If you missed it in CRAFT magazine, you can now get the pattern for Which Came First?, the reversible chicken and egg, right here in the Mochimochi Shop!
This simple pattern calls for knitting in the round on double-pointed needles, I-cord, and mattress stitch.
It may not get you any closer to the answer, but at least it’s a fun project!
On my last day in Japan last month, I was in a crowded JR train and noticed TWO ads featuring cute girls and plush mascots, one right across from the other in the car.
They’re advertising completely different things, and neither of those things are toys.
This girl and her panda puppet want you to drink Kirin green tea.
The panda seems more interested in eating the cap, though.
And this girl and her giant frog are hawking loans, of all things.
As cute as that frog is, I’m not sure if it would motivate me to take out a loan from this particular company. Then again, I’m not Japanese.
I’m very excited to announce the first-ever Mochimochi Land class at Loops yarn store in Tulsa! If you’ll be in the Tulsa area on Thursday, June 19th, or Saturday, June 21st, sign up now for one of the sessions by calling Loops at 918-742-YARN (9276). (See the website for full class info.)
What’s more, the class will also be the debut of a new Mochimochi Land pattern: Looper, the cuddly creature with a prehensile tail!
Looper will be exclusive to Loops through the end of the year. The printed pattern will be available both in-store and online starting in late June, so if you’re not in the area, you’ll still be able to get one!
These lovely retailers in the US and other countries stock Mochimochi Land kits and patterns. If one is in your area, check it out!
And if you’re a retailer interested in carrying Mochimochi kits or patterns, please email info@mochimochiland.com for wholesale information.
California
Black Squirrel Yarns
651 Addison St, Suite B
Berkeley, CA 94710
The Knitting Tree LA
6285 Bristol Pkwy
Culver City CA, 90230
Firebird Yarns
3122 Haight St
San Francisco, CA 94117
Atelier
10128 Donner Pass Road
Truckee, CA 96161
Colorado
Treelotta
3370 South Broadway
Englewood, CO 80113
Illinois
Cog Cycles and Yarns
3217 West Bryn Mawr Avenue
Chicago, IL 60659
Yarnify
47 W Polk St
Chicago, IL 60605
Indiana
Three Loves
138 S. Midland Blvd
Nampa, ID 83686
Maine
Mother of Purl Yarn Shop
541 US Route One
Freeport, ME 04032
Massachusetts
Gather Here
370 Broadway
Cambridge, MA 02139
Circle of Stitches
66 Wharf Street
Salem, MA
Hip Stitch
1276 Washington Street
Newton, MA
and
20 Church Street
Wellesley, MA
Michigan
Tink & The Frog
128 E. Maumee St.
Adrian, MI 49221
Plum Tree Yarn Shop
20 East Main Street
Milan, Michigan 48160
Knit-Picky & Hooked
15555 South Telegraph Rd Suite 8
Monroe, MI 48161
Ewe-nique Knits
515 S Lafayette Ave STE E
Royal Oak, MI 48067-2556
Minnesota
iTry Studios
522 Broadway St
Alexandria, MN 56308
Knit & Bolt
2833 Johnson Street NE
Minneapolis
Missouri
Yarn Social
Kansas City, MO
New Hampshire
Scratch Maker Space
18 Hanover Street
Lebanon, NH 03766
Smitten Yarn Co.
86 Wakefield Street
Rochester, NH 03867
New Mexico
Hacer Santa Fe
311 Montezuma Ave
Santa Fe, NM 87501
New Jersey
Yarnia
127 Watchung Ave
Montclair, NJ 07043
New York
Knitty City
208 W. 79th St.
New York, NY 10024
Purl Soho
459 Broome St
New York, NY 10013
North Carolina
Cheers To Ewe! Yarn Shop
9856 Gilead Road, E105
Huntersville, NC 28078
Phone: 704-706-9425
Ohio
Gwen Erin Natural Fibers
44 North Main Street
Hubbard, Ohio 44425
Oklahoma
Two Unravelled Chicks & a Llama
120 Thompson Dr.
Norman, OK 73069
Oregon
Cozy
285 E 5th Ave
Eugene, OR 97401
Pennsylvania
Stitch Your Art Out
235 E Pine Grove Rd
Pine Grove Mills, PA 16868
Tennessee
Chattanooga Yarn
304 Northgate Mall Drive, Chattanooga TN, 37415
Texas
Yarn Texas
1122 Morgan Ave
Corpus Christi, TX 78404
West 7th Wool
3612 West 7th Street
Fort Worth, TX 76107
Washington
Strikke
18728 Bothell Way NE, Ste B
Bothell, WA 98011
Ugly Baby
1430 Western Ave
Seattle, WA 98101
Wisconsin
Icon Fiber Arts
East River Square
590 Redbird Circle
De Pere, WI 54115
Fibre
121 W Wisconsin Ave
Neenah, WI
Something Quilty
24512 State Hwy 35 70
Siren, WI 54872
Spry Whimsy Fiber Arts
168 West Main Street
Stoughton, Wisconsin 53589
The Sow’s Ear
125 South Main Street
Verona, WI 53593
CANADA
La Maison Tricotée
751 rue Gilford
Montréal, Québec H2J 1N8
JAPAN
Eylul Yarns
1-28-25 Hannan-cho, Abeno-ku
Osaka-shi, Osaka 5450021
Anla, the “almost 12”-year-old knitter who made a terrific Butterfull a couple months ago, has published her first free pattern on her blog!
This boho-chic scarf looks quick to knit up, and great for a cool spring day or early fall.
I’m pretty blown away by Anla’s expertise. When I was 11 I think I was playing with bugs or something….
How about another dose of cuteness?
In Japan I picked up a miniature capsule toy machine, somewhat akin to the Frog Style toy that I blogged about a while ago. But this one is Rirakkuma!
Some assembly is required, with stickers to decorate the outside of the machine and stickers to put on the inside of teeny tiny capsules (that actually open).
After assembly…
I love the detail involved with this toy. It even comes with a tiny clip that you can use to attach two capsule machines together, as in a bank of machines that you often see.
Turn the crank and the capsules pop out!
If you’re wondering where you can get this awesome toy, I have just one more, and you can WIN it by entering this year’s Mochimochi Photo Contest! I’ll be announcing all the details in early June (check out the details from last year’s contest here), but you can go ahead and start entering now by uploading your photos to the Mochimochi Friends Flickr pool.
My friend Kana just came back from a visit to Yamagata prefecture in Japan. Apparently that region is known for its delicious edamame, so I got the cutest cell phone strap as a gift!
Peas have an extremely high cute factor to begin with, so Hello Kitty peas are off the charts! The little pod is just about one inch long.
Last year, husband John worked with the nonprofit organization Oceana to write and direct a humourous commercial about the plight of the merpeople, whose habitat and chances for a hot date are being destroyed by reckless overfishing. The idea was that the fake campaign would encourage people to get behind a real (and very important) cause.
The finished commercial and accompanying website are now online for all to see. (My friend Sarah Ries stars in it as the lovely-but-desperate “Merbachelorette.”)
If you like what you see, please visit the website to find out how you can help protect ocean life and ecosystems. The merpeople will thank you.