Category: Mochimochi Land News

Super-Scary Mochimochi is Here!

Posted on by Anna

It’s chaos here today in Mochimochi Land, as Super-Scary Mochimochi has just been released and the tiny zombies are going wild!

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No gnome is safe!

You can get your copy of Super-Scary Mochimochi, which is packed with 20+ patterns for the strangest and silliest knitted toys you’ve ever seen, from Amazon, from Barnes & Noble, and in bookstores and local yarn stores across the US. Signed copies are also now available in the Mochimochi Shop (with international shipping).

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And if you’re in the NYC area, please join me this Thursday for a talk and book signing at the Lion Brand Yarn Studio! (RSVP here.)

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I can’t wait to see the monster mochi invasion!

New Tiny People Kits!

Posted on by Anna

Just added to the Mochimochi Shop: tiny clown, viking, and pirate kits!

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Each kit comes with enough fingering-weight yarn (Cascade Heritage, a nice wool/nylon blend) and polyester stuffing to make 3 itty-bitty clowns, 2 teeny-tiny vikings, or 3 eensy-weensy pirates. They’re perfect for on-the-go knitting and make great gifts for fellow knitters.

And as with all orders of physical goods (books, kits, and original knits), these guys come with a freebie gnome button!

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Right now I’m still out of town working with my photographer on a future book (!!!), so all orders of physical goods will be shipped on September 19th.

Super-Scary Mochimochi Preview: Little Miss Widow

Posted on by Anna

Just one more week before Super-Scary Mochimochi is on sale in bookstores everywhere in the US! Woo hoo!

I had a hard time choosing which project to feature as the last preview (they’re all my favorite, of course), but I finally decided to share one of the sweetest scary little knits in the book…

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Meet Little Miss Widow! This stylish spider wouldn’t dream of wearing her hourglass on her back—that’s sooo last season. Instead, she’s converted it to a bow on her head, and she can also be worn on your head for an adorable Halloween accessory!

I don’t design a lot of wearable knits, but I loved the idea of a spider you could take with you. My friend and fellow designer Angela Tong helped me work out how to design my first lace pattern (thank you, Angela!), and the pattern for the headband comes in both adult and child sizes.

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And that super cute model? She’s Sarah Simons, my photographer Brandi Simons’ younger daughter. (I told you she was a great photographer—she even comes with her own models!) With those freckles and missing front teeth, there was no way she couldn’t be in the book!

Super-Scary Mochimochi is now available for pre-order from Amazon and Barnes & Noble. Starting September 18th, it will be in local yarn stores throughout the US, and signed copies will be available from the Mochimochi Shop too.

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And don’t forget the talk and book signing coming up September 20th at the Lion Brand Yarn Studio!

Super-Scary Event at Lion Brand Yarn Studio

Posted on by Anna

NYC knitters: please join me on September 20th for a Super-Scary Mochimochi talk and Q&A at the Lion Brand Yarn Studio!

I am thrilled to return to the studio, this time with all the cute and spooky creatures from my new book. (I’ll also be signing copies, of course!) Space is limited, so please RSVP at the Lion Brand Studio website for this free event.

And I think there are still a few open spots in the Tiny Zombie class I’ll be teaching on September 23rd at the studio. If you’re new to knitting tiny mochis, this is the class for you!

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Cute as a…

Posted on by Anna

Look what adorableness came in the mail yesterday!

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Starting this week, all orders of physical goods (books, kits, and hand-knitted tiny mochis) from the Mochimochi Shop will now come with a gnome button! I should probably say “while supplies last,” but I got a whooole bunch of these guys, so I expect them to last quite a while.

I’d been wanting to include little gifts with mailed packages for a while, without finding just the right thing, when it finally occurred to me that I could have something special made just for Mochimochi Land. So much more fun!

Speaking of shipping, I’ll be out of town for a couple of weeks starting Monday for some exciting photo shoots with my favorite book photographer. So all physical goods (again, that’s books, kits, and hand-knitted mochis) purchased between September 3rd and 18th will be shipped on the 19th. This won’t affect PDF pattern purchases at all.

I’ll try to take some fun-but-non-spoiler photos during the shoots and share them here on the blog!

Pictoplasma Talk in NYC this November

Posted on by Anna

Big news: the character art curators of Pictoplasma have invited me to speak at their NYC conference this November!

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Last year I had the honor of being part of the Pictoplasma “character walk” gallery series with shows in Berlin and NYC, and they also featured my work in their new Character Compendium. But it was still a surprise to be asked to present my work on a stage shared by artists I admire so much, like Ryan Quincy, Julia Pott, and Gemma Correll. I’m so excited and nervous and it’s still two months away!

You can read all about the NYC conference on the Pictoplasma website—there’s an early bird offer on the conference pass if you buy it before September 15th. If you work in a creative field or you’re just a character enthusiast, you’ll want to check it out!

Super-Scary Mochimochi Preview: Toaster Ghost

Posted on by Anna

What happens when you shove one too many frozen waffles into your rickety old toaster? You’ll end up with a big burned mess! Then once the smoke clears, you may find yourself confronted by…

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Toaster Ghost!

It’s the next preview from my upcoming book of monster knits, Super-Scary Mochimochi! (And that awesome photo is by Brandi Simons, of course!)

I have a special love for anthropomorphic knitted appliances, so I made sure to find a way to fit an undead one among the creepy characters in this book. Toaster Ghost is an interactive toy, complete with slots that you can place burned pieces of toast in!

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The pattern uses a number of techniques to get just the right shaping, and I think it’s a fun, challenging project for intermediate knitters.

Toaster Ghost would make a lovely companion piece to TV Guy from Knitting Mochimochi or even Flushie! Now I just need to design a knitted refrigerator, and you’ll never have to leave your craft room…

Super-Scary Mochimochi is now available for pre-order from Amazon and Barnes & Noble. Starting September 18th, it will be in local yarn stores throughout the US, and signed copies will be available from the Mochimochi Shop too.

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One more Super-Scary preview is coming up in a couple weeks, so stay tuned!

A Tiny Glimpse of Fall

Posted on by Anna

As you’ve probably noticed if you’re a long-time reader of my blog, my “tiny challenge” has gone from a weekly feature to just an occasional one. (Two years of weekly Tinys was a pretty good run!) But making new tiny mochis a little less often means that I have a little more time to actually write up the patterns and get them out into the world.

So more tiny pattern collections are on the way, and I did a little photo shoot with the next batch yesterday. Here’s a peek!

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It was surprisingly easy to find pretty yellow leaves in my neighborhood to serve as autumnal props. I really can’t wait for fall, especially since cooler weather means that my new book is coming out soon, and then this tiny fall collection is coming in October!