Category: Mochimochi Land News

Teeny-Tiny Mochimochi 10th Anniversary

Do you remember this book?

Somehow, it’s been TEN YEARS since Teeny-Tiny Mochimochi was published!

My second book of knitting patterns captured my new obsession with knitting tiny little creatures. That obsession had started out as a mere short-term project to see if I could design and knit a new “tiny thing” every day for a month, and when that month passed, I just kept going…

…until it seemed that I might as well make a book out of all these little creatures! It wasn’t quite so simple as that, but I had a lot of support from my then-editor at Potter Craft, Joy Aquilino. She helped me select around 20 of the best from this project, along with some new additions, to turn into patterns for a new book.

My tiny designs have evolved quite a bit since, but I consider the projects in Teeny-Tiny Mochimochi to be Mochimochi Land classics, and they’re a great starting place for knitters who are new to small projects on DPNs.

Brandi Simons, who did the photography for my first book, Knitting Mochimochi, did a terrific job again with this book. The best part of the process was the way we worked together to figure out the simple props and backgrounds, and I assisted her with all the shoots too. Here’s Brandi getting the Tiny Computer ready for his close up.

The Tiny Gnome had some help from toothpicks and fishing line to make him and his mushrooms look just perfect.

(Seriously, I learned so many of my photography tricks from Brandi during these shoots!)

This tiny trash can is a project that didn’t make it into the book…

…but if you want to knit it you can find it in Tiny Mochis Collection 3.

Here I am adjusting the strings of these Tiny Ghosts. (This might have been the last time I was photographed with zero gray hairs!)

…and later, of course, I made one of these ghosties into one of my favorite GIFs.

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A lot more work went into this book besides the photography, namely, testing by some very talented and sharp-eyed knitters, many of whom are still test knitting my patterns! Oh boy how the time has flown.

I still see people’s projects that they make from this book all the time, and they make me just as happy as when the book first came out. If you’re able to use Ravelry, check out all the favorited projects that knitters have linked to the book—all 165 pages of them!

You can still get a copy of Teeny-Tiny Mochimochi from a bunch of booksellers, both online and in person, plus hopefully your local library has it too! An ebook version is also available.

Since Teeny-Tiny, I’ve probably designed enough tiny things to fill at least three more books. And I do think it would be fun to write another book of patterns sometime! For now, I’m working on something that’s technically in the fiction category, and having great fun with it. More on that…eventually!

Pet Bugs patterns and kits are here!


Pet Bugs are the cutest little mutants you’ll ever knit! The new, intermediate-level pattern collection features four adorable insect/mammal mashups that knit up quickly for near-instant companionship: Doggerpillar, Bunnybee, Hamsterfly, and Snitten (snail cat, obviously!)

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Along the with downloadable patterns, kits for all four cuddly bugs featuring yummy Hand Dyed Diva yarn are also now in the shop.

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Three of the four Pet Bugs were the mystery kits in June—if you got those, you can now complete your collection by adding the Snitten Kit, which comes in four different fun color combos!

The concept for these weird little buggies came from my friend Kate O’Leary, who encouraged me to knit a bunnybee (she suggested it like it was something you see all the time). When I finally delivered on her request, the little bunnybee was so cute I had to make more furry bug combos, and Pet Bugs were hatched!

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Thank you to Kate, and thanks to my superb tech editor Marilyn Passmore and super test knitter Amanda for help making the patterns the best they can bee!

Tina The Tiny T-Rex is now a PDF download

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She’s fierce, she’s fabulous, and now Tina the Tiny T-Rex is available as a PDF pattern download! There are lots of fun techniques packed into this one tiny dino (short rows! I-cord arms! extreme tail shaping!), and videos will help you along the way. Plus, Tina loves to party, so the pattern includes instructions for THREE festive holiday hats!

If you’ve already purchased the interactive pattern from Knitrino, check out your pattern in the app for a discount on the PDF. 😉

Mysteries revealed!

Big reveal time! The Mystery Surprise Kits were…
Pet Bugs! 🐛 🦋 🐝
See them in action on Instagram!

I hope those of you who got the kits were pleased with your cute weird knitting projects 💜

Now that the Bunnybee is out of the bag, the patterns and kits—plus one last surprise—are coming to my shop soon! For now, the ONLY places you can find them are at Cheers To Ewe (who is also responsible for the lovely Hand Dyed Diva yarn included in each of these kits) in Huntersville, NC, and Knit & Bolt in Minneapolis.

Thanks to my friend Kate O’Leary for sparking the whole concept with her Bunnybee obsession ✨

Keep an eye out for these patterns and kits to come to Mochimochi Land officially later this summer, along with yet ANOTHER fun mystery-surprise!

Mystery Preview Kits are back!

Do you love mysteries, free stuff, and knitting cute things? Now through June 14th, for every two kits that you purchase from the Mochimochi Shop, you’ll receive an exciting Mystery Preview Kit: a new, never-before-seen kit that will allow you to knit something cute and small! (The kit will AUTOMATICALLY come with your order—no need to add it to your cart.)
There are three different mysteries, so if you buy four kits, you get TWO mystery kits; buy six, and get ALL THREE new mystery kits for free! You can also purchase the three mystery kits on their own as a collection.

WHAT COULD THEY BE??? 👀

Each Mystery Preview Kit includes a pattern and enough yarn (including beautiful hand-dyed yarn from Hand Dyed Diva!) and stuffing to knit one or two cute new creatures. You’ll need to supply a set of size 1 US (2.25mm) double-pointed needles and a small tapestry needle.

Techniques in the new kits include knitting in the round on double-pointed needles, I-cord, mattress stitch, picking up stitches, and other fun stuff!

Mysteries from previous years include Tiny Narwhal, Ice Cream Doggie, Tiny Hedgehog, and Cat in a Box. You can find these kits and many more (including new designs!) in the Mochimochi Shop.

As for this year’s mysteries, they’re inspired by cuddly and crawly creatures, but not quite found in nature… 🌱

(We’d love your help keeping the mystery going all this month! Please keep photos to yourself until mid-June. Thank you!)

Watch out for this account impersonating me on Facebook

It was brought to my attention over the weekend that someone’s set up an account on Facebook that’s impersonating me, sending out friend requests and even asking for personal information. This is more than annoying—I’m so upset thinking that someone could have their money or identity stolen through this scam.

Mochimochi Land is a Facebook page, not a personal account, so you would never receive a friend request from me on Facebook using that name. The Mochimochi Land page is administered by me using my real name, Anna Hrachovec. (I don’t encourage people to friend me on FB, just because I rarely post anything on my personal account.)

I’m so sorry to anyone who is getting spammed by this scammer. It would be a favor to me if you would report them—apparently the more people who do so, the more attention it my get from FB admins and hopefully that will help get it taken down sooner. But I’m reluctant to link to the scam page from here—I don’t want them to target my website next. So please just beware if you come across it and watch out for these kinds of scams in general!

Knit gnomes and dinosaurs with me in May!

A year into our Zoom-ified culture, I’ve gotten fully on board with virtual classes—they’re so fun! Sure, connecting via screens isn’t a complete substitute for in-person learning, but it has some real advantages. Participants can join from all over! You get a first-person perspective of what my hands are doing! I can show animations while everyone’s knitting stockinette rows!

So I’m excited to teach my Tiny Gnome class with Virtual Knitting LIVE again in May, and also in May I’ll be teaching my Tina the Tiny T-rex class once more with Knitrino!

May 15: Knit a Tiny Gnome

In this two-hour class, we’ll cover intermediate techniques used in my tiny gnome pattern: joining I-cord legs, knitting with 2, 3, and 4 double-pointed needles, switching colors, attaching I-cord arms, and embroidery tips. Your gnome can be clothed or gnaked—your choice!

Visit the Vogue Knitting LIVE website to register. Soupy the cat has agreed to consider making a special guest appearance.

May 22: Tina the Tiny T-Rex

This is a one-hour class covering the basic techniques that go into this fun, intermediate-level pattern, which is available in the Knitrino app. Techniques include a special seamless cast on, short rows (wrap & turn), and attaching tiny arms and legs! You can sign up within the Knitrino app—click on this link on your phone to get the app and sign up.

There’s also an option to get the class along with a kit, which includes lovely yarn from Hand Dyed Diva!