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Luv-able & Hug-able Opening

Posted on December 9, 2009 by Anna

It was a great opening at gallery hanahou last Thursday for “Luv-able & Hug-able!”

There were so many cute plushes there! I took home this “Snowflake” guy on the left, by Eerika Valkonen…

lughug09_snowflake

And the little bitty bearded one at the top right here, made by Yuriko Sera:

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Keighty Crochet was also there, and so was Katie Park—we talked knitted toy design, which is something I don’t get to do as often as I would like.

Check out more photos from the opening at the gallery’s Flickr page. And all of the plushes are now available online!

Here is the obligatory photo of me posing next to my factories.

I’m already starting to think about what I’ll make for next year’s show…

Mochimochi Snowmen Pattern FREE with Purchase!

Posted on December 7, 2009 by Anna

This week’s Tiny Thing came early, and it’s available as a pattern! What’s more, that pattern is FREE with any purchase from the Mochimochi Shop!

These little guys are handy holiday helpers! Whip each up in less than an hour, then use them as present toppers, stocking stuffers, holiday jewelry, or ornaments.

Just purchase anything in the Mochimochi Shop, and a link to download the PDF pattern will be sent to you via email within 24 hours of your purchase.

Tiny Alarm Clock

Posted on December 4, 2009 by Anna

tinyalarmclock

Those bells annoy him too! You can sleep in, for all he cares.

Becky was the first to suggest a tiny clock way back in July, so she gets a free pattern from the Mochimochi Shop!

Talk at Knitty City December 10th

Posted on December 3, 2009 by Anna

Hey New Yorker knitters! I’ll be at Knitty City next Thursday (December 10th) at 6-8 pm as part of their “Young Designer” series of talks. Come and you can meet Sleepy Snake and other Mochimochi toys in person while we talk toy knitting. It’s a free event, so I hope you’ll come!

Also, if you’re in the area, don’t forget that “Luv-able & Hug-able” opens TONIGHT (December 3rd) at gallery hanahou, from 6-9 pm. You can preview all the plushes in the show online right now! (They’ll be available for purchase online starting at 1 pm tomorrow.)

Knitted Factories for “Luv-able & Hug-able”

Posted on December 1, 2009 by Anna

Oh boy, this Thursday is the opening of “Luv-able & Hug-able,” the fantabulous holiday plush show at gallery hanahou in NYC! I’ll be exhibiting some handmade plushes along with more than 40 other artists.

luvhug09_invite

Please come to the opening this Thursday if you’re in the area (I’ll be there!)—otherwise, you can see the plushes online starting next week at the gallery website. (Holiday shopping, anyone?)

Here are my own contributions to “Luv-able & Hug-able,” three anthropomorphic factories that convert one type of tiny thing into another.

Trees into Lions:

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factory2

factory3

Pandas into Gnomes:

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factory5

factory6

Cheeseburgers into TVs:

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factory8

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Tags!

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These original knits, along with some individual Tiny Things, are now available through gallery hanahou. If you’re interested in purchasing any of them, please contact info@galleryhanahou.com.

Luv-able & Hug-able
December 3, 2009 – January 9, 2010
Opening Party : Thursday, December 3, 6-9 pm RSVP info@galleryhanahou.com

gallery hanahou
611 Broadway, Suite 730, NYC
Extended Holiday Hours Mon-Sat 12 pm – 6 pm
CLOSED December 24, 2009 – January 3, 2010

Update!: Thank you to Becky at the Craft Blog and Cuteable for posting about the factories!

2009 Photo Contest Winners!

Posted on November 30, 2009 by Anna

The results are in! But first, a HUGE thank-you to everyone who participated in this year’s Mochimochi Photo Contest, by entering your incredibly cute and fun photos, by cheering on your favorites in the semifinals round, and by casting ballots in the finals round. The photo contest is one of our favorite things that we do in Mochimochi Land, and we are thrilled to make it a tradition that many people take part in every year.

This was our first year to have a sponsor: Knit Picks, an online supplier of great yarn! (I recommend the Wool of the Andes for knitting toys.) Thank you very much to them for supplying generous prizes to the winners.

Also new this year is a “Judges’ Choice” award to recognize a favorite photo of mine and John’s that didn’t make it into the top three in the voting. We are happy to announce that this award goes to Chicken Gang Leader by teekayknits!

You get a $10 gift certificate to the Mochimochi Shop for your photo. Great job!

And now for the top three winners of the 2009 Mochimochi Photo Contest! More than 850 of you cast ballots in our final round of voting. We had a clear winner, but it was a close race until the very end with the rest of the photos.

In third place is Breakfast Surprise by lapelote.

Yaay! For winning third place, you will receive a $10 gift certificate to the Mochimochi Shop and a $10 gift certificate to Knit Picks.

In second place is Bold and Beautiful by kathrynivy.com.

Super-awesome! For winning second place, you will receive these silly toys from Japan…

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…plus a $15 gift certificate to the Mochimochi Shop and a $10 gift certificate to Knit Picks.

And finally, the first place winner of the 2009 Mochimochi Photo Contest is Batty Bats by DutchMoeder!

Congratulations!! You get the grand prize of this fun assortment of goodies from Japan…

prizes09_collection1

… plus a $25 gift certificate to the Mochimochi Shop, plus a $50 gift certificate to Knit Picks.

Thank you again to everyone who participated in the contest this year! It’s not too early to enter your photos for next year’s contest—simply upload them to the Mochimochi Friends group on Flickr, and you will be automatically in the running for our 2010 contest.

Tiny Airplane

Posted on November 27, 2009 by Anna

tinyairplane

Trust him, he doesn’t like sitting on that tarmac for hours any more than you do.

I’m sure many of us are spending lots of time in planes, cars, and other modes of transportation this holiday weekend. Safe travels, everyone!

Tropicalgirlknits suggested twice that I make a tiny airplane, so I guess she really wanted to see one! Let me know what pattern you would like as a thank-you, Tropicalgirlknits.

While you’re here, don’t forget to vote in the final round of the photo contest if you haven’t yet. It’s turning out to be a close race!

Mochimochi Photo Contest ’09: The Final Vote!

Posted on November 24, 2009 by John

Update: Thanks for your votes! Balloting is now closed.

Update: The voting will be open throughout the weekend and will close Sunday night at midnight (New York time). Thank you for your votes, and Happy Thanksgiving!

The polls are now open for the final round in the 2009 Mochimochi Photo Contest! We’ve sifted through your many comments to narrow the field of 20 semifinalists down to the last 10.

As always, you can vote for as many photos as you want: vote for your favorite three, top four, or more if you like! But choose wisely because you only get to cast your ballot one time. (John will be watching the voting activity and keeping an eye out for ballot-box stuffing to make sure the final tally is fair.)

Simply check the box next to each photo you’d like to vote for, Then click the “Submit Your Votes!” button at the bottom of this post. Check back in a few days to see the winners!

Bold and Beautiful by kathrynivy.com

campy and the mallows! and mmmmm… by giolou
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