It may be March now, but that didn’t stop us from getting more snow this morning in Chicago. (SIGH…) I think these snowmen, made by Mochimochi friend Joan, have the right idea!
I love all the action in this scene! It makes the snow just that more bearable for one more week.
Joan used the patterns for Mochimochi Snowmen and Tubby. Check out more photos on her Flickr page.
If you’re like me, you spent the weekend marveling at the wintry feats (and the occasional icy falls) happening in Sochi. But sometimes the the most interesting Olympic events don’t get any NBC coverage. Like giant squid ice dancing!
Lorna and Jill created this amazing skating squids window display for Nine Rubies, a yarn shop in San Mateo, California. if the pink squid looks familiar, it’s because she was part of the winning entry from last year’s Mochimochi Photo Contest. I’m all for repurposing epic knitting projects!
In the wider shot you can see that there’s more to the display than leggy squids. Russian nesting dolls and snowflakes (cleverly standing in for Olympic rings) complete the dramatic scene. And yes, the little skates are were also custom designed and knitted!
Lorna blogged all about planning and putting together the display—it’s even cooler to see exactly what went into it. So much inspiration! (And I wish I were this good about recording every step that goes into my installations.)
If you’re in Northern California this month, this would be something to see in person! Oh, and the Squidpocalypse pattern is available in Huge & Huggable Mochimochi!
You thought your small children were safe around friendly knitted toys, right? THINK AGAIN.
My friend Gali (whom some of you may have met at my table at Vogue Knitting LIVE a couple weeks back) modified the Sleepy Snake pattern to make this crazy-cute baby cozy for her friend’s little one. My friend Gali is a knit-hacking genius.
You can rest assured that no babies were harmed in the making of this adorableness.
Uh-oh, looks like someone missed they day they covered the late Cretaceous Period in history class…
This devastated dino and hilarious photo are by Patelyne! The pattern is Roary from Huge & Huggable Mochimochi.
Have you taken fun photos of toys you’ve knit from Mochimochi patterns? Share them in our Flickr group! Then everyone can see them on our gallery page, and they’ll also automatically be entered in our next big photo contest.
I’m excited to share another adorable project by someone who took my toy design workshop at the Lion Brand Yarn Studio back in October. Kalliopi came to the class with a really specific idea: She wanted to design a cell phone holder in the shape of a sheep’s head. And here it is, just like her sketch!
Super cute! I’ve always said that my cell phone needed an adorable animal to snuggle with when I’m not using it. And you can even make one of your own—Kalliopi’s pattern is available for purchase via Ravelry.
I recall that in the workshop we talked about making a boxy shape by knitting a rectangular flat piece first, then picking up the stitches around the four sides of the rectangle and knitting them in a round to make the sides. (This is a technique that I’ve used in several of my more angular designs.) The pocket on top is a matter of binding off stitches in one row and casting them back on again in the following row. But I think it’s the details and proportions of the face that really makes the design. Nice job, Kalliopi!
By the way, I’ll be giving a talk all about designing knitted toys this Sunday (1/19) at Vogue Knitting LIVE in NYC! Come to the marketplace stage at 11am to catch it.
It’s still well below zero here today, but I’m coping with coffee, knitting, and focusing on happy, inspiring images. Like these adorable starry wedding photos from Teresa, who knitted 88 Lucky Stars as favors for her and her fiancé’s guests.
I was especially excited to see these photos in the Flickr group because I too made knitted wedding favors when John and I got married in 2006. (But they weren’t nearly this cute, or this much work!) I’m so tickled when people make mochis a part of their happy day.
And wow, how awesome is that dress!?
I’m really rooting for this adorable couple. They’re off to a great start! The beautiful photos are by Jessica Shilling Photography.
Here’s another original toy created by a knitter who took my toy design class in October!
Patricia wanted to design a fox, but was unsure about where to start, especially when it came to the head. So in the class she sketched out the triangle shape she had in mind, and as a group we discussed some different options for how she could make it, with varying degrees of complexity.
I was so excited when Patricia sent me photos of her finished fox with his triangle head. Often the simple solution is the best way to go for a charming toy, and I think Patricia got it just right—this guy reminds me of an illustration, with its handmade quality and basic shapes.
Patricia shared a bunch of photos of her fox-in-progress on her Tumblr. It’s awesome to see her fox take shape!
She mentioned in the Tumblr post that she mostly pieced him together using different patterns from my books, and that’s totally OK! Existing patterns are great resources, and it’s all about simple shapes anyway, so taking elements from various sources is a good way to start designing your own toys.
Thanks to Patricia for sharing her fox!
Last week I mentioned how fun and inspiring it was to teach a toy design master class at the Lion Brand Yarn Studio in October. Because I was just about to move to Chicago, we couldn’t schedule a follow-up class to see everyone’s progress with their designs, but I asked the participants to send me updates by email. A few have come through, including Jessica, with this adorable oyster that she designed and made!
In the class we had talked about how Jessica would make the top and bottom pieces hinge together, and how she might make the wavy “lips” of the oyster. For the lips especially, it seemed like there would be a simple solution, but it would require a little trial and error just to see how it would turn out. She opted to try making a separate I-cord and stitching it in place, and I think it worked out brilliantly!
If you’re interested in designing your own toy, my biggest advice is to just start knitting! It’s easy to get caught up in Planning Mode, thinking that you have to have everything figured out before you begin. Toys are a great place to start with designing because you can incorporate lots of fun knitting techniques and you don’t have the pressure of making sure that it will fit someone in the end. If you’ve had a toy in mind that you’d like to design, just go for it!
I’ll be leading a short workshop on toy design at Vogue Knitting LIVE in NYC in January, so I hope you’ll plan to join me if you’ll be there.
And if any of the other Lion Brand Studio class participants are reading this, I’d love to see more of your finished projects!