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Photo Contest 08: Semifinalists, Round One

Posted on August 7, 2008 by Anna

It’s semifinals time! Today we’re posting the first 10 of 20 semifinalists in the 2008 Mochimochi Photo Contest. Like last year, John and I selected semifinalists based on originality of subject, creativity of knitting, and quality of photo. So many photos met these criteria, it was amazing!

We need to narrow the 20 semifinalists down to 10, and you can help by campaigning for your favorites in the comments of this post. Tomorrow we’ll post the next 10 semifinalists, and then we’ll post the selected 10 finalists and voting will officially begin!

Stackable Cats (blue) by Bitter-Sweet-

Love the colors, love the angle, love the cats!

chichone! by katecarlyle

How would you like to find this one in the dairy department? Cute!

Devil Bob by stitchyandcrafty

An eeevil Bob… is pretty adorable! (Check out the knitter’s blog for instructions on how to do the tail modification.)

Clover the Butterfull by kathrynivy.com

Butterfull couldn’t be cuter sitting in her tree. A great modification to the wings too!

Matt’s First (official) Valentine’s Day by Lamby Knits

This degree of cuteness is bordering on obscene.

ninjabun vs. ninjabunzilla by giolou

Argg! This amazingly giant Ninjabun demands your respect. And all your carrots!

Stackable Cat at the Vet by lesleyhyphenanne

We love this tiny cat waiting for its checkup.

three of hearts in heels by lisa-maria

This photo is so good it could be an ad for shoes. Or little knitted hearts!

Conga Line of Bobs by kayk.

Has anyone else noticed how much Bobs have been up to in our photo contest? So far we’ve had Bobs dressing up as bikers, Bobs building snowbobs, Bobs playing with chicken legs… I’m pretty convinced that these adorable Bobs are actually doing the conga!

Dust Bunny and Big Bunny by rfrmdsquirrel

Am I seeing double? You two must be sisters! (Check out other great bunny-and-bunny photos on the knitter’s photostream)

Which are your favorites? Let us know in the comments!

Honorable Mentions, Round Two

Posted on August 6, 2008 by Anna

Today, the second batch of photos to receive honorable mention in the photo contest!

Gargle looks at his reflection by the_crobs

The unexamined giraffe life is not worth living.

Bobs build a Snowbob by Moominmama1

The Bobs seem proud of their work.

Butterfull and his pizza by Amy Hammond

Butterfull seems proud of his work too!

Woodins Escape! by kxlolson1

Apparently Woodins are attracted to light—who knew? (I like the one standing guard at the bottom.)

Snail Wash by knittedteacups

This elaborate scene includes a Bob disguising himself as a snail so that he can get washed. Ha!

Chicks by jennysong

Mama Chick nests with her five baby finger-puppet chicks. Awww.

Vintage Reindeer: Christmas in July by kountingsheep

This little guy can’t wait for the holidays! He thinks he’s found a Christmas tree.

How Tubby Got His Bubbles by cspooks

What a great fable!

Bob and The Chicken Legs by gardienne33

This little Bob is having fun with some chicken-less chicken legs he came across. (Check out Gardienne’s entire blog devoted to the adventures of Chicken Legs. It is genius!)

Who’s the father by muffychloe

The parrot wants to be the daddy. Love it!

Congrats to these super photographers! Next up: the first batch of semifinalists.

Honorable Mentions, Round One

Posted on August 5, 2008 by Anna

Whew! John and I just went through the more than 500 photos entered in this year’s Mochimochi Photo Contest. We are astounded by your creativity!

It wasn’t easy for us to narrow down the photos (we each had to fight for a few of our favorites), so like last year, we’re going to ask for your help when we post the 20 semifinalists later this week. Then, the official voting will commence when we have selected 10 finalists.

But first, we have so many excellent entries this year that we’ve also selected 20 honorable mentions! Today we are pleased to announce, in no particular order, the first ten photos to receive honorable mentions.

Chick Riding a Chicken by Jenn! (knits a lot)

Somehow, the grownup chicken doesn’t look too thrilled to be Chick’s ride.

Cheesy Story by mariannes_stuff

This Mischievous Mouse tries to dispose of some yucky phony cheese.

Tubby by Bitter-Sweet-

Tubby looks right at home on the tile floor!

Breast Cancer Awareness Bobs by The Knitwit

It’s wonderful to see Bobs do their part for a good cause.

Moss Reindeer by rhiannon76

Don’t worry about this Reindeer catching cold—his antlers and hooves are fuzzy-wuzzy-warm.

Eeeek! by Knittygirlie

A couple of Blythes have to think fast when confronted by a miniature Evolving Punk crawling out of the sewer!

Butterfulls by kimberlane2050

Beautiful colorful Butterfulls!

Angry Bob by BadKittyKnits

Bob Sr. is disapproving of of Bob Jr.’s rock ‘n roll lifestyle in this scene. Isn’t that cute? Even Bobs have generation gaps.

Snails on Camera by lulubelleknits

We love the visual pun of this photo. The snails are cute too!

Guinea Pigs Eat Grass by greensausage

Grass can neither run nor hide from these hungry little guinea pigs.

Congrats to these clever photographers! Tomorrow we’ll have the next ten honorable mentions, so stay tuned!

Heidi Kenney Plush Show at Schmancy

Posted on August 4, 2008 by Anna

The plush artist Heidi Kenney (aka My Paper Crane) is having a solo show at Schmancy in Seattle opening this Friday, August 8.

I’ve had the privilege of seeing Heidi’s charming and kooky work in person, and it’s just so much fun to experience up close. If you’re in the Seattle area, please check out it out!

Thank You for Your Photos!

Posted on August 1, 2008 by Anna

The 2008 Mochimochi Photo Contest is now closed for entries. Thank you to all who participated! You gave John and me over 500 photos to sort though—can you believe that? We’re really excited to take a close look at them all.

Check back here soon to see Honorable Mentions, Semifinalists, and then the big vote!

And if you missed the deadline this year, feel free to keep uploading your photos to the Mochimochi Friends Flickr group. Everything uploaded starting now will be considered for next year’s contest.

The Bestest Barrettes

Posted on July 30, 2008 by Anna

When I wrote about the odd lots store Big Al’s earlier this month, I somehow left out the best part: the FREE STUFF.

Yes, the store that has it all also encourages you to take something home for free, even if you didn’t buy anything (though there’s a sign posted asking that you only take one free item per visit.) On my recent visit to Big Al’s, the free table (a free corner, really, comprised of three tables) was my lucky spot. After searching up and down the aisles of faux vintage canned goods, cow computer covers, and nautical candles for a good 30 minutes, I was ready to leave the store empty-handed. But I couldn’t leave without checking out the free stuff, and it was there that I found just what I was looking for!

kokobarrettes1

You know those barrettes you always see at the drug store in the shapes of bows, daisies, dragonflies, and other things little girls are made of? Big Al’s was giving away boxes of generic versions of these, all of them black! What’s more, these generics are flimsier than the kind you get in stores, making them less bulky and less prone to yank on your hair. I would seriously have paid up to ten dollars for a box of such wonderful barrettes. Instead I got them for free!

For the past month I’ve been wearing them constantly while trying not to lose them.

kokobarrettes2

Thank you Big Al’s! Definitely worth a visit if you find yourself in the area of Wiscasset, Maine.

REMINDER! Tomorrow (Thursday) night is the deadline for entries in the Mochimochi Photo Contest! Photos uploaded to the Mochimochi Friends Flickr group after July 31 will not be eligible for this contest, though they will be automatically in the running for next year’s contest.

Aren’t We Lucky?

Posted on July 27, 2008 by Anna

I had a few great testers help check the pattern for Lucky, and I can’t thank them enough! Two of them shared photos of their finished trees. Let’s take a look.

Tezzcan’s Lucky seems to embody more than one kind of luck: her little birds seem to have made a love connection.

lucky_tezzcan