Category: Knitted Things

How Tiny can you Go?

Posted on by Anna

The Tiny obsession is still going strong here in Mochimochi Land, and the other day I attempted to take it to the next level by knitting with two strands of embroidery thread and sewing needles.

tootiny

It was a complete bust! I just couldn’t get the cotton thread to cooperate, and the needles were pretty slippery too. Very frustrating. I’m certain I’ve heard of people using this technique and succeeding, so I must have been doing something wrong.

So now I’m dying to ask all of you if anyone out there has tried and succeeded at knitting with embroidery thread on sewing needles. Or, if like me you’ve tried and failed, please share your story too!

Knitting Mochimochi Preview: TV Guy

Posted on by Anna

The release date of Knitting Mochimochi is now less than a month away! (It will be on sale starting June 29th.) I’m so excited that the countdown is finally here. It’s time to start showing some previews, don’t you think?

The first pattern I want to preview for you is TV Guy, a snowy box with a lot of personality. The photo that Brandi Simons took of him is one of my favorites in the book.

kmpreview_tvguy1

The shoot for TV Guy was really interesting—it was in my parents’ living room, and believe it or not, it was daytime, and very sunny! Brandi is an expert with lighting and camera settings and whatnot, so she figured out how to get it just right for that fake TV glow.

I chose the saddest-looking TV dinner I could find at the grocery store for him, and we had to heat it up in the microwave to get it looking authentic. (Brandi fluffed the potatoes to perfection.) We had a selection of beverages that TV Guy could be drinking, but my editor liked the beer bottle the best. (Unfortunately the beer went to waste since were shooting before noon. And needless to say, no one ate that TV dinner, either.)

kmpreview_tvguy2

The pattern involves some techniques that would be best for intermediate knitters, but it knits up pretty quickly—you could easily finish one in two to three days. I think it would make a great gift for a pop-culture lover!

Tiny Perching Pigeon

Posted on by Anna

tinypigeon

This guy and all of his friends are guilty of LWC, loitering while cute!

And I have a special announcement today: this will soon be a free pattern on the Mochimochi blog! It’s about time I made a free Tiny pattern, and since June is a month of knitting in public, I hope flocks of Tiny Perching Pigeons will soon be hopping off of everyone’s needles and onto the nearest tree branch, park bench, or neighbor’s dog’s tail. (I just want to see that last one once!)

The idea for the Tiny Perching Pigeon comes out of a project that I’m planning with Stitch London next month during my trip to the UK. I thought pigeons were the perfect thing to bring to London from New York, so I’m going to get together with the Stitch Londoners on June 21st for a pigeon-making party and a photo shoot out in a public place! If you’re in the London area, please join us! I’ll post the official details soon.

Check back for the free pattern in the next week or so!