Author: Anna

New Tool: Hemostats

Posted on by Anna

Knitters are just the coolest people. When I was at Vogue Knitting Live in Seattle, a toy knitter (and occasional) commenter here) named Deb stopped me at one point and told me that she had an ideal tool for getting stuffing into small spaces: hemostats! The word was vaguely familiar to me, and I made a mental note to check it out. But before I could do so, Deb surprised me a month or so later by sending me a pair.

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They look like scissors, but the tips have little teeth that make them handy for grasping all sorts of small things with precision. They’re also made so that it’s easy to lock them in place as they pinch something—I haven’t used this feature yet, but I imagine it could be really helpful for some things (aside from surgical procedures). In any case, I tried them out, and they really are great for inserting a pinch of stuffing into a small object.

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Probably the original designer didn’t have this in mind, but a quick internet search showed me that they’re pretty affordable and people are using them for all sorts of small projects where standard pliers are too big or clumsy.

This makes me curious about what other kinds of unconventional tools knitters are using for stuffing or other techniques. If you have a little invention, please share in the comments!

Talk at Ann Arbor Downtown Library July 14th

Posted on by Anna

I’m excited to announce that my squishy friends and I will be visiting Ann Arbor next month!

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I’ll be giving a talk with slideshow and signing books at the downtown library on July 14th, from 2-4 pm. Come learn about how Mochimochi Land came to be and meet some of the characters who live there! (There may even be some super-sneak previews of Huge & Huggable Mochimochi, along with other surprises…)

In addition, I’ll have some of my artwork and other characters on display around town that weekend, so keep your eyes peeled, Ann Arborites!

This will be my first visit to the area, so I hope to see you there if you live nearby. I can’t wait!

Please visit the Ann Arbor District Library website for all the info.

Inspiration: Wayne White

Posted on by Anna

One of the best things about Netflix is its big selection of indie documentaries, which (when they’re not in a foreign language) are great for knitting while watching. Last week I found myself watching Beauty is Embarrassing: The Wayne White Story while working on a new design, and it was the perfect inspiration after a long day of knitting and ripping the same thing multiple times. Wayne White’s name may not be familiar to you, but probably his work is.

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His first big break was as a designer and puppeteer on Pee-Wee’s Playhouse, one of my favorite childhood TV shows and one of my earliest creative influences. The part of the documentary covering the Pee-Wee days made me want to watch an entire documentary on the making of that show, but I was also interested to find out what the person behind the show’s visuals went on to do. (I also loved seeing clips from the fake alternative kids’ show that White and his puppeteer colleagues made when they were waiting to be needed on the set.)

White’s work in television went beyond kids’ shows. He was also the art director for the Smashing Pumpkins video Tonight, Tonight, among many other animation projects. I’m sure I saw this video back in the ’90s, but now that I’ve taken the film history classes, the old-timey sci-fi movie theme strikes me as especially clever and charming.

After getting burned out by Hollywood, White has gone on to make a career in the fine art world with his kitschy, sometimes vulgar word paintings.

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I’m less excited about these myself, but I admire his approach to art (and the message of the documentary) that emphasizes playfulness and experimentation without getting preoccupied by what others expect from you. Maybe this is standard artist talk, but it’s something I can’t be reminded of enough as I question the direction of my own work on a daily basis. And the sheer nuttiness and devotion to fun that comes through in White’s work is contagious—I’m finding myself daydreaming about epic projects that border on the impossible, which is probably something we should all do.

Perch a Pigeon in Public

Posted on by Anna

So tomorrow is World Wide Knit in Public Day! Believe it or not, I rarely knit in public myself, but I think it’s a great way to show fiber pride, educate people about the awesomeness of the craft, and recruit new knitters.

If you’re looking for a project to knit in public tomorrow, I have just the thing! Tiny Perching Pigeons is a free pattern that I designed a few years ago, originally for the purpose of knitting in public with the awesome people of Stitch London.

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These guys knit up really fast, and if you’re so inclined, they’re a really fun project to leave behind for others to discover.

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Speaking of leaving knitted presents for strangers, did you know there was an entire Ravelry group devoted to knitting tiny bunnies and hiding them around the world? They have more than 600 members!

You can find the free pattern for Tiny Baby Bunnies here.

If you’ll be knitting mochis, please take pictures and share in our Flickr group!