Just a tiny sample of the amazing plushes we’ve received for next week’s plush show:
Clockwise, from top left:
1. Sewn by Blythe
2. Lexi Franks
3. Eloole (they’ll be at the opening!)
4. Christina Gordon
5. Katsutoshi Otuska
6. Risa Tanikawa
7. Anna Chambers
8. Lizette Greco
9. Angel Oloshove
10. Hello, Brute
Comedian Rock Albers doesn’t need Halloween as an excuse to wear rabbit ears. This lapine laugh-man proudly sports his furry pink headband year round at all of his unusual musical comedy performances, including his current gig at The Duplex in the West Village.
My husband and I went to the first of Rock’s two scheduled shows earlier this month, having become smitten after seeing him perform a manic five-minute set in the summer. (You can see my first gushy post about Rock here.)
We joined a packed audience (most of whom were at least 20 years our senior, but never mind that) to experience Rock’s new routine, which consists of shouted rants on everything from national animals to Google, interspersed with piano ballads about Viagra and Starbucks. The topics are mainstream to the max, but the extreme absurdity Rock brings to his subject matter is delightful, and at times, simply inspired.
Rock’s second performance of The World According to Rock is this Saturday, Nov. 3rd at 5 pm at The Duplex. Don’t miss it!
These are the first knitted toys that I ever made:
Actually, I just finished making these ones, but I used the very first toy pattern that I designed. That was about a year ago, when we had our first show at gallery hanahou.
See, the toys are in the shape of our gallery logo, so I made these little guys for my coworkers to commemorate our first show. And now I’ve made these new ones for our first-ever plush show!
If they look a little familiar, that’s because they were the inspiration behind the shape of everyone’s favorite Hrumph.
If you’re in NY on Nov. 8th, I hope you’ll come to the opening of our plush show! You can see more details on our gallery website.
Have you entered the Mochimochi Photo Contest yet?
There’s just a little bit more than a month left to enter your photos of toys you’ve made from Mochimochi Land patterns. And I’ve been getting some great entries!
A duo of Sleepy Snakes with their respective Mischievous Mice were just uploaded today by giolou.
The grand prize, as I’ve mentioned before, is a box full of fun and strange Japanese goodies. Here’s a sneak peek at a tiny bit of what’s in the box!
Crafty goodies…
Little collector toys (which are super popular in Japan)…
A bizarre tarako kewpie keychain…
Mystery toy…
… and much more!
The last day for entries is November 30th, and soon afterward, everyone can vote on their favorite pic! See full contest details here.
My sister recently moved into a new house, and I got to see it for the first time a week and a half ago. It’s a lovely house, but I was most pleased by the leaf impressions that I noticed in her freshly poured driveway.
Apparently, it was fall when they did the driveway, and falling leaves from nearby trees got in the way of a smooth concrete slab.
I loved how the grain of the driveway and the tire marks looked against the ghost leaves in the afternoon light.
I imagine that after long use of the driveway, the leaf prints will eventually be worn away.
Finally, something for all you crocheters!
Jennifer at Kounting Sheep has just converted my pattern for Grass into crochet!! Her version is called Winter Grass, and the whole pattern is up on her blog for everyone to try.
As you can see, Jennifer’s Winter Grass closely resembles the original, except in crochet. As a real beginner in crochet, I have yet to try out Jennifer’s pattern myself, but it’s at the top of my list.
As far as I know, this is the first time that a Mochimochi Land pattern has been converted into crochet. How exciting! Seeing that it can be done has me looking forward to future crochet possibilities (that is, once I master the techniques myself…)
Thank you so much, Jennifer, for sharing your talent!
Are you in the New York area? If so, I SO hope you’ll come to the opening of a fantabulous plush show, Luv-able and Hug-able at gallery hanahou!
This is the gallery that I work at (we opened in November of 2006), and Luv-able and Hug-able will be our most exciting show ever! We have an impressive list of well-known plush artists contributing, as well plushes by nine Japanese artists, who are enormously popular in Japan, but rarely seen outside of their home country.
Amazing new work by:
Angel Oloshove, Anna Chambers, Anna Hrachovec (me!), Betz White, Christina Gordon (jamfancy), Corinne Dean (Not Too Pink), Eloole, Heide Murray (All Good Wishes), Heidi Kenney (My Paper Crane), Hello Brute, I Heart Guts, Kup Kup Land, Lexi Franks (Orangefishy Plush), littleoddforest, Lisa Grue, Lizette Greco + Grecolaborativo, Marcus Oakley, Matt Campbell, Rosa Pomar, Sewn by Blythe, CHiCHiTOHTOH, Chino Akiyoshi, Katsutoshi Otsuka (ToyField), Keiko Miyata, Michiru, Miyoko Ito, Risa Tanikawa, Saki Yamashita, and Yuriko Sera
We’ve been receiving the most incredible plushes by these artists, and I will be sharing some of them here as the opening date approaches.
Toys by me will be lemmings, Rainbow Busters, a desert island, Tubby, and more!
The opening party is November 8th, 6-9 pm, and the show will continue through December 21st. Mark your iCals!
gallery hanahou
611 Broadway, Suite 730, NYC
(NW corner of Broadway and Houston, 7th floor of the Cable Building)
Mon-Fri 12-7 pm
Sat 1-6 pm (closed Thanksgiving Weekend)
Let’s Knit is a brand-new knitting magazine from the UK loaded with stylish projects, handy tips, and community news. And I’m thrilled to say that the first issue of the magazine also includes a feature on my lovely mother-in-law’s enormous yarn stash!
Editorial Assistant Sophie Holt’s excellent write-up perfectly captures Bonney’s sense of humor and generous spirit when it comes to her now-legendary stash.
If you haven’t yet, check out my original post about Bonney’s stash from back in July.
A big thank-you to Sophie and Let’s Knit!