Category: Crafted Things

Why Does the Sun Shine?

Posted on by Anna

Last year They Might Be Giants released a cool new video for Why Does the Sun Shine?, which is on their new kids’ album Here Comes Science. The video was animated by Hine Mizushima, who makes the most amazing needle-felted creatures. (You can see her work in Lost at Sea next week.)

So much fun!

I was listening to an old Radiolab podcast the other day, and they pointed out that this song, which was originally written in the ’60s, is a bit inaccurate because the sun is a plasma and not a gas. Oh well—it still rocks.

Embroidery Collage Workshop with Nicole Licht

Posted on by Anna

I love a low-key workshop where I can experiment with something new and learn from a talented artist. That’s what the upcoming workshop with Nicole Licht at gallery hanahou is looking like to me.

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On May 8th Nicole will lead participants in making embroidered fabric collages in a workshop in conjunction with “Lost at Sea” (which opens next Thursday!)—she has led a similar workshop at the Museum of Arts and Design in New York, so no doubt it’s something to be a part of if you can. I also got to meet Nicole in person just today and I saw her works for the show. She has such a beautiful, sensitive style in her work, and I love how she plays with three-dimensionality in a subtle way.

Here are the workshop details:

Date/Time: Saturday, May 8, 1-3 pm
Place: gallery hanahou, 611 Broadway, Suite 730, NYC
Cost: $45 (includes materials)
Signup: email info@galleryhanahou (space is limited)

Bonney’s Yarn Bombing

Posted on by Anna

Don’t tell anyone, but the person who recently yarn bombed a small town near New London, NH, is my mother-in-law!

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It’s interesting to me to see yarn graffiti in a non-urban setting. Instead of street art, it looks more like a sign of an ancient ritual, or some mischief done by forest sprites in the night. Or, as Bonney told me that a neighbor surmised, trees marked to be cut down. (Let’s just hope no one with a chainsaw makes that mistake.)

Bonney tagged seven trees in all, and it seems to have whetted her appetite for delinquent behavior, because she’s planning more yarn-related surprises for her town!

Walking is Hard

Posted on by Anna

I thought I’d share one of my stop-motion animation tests today. As you’ll see, my model and I are still getting the hang of walking—he started leaning way too far forward, but instead of starting over, I came up with a quick solution to that problem.

I hope to have a test that incorporates some bunny slipper action soon. And I’ve been doing a lot of thinking about how best to animate some knitted characters—the physics of it are just a bit trickier than I originally thought. Anyway, I’m having fun with this new project!

Cute Yarny Bunnies

Posted on by Anna

I’ve been hearing from some designers of crafty bunnies this week, which is great! Here are three worth our admiration.

This bunny has a wonderfully minimalist fashion sense.

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Barbara Prime of Fuzzy Mitten designs the sweetest knitted animals. The above cutie, named Noisette, was made from her Scraps Chaps pattern. (Check out Barbara’s full Flickr page for more beautiful photos of her beautiful toys.)

This bunny is cute in an “I’m gonna stomp on your city” kind of way.

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Keri crocheted it as part of her ongoing series of Godzillas. There are a couple (non-bunny) Godzillas available in her Yarnmageddon Etsy shop right now. Awesome!

And here is a bunny that could maybe stand to eat a carrot or two!

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Chrissy of CraftyCripple modified her Skinny Kitty pattern to make this trim bunny. It was a Christmas gift for a friend’s little girl last year, she says. I bet it is getting lots of love.

Thank you to Barbara, Keri, and Chrissy for multiplying the bunnies!

Fuzzy Fiber Bunnies

Posted on by Anna

This bunny seems very proud of her eggs!

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KnottyKnitter40 on Ravelry made Babette the Easter Bunny using needle felting. That’s a technique I’ve never dared to try myself, so I’m impressed. (And I love those little eggs.)

And this bunny is way more fun than a cup of Earl Grey!

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Bookette crocheted him from Roman Sock’s pattern for Tea Cup Bunnies.

Any more crafty bunnies out there made from different materials/techniques? Send them to me at info [at] mochimochiland [dot] com!

Bunny Slippers

Posted on by Anna

This strange gentleman and his bunny slippers are what I’ve made to work with in the stop-motion animation class I’m taking. I’ve done a few animation tests with him, but I still have some practicing to do before getting the smooth movements that I want. Hopefully next time you see him he and his slippers will be in motion.

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Ultimately I would like to animate some knitted toys, of course. That will be the next project!