Adventures in Mochi-Mochi Land

I had the privilege of "meeting" Anna Hrachevec of Mochimochi Land when I was on Knitting Daily TV for my Tools of the Trade segment. Anna had sent over one of her mini gnome kits for review and to find something more adorable than that, you'd have to search far and wide!

A master of all things super small, Mochimochi Land was launched in 2007 as a place where knitted toys and people can live together in a spirit of tolerance. The characters that inhabit Mochimochi Land are original designs by Anna Hrachovec, a knitter who lives in Chicago. Anna finds inspiration in characters like Hello Kitty, TV shows like Pee-Wee’s Playhouse, and illustrators like Dr Seuss. She has written five books of patterns, the newest of which, Adventures in Mochimochi Land, is a combination storybook and pattern book. Anna sent her latest book my way for a review and it took longer than anticipated to write because I couldn't pry it out of my 4-year-old son's hands! Anna was kind enough to answer a few questions for us...

Tanis Gray (TG:) What came first in this book, the stories or did you knit all there figures and build a story around them?

Anna Hrachovec (AH): I started with the locations, then developed the characters and the stories. One of the big challenges with this book was figuring out how to have the stories take place in Mochimochi Land, but with entirely new characters, because the patterns in the book had to be all new. So I found it helpful to start with the new realms of Mochimochi Land that I hadn’t really explored before: an edible district, a community under the sea, and things up in the air.

 

TG: Do you have a favorite story of the 3? Why that one in particular? What about favorite character?

AH: I’d have to say that the first story, The Hungry Donut, is my favorite. It came the easiest to me, I think because cute things eating other cute things has been a recurring theme in many of my projects. (Perhaps it’s how I work out my feelings about being a vegetarian who occasionally wears leather, or something like that.) As for characters, maybe I ended up loving the balloons best. I enjoyed coming up with the little adventures they would have when they were set free—I think anyone can relate to the idea of being a balloon that suddenly gets to fly off and do whatever it wants!

 

TG: You create whimsical, wonderful, tiny little worlds! Where do you get your inspiration from?

AH: Thank you! My inspirations come from many sources, but certainly I draw inspiration from the imaginary worlds that I grew up with, like Alice’s Wonderland and the worlds of Dr. Seuss, and also the worlds that I’ve encountered from artists in Japan, like those in the Katamari Damacy games. I love the humor and surrealism that all of these contain.

 

TG: Do you always knit on a small scale or sometimes do you feel the need to break out the US 13 needles and knit a chunky scarf?

AH: I love big exciting projects—earlier this year I knitted a giant gnome that was over 3 feet tall. But you won’t see too many scarves on my needles, because I’m so weirdly focused on creating characters and worlds that pretty much everything I’ve been knitting for years is destined to become part of Mochimochi Land.

 

TG: What’s coming up next for you?

AH: I’ve actually got a baby coming up next—he’s due in December! So right now I’m trying to prepare for that, and I plan to scale things back for a bit while I figure out the motherhood thing. But I’ve got a couple of exciting projects in mind that I hope to get started on later next year, including a collection of toy patterns for beginners.

My favorite thing about this book is the storybook component. So often am I telling my son "don't touch mommy's knitting books" and I love that we can share this book together and he can get interested in knitting. The brightly colored book has three cute stories, The Hungry Donut, a tale about a donut trying to consume and entire town, The Underwater Election, a tale about who in the sea should be the treasurer and in charge of the treasure chest and The Lighthearted Lovers, a tale about a blimp and a balloon who fall in love. The stories make up almost 2/3 of the book and while they're a bit over a child's head, I found them funny and loved the landscape and characters imagined by Anna living their lives in Mochimochi Land. A book like this keeps both crafters and non-crafters engaged because there's so much to look at!

Once you find your favorite story, the patterns for many of the characters are in the back. While the samples in the book are tiny, it'd be easy to size them up with bigger yarn and needles. My son has requested a crab and I have a donut-loving friend who could certainly use a knitted confection!

While the storybook/pattern combination isn't a new one, I enjoyed the whimsy of this particular one. It doesn't take itself too seriously and the colors, the knitted world, the silly characters and the sheer cuteness made this one a winner!

Speaking of winners, let's give a copy of the book away, shall we? Answer the following question correctly by leaving your answer in the comments section of this post, and you'll be entered in to win a free copy of Adventures in Mochi-Mochi Land!

What is the snicker bar named after?

A winner will be chosen at random on Wednesday, September 9th and notified via email. Giveaway open to US residents only!

Force Friday

A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away, a knitter was born who has been obsessed with Star Wars for her entire life. Oh wait, that's me.

I adore everything about Star Wars (well, the original trilogy anyway, the prequels left a bit to be desired) - the story, the tech, the characters, the costumes, the special effects... There's something for everyone, whether it's a certain character you relate to, rooting for the underdog, a droid you have an affinity with or someone going through an issue in a galaxy far, far away that you find yourself going through here on Earth. I don't trust people who don't like Star Wars the same way I don't trust people who don't like chocolate, pizza or unicorns.

When they announced a few years back that they were going to be filming more movies and picking up where Episode VI left off, I thought I might spontaneously combust with sheer excitement. I wasn't born yet when the very first film was released, but I love hearing stories from those who were there and it has the same frenzy that the first Harry Potter film did. When the first Harry Potter came out, I sat in line for hours on the floor with my RISD friends, hunkered down with my knitting and caffeine in full-on HP geek mode, waiting patiently for the ticket guy to let us get into the theater.

I've wanted to design a pattern trilogy inspired by Star Wars for a long time. It's been tucked away in the back of my mind and I kept thinking," You really need to plan that out, because December 2015 will be here before you know it." Since today is Force Friday (and I just got back from Target where a Star Wars shirt or two may have slipped into my shopping cart, and my heart nearly burst with pride when my 4-year-old told me he wanted Star Wars underoos), it seems like the perfect day to introduce the first of the pattern trilogy.

Fellow Star Wars fans, meet the Nerfherder Cowl (inspired by the below video clip - if you get my posts via email, it won't show up). The first of 3 Star Wars-inspired patterns by TanisKnits, the Nerfherder Cowl is designed to be the perfect knit to work on while you re watch the 6 films to prep for the new one. With a stitch pattern reminiscent of stars and galaxies, it's a very interesting project packed with texture and color. I've paired The Lemonade Shop's Sparkle DK yarn in the appropriately named color way "The Force" (blue sparkles!), and Manos del Uruguay's wonderful Silk Blend yarn in "Shocking." I love the neon yarn paired with the calm blues and by striping them in even intervals, it adds another layer of depth and they tone each other down nicely.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SSwyNN7ms00

This cowl is knit back and forth the short way and joined at the end with kitchener stitch (you could certainly 3-needle bind off instead if you wish) which means finished length is up to you. I've been into longer cowls lately and the stitch pattern was so addicting that I just keep knitting!

The next 2 TanisKnits Star Wars-inspired patterns will be headed your way in soon, so keep your eyes out for the next installment coming soon.

Download the Nerfherder Cowl here and may the force be with you, always.

Welcome Home!

The fun thing about designing for yarn and pattern clubs, is when the pattern rights revert back to the designer, it's like seeing an old friend after a long absence. I had two such patterns return back to me this week and I'm delighted that they're now available to the masses.

Originally designed to be part of The Knitting Boutique's Luxury Sweater Club (yes, please), the Winnick Cardigan was an idea I had while working away this past winter. I usually stick to 3/4 sleeves because I work so much with my hands and I don't like cuffs flopping around getting in my way, but my torso and upper arms get cold. My desk is right next to a window and we live in an old row house - things get drafty. A short-sleeved sweater would be perfect, but I needed to Tanis-ize it, so I jazzed up my sketch with some Estonian lace work, threw a few bobbles in there for some texture and voila! The Winnick Cardigan came to be. Sized generously from a 34" bust up through a 54" bust, you'll only need anywhere from 780-1040 yards of worsted weight yarn. The lace doesn't start until after the sleeves have been quarantined off after the raglan shaping is complete, and it's easy to add length in the torso or even long sleeves if you wish.

Another friend who came back are the Burkhardt Wristers. Originally part of Dragonfly Fiber's Club (goodness did I LOVE this color way!), these little beauties have mirror-image cables running their entire length and a thumb gusset. 1 Hank of my favorite yarn from Dragonfly Fiber's, Traveller DK, will yield 2 pairs! I love being able to get more than 1 project out of a single hank, so knit one for you and a friend! Start those holiday gifts - they always sneak up on us, no?

Download the Winnick Cardigan here and the Burkhardt Wristers here. Welcome home, friends!

Izziyana Shuhaimi

Crafting takes time - we say it again and again every time someone says "Oh, you made that? How long did it take you?" I came across this article on Singapore-based artist Izziyana Suhaimi who adds embroidery to her pencil and watercolor illustrations and it reminded me of that. I especially like the bear hat, since I've knit something similar in the past! Original article here.

Fashion Illustrations with Embroidered Accents and Accessories by Izziyana Suhaimi

by Christopher Jobson

Singapore-based artist Izziyana Suhaimi introduces embroidered accents to her carefully rendered pencil and watercolor illustrations. Patterns of flowers unfold much like a tapestry across the paper canvas creating pieces she refers to as “evidence of the hand and of time.” For her series The Looms in Our Bones Suhaimi focuses mostly on fashion acessories where scarves, hats, and other clothing is depicted in thread, while she also uses the same techniques for more abstract shapes and designs. From her artist statement:

Embroidery for me is a quiet and still act, where each stitch represents a moment passed. The building of stitches then becomes a representation of time passing and the final work is like a physical manifestation of time – a time object. Each stitch is also a recording of the maker’s thoughts and emotions. I enjoy the duality of embroidery, in its movements of stabbing, cutting, covering, building, repairing, taking apart. Every stitch made seems to unfold a story and withhold it at the same time.

You can see much more of Suhaimi’s work here.