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.
After eight years in NYC, John and I and the whole Mochimochi crew are moving to Chicago!
A few gnomes went out early and have already made themselves at home. (They’re excited for the cold Chicago winter they’ve been hearing about.)
Our move was prompted by a new position that John has at The A.V. Club as Senior Editor—I’m so excited for him! And I’m looking forward to more space and being closer to my family in Oklahoma.
I’m going to miss Brooklyn like crazy, but change is good, and I’m excited to get to know a new city and its people. We’re moving next week, just in time for Vogue Knitting LIVE! So if you’re going to be attending, please find me in the marketplace and say hi because I’m your new neighbor!
Everything around here should be pretty much the same. I think the only noticeable change will be a delay in shipping of physical goods from our shop during the last week of October/first week of November while our stuff is in transit.
And NYC hasn’t seen the last of me! I’ll be back for Vogue Knitting LIVE in Times Square in January, and I plan continue making occasional visits for work and play. As my last NYC event before the move, I’ll be at the Lion Brand Yarn Studio this Thursday evening for a talk and book signing. I’d love to see you there!
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!!
For the knitting pet lovers in your life (or for you, because that probably describes most of us), we now have tiny mochi kits for kitties and puppies and turtles!
Each kit comes with a pattern and enough fingering-weight yarn (Cascade Heritage, a wool/nylon blend) and polyester stuffing to knit TWO little companions. They’re perfect for people who are new to tiny knits and/or don’t have a big stash of sock yarn on hand.
All you have to supply is the knitting needles (size 1 US/2.25mm double-pointed needles) and a small tapestry needle.
As always, we ship internationally! (And the kits are lightweight, so shipping costs are pretty reasonable.)
You can also find tiny mochi kits in local yarn stores across the country (and in a few places outside the US). If your LYS isn’t carrying them, please encourage them to get in touch about wholesale!
I’m excited to announce that I’ll be teaching a master class on toy design at NYC’s Lion Brand Yarn Studio on October 27th!
This is the first time that I’ve taught this class, and I’m so looking forward to the opportunity to share my passion and design experience in this way. It’s one thing to teach techniques, but designing is one of my favorite things that I get to do, and I think toys are a great place to start for anyone who wants to try their hand at it.
The three-hour class will be more about planning than hands-on knitting, but I hope to get everyone off to a sure start to creating their own knitted toy. We’ll cover everything from sketching to shaping and incorporating various knitting techniques, to (if time allows) pattern writing and promotion.
Here’s the official class description:
Design a knitted doll, animal, or other character that is all your own! Anna Hrachovec will share the inspiration and process behind the hundreds of mochis that she’s designed over the years, and she will help you get started turning your sketch into a plan and a pattern. Emphasis will be on three-dimensional designs using simple geometry and a variety of techniques.
Visit the Lion Brand Yarn Studio website for full information and to sign up!
And if you’re in the NYC area, don’t forget to come to my talk and book signing at the Studio on October 24th!
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!
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!
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.
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!
Exciting news: We’re having out first-ever summer sale! Actually, it’s our first-ever sale, period!
Through August 31st, just use the code SUMMEROFSQUEE in your shopping cart, and you’ll get 15% off all books, 20% off all kits, and 20% off all PDF patterns.
Go nuts, because mochis never go out of style!