Author: Anna

Donations for Doggies (and Kitties)

Posted on by Anna

Thanks to your help, we’ve raised enough to donate $200 to animal welfare causes in July! We decided to split the gift and donate to two organizations. First is the National Disaster Search Dog Foundation, who both rescues dogs during disasters and employs dogs to help rescue people. Natural disasters especially are on the rise these days, so this seemed like a great organization to support right now.

And second is Homeward Bound, the Addison County Vermont Humane Society, which Linda P. emailed us about:

We adopted our cat, Callie, from Homeward Bound… When she arrived there she was recovering from a broken pelvis and a number of Dental problems. Not only did they fix all her dental issues including pulling some teeth. They put her on medication for her pelvic arthritis and pain. Additionally, spaying and microchipping her.

She is a special needs kitty. They treat her and any animal that comes to them with the same care and compassion. They offer low cost spay and neuter clinics for the community and much more.

How sweet is Callie! Thank you to Linda for telling us about her and the wonderful work people in your community are doing.

Photos from Stop-motion Workshops at ELA Area Library

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I had a blast doing stop-motion animation workshops at the ELA Public Library this month!

It was inspiring to see all different ideas and stories develop in an afternoon. We had tons of crafty materials on hand, and everything from pom-poms to play-doh to 3D printed figurines got moving through pictures.

I hope these creators keep making movies. (Anybody can do it with free apps like Stop Motion Studio!)

Thank you to Becca Boland for making this happen!

Birthday GIFs

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It was my birthday on Friday (a Friday the 13th birthday, my favorite!), and this year I decided to give myself the gift of taking some time out from the week to create some birthday-themed GIFs starring the gnomes wearing, appropriately enough, their birthday suits!

I’d been meaning to make birthday GIFs for a long time, so this was as good a time as ever to accomplish it. You can find and share these with your friends via the Mochimochi Land GIPHY page.

And thank you so much to everyone who wished me a happy birthday on Facebook and Instagram! It made my day to get so many happy returns. I also celebrated by going out to a fancy lunch with John. It was a good day!

Stop-motion workshops in Lake Zurich, IL July 14 + 28

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If you live near the Chicago area and would like to try stop-motion animation with me as your guide, now is your chance! I’ll be leading workshops at the Ela Area Public Library in Lake Zurich on July 14th and 28th. See the library website for more information and to sign up! Total beginners of all ages are welcome!

(Thank you to Erin Helmrich of the Ann Arbor District Library for the photo!)

Let’s knit some dogs that look like food!

Posted on by Anna

New dog-licious patterns are here!

Inspired by cute breeds and our favorite summertime foods, new Doggie Treats patterns are tiny knitting fun!

Knit a doggie slider, an ice cream doggie, a hot doggie, a Chihuahua watermelon… or a mutt loaf!

(Is your mouth watering yet?)

Get the pattern collection download from the Mochimochi Shop or Ravelry now!

Three of these new doggies are also available as kits, complete with pattern, yarn, and stuffing. (Just add needles!)

And through the end of July $1 of each Doggie Treats sale (patterns and kits) will be donated to support animal welfare.

Winners of the 11th Annual Mochimochi Photo + Video Contest

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OK everyone, we’ve tabulated your almost 1,000 votes, and it’s time to announce the winners of the 11th Annual Mochimochi Photo + Video Contest!

Here’s another look at the finalists.

First, I want to again thank everyone who participated with your very creative entries. Mochimochi Land thrives on your enthusiasm and inspiration!

And once again, a big thank-you to our sponsor, Knit Picks! Knit Picks has sponsored this contest every year almost from the very beginning, and this year they are generously providing gift certificates to the top two winners in each category.
knitpicks_yarn
If you’re at all familiar with Knit Picks, you know they have everything a knitter or crocheter could want, including my favorite Palette yarn—perfect for knitting tiny mochis!

Without further ado, here are your winners in the photo category.

In third place is the charming Solar System by thefrugalgirl (knitted by Sonia)!

We love this cool cosmic family! You win a Mochimochi Land mystery kit and this collection of cute stuff (including, appropriately, a miniature astronaut)!

In second place is the awesome Beekeeper Gnome by Huey!

Way to go Huey! You win a $50 gift certificate from Knit Picks, a $25 gift card to Mochimochi Land, and two mystery kits!

And first place in the photo category goes to the adorable Sakura Bunnies by wooly brain!

Hooray! You win a $100 gift certificate from Knit Picks, a $50 gift card to Mochimochi Land, and all three mystery kits!

Now for our video category winners!

We had almost an exact tie for second and third place. In the end, by a very small margin, third place went to Robot Froyo by juleenbean!

So cute, Juleen! You win a Mochimochi Land mystery kit and this collection of cute stuff (which includes a fancy mushroom keychain)!

In second place is the epic der berg ruft by Alice is knitting!

Incredible knitting achievement! You win a $50 gift certificate from Knit Picks, a $25 gift card to Mochimochi Land, and two mystery kits!

And finally, first place in the video category goes to the eerie Stringer Things by Megan S!

Terrific, Megan! You win a $100 gift certificate from Knit Picks, a $50 gift card to Mochimochi Land, and all three mystery kits!

Congratulations to these most creative knitters! And that wraps up the 11th Annual Mochimochi Photo + Video Contest—thank you again to Knit Picks and all who participated with entries and votes. You all keep Mochimochi Land a thriving place of cuteness, adventure, and happy-making!

It’s Mystery Kit May!

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UPDATE: Mysteries revealed! The kits sent out in May were the Hot Doggie, Ice Cream Doggie, and Doggie Slider! All are now available for purchase as kits and as a pattern collection download.

Mystery preview kits are back! Through May 31st, buy two kits from the Mochimochi Shop and you’ll automatically receive a mystery preview kit for free!

Buy four kits, and get two DIFFERENT mystery kits for free! Buy six kits, and ALL THREE MYSTERIES will be revealed to you. For free!

What is a mystery preview kit? It’s a kit containing the pattern, yarn, and stuffing for an all-new tiny design. These are new, intermediate-level patterns that aren’t available anywhere else right now! You’ll just need a set of size 1 double-pointed needles and a tapestry needle to get started.

Please note that the mystery kits AUTOMATICALLY COME FREE with a purchase of at least 2 kits (or 2 books, or one kit and one book) through May 31—there’s no need to add them to your cart.

Past mystery kits have included… 

Want a hint? This year’s mysteries are quite a treat, but would definitely be rough to eat…

When you receive yours, please keep it hush-hush if you can, so we can preserve the mystery through the end of the month!

(And yes, the kits and patterns will all be available for purchase in the future.)  

11th Annual Mochimochi Photo Contest: Honorable Mentions!

Posted on by Anna

Many thanks to everyone who entered the 11th Annual Mochimochi Photo + Video Contest! I love that so many of you decided to spend precious hours knitting cute little creatures and making them do weird stuff for all the internet to see. Your creativity is an inspiration, for 11 years running!

Without further ado, here are this year’s honorable mentions! We loved these photos and are excited to share them here. (See full images and credits after the jump.)

Continue reading “11th Annual Mochimochi Photo Contest: Honorable Mentions!” →