Author: Anna

Projet Gnome

Posted on by Anna

If you’ve taken a look at our Flickr group recently, you’ve been greeted with tiny gnomes traveling to all sorts of places—from the shore,

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to a temple,

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to a rock concert,

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to the Biosphere in Montreal (NOT Epcot, as I originally thought!),

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to Chicago,

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to Austria!

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These jet-setting gnomes were all shared by Estelle, who clearly took an epic journey with her gnome companions. In fact, there were so many traveling gnomes, as I was scrolling through the photos I was wondering just what was up…. So I got in touch with Estelle, who lives in Quebec, and I learned that this is a whole project with many different contributors!

This is what she had to say about Projet Gnome:

Last year I went on a 3 month backpacking trip with my sister to New-Zealand, Thailand and India. A few weeks before we left I was looking for ideas for small gifts to make for our future hosts, and I stumbled upon your website. I just fell in love with the gnomes and thought I’ll knit one for myself and take pictures of him at different places we go. (A bit like in the movie Amelie with Audrey Tautou)
Then I knitted a lady friend for Mr Gnome, then some more gnomes, and I started giving them to people I met on my trip so they make them travel and take pictures.
I kept on knitting gnomes when I came back home and gave them to fellow travellers. In a way I got to keep on travelling a bit this way! So far I might have knit about 30 gnomes and they travelled to more than 15 countries, thanks to the wonderful travellers/photographers/artists who took part in the Gnome Project.
For me, this is really about sharing, creating, and finding beauty and fun in small things.

How fun! Of course, Estelle’s project reminds me of Project Gnome Diplomacy, which many of you participated in last year, when I brought more than 300 of your gnomes to Seoul to be handed out to people who visited the gallery where they were displayed. I love that the gnome is a symbol of adventure and friendship that so many people recognize and want to take part in.

Anyone can join Projet Gnome by knitting a gnome and taking it on a trip, and there’s even a Facebook group for the intrepid gnomes and their escorts. I just joined myself!

You can find the tiny gnome pattern in Teeny-Tiny Mochimochi, in the Tiny Gnome Kit, and in Tiny Mochis Collection 3.

Crocheted Abode a la Mode Giveaway Winner

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Thank you for sharing your mouth-watering creations, everyone! We got 55 comments on the post with Twinkie Chan’s interview. And our randomly-selected winner of Twinkie Chan’s new book, Crocheted Abode à la Mode, is…

Commenter number 55, Barbara!

I sewed a huge donut in the 8th grade. It was a giant pillow for my bedroom and it took bags and bags and bags of stuffing.

I love that this giant donut maker is our winner! I have a feeling that the book will not be wasted on Barbara.

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Thank you to Twinkie Chan and to her publisher, Creative Publishing International, for making the giveaway possible. Now everyone who isn’t Barabara, go buy Crocheted Abode à la Mode!

Make Room for Jumbo Mushrooms

Posted on by Anna

Maybe you have already figured out who Jumbo Gnome’s big new friends are…

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Jumbo Mushrooms!

Now Jumbo Gnome finally has someone to play hide-and-seek with and maybe win.

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As much as I love knitting teeny-tiny things, sometimes you just have to go big! Like with Jumbo Gnome, I knitted these guys using Knit Picks Biggo yarn, which is lovely and fluffy and oh-so huggable. Bulky yarn also means that they knit up quickly, and you can make them way smaller (if you are so inclined) just by using fingering-weight yarn and size 1 needles.

The three mushrooms are made separately, so that means there are endless ways to combine them as you like. And the pattern also includes instructions for spots!

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Even Mochimochi Land’s tiniest inhabitants can enjoy these big plushy mushrooms.

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I can’t wait to see your versions on Ravelry! The pattern is now available as a download for $6 there and also here in the Mochimochi Shop.

Twinkie Chan Interview and Giveaway!

Posted on by Anna

Update: Congratulations to our giveaway winner!

Every now and then I interview someone who surprises and inspires me with what they do. Twinkie Chan, the crochet genius who specializes in kitschy food-themed creations, has been one of those people for years. I met her at Urban Craft Uprising in Seattle back in 2010, when we were scheduled for back-to-back book signings, and I’ve been following her ever since. (She’s impossible to forget with her candy-colored hair!)

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Twinkie Chan has a new book out that anyone who loves crochet and/or cute stuff will be excited about, and I took the opportunity to score an interview and offer a giveaway of the book. Enjoy our conversation, then see how to enter the giveaway in the comments below.

(As you can see, the tiny ninjas are hoping to pick up some tips on how to steal from a crocheted cookie jar….)

Continue reading “Twinkie Chan Interview and Giveaway!” →

Group Show: Hello Kitty & 99 Friends

Posted on by Anna

Sanrio has now created a total 100 adorable characters over the years, and to celebrate this achievement, PiQ has invited 100 artists to each re-create one of them in their style. I was thrilled to be invited to participate in this group show, and for my character I chose a little-remembered group called Polar Picnic.

There aren’t too many images of thee guys online, but it seems that there are always a few listings on Ebay, so that’s where I started.

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Penguins and Polar bears are right in my wheelhouse. Here’s the Mochimochi Land version.

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I couldn’t resist include Kitty Chan herself—she’s hiding toward the back of the piece, disguised as a snowman.

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I’ll add more photos of details soon! I can’t wait to see the other works in the show.

HELLO KITTY & 99 FRIENDS
APRIL 16TH-MAY 14TH
PIQ GRAND CENTRAL TERMINAL
SHUTTLE PASSAGE

New Studio

Posted on by Anna

I cleaned up the new basement studio just enough for a lovely photo!

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This is the only angle you get, because all other views reveal unsightly cardboard boxes brimming with craft materials, props, stuffed animals, yarn, you name it.

It’s relatively bright for being in the basement, and now I get a nice view of people walking down the street. The cats love it because it’s carpeted, and they’ve never had carpet to scratch up before! (Fortunately it’s really durable carpet.)

Sheila’s 100 Monkeys

Posted on by Anna

How much fun are these ONE HUNDRED tiny monkeys that Sheila knitted?

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Sheila (QueenofSheeba on Ravelry) started with the Tiny Monkey pattern from Teeny-Tiny Mochimochi and added an itty-bitty mouth flap for the classic sock monkey look… 100 times over!

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I love the scenes she’s made with these little guys. Check out her Ravelry project page to zoom in and see exactly what they’re all up to.

Thank you to Sheila once again for the inspiration!