Author: Anna

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.)

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11th Annual Mochimochi Photo Contest: The Video Vote!

Posted on by Anna

UPDATE: Congratulations to the winners!

A handful of dedicated knitters made the effort to get their mochis moving for the video portion of the 11th Annual Mochimochi Photo + Video Contest. They are the coolest! We’ve made it easy for you voters, narrowing it down to three finalists—that means they’re already all winners!

Watch the embedded videos first, then for your favorite one OR two in the survey below. The poll is open through Sunday, May 20th.

(Click below for the ballot.)

Continue reading “11th Annual Mochimochi Photo Contest: The Video Vote!” →

11th Annual Mochimochi Photo Contest: The Photo Vote!

Posted on by Anna

UPDATE: Congratulations to the winners!

Here is your ballot for the 11th Annual Mochimochi Photo Contest! We’ll leave the poll open through Sunday, May 20th. Please vote only one time (although you can vote for as many photos as you like, and we ask that you vote for at LEAST 2 photos).

Good luck to these very bold and original knitters!

(Click below for the ballot.)

Continue reading “11th Annual Mochimochi Photo Contest: The Photo Vote!” →

Introducing Abracadabbit

Posted on by Anna

AMAZE YOUR FRIENDS by knitting a magic rabbit who pulls tiny bunnies and carrots out of his hat AND his tail! (Your friends will probably just be amazed that you knit something.)

Introducing Abracadabbit, the amateur magic rabbit! His trick hat features a secret compartment for hiding bunnies and carrots, and his tail has an opening for stashing a bonus bunny!

Knit Abracadabbit in classic white, black, and red, or make a sweet chocolate bunny with pastel complements.

Get the PDF pattern download at the Mochimochi Shop or on Ravelry.

It was so much fun to design this knit. It’s been a long time since I’ve made an interactive toy, and the size is just right, I think—it feels like a real project, but doesn’t take so long that you want to give up halfway through. (At least that’s the hope!)

THANK YOU to Marilyn for her edits, and to Amanda, Rebecca, and Magon for testing help!

LYS Love: Gather Here

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The Cambridge sewing studio and yarn store Gather Here were nice enough to send me some photos of their Mochimochi Land kits on display!

You can take my word for it: This store alone is a great excuse for a trip to the Boston area. It’s been too long since I visited myself, but I hope to return before too long. I need to meet these fat little unicorns in person!

If you live far away like I do, you can still shop online and support them! They deserve your support.

And if your local yarn store isn’t carrying Mochimochi Land kits, why not suggest they get in touch?

Thank You for Another Great VK LIVE

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I just enjoyed a long weekend at Vogue Knitting LIVE Chicago! It’s been over two years since the last one here, and also over two years since Mochimochi Land was unfurled in public.

I was lucky enough to be placed near a ramp entrance to the marketplace, so I got this nice overhead shot thanks to that!

Many new mochis and scenarios joined the world, and this time I focused on referencing some of my animations within it. I hope people had fun checking it out—I think it was the most detailed version ever!

For most people, VK LIVE is about classes, lectures, and shopping for yarn. For me, it’s mostly about sharing Mochimochi Land and seeing knitters face-to-face for a change! On Sunday, these lovely faces found four-leaf clovers and let me take their picture.

Yes, there are only seven people, because three clovers went rogue! I hope they are bringing luck to whoever now has them.

With my limited extra time, I chatted with Nicky Epstein, picked up yarn from Handspun Hope, and got acquainted with the Committed Knitters, who knit with women in the Cook County Jail.

Thank you to the VK LIVE people and to everyone who came out and said hi!