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Barnabé the Mouse

Posted on by Anna

Update: My friend Jeremy Wheeler found that this guy may be what’s called a Pluffs Doll!

One of the cool things about our Chicago apartment (which still feels new to me, even though we’ve been here almost a year) is a lovely built-in glass cabinet in the dining room. It would be the perfect place to display our china, of which we have none, so instead I’m filling it with plush toys. (The “dining room” also sees a lot of yarn winding and very little dining.) There’s even extra room for more plushes than I currently have! So on Saturday I let myself acquire a new one from the Ravenswood Antique Mart.

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Don’t you love his fun colors and mischievous expression? After much consideration, I’ve decided to call him Barnabé. His tag tells me that he was made in Japan, he’s filled with excelsior (aka wood shavings), and he was imported by a company called Illfelder Importing Co. I did a search for the importer and turned up this 2011 photo from 23rd Street in NYC!

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One of the best things about this blue mouse was his price: less than $5, if you can believe it. So this was a cheap toy when it was made, and now it’s still a cheap toy, but also awesome and vintage. I might just have to start collecting these big time to help fill out my plush cabinet!

Introducing the Thwickeds

Posted on by Anna

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Time to unearth that fur yarn you’ve been saving since 2002—the Thwickeds are here! Cute, cuddly, and pure evil, these wooly weirdos have emerged from the darkest corner of Mochimochi Land just in time for Halloween. We can’t guarantee your safety if you knit them*, but we can guarantee a quick and fun project with very hairy results.

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Techniques include knitting in the round on double-pointed needles, I-cord, and mattress stitch. You’ll need less than one skein each of novelty fur yarn (Romance by Lion Brand is highly recommended!), worsted-weight yarn in 3 colors (one of which should match your fur yarn), and double-pointed needles in size 8 (5.0mm) and 5 (3.75mm).

The pattern is now available as a PDF download for just $5 in the Mochimochi Shop.

*Mochimochi Land is not responsible for any deaths, injuries, or public embarrassment that result from knitting these creatures.

Watch for Signs

Posted on by Anna

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If you see a triangle tail poking out from under a closet door, do not engage; back away slowly and call your local yarn store right away. (You’ll want 3 colors of worsted-weight yarn and some fun fur!)

Tiny Mochis Now Available at Rotofugi

Posted on by Anna

I’m so excited to announce that a selection of tiny mochis hand-knitted by yours truly are now available at Rotofugi, the designer toy store and gallery in Chicago!

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Rotofugi features toys and artwork by many of my favorite artists (like Mr. Clement, Shawnimals, and Heidi Kenney, to name a few), so it’s a big honor to have a small place among them. When I returned on Friday after dropping them off on Wednesday, I was psyched to find my tiny gnomes, vikings, owls, and pandas right next to Chris Uphues’s awesome heart figurines.

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It’s never been my aim to produce tons of mochis for sale, but instead I like to have a small selection available at venues that I’m personally excited about, and Rotofugi is one of those. But if you live far from Chicago, you can also find some hand-knit mochis in my shop, which I’ve just updated with more designs!