I was trying to do something with knitted bunny heads over the weekend, and feeling a little frustrated with it. At one point, in my exasperation, I sacrificed a bunny head to one of the drawer pulls on my desk. It popped right on!
The backs of the plastic eyes kind of get in the way, but if I replace those with yarn eyes, I bet it would make a pretty good pull. So maybe I’ll make more to gussy up my desk.
Those of you who guessed Groundhog Day on my last post are correct! That was too easy.
The pattern will be out very soon, but for now here’s another partial preview:
That’s one suspiciously sophisticated-looking mound of dirt, no?
If you’re eager to get ready for it, the pattern calls for:
– Worsted-weight wool yarn (such as Cascade 220) in two shades of brown, black, and green
– Set of 7-inch long size 6 US (4.0 mm) double-pointed needles
– Tapestry needle
– One set of safety eyes
– Crochet hook
– Stuffing
Check back later this week for the pattern!
A good friend of mine loves all holidays, but she especially loves a certain holiday that’s coming up soon. She requested a toy with a theme of this holiday about two years ago, and this year I finally got around to making her toy. I loved it so much that I also made a pattern for it. What is it?
Here’s a hint: The holiday does not begin with a V.
Here’s another hint:
The pattern is coming soon to the Mochimochi Shop!
Check out these stackable animals made by Claudine!
She used felt and some alterations to the ears and tails to make a stackable bear and stackable panda in addition to her Stackable Cat. A great idea!
I’ve had things stackable on my mind again lately too, so there may be a new pattern of this sort sometime later this year.
The last day of the year came sooner than I expected!
It’s fun to think about new beginnings and adventures to come in the new year, whether or not the word “resolution” is involved. I for one am going to try to be more daring in the kitchen, trying out new recipes and ingredients more often. (I have pretty neutral feelings about cooking, so it seems worth a try.)
As for things knitting-related, I’m thinking about new patterns, of course, and maybe some more artsy-experimental stuff too. I’m also considering trying out PDF pattern sales through Ravelry. Before I start uploading, though, I would love to hear how people have found buying patterns through Ravelry, which I’m sure many of you have done. I would also love to hear from designers who sell their patterns through Ravelry—any problems with it or concerns? I would greatly appreciate comments left to this post, or you can also email me at info@mochimochiland.com.
Thanks in advance for your input, and Happy New Year!
You might not know it from following my blog, but I have been knitting toys nonstop over the past year, and I now have a big stockpile of new toys. I have plans for most of them and there are reasons that I haven’t posted them on the blog, but there are a few that I have no immediate plans for, and it seems like kind of a waste to not at least give them their one minute 13 seconds of fame (the average time people spend on my website, according to Google Analytics). Like this little campfire here.
I think I lost my draft of the pattern for it when my hard drive crashed back in August, but I could probably recreate it at some point. Aside from Campfire kids and serious campers, though, who wants a knitted campfire? Maybe I should introduce him to a marshmallow.
It’s been my pleasure to get to know some talented knitters over the past couple of years that I’ve had my website up. Many of them design toys of their own, so I thought I’d post a few of my favorites as last-minute gifts. All of the below patterns are available online, so all you need is a trip to your yarn stash or maybe the local yarn store (because you were going there anyway) to get started.
For an inventor or anyone in need of a bright idea:
Bright Spark the Light Bulb by Kate Jeffery
Available as a free download on Ravelry.
For the musician in your life:
Guitar by Katie Park
Available on Etsy or Ravelry.
For your hipster friends or great-aunt who still collects owls:
Horned Owl by Hansi Singh
Available on Etsy or Ravelry.
For Australo-philes or kiwi fruit fans:
Crazy Kiwi Bird by Hannah Kaminski
Free on her blog.
For anyone who likes silly monsters (that’s everyone!):
mmmmm by Joan De Lurio
Available on Etsy or Ravelry.
That should just about cover everybody on your list, right? If not, you might check out the patterns in my own shop and the freebies on my blog.
Happy holiday knitting!
I was happy to see that Whipup blogged about my free Snails and Slugs pattern last week as a “simple gift” for the holidays. This inspired me to make them just a bit more festive.
The tiny Santa hats are very simple to make.
With white fingering-weight sock yarn, cast on 9 sts onto 3 size 1 or 2 dpns, and join in a rnd.
Purl one rnd.
Switch to red sock yarn, and knit 2 rnds.
Next rnd: [k2tog, k1] 3 times (6 sts)
Knit 2 more rnds, then break yarn and draw through sts with a tapestry needle.
For pom pom, thread white yarn through top of hat several times, crisscrossing over the six stitches that you pulled together to close the end. (I made more of these stitches on the hat on the left for a bigger pom pom.)
Weave in loose ends, and now you have a Santa topper for your Snail or Slug!