Category: Events

“Luv-able + Hug-able” Plush Pre-sale!

Posted on by Anna

Oh my gosh! Luv-able + Hug-able opens this Thursday! There are soo many delightful plushes in this year’s show, and the setup is well underway at gallery hanahou. Gabriel let me take a couple pics of him hard at work with my cell phone:

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(Can you spot my little wearable guys on the table?)

And guess what? A special pre-sale just started for VIPs like you, my blog readers! That means you get to see all the plushes before anyone else and even buy them before the general public. Download the PDF catalog to see it all. (The ordering info is on the last page of the PDF.)

There are many to choose from, but are a few of my favorites in this year’s show…

“Funnel Cake Wearing his Tattoo” by ChrisCreatures:

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“Little Audrey” by Evangelione:

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And “Octowreath” by Hine Mizushima:

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If you’re in NYC, please join us this Thursday evening 7-9 pm at gallery hanahou for the opening!

Mochimochi at BUST Craftacular

Posted on by Anna

This is a big month for Mochimochi “Real World” edition—on December 12th (Sunday) I’ll be bringing Mochimochi Land to the BUST Craftacular in NYC!

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It’s being held at New York City’s Metropolitan Pavilion (125 West 18th Street, NYC) on December 12, 2010 from 10:00am – 8:00pm. Entrance is $2 at the door.

As you know if you’ve spent much time on my website, most of what I do involves designing a sample and then concentrating on taking photos and creating PDFs, but for this event, I’ve been getting really hands-on with small batches of knited tiny creatures that I’ll be selling in person. Because contrary to my hopes for the world, most people do not knit, but some still might like to have a Tiny Bee of their own. I’ve also been putting together some tiny knit kits, and I’m excited to see knitters’ reactions to them.

So if you’re in New York this weekend, please come find me and say hi! (I’ll be sharing a booth with Toasty Time!)

Mochimochi at Urban Craft Uprising

Posted on by Anna

I’m excited to announce that I’ll be in Seattle next month at Urban Craft Uprising!

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The big craft show will happen at the Seattle Center Exhibition Hall on December 4th and 5th with more than 100 vendors selling everything handmade and awesome.

You’ll be able to find me near the entrance with copies of Knitting Mochimochi—there are official signings scheduled for Saturday at 2 pm and Sunday at 1 pm. I’ll also have some hand-knitted tiny things for sale AND I’ll be debuting knitting kits for some of my newest Tiny patterns too!

By the way, if that image above looks slightly “Mochimochi” to you, it’s because I’m responsible for it! Kristen Rask, one of the organizers of UCU, invited me to create the image for this year’s show to go on postcards and t-shirts. This was my first “real” illustration project, so I was a little unsure about the whole thing, and I was thrilled and relieved when my design was approved. I think I’m gradually getting better at using Adobe Illustrator, and I loved this opportunity. Thank you Kristen!

OK, I hope to see those of you in the Seattle area at this awesome event on December 4th and 5th!

Urban Craft Uprising
December 4th & 5th, 11 am – 5 pm
Seattle Center Exhibition Hall

Coming Home to Loops

Posted on by Anna

I was so happy to be at Loops in Tulsa on Thursday evening! Owner Shelley invited me to give a talk about Knitting Mochimochi—we had a great turnout, and this was a very special event because my family and hometown friends could be there too.

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I was joined by Brandi Simons, the local photographer who was responsible for all the beautiful photos in the book. It was so much fun to reminisce about our shoots from the spring of last year. Together we talked about our most difficult shoot (for the Cuter Polluters, involving locating the perfect oil drum and then dealing with a windy day and allergies) and how we involved many of our families and friends for the different images.

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(By the way, these great photos were taken by Brandi’s husband Mike Simons. They are quite the power-photojournalist couple.)

One fabulous touch that Shelley dreamed up was these fantastic Feet Eater cupcakes! They were custom ordered from Merritt’s in Tulsa.

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Amazingly, those weren’t the only Mochimochi-themed desserts of my weekend in Tulsa. My friends Brianna and Michelle baked these awesome cookies for a party the following night!

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It was a very nice trip home. Thank you to everyone who made it so special!

Mochimochi Tea Party Pics

Posted on by Anna

Update!: Check out more photos from the Tea Party/ Trunk Show at the gallery hanahou Flickr page.

Thank you to everyone who came out to on Saturday for the Mochimochi tea party and trunk show!

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It was really cool to have a crowd see the show one last time before it was dismantled. (I was busy with that this morning—not as much fun as setting it up, but it certainly was much faster!)

After everyone enjoyed delicious cupcakes from Made Fresh Daily, I gave an unplanned talk and did a little Q&A about knitting toys, writing my book, and how the installation came about. It was a lovely gathering!

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Because it was the last day of the show, people who purchased creatures from the installation were able to take them home right then. It was bittersweet moment when I snipped off a little “mochi” riding a cow for a visitor.

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(You can also still order many of the little guys from the gallery online shop.)

This was the perfect way to wrap up the show. It’s now all packed away in bags, but it will all hopefully get unpacked again sometime soon in a different place!

Reminder: Trunk Show and Cupcakes this Saturday!

Posted on by Anna

Just a reminder that this Saturday is your last chance to See “Greetings from Mochimochi,” My knitted installation at gallery hanahou in NYC!

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Join me at the gallery for a trunk show and tea party on October 30th, from 2 to 4 pm: enjoy tea and cupcakes and the chance to buy little creatures right off the installation!

There will also be a selection of my other pieces on display (just for viewing).

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Please RSVP to info@galleryhanahou.com so that we know how many cupcakes to get. See you there!

October 30: Mochimochi Tea Party + Trunk Show in NYC!

Posted on by Anna

If you’ve wanted to check out my show at gallery hanahou but haven’t had a chance to stop in during the week, there will be another opportunity next Saturday (October 30th) to wrap up the show: a fun tea party / trunk show!

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Before we disassemble the whole installation (sob!), we’re going to give people an opportunity to purchase and take home many of the pieces from the landscape.

There will also be a selection of other pieces that I’ve made in recent years (for viewing only) that weren’t a part of this show, including my Swimming Lemmings from 2007.

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Also: tea and cupcakes!

If you plan to come, just RSVP to info@galleryhanahou.com. Hope to see you on the 30th!

Mochimochi tea party + trunk show!
Saturday, October 30, 2-4 pm
gallery hanahou
611 Broadway, Suite 730 NYC

November 4: Knitting Mochimochi Talk at Loops, Tulsa

Posted on by Anna

loopslogoIf you’re in the Tulsa area, please join me on November 4th at Loops (the Utica Square location) for a talk! I’ll be there at 6-8 pm with the whole knitted cast from my book Knitting Mochimochi, and I’ll discuss how I came up with the designs, some toy knitting tips, and anything else you want to talk about. Brandi Simons, the local photographer who took all the photos from the book in the Tulsa area, will also be there.

There will also be a book and yarn giveaway, so mark your calendar!