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.

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!

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!

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!