Author: Anna

Release Party Update!

Posted on by Anna

For those of you who live in my area (NYC), I have an exciting little update about the Knitting Mochimochi Release Party that will happen at Brooklyn General July 11th—that’s next Sunday!

Bring some yarn and double-pointed needles (worsted-weight yarn and size 5 or 6 dpns are recommended), and you can make a Bite-Free Bed Bug from the book!

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The pattern will be available to anyone who comes, and you will be welcome to get knitting on it right there. Of course I’ll be there to answer any questions about the book and give tips on toy knitting. Should be fun!

The event is free and no signup or RSVP is needed. Just come anytime between 2 and 6 pm!

Interview and One More Giveaway on Plush You!

Posted on by Anna

So today is finally the release date of Knitting Mochimochi! I’ve been anticipating it for so long that it doesn’t seem quite real to me. It’s been so great to hear from many of you who have been receiving your copies in the mail (thank you for pre-ordering!), and I’ve also heard from a few people who have gone into brick-and-mortar bookstores and have found my book there too—somehow, I find that hard to believe! I’ll have to venture out to my local bookstore soon too to see if I can find it on the shelf.

If you are thinking about getting the book but haven’t yet, you may have noticed that signed copies are also now available right here in the Mochimochi Shop! These books only ship to US addresses (sorry!), but if you live outside the US and MUST have a signed copy, send me an email (to info[at]mochimochiland[dot]come) and we can arrange it.

And you also have one more chance to win a copy of the book! Kristen of Schmancy (the awesome vinyl and plush toy store in Seattle) has just posted a little interview with me on the Plush You! blog. She included this dorky picture she took of me last month when she was in town.

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Kristen has played a big role in my design work in the past few years—she has been a wonderful mentor, connection-maker, and motivator! So it means a lot to me that she is celebrating the release on her blog.

To enter the latest (and, as far as I know, the last) Knitting Mochimochi giveaway, leave a comment on Kristen’s post over at Plush You! with a suggestion of the next Tiny Thing that I should knit. (I can never get enough suggestions, so I will be reading them avidly!) You have until July 13th to enter!

A big thank-you to Kristen, and also to my publisher Watson-Guptill for being so generous with the giveaway copies!

Knitting Mochimochi Review + Giveaway on Whip Up

Posted on by Anna

More exciting Knitting Mochimochi news!

Whip Up just published a very nice review of my book—I was so happy to read it, because they are always on the cutting edge in crafting.

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My favorite sentence from the review:

When I first saw Knitting Mochimochi, all that I could say was “squee!”, a high pitched “awwwww!” and that chubby cheek kind of noise that people make when they squoosh the cheeks of a gorgeous baby, a bit like “woodgewoodgewoodge”.

Along with the review, which was written by their contributor Kate, they are giving away a copy of the book! To enter, leave a comment on the post over at Whip Up telling them about “the craziest, funniest, and impractical thing you have every made.” (I wonder where they got that idea!) You have to act fast, though—they’re picking a winner 48 hours after the post went up, and it looks like it was published early on June 28th, Australia time.

Thank you so much to Kate and Whip Up!

Knitting Mochimochi Preview: Naughty and Nicey

Posted on by Anna

Somehow suddenly the release of Knitting Mochimochi is TOMORROW—I can hardly believe it! Time for one last preview!

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Naughty and Nicey are part of the “Impractical Wearables” section of patterns in the book. I wanted to include some patterns that had a new twist, and wearable toys seemed like just the thing. As the “impractical” indicates, these aren’t your usual animal-shaped scarves and hats, but something much sillier, like an angel and devil that you can strap onto your shoulders. Perfect for a costume party!

This was a particularly challenging project to shoot, both because Brandi and I would have to incorporate a model in the image, and also because we really wanted to convey “temptation” in the photo. We thought about shooting a model from the back, with her front facing a big wall of tempting yarn. That concept didn’t work visually, though, so we looked into bakeries in the Tulsa area for a shoot with a counter full of cakes.

In the end, our primary concern was showing the angel and devil as clearly as possible, so Brandi shot it without a background. The end result was a clean, simple shot, but getting it wasn’t so simple! Once we found Ching, our model with the right kind of narrow shoulders (so that Naughty and Nicey weren’t spread too far apart in the image), we had to find just the right shirt for her to wear (we actually ended up turning a the top around backwards because the neckline looked better that way), and just the right cupcake for her to be tempted by (from Sweet Cakes in Tulsa). We actually had a selection of cupcakes, and we had to switch them out during the shoot—it was taking so long to get the lighting and angle just right that the icing on them was melting in Ching’s hands!

Ching was a trooper throughout the shoot, doing her best to express a dilemma without being over-dramatic. We weren’t sure if her whole face would end up in the cropped photo in the book, but it did, and I think it turned out great.

The pattern for Naughty and Nicey comes with instructions for three sizes of straps, but it’s easy to make them to fit any size. And of course, Naughty and Nicey don’t have to be worn—they can also watch over you from somewhere else (a kitchen shelf, perhaps)!

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Tiny Bee

Posted on by Anna

Update: It seems that Amy was the first to leave a comment suggesting that I knit a tiny bee. Thanks, Amy!

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Here’s a tip: don’t call him “Honey”—bees hate that!

I tried figuring out who might have suggested that I make a Tiny Bee, but I’m having trouble finding anyone! If you think you suggested it, let me know!