Author: Anna

The First Snowman

Posted on by Anna

Ever wonder how there came to be so many tiny snowmen in Mochimochi Land? Probably not, but today we’re going to find out anyway.

It all began with a couple of bored gnomes.

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After the first snowstorm of the year, they thought it would be fun to build a snowman, like the ones they’d seen on TV. They had no idea what they were starting.

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They gnomes really should have known better, because of course everything comes to life in Mochimochi Land.

This snowman went on to build 10 snowmen of his own, each of which built 10 more snowmen, and on and on. And that’s why we now have a snowman overpopulation crisis in Mochimochi Land. The end!

By the way, this animated GIF along with seven others of mine are currently being screened at a real-live film festival! It’s the Laterna Magica festival in Marseille, France, put on by Fotokino, December 5th through the 23rd. My animations are being presented (on what I have to assume is a very small screen) at La Crié, the Marseille National Theater. More info here!

Winners of the 2012 Mochimochi Photo Contest

Posted on by Anna

The poll has now closed, more than 1800 votes have been tallied, and the results are in for this year’s Mochimochi Photo Contest!

But first, let me take a moment to thank each of you who participated by adding your photos of Mochimochi knits to our Flickr group. The absolute best thing about Mochimochi Land is seeing all of you make the designs your own and bring them to life in endlessly creative ways. You never cease to surprise and inspire me!

Big thank-yous also go to Knit Picks and Potter Craft for their wonderful prizes this year!

We had the stiffest competition ever this year, with a number of photos that didn’t make the finals that easily could have. John and I would especially like to give a shout-out to Stephanie_055’s Cavemen living the prehistoric life and Ilana Marks’ Love in the Bakery, both of which made us giggle with delight when we first saw them.

And now for our official Judges’ Choice Award, which goes to our favorite photo that didn’t make the top three. It’s knitjvf’s Thriller!

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We had a hard time even choosing which of this knitter’s entries to put in the semifinals. If you haven’t seen them, be sure to check out her Anne of Green Gables and her Frankenstein wedding too! We are consistently impressed with knitjvf’s (aka Joan’s) work.

And now for our top three winners this year!

In third place, it’s the hilariously spooky Knitted Sofa by JillWatt!

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Amazing job! Jill wins a $10 gift certificate to Knit Picks, a $10 gift card to the Mochimochi Shop, and these goodies from Japan hand-picked by us!

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The top two photos were neck and neck all through the time that voting was open. They were literally tied all day Saturday, with votes pouring in for both! By the time all the votes were in Sunday night, one came out on top, but it was a really close race the whole way.

In second place is the incredible Knitman’s Sampler by kls1004!

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Hooray! Kimberly wins a $10 gift certificate to Knit Picks, a $15 gift certificate to the Mochimochi Shop, and these fabulous prizes from Japan!

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And finally, our first-place winner is the adorable Teamwork by amyh1979!

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Woohoo! Amy wins a $50 gift certificate to Knit Picks, a $20 gift card to the Mochimochi Shop, this collection of prizes from Japan…

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AND this collection of books from Potter Craft!

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Congratulations to our winners! Again, thank you to our sponsors, and to everyone who participated, both by submitting photos and by voting. You make Mochimochi Land the BEST place to live in!

And it’s not too early to enter next year’s contest! All photos added to the Mochimochi Friends Flickr group will be automatically entered in the 2013 Mochimochi Photo Contest. We already can’t wait for the next one!

Mochimochi Photo Contest ’12: The Big Vote!

Posted on by Anna

UPDATE: Congratulations to our winners!

The FINAL VOTE is finally here! After much deliberation and lots of help from all of you, we’ve managed to narrow down our 20 semifinalist photos to 11 finalists in the 2012 Mochimochi Photo Contest. We usually have only 10 finalists, but this year there was a virtual tie for that last spot, and John and I just couldn’t eliminate one of them.

Presenting your very worthy candidates!

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Which of these, in your opinion, are the cutest, funniest, most original photos of mochimochi toys? Cast your official ballot below! Don’t worry if you can’t pick a single favorite: You can vote for as many photos as you like. The poll will be open through the weekend, and we’ll announce the top three winners on Monday. Stay tuned for the results!


Gift your Knitters!

Posted on by Anna

While we get ready for the final vote in the Mochimochi Photo Contest, I thought I’d post a little reminder about how the Mochimochi Shop can help you with your holiday gifts, especially for the fellow knitters on your list…

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Signed copies of Knitting Mochimochi, Teeny-Tiny Mochimochi, and the new Super-Scary Mochimochi are available here and nowhere else!

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Tiny mochi kits make great stocking stuffers, containing all the different colors of yarn—plus stuffing—that you need to knit multiple little characters.

And tiny mochi button packs are perfect for enclosing with holiday cards!

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(I’m getting ready to send them out with a bunch of cards myself…)

For last-minute gifting, we have virtual Mochimochi Land gift cards that come in quantities of $20, $10, and $5, and I’ve been noticing lots of knitters gifting the $2 Tiny Snowman and Tiny Santa patterns to each other on Ravelry this month, which is such a quick and easy way to spread holiday cheer.

And of course, all $5 or more purchases made from the Mochimochi Shop through January 1st come with the Bundle-up Bears pattern for free!

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(You’ll receive a download link for it within 24 hours of your purchase.)

Let’s talk shipping! The latest you can order tangible goods (books, kits, buttons, and hand-knitted mochis) and have them arrive by Christmas eve in the US is noon on December 20th with Priority shipping. We also ship internationally! (But we can’t be as precise about the arrival dates.) And we’ll be taking a holiday shipping break December 22-26th, so there will be a small delay in shipping during those dates.

So that’s our holiday informercial! Check back tomorrow for the exciting final vote in the photo contest…

Semifinalists ’12, Group Two

Posted on by Anna

Are you ready for a cuteness high? It’s time for the second group of semifinalists in the 2012 Mochimochi Photo Contest!

Along with the first 10 semifinalists, these photos wowed us with their devastating adorableness and astounding creativity. But don’t just look at them—let us know which are your favorites! We will narrow down the 20 semifinalists into 10 finalists based on the comments that you leave on this post, so be sure to make your voice heard. Then check back later this week when we’ll post the 10 final photos and have our final vote!

In no particular order…

Raaawrr… by neledh

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A tiny dinosaur has never looked so epic! (Anybody else craving cookies now?)

Tiny knitted snowmen need food too by owlmazing

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Epic is again a fitting adjective here. We love the big scene made out of simple materials.

Gnome Picnic by ForeverWrens

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The only thing this picnic is missing is some tiny ants… such a darling scene!

Love in the Bakery by Ilana Marks

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We are speechless before such a perfect match. (Although we have to say it’s pretty sweet!)

Knitted Sofa by JillWatt

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We love the mysterious feel to this scene…

Gnomepaste by crafty_ez

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If toothpaste were gnomes, would we all have cleaner teeth? I would like to find out.

Tiny Napoleon by zephrbabe

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Such a perfect subject for miniaturizing! This little guy thinks he’s all that. (And I guess he is!)

Nia Watching KnitTV by FestiveFerret

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Nia knows how to chill out! We love her family portrait too.

Stationery Strife by juleenbean

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Looks like trouble in the pencil box! Hilarious.

Knitman’s Sampler by kls1004

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Mama always said that life is like a box of mochis, right? If only!

Aren’t these photos awesome?! Don’t forget to root for your favorites in the comments, and then check back later this week for the final vote!

Semifinalists ’12, Group One

Posted on by Anna

The time has come to reveal the first 10 semifinalists in the 2012 Mochimochi Photo Contest! These knitters blew us away with their mad knitting skills and crazy-original ideas.

Now that we’re onto the semifinals, we need your help to narrow them down into our finals group. Please ROOT FOR YOUR FAVORITES in the comments to this post. We rely on all of you to make our decision, so it’s important! Just leave a comment saying which photo or photos you would really like to see make the big final vote.

Teamwork by amyh1979

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Snowmen working together! We love all their little limbs clamoring over each other.

Tiny Swedish Chef by ohdeerlette

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This is a simple mod that really shines. Fantastic background, too!

Cavemen living the prehistoric life Stephanie_055

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These are really some posh cavemen with their fancy prehistoric TV. And the improvised cave walls are genius!

Tiny Texas Zombiedillo says Hola by withmyneedles

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Hola zombiedillo! You are cute and hilarious.

Angry Birds! by joanna.sammis

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An awesome tribute to one of our favorite games! The score at the top really completes this image.

Tiny Knit Sushi by Bitter-Sweet-

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Gorgeous food photography here—that tiny sushi looks good enough to eat (and then gag on).

Thriller by knitjvf

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We love a good MJ homage! You can just picture these guys breaking out into a lurching Thriller dance.

Big Mistake by kawaiihunter

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How is tiny gnome going to get out of this sticky situation?? Such drama and suspense!

Gertrude the Mermaid on her inland vacation by Starparty2000

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Gertrude is simply ravishing! The combination of leaf, water ripples, and tiled swimming pool is really cool.

Mama called the Dr and he said NO MORE MONKEYS JUMPING ON THE BED! by Snickerdoodleloves

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Poor mama monkey has her hands full! You can see the entire adorable story on the knitter’s Flickr page.

Now that you’ve been dazzled by these awesome photos, please ROOT FOR YOUR FAVORITES in the comments to this post! We’ll reveal then second batch of semifinalists on Monday, so stay tuned for more mochi adorableness!

Honorable Mentions ’12, Group One

Posted on by Anna

John and I have just gone through all 700+ photos entered in the 2012 Mochimochi Photo Contest last night—it was a late night, as you can imagine! I can honestly say that this was the best overall batch in Mochimochi Land history. The photos were bursting with creativity in the form of fun pattern mods, hilarious stories, and imaginative concepts. It sounds cliché, but we love them all and they are all winners to us!

After much hand-wringing and a few tears, we managed to narrow down the photos to 20 honorable mentions and 20 semifinalists. Today and tomorrow we will feature our honorable mentions, in no particular order.

Without further ado, here is our first group of awesome honorable mentions—after the jump!

Continue reading “Honorable Mentions ’12, Group One” →