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Spread the Lead at gallery hanahou

Posted on by Anna

A new show opens this Thursday at gallery hanahou that we’re very excited about!

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October 16 – November 20
Opening reception: October 16, 6-8 pm

What if the history of art began and ended with graphite, and your local art supply store was little more than a pencil outlet? For this group show, gallery hanahou has challenged artists from all backgrounds and mediums to drop their brushes and computer mice and see what they can do with only a B2 pencil and a piece of paper. Just as compelling as the results on the gallery walls will be the visitors’ reactions to so many artistic viewpoints rendered in shades of gray. The pencils the artists used will be included with sale of the artwork.

Participating artists include digital maestro Kenzo Minami, peaceable painting duo APAK, and Robbie Guertin, who plays in the band Clap Your Hands Say Yeah and has collaborated with other artists on album artwork.

Here is a small sample of the pieces in the show:

APAK
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Tina Berning
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Kenzo Minami
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If you’re in NY, please join us this Thursday for the opening reception!

Spread the Lead
October 16 – November 20
Opening reception: October 16, 6-8 pm
gallery hanahou
611 Broadway, Suite 730 NYC
[7th floor of the Cable Building, NW corner of Broadway + Houston]
M-F noon – 6 pm, Sat by appt only

Autumnal Boos

Posted on by Anna

By special request from my parents for a friend of theirs who is a Halloween fanatic, I made some Boos in autumn colors last week. I love them!

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In addition to Yahtzee, these Boos are fans of Star Trek: The Next Generation.

The Boo projects up on Ravelry now number 57 and counting! There are so many fantastic pics there that I might have to post many of them before Halloween.

Plush You! Pics

Posted on by Anna

The opening party for Plush You! should be well underway right now in Seattle. Kristen, the curator of the show, has uploaded pics of the display on Flickr for those of us who aren’t there.

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It looks like so much fun!

(Also, I heard that one of my “Snails vs. Slugs” pieces already sold!)

Sheldon Kits from Knit Picks

Posted on by Anna

On Ravelry this week, I spotted an ad for kits to customize your Sheldon (a free pattern by Ruth Homrighaus) that are now available through Knit Picks. It’s just such a clever idea that I had to share.

With the two kits, you can disguise your Sheldon as a variety of animals, including a bumble bee…

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or you can give him a variety of occupations, such as “pirate,” with their costumes kit.

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I’ve never made a Sheldon myself, but these are very cute and funny.

By the way, the career costumes are designed by Brooke Higgins, but there is no pattern credit for the animals kit on the Knit Picks website, though—anybody know who designed them?

Update: Turns out the animal costumes were designed by Ruth Homrighaus herself. (Thanks, Stefanie!)

Plush You! This Friday

Posted on by Anna

It’s time again for Plush You!, the annual plush show held at Schmancy in Seattle.

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This year might just be the best ever, with original plushes from over 100 artists, including some specially recommended by gallery hanahou.

Also, there’s me! You can go see my three “Snails vs. Slugs” pieces in person.

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I so wish I could be there for the opening this Friday. (I’m determined to make it there some day…) If you’re in the Seattle area, please check it out!

Plush You!
October 10 – November 13
Opening party: October 10, 5-9 pm
Schmancy
1932 Second Ave
Seattle, WA 98101

Ikebana at the Met

Posted on by Anna

Last Wednesday I went to an ikebana (Japanese flower arrangement) demonstration at the Metropolitan Museum of Art here in New York. It was amazing.

Ikebana master Nori Noda did five arrangements, ranging from the extremely complex rikka to the anything-goes freestyle, explaining some of the basic principles as he worked. The best photo that I could get afterward with my phone camera was of the freestyle arrangement:

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I’d taken some lessons in the Ikenobo school the last time I was living in Japan, and was really hooked at the time, but I hadn’t found much going on in NY since coming here. It turns out that there are ongoing two-session lessons held at the Nippon Club, which I’m probably going to try out next month.

If you’re more interested in looking than doing, there will be an exhibition (again, of the Ikenobo school) this spring at the Met, from April 30 through May 3.

I have to thank Antonio for his research help!

Two Boos and a Yahtzee

Posted on by Anna

I’m so happy to already see a handful of completed Boos over on Ravelry! Since I released the pattern less than 48 hours ago, I guess that proves just how quick of a knit he is. Super!

Three bats in particular are very special friends, because they were made by three of my awesome test knitters, who were a big help to me in polishing the pattern.

First is this little cutie by Mikkers.

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Her Boo loves to commune with colorful flowers. What a romantic…

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Kountingsheep used acrylic yarn to make her bat, whom she named Yahtzee!

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Isn’t he stylish?

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Because she was knitting with acrylic yarn, which behaves differently from wool, Kountingsheep slipped one stitch at each end of the bat’s wings, and she also used an iron to “kill” the acrylic and stop it from rolling. A great tip!

And finally, a bat from Bonney, my mother-in-law! John, my father-in-law, was nice enough to take some artful photos of her adorable Boo.

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Thank you to Mikkers, Kountingsheep, and Bonney! You are all Boo-rific. (And I am in the mood for terrible puns, apparently.)

BOO!

Posted on by Anna

Say hello to October, and say hello to the newest pattern in the Mochimochi Shop: Boo the Bat!

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Boo’s favorite word is…BOO!
Boo’s second-favorite word? YAHTZEE!

This little bat is a quick knit featuring wraparound wings and feet that can hang from your finger or the nearest tree branch.

Pattern techniques include knitting in the round on double-pointed needles, picking up stitches, and mattress stitch.

Download the PDF pattern here!

Update: Thank you to Jenny at the Craft blog, Lime & Violet, and Kristen at the Plush You! blog for posting about Boo!