Category: Events

Hunt for Footballs at VK LIVE this Weekend

Posted on by Anna

Going to Vogue Knitting LIVE in Seattle this weekend? Keep an eye out for mini footballs on Sunday!

vklive_footballs

Ten of these footballs (five in classic “pigskin” brown, five in Seahawks colors) will be hidden all around the marketplace, and the ten people who hunt them down will each receive a free copy of my book Huge & Huggable Mochimochi!

hugehuggable

They can also keep the footballs.

If you’re not familiar with Vogue Knitting LIVE, it’s an incredible weekend of classes, talks, panels, tons of shopping, and knitted art like you’ve never seen before. I’m sorry to be missing it, even though my absence is for a good cause: I’m working on a new book! I’m happy that at least I’ll be there in spirit with the football hunt. And if you’re going to the Chicago show in October, I’ll see you there.

The tiny football pattern can be found in my Tiny Fall collection. (Winter may be just ending, but it’ll probably be football season again before we know it!)

Bad Photos and Good Highlights from Vogue Knitting LIVE

Posted on by Anna

I got to spend last weekend surrounded by yarn inspiration, knitting celebrities, and sneaky snowmen—it was Vogue Knitting LIVE! This was the fourth year in a row that I’ve been at the NYC show, and my seventh total at VK LIVE. Sometimes I don’t do a recap only because I forgot to take photos, and anyway the hotel lighting is not very conducive to good photos. But good photos be damned—I wanted to blog about it this time!

vklivenyc14

Some designers go to VK LIVE as teachers, but I’ve always participated as an artist, which means that I get to display one of my crazier projects and hang out in the marketplace all weekend, chatting with all the knitters and seeing their reactions to my weird tiny mochis. (I also sell my books and kits to cover my costs.) This time I showed my favorite stop-motion animation clips from the past couple of years, which had the advantage of a simple setup: instead of stitching things together for hours, I just had to plug my laptop into a TV screen. That’s my kind of preparation.

BIG WEEKEND HIGHLIGHTS:

• I got to meet the gal who writes those knitting lists for Buzzfeed. And look, she included my toys in a new one after VK LIVE!

• I saw not one but two beautiful Katniss-inspired cowls.

• Amy Singer stopped by to give me an update on the gnome I gave her years back at TNNA.

• The first three sneaky snowmen were found by a family of knitters! They each won a copy of Huge & Huggable Mochimochi.

vklivenyc14.2

• Vickie Howell told me I was on her “short list”(!!!)

• Pretty much everyone who stopped by my area was really nice—not one eye roll or “you have too much time on your hands”-type comment that I was aware of!

• All weekend I visited with the awesome people from the newly-opened La Maison Tricotée in Montreal.

• I met my first yo-yo artist—whoa.

• So many people told me they saw my animations on Nickelodeon last month!

• I got to be on a panel with some of my favorite fiber artists—and it was moderated by none other than Debbie Stoller of BUST magazine and the Stitch ‘n Bitch books.

vklivenyc14.3
(I’m the one fiddling with my iPad while everyone waits patiently.)

• I’m pretty sure Franklin Habit waved at me as he breezed by on the way to another class.

• There were more artists at VK LIVE than ever before, including Nicole Gastonguay, Carol MacDonald, Kelly Fleek, Going Gnome, Ruth Marshall, Knit Together in Love, Suzanne Tidwell, and many others.

As exhausting as VK LIVE is, it’s also exhilarating: it’s like the entire knitting world has gathered at one place, and everyone is psyched to be there. I’m so lucky that hanging out at these events is part of my job!

The next VK LIVE is happening this March in Seattle. I’m actually not sure if I’ll be there or not (I’ll announce here soon if so), but if any of you west coasters are considering it, this is my official endorsement!

Classes and Book Signings in DC and Philly Dec 7+8

Posted on by Anna

DC and Philly, I’m headed your way next month for fun classes and book signings!

gnomenoevil2

On Saturday, December 7th, I’ll be at Looped Yarn Works in Washington DC! Stop by from 11am to 12:30 to meet some huge and huggable mochis from my new book. Then in the afternoon I’ll go from huge knits to tiny ones, with a “Knit a Tiny Gnome” class from 1-4pm. It’s great for anyone who has used DPNs before but is new to knitting toys. You can get more details and sign up at the Looped website.

On Sunday, December 8th, I’ll be at Loop in Philadelphia! From 10am-1 is another tiny gnome knitting class—sign up by calling Loop at 215-893-9939. And from 2-5pm, another book signing where a bunch of the toys from Huge & Huggable Mochimochi will be there for you to squeeze.

These are two cities that the mochis have yet to visit before, so I can’t wait! Hope to see you locals there!

Mochi Madness at Vogue Knitting Live Chicago November 1-3

Posted on by Anna

UPDATE: I’ll be teaching a free workshop on toy design on Saturday, November 2nd, from 2-2:30pm on the 3rd floor of the marketplace! Space may be limited, so check the website for updates.

I’m excited to announce that Mochimochi Land is coming to Vogue Knitting Live Chicago in November!

vklivechicago

You’ll be able to find me and entire armies of gnomes and snowmen all weekend in the art gallery area of the marketplace. See just how naughty tiny mochis can be in Gnomes vs Snowmen, and hunt for zombies to win a free copy of Super-Scary Mochimochi!

I’ll be there in person all weekend with all of my books (which I’m happy to sign) and tiny mochi kits (with special event discounts).

I have even more extra-exciting news about Chicago coming up soon… it’s big, so stay tuned!

Talk and Book Signing at Lion Brand Yarn Studio October 24

Posted on by Anna

UPDATE: This event is now open for RSVPs!

Save the date, NYC! I’ll be returning to the Lion Brand Yarn Studio on October 24th for a special Huge & Huggable event.

lbys_signing

At 6pm, come meet some of the mega mochis from my new book, Huge & Huggable Mochimochi! I’ll also give a talk about how I went from knitting teeny-tiny hotdogs to knitting a giant hamburger that could eat your placemat for breakfast, and I’ll discuss the design process that went into my hefty new friends.

Books will be available and I I’ll happily sign yours if you like.

This event is free, but you have to RSVP to attend!

PLUS I’ll be teaching a class on toy design at the Studio on Sunday, October 27th. Contact the Studio to sign up!

Sick Robot

Posted on by Anna

This is what happens when a robot goes swimming right after eating three botdogs (robot hotdogs).

sickrobot

If he’s feeling better by this weekend, he’ll come with me to Ann Arbor to frolic with other mochi creatures in a big display! (I’ll post photos here too, of course.) And if you’re in the Ann Arbor area, I hope you’ll come to my talk at the the downtown library this Sunday (July 14th)—full details are at the Ann Arbor District Library website.

Talk at Ann Arbor Downtown Library July 14th

Posted on by Anna

I’m excited to announce that my squishy friends and I will be visiting Ann Arbor next month!

annarbor_map

I’ll be giving a talk with slideshow and signing books at the downtown library on July 14th, from 2-4 pm. Come learn about how Mochimochi Land came to be and meet some of the characters who live there! (There may even be some super-sneak previews of Huge & Huggable Mochimochi, along with other surprises…)

In addition, I’ll have some of my artwork and other characters on display around town that weekend, so keep your eyes peeled, Ann Arborites!

This will be my first visit to the area, so I hope to see you there if you live nearby. I can’t wait!

Please visit the Ann Arbor District Library website for all the info.

Exciting VK Live Seattle Updates

Posted on by Anna

In just a few days, I’ll be headed off to Seattle with a posse of gnomes for Vogue Knitting Live!

vklive_seattle

There’s a lot going on next weekend, so I wanted to do a quick rundown for those who are attending or thinking of attending (you should!).

Friday 4/5 I’m teaching a Teeny-Tiny Toy Knitting class bright and early (8:30am). There are a few spots left, so it’s not too late to sign up and learn everything you need to know about knitting itty-bitty gnomes and all sorts of other creatures.

From 6-8pm come see the epic Mochimochi Land battle of Gnomes vs Snowmen in the art gallery, which will be located in or near the marketplace.

gvs_vklive

Saturday 4/6 I’ll be in the art gallery all day with books and kits (including special new kits) and more. You can see the other artists who will wow you with their yarn and knitting-related creations on the VK Live website.

Sunday 4/7 Tiny Zombie Hunt! Ten tiny zombies (made by yours truly) will be hidden all around the marketplace. Find one to win a free copy of Super-Scary Mochimochi!

vklive_zombies

Also at 11:30am I’ll be giving a slideshow talk about how Mochimochi Land came to be and who you will find in this weird squishy world. This is happening at the stage in the Exhibit Hall, along the back wall.

So if you’re in the Seattle area, I really hope to see you next weekend! It should be a blast!

Vogue Knitting Live Seattle
April 5-7
Meydenbauer Convention Center
11100 Northeast 6th Street
Bellevue, WA 98004