one that relates thematically (watering can for the gnome) or in design (stack of pennies with stack of pancakes), can make for a very cute and eye-catching photo.
Once you’ve finished your photo shoot, whether with one of these tiny guys or with another Mochimochi toy you’ve made, be sure to add your photos to the Mochimochi Friends Flickr group! You’ll have a chance to win fabulous prizes in the upcoming 2010 Mochimochi Photo Contest. (Official announcement coming soon!)
Sugar-Sweet TV Guy
Aug 4th
I am drooling over this pastel TV Guy from Hello Maddy in the Mochimochi Friends Flickr group!
I’m also finding myself studying that cupcake fabric to try to decide which one I want to eat. (The chocolate cake with yellow frosting seems to have my name written on it.)
The pattern for TV Guy can be found in Knitting Mochimochi. And remember to add your photos of Mochimochi toys to the Mochimochi Friends group pool—they will be automatically entered in the next Mochimochi Photo Contest!
Pocket Protectors on the Job
Jul 29th
I spotted this photo on Ravelry the other day, and it made me so happy!
Guys and knitted toys are one of my favorite things, and I love that this set of Pocket Protectors are doing the job they were designed for.
And then I happened to meet the knitter at the Lion Brand Yarn Studio on Tuesday! Kendra told me about how her med school friend Adam saw the Pocket Protectors (from Knitting Mochimochi) and requested a set from her. And now they’re helping him with his third year rotations. Awesome!
I can’t get enough of seeing people’s photos of their Mochimochi toys, and to meet the knitters in person is even better.
Malabrigo Moose
Jul 21st
I’ve been obsessively checking out all the Knitting Mochimochi creatures that are popping up on Ravelry every day since the book was released—there are so many fantastic ones already!
One of my favorites is this adorably plump Confused Moose made by Alice of Kathryn Ivy.
It’s amazing how the size and placement of the features can give a toy such a different personality—to me, this guy looks like the “Muppet Babies” version of the original. And the Malabrigo yarn that Alice used is gorgeous! Somehow I’ve never used Malabrigo myself, but now I really want to give it a try now.
If you’ve made a toy from Knitting Mochimochi or any of my other patterns, be sure to add your photo to the Mochimochi Friends group on Flickr! It will appear on the Mochimochi Land gallery page and it will also automatically be entered in the next Mochimochi Photo Contest.
