Going to VK Live in LA this weekend? Me too!
I’m bringing my big world of Mochimochi to the west coast! You’ll be able to find it (and me) in the gallery area of the Marketplace, which will be open to the general public on Saturday and Sunday (September 24th and 25th).
I’ll also be showing some of my Mochimochi knitting techniques at the demo area (also in the marketplace) at 1 pm on both Saturday and Sunday.
Be sure to stop by and say hi if you’re there!
I had such a great time at the Lion Brand Yarn Studio last Thursday! They invited me to give an artist talk (coinciding with my installation) and do a book signing, and although I was nervous to speak in front of 50 people, I think it went well. It’s always a joy to meet knitters and share my crazy take on the craft with them, and I take so much energy back with me from these encounters. (Of course it was wonderful to see some familiar faces there too!)
For those who couldn’t make it out to the talk, here’s an interview that we taped beforehand:
Patty Lyons and all of the staff at the LBYS gave me the warmest welcome, and I even got to hang out with them after the event. It was probably the most lively conversation I’ve ever had with a group of knitters! They are a riot.
Big thank-yous to everyone at the Lion Brand Yarn Studio, and to everybody who came on Thursday!
I’m happy to announce that I’ll again be at the NYC Maker Faire next weekend in Queens! You’ll be able to find me in the library of the Museum of Science on Saturday, Sept 17th—I’m bringing my Teeny-Tiny diorama and I’ll have my new book there too. I’ll also be doing a toy knitting demo at the CRAFT stage at 1 pm on the 17th.
If you haven’t experienced a Maker Faire before, it’s a celebration of creativity that is lots of fun for all ages. Hope to see you there next Saturday!
I spent last weekend in Columbus, OH, discovering what TNNA was all about. It was very exciting to be among the movers and shakers in the knitting world! It was also an extra-exciting weekend because I got my first look at my upcoming book, Teeny-Tiny Mochimochi.
Here I am with the lovely Brett Bara, who is the host of Knit and Crochet Now! on PBS, among many other things (author, blogger, and on and on). Brett interviewed me for a segment about my new book. I was not really prepared to be on-camera, but I think it went OK! The video should be up on the web soon, then it will air on TV this fall.
On Sunday I got to do a book signing!
It was a blast because I got to meet local yarn shop owners from all over and also many designers and yarn company owners. It’s definitely surreal to see a long line of people just waiting to have a book signed by you. (I bet it didn’t hurt that they were all getting free copies.)
Despite that big stack of books you can see in the photo above, I didn’t get to take a copy home—this was a very limited batch strictly for promotion! I’m hoping to get my copy soon, at least before the August 17th release date.
I spent most of my time at TNNA not promoting, but just catching up with friends and putting faces to the names of many people with whom I’d only had online communication until now.
Like Rhichard and Taiu from Koigu!
They were super nice and funny people.
And Stacey from Knit Picks. Like the Koigu folks, she has been great about sending me yarn to use for my designs.
I had met Debbie Bliss before at VK Live, and it was so much fun to see her again and hang out with her and her daughter Nell.
I also met Shannon Okey and, at the very last minute, Amy Singer of Knitty!
Sadly, I forgot to get a picture with the Potter Craft people who were helping to promote my new book all weekend. But here’s a bit of the display that they used front and center at their booth.
(This is what I’ll have with me on Saturday at WWKIP Day in Brooklyn, so you can see it in person if you come out.)
So that was a whirlwind two days for me. I can’t wait to go back next year!
It looks like we’re going to have some beautiful weather in Brooklyn this weekend. Why not join me for some outdoor knitting for World Wide Knit in Public Day?
I’ll be at Grand Army Plaza at Prospect Park from 11 to 3 with the Brooklyn Fiber Arts Guild this Saturday, June 18th. There will be lots of fiber-y stuff going on, including raffles, knitting instruction, and live music. And I’ll be there with some friends from Knitting Mochimochi and a sneak preview of my forthcoming book, Teeny-Tiny Mochimochi!
If you’re in the area, I hope you’ll stop by and say hi!
If you live in NYC, you can take an upcoming Tiny Knits class with me on June 19th at Brooklyn General!
Here’s the class description:
Teeny-Tiny Toy Knitting
Take quick and simple knitting to the extreme by learning to make miniature toys no bigger than a peanut! Anna Hrachovec of Mochimochi Land will show you the basic techniques and minimalist details needed to knit an adorable Tiny Panda or other toy in about an hour. Techniques covered include knitting in the round on double-pointed needles, I-cord, and simple embroidery. The finished projects make cute trinkets, embellishments, or accessories.
Date/Time: Sunday, June 19, 1-3 pm
Price: $50
Level: Intermediate (some experience with circular knitting is helpful)
Supplies needed:
– Tiny knitting kit, which can be purchased at Brooklyn General OR Fingering-weight yarn in 2 colors
– Set of size 1 double-pointed needles
Sign up on the Brooklyn General website or call 718-237-7753. Hope to see you there!
Live in NYC? You can join me and Brooklyn General for a Doughknits workshop at The City Bakery on March 31st!
The workshop will be part of the City Bakery Night of Knitting on the Rocks, which will include cocktails, hot chocolate, food, and knitting workshops by local yarn stores.
Tickets are $45 and space is limited. Find out more at the Facebook event page and buy tickets at Brown Paper Tickets.
Not able to make it to this event? The doughnut pattern will be part of the next Tiny Things pattern collection coming soon to the Mochimochi Shop!
Updates:
Photos from the show
More photos of the planets
This big round bear, along with the giant ball of yarn and the snowman that I’ve recently posted, is going with me to Berlin next month to be a part of the Pictoplasma Festival, an annual celebration of character art!
My pieces will be on exhibit from April 6th through the 10th in a new installation called “Mochimochi Worlds,” held at Smallspace gallery. If you’re in the area, please join us for the opening at 7 pm on April 6th!
The show will be part of the Pictoplasma Character Walk that is open to the public.
I’m so excited to be involved in the festival, and I’ve been having a blast working on this new show—it will be made up of nine randomly-themed planets and other celestial bodies. Knitters who stop by the gallery will be able to pick up patterns to make some of the alien life forms they see.
I can’t wait to go to Berlin for the first time and see what other character madness is happening at the festival!
Thank you to Lion Brand for providing Hometown USA and Wool-Ease Thick & Quick yarn for the big planet bodies.
