Author: Anna

Gnomes vs Snowmen Opens Thursday!

Posted on by Anna

It’s almost time for the big fight! My new show, Gnomes vs Snowmen, opens this Thursday at gallery hanahou in NYC. It’s been an exhausting two months-plus putting together this show, but for me, it might be my most exciting project to date.

The show is made up of 45 foot-long panels that will be exhibited along the walls of the gallery. Here’s a little sneak peek of two of them!

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The Carrot Caper is a success!

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Snowmen build a Weapon of Mass Destruction

You can see a few more pieces in the pre-sale catalog PDF.

If you’re in the NYC area, I hope to see you at the reception (6-8 pm this Thursday), or stop by while the show is up through November 18th.

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In association with this year’s Pictoplasma NYC festival, gallery hanahou is excited to bring you the second installment of Anna Hrachovec’s miniature knit world, Mochimochi Land. The battle begins November 3rd, as a part of the Pictoplasma Character Walk!

Show dates: November 3rd – 18th
Opening reception: Thursday, November 3rd, 6-8pm
RSVP: info@galleryhanahou.com
(Please note: You do not need a Pictoplasma pass & there is no admission fee to view this exhibit)

This show presented in partnership with:

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Tiny Witch

Posted on by Anna

Update: See the winning captions here!

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Halloween is such a fun holiday to knit for!

The bad news about Tiny Witch is that the pattern for her won’t be out for a long time. The good news is that she will be in a new book that’s coming out next fall!

Now, for a Tiny Witch Caption Contest! Leave your caption in the comments (one per person), and we’ll choose our favorite on Monday. The winner gets a Tiny Zombie Kit!

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Halloweeny Bunnies

Posted on by Anna

Check out these fun Halloween-themed TIny Baby Bunnies that Joolieknits came up with!

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She made the vampire bunny, ghost bunny, pumpkin bunnies, and candy corn bunny as part of the Tiny Bunnies Movement. That means she’ll be hiding them for some lucky strangers to find!

You can see what the Tiny Bunnies Movement is all about in their Ravelry group, and get my free pattern for Tiny Baby Bunnies here.

And don’t forget that the Mochimochi Photo Contest is officially open! Fun mods like Joolieknits’ bunnies are perfect for it.

Tiny Mushrooms Shouldn’t Quit their Day Job

Posted on by Anna

This weekend Tiny Mushrooms told Tiny Gnome that they had a song to sing for him!

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We are edible,
and unforgettable,
though some are atrocious,
and very ferocious.
So pick us the plucky quad,
who are ripe, right from sod!

Translated from the shrooomese by Michelle! For her cute caption, she wins the Tiny Things Collection 3 patterns!
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After the song was finished, Tiny Gnome only said that they were way out of tune. How rude!

Tiny Mushrooms

Posted on by Anna

Winning caption by Michelle:

We are edible,
and unforgettable,
though some are atrocious,
and very ferocious.
So pick us the plucky quad,
who are ripe, right from sod!

Not to be confused with Plucky Mushrooms from Knitting Mochimochi, Tiny Mushrooms are actually even tinier!

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This is a first for Tiny Mochi Fridays: these guys weren’t knit by me, but by a super-awesome knitter who is helping me make some of the characters appearing in Gnomes vs Snowmen. I wouldn’t be able to pull the show together without the help of Lisa, Angela, Faith, and Tomo!

I have a feeling that Tiny Mushrooms are ripe for captioning, so let’s have a contest! Leave your caption (one per person) in the comments to this post, and we’ll pick our favorite on Monday. Winner gets the PDF patterns for Tiny Things Collection 3!

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Picture Perfect Poultry

Posted on by Anna

Since announcing this year’s Mochimochi Photo Contest, I’ve found myself checking the Flickr pool more frequently to see what’s new. This morning I am drawn to this cute Tiny Chicken by dhaus11!

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The photo is adorable—I love the bright background and the simple prop of the 1/2 teaspoon. And what makes the photo really work is just the simple fact that it’s in focus!

Especially when photographing tiny knits, making sure they’re in focus is key. Most point-and-shoot cameras have a macro setting that works great for close-up shots—on my camera, the icon for this setting looks like a tulip.

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(Of course, this photo isn’t in sharp focus because I took it with my phone!)

Other things you can do to make sure your photo isn’t blurry is to take it in bright natural light, and to steady the camera on something (it doesn’t have to be a tripod) as you push that button. If you can get your camera in place so that you don’t have to hold it at all, you can also use a timer, which will take subtle hand movements entirely out of the equation.

If you have other tips for taking good, in-focus photos, please share them in the comments!

(By the way, the pattern for Tiny Chicken is available for free on the CRAFT blog!)

Announcing the 2011 Mochimochi Photo Contest!

Posted on by Anna

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Needles ready? Camera set? It’s now officially time to enter the 5th annual Mochimochi Photo Contest! Woohoo!

Once again, we’re looking for the cutest, funniest, most interesting photos of Mochimochi Land toys. All you have to do to enter is upload your photo(s) to the Mochimochi Friends group on Flickr by Monday, November 21st.

Winners will receive cute goodies from Japan and gift certificates from our generous sponsors Knit Picks and Schmancy!

Eligibility

To be eligible, your photo must contain at least one knitted toy made from a Mochimochi Land pattern. This can be a pattern from the Mochimochi Shop, a pattern from Knitting Mochimochi or Teeny-Tiny Mochimochi, or one of the free patterns on the Mochimochi Blog. The pattern may be modified, but not beyond recognition from the original design.

How to enter

Simply upload your photo(s) to the Mochimochi Friends Flickr group. If you don’t have a Flickr account, it is free and easy to register (though we recommend signing up as soon as possible, because it takes a little time for your account to be approved for sharing photos in a group). You can upload as many photos as you want, within reason.

(All photos uploaded since the deadline of the 2010 photo contest last year are already entered in this year’s contest!)

Deadline

The last day to enter the contest is November 21st, 2011. We’ll announce the semi-finalists shortly thereafter here on the blog, then everyone will be able to vote for their favorites! So be sure to check the blog in November.

Prizes!

First place prize will be a bunch of cute goodies from Japan, a $25 gift certificate to the Mochimochi Shop, a $50 gift certificate to Knit Picks (thank you Knit Picks!), and a $25 gift certificate to Schmancy (thank you Schmancy!).

Second place prize will be a handful of cute goodies from Japan, a $15 gift certificate to Mochimochi Land, and a $10 gift certificate to Knit Picks.

Third place prize will be a $10 gift certificate to Mochimochi Land and a $10 gift certificate to Knit Picks.

So get those needles clicking and those cameras snapping!