Our 2013 holiday pattern has arrived! Knit up snowball-sized Teeter-Totter Reindeer in a day or less for quick gifts and cute holiday decor.

The pattern automatically comes FREE with any purchase of $5 or more from the Mochimochi Shop through January 1st! A link to download the pattern will be emailed to you within 24 hours of your purchase. (You don’t have to add it to your cart.)

These guys are based on animals that I made for a mobile for my niece when she was born two years ago. There’s something about a spherical body with minimalist features that melts my heart. I hope you guys want to knit them too!

UPDATE: Congratulations to our winners!

Got yarn, needles, and a camera? It’s now officially time to enter the 7th annual Mochimochi Photo Contest!

Once again, we’re looking for the cutest, funniest, most interesting photos of Mochimochi Land toys. All you have to do to enter is upload your photo(s) to the Mochimochi Friends group on Flickr by Monday, December 9th.

Winners will receive amazing prizes from our generous sponsors Knit Picks and Craftsy, gift certificates to the Mochimochi Shop, PLUS vintage knitting kits from Bonney Teti, owner of the world’s biggest yarn stash (and my awesome mother-in-law)!

Eligibility

This contest is open to knitters worldwide. To be eligible, your photo must contain at least one knitted toy made from a Mochimochi Land pattern. This can be a pattern from the Mochimochi Shop, a pattern from one of the Mochimochi books, or one of the free patterns on the Mochimochi Blog. The pattern may be modified, but not beyond recognition from the original design.

Note that we’re looking for humor, cuteness, and originality—not necessarily the most professional-looking photo. We want everyone to enter!

How to enter

Simply upload your photo(s) to the Mochimochi Friends Flickr group. If you don’t have a Flickr account, it is free and easy to register (though we recommend signing up as soon as possible, because it takes a little time for your account to be approved for sharing photos in a group). You can enter as many photos as you want, within reason. (A series of photos is great, but each photo will be judged individually. We focus on series in our spring contest!)

All photos uploaded since the deadline of the 2012 photo contest last year—with the exception of those entered in our springtime contest—are already entered in this year’s contest!

Deadline

The last day to enter the contest is December 9th, 2013. We’ll announce the semi-finalists shortly thereafter here on the blog, then everyone will be able to vote for their favorites! So be sure to check the blog in mid-December.

Prizes!

First place prize will include a $50 gift certificate to Knit Picks, a free Craftsy class, a $20 gift certificate to the Mochimochi Shop, and vintage knitting kits (similar to these ones) and yarn from Bonney Teti’s humongous yarn stash.

Second place prize will include a $10 gift certificate to Knit Picks, a 50% Craftsy discount, a $10 gift certificate to Mochimochi Land and kits and yarn from Bonney.

Third place prize will include a $10 gift certificate to Knit Picks, a 25% Craftsy discount, a $10 gift certificate to Mochimochi Land, and a kit and skein of yarn from Bonney.

Needles ready? Yarn set? GO!

Hello from Chicago! As we get our new lives set up here, I’m going to take a tiny break from the blog. I’ll be back soon with the official announcement of the 2013 Mochimochi Photo Contest! In the meantime, you can take a look at last year’s contest details and see the winners for inspiration.

I’m thrilled to say that my fourth book of knitting patterns, Huge & Huggable Mochimochi, is now in stores everywhere!

Now you too can knit up a gigantic roly-poly, a family of capybaras, a hungry monster bag, and many more supersized mochis.

Not only are they big, but these toys include a wide variety of fun knitting techniques, like bobbles, cables, colorwork, and unusual shaping. Don’t let the size fool you—these guys knit up quicker than you’d think with thick yarn and big needles! And several projects come with smaller versions, so you can make a little guy before tackling the main squeeze.

Buy a signed copy in the Mochimochi shop, get it from your local yarn store, or come to one of my upcoming book signings!

October 24th: Lion Brand Yarn Studio, NYC
November 1st-3rd: Vogue Knitting Live Chicago
December 7th: Looped Yarn Works, Washington D.C.
December 8th: Loop, Philadelphia

And look who’s growing up fast!

That’s my niece Nora. Big thanks to my sister and her husband Nat for letting me borrow her cute face for the cover!

While I’m at it, huge thank-yous to my photographer Brandi Simons, to Sonnie and Sarah and the rest of our wonderful models; to the yarn companies who contributed their lovely products (Cascade, Lion Brand, Knit Picks, and Spud & Chloë); to all the test knitters who were involved in making the patterns user-friendly; to Marilyn, my excellent tech editor; to my editor Betty Wong and her assistant Caitlin Harpin for their great work and guidance; and to everyone else who was involved in making this book happen.

Now, let’s take over the world with MEGA MOCHIS!!