Thank you to everyone who rooted for their favorite photos from yesterday’s first round of semifinalists! It’s really fun to read all the different perspectives on what makes a winning photo, and your input is certainly helping me narrow down the candidates.

Today I’m thrilled to present (again, in no particular order), the next 10 of 20 semifinalists for the Mochimochi Photo Contest. Please help out again by campaigning for your favorites!

After hearing your thoughts on the second batch, I’ll have the difficult job of selecting the 10 finalists. Then it’s up to you all again, when we’ll have the official vote at the end of the week.

And without further ado…

UPDATE 12/12/07: I’ve taken the images in this post down to save bandwidth, but you can still click on the links to see the photos!

Woodins Frolicking in Clover by evergreenknits
These little Woodins have found the perfect spot to play. How cute!

Bob Family by Knittygirlie
John pointed out to me how much this looks like a K-Mart family portrait. I can’t get over how funny and adorable it is.

Pepto the Elephant on a swing by mikkers!
Pepto is just waiting for someone to come and give him a big push! A great expression and nice colors.

Mochimochi Land Scene by jenifleur
This incredible landscape is how one knitter imagines Mochimochi Land to look. (And now it’s how I imagine it too!)

bff by sprytaen
A Heart and dog combo that couldn’t be sweeter. This pet is loved!

roasting marshmallows… by britegreenstar
Little did we know that after we go to bed, our Bobs while away the nighttime hours roasting Q-tip marshmallows and telling ghost stories…

Snake eating Mouse by Dknits
The annoyed look on Mouse’s face is just precious.

Good job Ninjabun! by Knittygirlie
Boy, this Ninjabun’s got more tricks up his sleeve than anyone suspected (least of all the unfortunate wrangled carrot)!

time to move on by giolou
An excellently framed scene in which Thurman the Evolving Punk reflects back on his slimy origins.

Festive Mochimochi Land Reindeer by tezzcan
This tiny reindeer couldn’t be more decked out for the holidays. (I bet he’s already got all of his Christmas shopping done too, the little brat!)

Let us know who your favorites are in the comments, and be sure to come back in a day or so for the final vote!

A HUGE thank-you to everyone who entered the Mochimochi Photo Contest!!! Your creativity astounds me, and I’ve found myself inspired over and over again by your beautiful, funny, and clever photos.

The contest was a great success, with 90 participants and more than 400 entries. But choosing finalists for the photo contest is wayyy harder than I thought! My husband and trusted Mochimochi Land partner John and I have been narrowing down our favorites, but we’re still not quite down to our top ten. So tomorrow and Wednesday we’ll present our 20 semifinalists and encourage you to campaign for your favorites in the comments. Then the list of finalists will come later in the week and voting will commence!

Today we’re presenting (in no particular order) our Honorable Mentions: photos that didn’t make our semifinalists list, but that we still think are awesome.

UPDATE 12/12/07: I’ve taken the images in this post down to save bandwidth, but you can still click on the links to see the photos!

Camouflage by muffychloe
This Sleepy Snake is trying to fool a mouse by disguising himself as an Uh-Oh. Too clever!

Action Safari Shot! by Sevous
A yellow bob tries to evade the menacing (and totally cute!) cat in multiple shots.

Albino grass tries something new by cspooks
An albino Grass sees what life as a tooth might be like. Love it!

Bob and Grass Family by wrchill
This is the story of how Bob and Grass fell in love and had a bob/grass hybrid offspring. Wow!

Carrot Hiding in Berries by flowers.leaves
Ninjabun’s carrot looks so cute nestled in this bunch of berries.

Knits & Bobs by world ruined
A most artistic close-up of everyone’s favorite long-nosed friend.

Grass Stain on the Wheel by kountingsheep
Not only is this photo totally funny, but it’s also a crocheted version of Grass!

Dog and pigs in blankets by Ouonqui
Tee hee hee!

Bob-B-Q by rsislandcrafts
Bob and friends celebrated Thanksgiving this year with a Bob-B-Q! I love their expressive eyes and the pattern alterations.

Bob & Alfie by lizzie j b
Mochimochi Land toys paired with pets are the cutest! This confrontation is especially funny.

Check back tomorrow for the first group of semifinalists!

One of the fun things about New York is the tradition of holiday shop displays, which range from the sublime to the charming to the thoroughly creepy.

I’m planning on reviewing some notable holiday displays throughout the next month, and so I thought I’d start with the one I see almost every day.

The Shops at Columbus Circle are an upscale mall of sorts connected to the Time Warner Center. (I’m usually there for the Whole Foods in the basement, not the Swarovski boutique.)

Every holiday season, or at least for the past three that I’ve been here for, they haul out these enormous spiky stars and hang them from the ceiling.

The stars change color along with atmospheric holiday music. It’s quite beautiful. My husband’s CNN friend says that the Time Warner people are proud of their elegant, interfaith display.

One star hangs lower than the rest, though, and its sharp metal tip points directly at the people riding up from Whole Foods on the escalator.

Every time I get groceries in November and December, I think about the cable breaking and this pointy steel and glass object plunging through my right shoulder. My hands are full of grocery bags, so I’m helplessly immobile as the star of death comes crashing down, ripping my flesh asunder.

Here is the view, looking up, right as I’m about to pass under it.

At least it would be a festive way to go!

Our little haystack has attracted some unwanted attention from a hungry sheep!

After the sheep satisfies his appetite and gets a name, he’s hoping to become a pattern in the shop along with his haystack friend.

A few more sheepish views: