Author: Anna

Arcade Mochi: The Prototype

Posted on by Anna

Here’s a project that got put on hold for way too long: my unnamed arcade mochi! He sat unfinished on top of my yarn drawers for a good two months before somehow making it through the move to Chicago without unraveling. It felt so good to pick this guy up again and finish the prototype yesterday!

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(I really need to start putting things on my office walls—yuck!)

I don’t usually make prototypes for my designs, but I wanted to get the shape of this one just right before adding colorwork and other details. (The pink rectangle was just to help me see where the top front panel will go.) I’ve had second and third thoughts about the final colors, and now I’m anti-black and trying to decide if he’ll be orange, red, pink, or some shade of blue. Or who knows, maybe even green! Pretty much any color but black is what I’m thinking right now.

While I think about colors, I’m getting started on the color chart for the sides and back of this guy. Just getting ready to make a design takes some time, but now I think I have the correct number of squares to work with.

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I use Illustrator to make my charts—it can be time-consuming (especially when I forgot how Illustrator works, as I often do), but I like the control that I have and the way that I can easily fill in squares with the Paint Bucket tool.

The thing that really motivated to continue with this design is the toy design class I taught at the Lion Brand Yarn Studio last month. I’ve already gotten updates from several of the people who took the class and went on to finish their designs! I hope to teach this kind of class again soon—it was really inspiring, and I may have learned just as much as everyone else.

In case you haven’t been following along, here are my earlier posts in this series:

Arcade Mochi: Face Off
Arcade Mochi: Taking Shape
Arcade Mochi: The Screen
Arcade Mochi: The Sketch

I’ll be back with another design update soon(ish)!

Photo Contest Inspiration: 2012 Winners

Posted on by Anna

Happy Friday! You know what a great activity for this weekend would be? Knitting up some mochis for your entry in our just-announced 2013 photo contest!

To get you inspired, here’s a look back at the winners from last year’s contest.

Joan gave us chills with her terrific Thriller scene! She won our Judges’ Choice award.

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Our top three winners (who scored gift certificates, books, and a bunch of cute and crafty goodies) were chosen by all of you who voted!

In third place was the delightfully creepy Knitted Sofa by Jill Watt!

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It was a really tight race between first and second place. In the end second place went to the incredible Knitman’s Sampler by Kimberly Schaeffer!

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And finally, our first-place winner was the oh-so-cute Teamwork by Amy Hicks!

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As you’ve likely seen, Amy’s winning photo is now representing this year’s contest in our announcement images.

These are some big shoes to fill, but I’m sure you are all up for the challenge! See this year’s full contest details, and let’s get started!

At Home in Chicago

Posted on by Anna

I can’t describe how great it feels to be in what feels like a home after two weeks of being in that strange in-between state of transition. Let me show you where I now live and work!

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Isn’t it adorable?!? Like in Brooklyn, we’re living in an apartment, so the whole thing isn’t ours, but it’s still way more space than John and I have ever lived in.

Most of the apartment is pretty standard (although we have a kitchen island! such luxury!), but I wanted to at least show off my new office.

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You can no longer touch the bed from my desk! The bedroom is a completely different room! I’m feeling so spoiled by this new way of life. (Soupy is trying to claim the office as his own and push me back in the bedroom, but I’m determined to win this one.)

And I now have a little place to put knickknacks!

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This calls for the buying of new knickknacks, which I haven’t done in a long time. (I’m headed to Rotofugi soon to do just this.)

And what does Nipsey think of all this?

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Nipsey still has his tattered old scratching post, so Nipsey is all good.

Since we’ve been busy getting settled in (and the weather has been COLD), I’ve just barely started exploring my new neighborhood, much less the broader city. So, Chicagoans, I would love any tips or recommendations for favorite places to go, things to do, etc!

Announcing the 2013 Mochimochi Photo Contest!

Posted on by Anna

UPDATE: Congratulations to our winners!

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Got yarn, needles, and a camera? It’s now officially time to enter the 7th annual Mochimochi Photo Contest!

Once again, we’re looking for the cutest, funniest, most interesting photos of Mochimochi Land toys. All you have to do to enter is upload your photo(s) to the Mochimochi Friends group on Flickr by Monday, December 9th.

Winners will receive amazing prizes from our generous sponsors Knit Picks and Craftsy, gift certificates to the Mochimochi Shop, PLUS vintage knitting kits from Bonney Teti, owner of the world’s biggest yarn stash (and my awesome mother-in-law)!

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Eligibility

This contest is open to knitters worldwide. To be eligible, your photo must contain at least one knitted toy made from a Mochimochi Land pattern. This can be a pattern from the Mochimochi Shop, a pattern from one of the Mochimochi books, or one of the free patterns on the Mochimochi Blog. The pattern may be modified, but not beyond recognition from the original design.

Note that we’re looking for humor, cuteness, and originality—not necessarily the most professional-looking photo. We want everyone to enter!

How to enter

Simply upload your photo(s) to the Mochimochi Friends Flickr group. If you don’t have a Flickr account, it is free and easy to register (though we recommend signing up as soon as possible, because it takes a little time for your account to be approved for sharing photos in a group). You can enter as many photos as you want, within reason. (A series of photos is great, but each photo will be judged individually. We focus on series in our spring contest!)

All photos uploaded since the deadline of the 2012 photo contest last year—with the exception of those entered in our springtime contest—are already entered in this year’s contest!

Deadline

The last day to enter the contest is December 9th, 2013. We’ll announce the semi-finalists shortly thereafter here on the blog, then everyone will be able to vote for their favorites! So be sure to check the blog in mid-December.

Prizes!

First place prize will include a $50 gift certificate to Knit Picks, a free Craftsy class, a $20 gift certificate to the Mochimochi Shop, and vintage knitting kits (similar to these ones) and yarn from Bonney Teti’s humongous yarn stash.

Second place prize will include a $10 gift certificate to Knit Picks, a 50% Craftsy discount, a $10 gift certificate to Mochimochi Land and kits and yarn from Bonney.

Third place prize will include a $10 gift certificate to Knit Picks, a 25% Craftsy discount, a $10 gift certificate to Mochimochi Land, and a kit and skein of yarn from Bonney.

Needles ready? Yarn set? GO!

Classes and Book Signings in DC and Philly Dec 7+8

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DC and Philly, I’m headed your way next month for fun classes and book signings!

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On Saturday, December 7th, I’ll be at Looped Yarn Works in Washington DC! Stop by from 11am to 12:30 to meet some huge and huggable mochis from my new book. Then in the afternoon I’ll go from huge knits to tiny ones, with a “Knit a Tiny Gnome” class from 1-4pm. It’s great for anyone who has used DPNs before but is new to knitting toys. You can get more details and sign up at the Looped website.

On Sunday, December 8th, I’ll be at Loop in Philadelphia! From 10am-1 is another tiny gnome knitting class—sign up by calling Loop at 215-893-9939. And from 2-5pm, another book signing where a bunch of the toys from Huge & Huggable Mochimochi will be there for you to squeeze.

These are two cities that the mochis have yet to visit before, so I can’t wait! Hope to see you locals there!

Clarinetgirl’s Tera Jocularis

Posted on by Anna

Today’s mixed-up monster is another charmingly rotund beastie!

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This colorful character is neither animal nor vegetable. Let’s let his creator, Clarinetgirl, explain:

Terra Jocularis – a small planet from the Large Magellenic Cloud – wanted to be a master of disguise. Unfortunately, he couldn’t keep his costumes straight and got his pumpkin vines mixed in with his cat ears. He has come to Earth to try his hand at comedy.

I think he’s off to a good start with that mustache! Clarinetgirl gets the pattern for Gobbledyghost for sharing her Mix-n-Match monster with us.

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Thank you to everyone who’s shared their Super-Scary monsters in our Flickr Group this month! Stay tuned for our big photo contest, to be officially announced soon.