Thank you so much to everyone who came out last night for the opening of Gnomes vs Snowmen!! I had such a great time and I hope you all enjoyed the cute chaos and adorable violence. Photos are coming soon!

For anyone who might be in the NYC area and interested in learning a bit more about what it is that I do, I’m giving a presentation at the American Folk Art Museum next Thursday as part of their new Make it Thursday series!

I feel so honored to have the opportunity to give a talk there. I’ll be showing some photos and talking about how I got started knitted toys and how they turned into the big crazy projects I’ve been doing in the past couple of years.

The talk starts at 6 pm on November 10th. Tickets are $10 for non-members, and can be purchased at the museum website.

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 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!

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!