S- How long have you been knitting and when did you start designing your own toys?
MmL- I first learned to knit in high school, but I really picked it up again about five years ago in college, when I met my then-boyfriend, now-husband's mom, Bonney. She is an expert knitter, and encouraged me to try all kinds of projects. She also gave me tons of free yarn from her gigantic stash, so I couldn't refuse!
The first knitted toy that I made was my own design -- it was in late 2006, when my coworkers and I were getting ready to open our new gallery. The gallery logo looks a little creature-like, so I thought it would be fun to make toy versions of it to give as gifts to my coworkers. They were so much fun to make (and so well received), that I soon had a shelf full of all kinds of knitted toys.
S- How long does it usually take you to come up with a new design? What's your process?
MmL- The longest part of my design process is coming up with an idea. I like for each of my toys to have something a little unexpected about it, and good ideas are not always forthcoming.
When I finally do come up with a concept, and it seems do-able, the actual making of the toy design doesn't usually take me so much time -- anywhere from an evening to a week or so. I do a combination of writing out a pattern in advance and writing things down as I improvise. I often have to rip everything out and start again a few times, but since all of my toys are relatively small, that's not so heartbreaking.
Read the whole interview here
121 comments:
Thanks for a great interview with Anna! I belong to an admiring group at Ravelry and have knit the Bob pattern. Her imagination is superb and her ability to interpret her idea is amazing. :O) I'm a huge fan! samm
ooh, ooh! i love mochimochiland so much! i just made her free "grass" pattern, and i plan to have cute little grass plushies all over the house now.
*here's crossing my fingers for the giveaway!
I loved seeing Anna on Martha a few weeks ago, and I really appreciate the insight into her design process!
Enter me in please!
I just love Mochimochi designs. They're such a great modern twist on knitted toys. I just wish I had enough time (and yarn!) to knit them all.
Good on ya Anna, well done, proud of you. Still your #1 fan. It was also an honour to have been one of your pattern testers too.
Faye (you know who I am)
I left a comment over on the larger interview, so I'll leave one here too! I have almost all of her patterns, but I need that giveaway for the few I don't have yet! Great interview with Anna; she is awesome!
Very cool! I love reading interviews with designers I adore. Thanks!
Isn't Anna just amazingly creative. I love seeing what she'll do next. So far I've knitted BOB.
Thanks for a great interview! I don't think toy designers get enough credit in the knitting community. I'm working on Tums the Hippo by Anna right now and my knitting class just finished the Love Gun at a moonlight knitting party as a gift for one of the attendies who is a police officer. We even made her the heart shaped bullets. She has it on her desk in the station. :)
Aren't her things just so clever? I'm absolutely in love with Tubby, and am working on the Luvgun and hearts for my husband for our anniversary. Those squarish kitties are awfully cute, too!
Thanks for a great interview. Mochimochi designs are so clever.
Great interview I was wondering how she comes up with such cute critters. I just knit two of her toys this last week for my kids easter baskets. They came out so darling. I will definitly be making more of her toys.
I enjoyed reading the interview! I (knitted)heart Mochimochiland!
Love the stuffed toys!
Thanks for sharing with us... Enter me.... I love the tube with the bubbles
Great interview! Anna's very talented! They mochies are all so CUTE!!!! Hope I win, pick me please! :P
I only became aware of Mochimochi Land and Anna a few weeks ago, and I loved seeing her on Martha Stewart. Her designs are just the cutest! She is so creative!
What a great interview! I absolutely love her site and always follow her blog. Her designs are so creative and wonderful!
I love Anna's designs!! Right now I'm slowly knitting an army of Bobs. And I can't wait for the stackable cats so I can make a bunch for my crazy cat lady friends.
Wendy stareyes15[at]gmail[dot]com
Thank you for a fantastic interview. I kept seeing Anna's work around and I didn't know about the artist, thankyou for enlightening me! Her work is fantastic!!!!
I love the mochimochi land patterns... the woodins on Knitty made me search out her site. Very creative & inspiring for new knitters. The lemmings diving off the cliff in her gallery were just too cute!
-Alana
Awesome interview. :)
I remember the first time I stumbled across Mochimochi Land. I fell in love.
I saw your blog mentioned on Anna's and had to take a look. One more for the blogroll it seems :)
Great interview. It's always inspiring to read about the design process.
I just love love love Anna's designs :D Found Mochimochiland not so long ago and so far I've knitted the Luvgun (known as Mr Gun in my house) with the little hearts (loads of them!! They are so quick and easy to knit and make great keyrings as well)... Oh, I want to knit them all!!! Just need more hours in the day...
~x~
I was sitting 6 people away from Anna at the Martha taping, and saw her cute designs firsthand!! I am making "grass" and "woodins" for Easter surprises . . . and that which came first pattern is the best!!
Please pick me!!! xox
Thanks for the interview. I followed the link over here from MochiMochi Land. I just adore her little toys! I just finished knitting up her snail pattern. So cute!
i really enjoyed reading the interview, thank you very much! i have already knitted several of anna's toys and i enjoyed it immensely. hers were the first patterns i ever wanted to buy and i was so happy when i found out that i could and could have them straight away even though i live in austria....
so, thank you, anna. knit on! ;o)
I love her patterns! I'm currently knitting the "What Came First" chicken pattern (from Craft Magazine) for Easter. Her latest, the chubby butterfly, it too cute!
i absolutely adore anna! she always comes up with such creative toys and construction techniques!
I can't believe it only takes her anywhere from an evening to a week to design her patterns! That a great example of how talented Anna is!
Anna's designs are awesome and I love how they are so cute and small, they are an excellent way of using up odds and ends of yarn.
Anna's designs amaze me =] I have knitted a few of her patterns already and can't wait to knit more =]
Thanks for introducing me to Mochimochi Land...please enter me in the giveaway...
i definitely love her plushies. she's so creative!
please enter me into the giveaway! :o)
I'm sitting here looking at a little knitted heart that a dear friend sent me for Valentine's Day. How fun to read the interview with Anna!
I lover her plushies! They are the cutest thing ever!
Great interview! Her creations always inspire me!
I love her patterns and am making The Chicken or The Egg (Which came first?)for Easter.
Please enter me in the giveaway. I love the designs!
I love what Anna is doing for knitting, and what a great interview! I would love to win this giveaway
I love MML so much! I have it set as my homepage. I can't help but smile whenever those cute faces pop up when I open up my internet browser. Thanks so much, Anna, for sharing your creativity!
lynnmarieva at yahoo dot com
I'm in love with all of the patts at Mochimochi!
oh my gosh, Anna's designs are so cute and I love how so many as so interactive with their huggable bits and pieces.
Mochimochi's designs inspire me. It is always wounderful to meet the person behind everything and also know that they are human, like me! ^-^
Adore her work and would love a gift certificate.
Mochimochi Land = lots of awesome
:D
hayden is so cute, and I love the bathtub....what a magical imagination you have!
I love mochimochiland! I'd have such a hard time choosing.....
This is the first I've seen of mochimochiland. Having moved to warmer climes, I'm looking for stuff besides hats and scarves to knit and these are just adorable! I can't wait to waste daily office productivity on the site.
She's so cool and talented!
Yay! I like seeing Mochimochiland and Anna popping up around the web - her creations are so cute and whimsical, and the world should get to see them :) Sweet interview.
*love*
Thanks for the interview. It was interesting to read about her design process.
I made the little hearts for my BF for V-day and he loved them! I love this site and wish Anna all the best
How have I missed the love gun?!
I'd love to be entered in the contest!
Those patterns are so cute! If I don't win I'm sure I will buy some.
I love Anna's designs. They are both cute and weird. Thanks for the interview.
I LOVE Mochimochiland!!!
Oooh, great interview. Here's hoping that I win!
oh, i'd love to win! her stuff is adorable and so creative :)
mochi mochi land sure makes me smile :)
what great insight into your design process and how you started! Such cute toys, I'm envious of the mad knitting skills.
Mochimochiland patterns are adorable!
I love her stuff!! Thanks for doing the interview, it was great!
Wow - I love every one of the patterns over at Mochimochi Land - I'll definitely be adding these to my knitting project to-do list! Thanks for the interview.
This stuff is adorable. I know a good deal about crocheting but am not an experienced knitter. I'm taking a knitting class this weekend and I'll probably start with the little hearts from MML once I feel comfortable with the stitches.
I love the Mochimochi designs! thanks for a great interview.
Awwww.... mochimochiland! LOVE! She has the cutest creations. She's got a lot of talent and originality. I plan on having a room full of all her creations so they can party with each other all night long!
I love Anna's patterns. It makes my day when I see a new Mochimochi Land pattern.
I love mochimochiland!! I hope I win! Her toys are so adorably cute.
Mochimochiland is something that I check every single day, sometimes twice! It is definitely my favorite blog, knitting and non-knitting alike!!
Luv! Luv! Luv her stuff!!!
I made a string of Uh Oh's for my twins before they wer born. Now they use them a teethers. Gota love cotton for babies :o)
I was lucky enough to discover Mochimochi Land right when I began my knitting career. It not only gave me the desire to continue knitting but goals to aim for. I can't wait for the hot winter months when these fantastic toys will be just the thing I need.
Mochi, mochi! Pick me!!
I love mochimochiland patterns! It's really refreshing to see upbeat, modern (but cute!) knitted toys. The patterns are truly creative and inspiring (and did i mention cute!?!) Thanks for the interview as well!
this was a really good article and now i feel like i kno anna!!!1111
I've just started knitting again and love Mochimochiland, I read her blog all the time. It's great inspiration, I'm looking forward to making some of her toys for my granddaughter soon.
I've always admired Anna's cute designs. It's cool to see how she got started!
I'm amazed by mochimochiland's patterns. They all look so fun!
i love mochimochi patterns! i made tums and hrumph, and the uh ohs are next on the list. so cute!
I love your work, i wish i had time in the day to knit everything...keep up the great job
Very nice interview! I love her stuff and just have such a hard time picking what I might want to make. :)
I'm a huge fan of Mochimochiland. Some of her designs are so freaking cute it hurts me, physically. I love knitting toys and her designs are adorable with the right amount of twisted humor to keep them from being too cutesy. Thanks for the interview!
I love Mochiland. :D I'm trying to learn to crochet better -just- so I can use her adorable patterns.
And oooh, $15 gift certificate.
I just visited Mochimochi Land for the first time -- ok, where HAVE I been? This was very cute, and I like the names, like Butterfull and ninjabun, *almost* as much as the toys themselves.
Very cute site!
i never really wanted to knit toys until i came across mochimochiland. now anna is inspiring me to design my own. she has the best and cutest ideas.
All your designs are so cute! Thank you for sharing your inspiration.
Pick me. Choose me. Love me.
I adore Anna's work. She's so visionary.
Thanks for the interview with Anna. I love her cute designs. hugs Alex from Germany
Wonderful interview! I love Mochimochiland! Anna is inspiring.
Melinda
kupuohi@verizon.net
Great interview...I love her quirky, fun patterns.
Her toys are great, thanks for spotlighting this gal!
Happy Easter!
I am so totally enchanted by Anna's patterns. This was a great interview!
Great interview - I love hearing how designers come up with their creations, and yours are so sweet and unique! It's nice to see your designs printed and available for purchase - glad your business is growing!
I actually followed a link from Mochimochi Land here (she wrote "interview" I said "excellent, what kind of questions did they ask?" and popped on over...I'll admit, mention of a giveaway didn't hurt either>) I love looking at her sight she's always got the cutest stuff up.
Well done on the interview.
such an inspiration!!!
-m
Love Mochimochiland. Interesting to read the why and how behind these creations!
mochimochi is soooo cute! i am def going to keep up with anna to see her new stuffs!
:))
I love Mochimochi toys! I'm learning to knit just so I can make them!
Great interview! Mochimochi Land has some of the cutest patterns I have seen! LOVE THEM ALL!!
I made Luvgun and am abig fan of ANna's patterns. She writes them so well! And I just love her whimsy. I was going to make my own gun pattern and then found hers - what luck! Now I want to make that silly bubble bath.
Thanks for introducing me to Mochimochi land. I love the designs. I'd seen some of them before, but never had seen Mochimochi land itself. Great site!
your critters are sooo cute! i'm going to bookmark this blog.
I watched Anna on Martha! Love her ingenious designs. What an inspiration to beginners and advanced knitters alike!
I am IN LOVE with her work. I stubled upon her site looking for crochet patterns. I was sad to learn it was for knitting only. :(
she has really cute knits! i really like the snake and mouse one ! :D
Loved the interview--thanks! I think Anna is one of the most talented designers out there. I love how she takes "ordinary" objects completely out of the ordinary.
I've knitted all of the free patterns on Mochimochiland and am in love with the others. They're all great!
i loooove mochimochiland. love knitted toys. i made 6 grasses already. thanks for designing great toys anna. <3
Great interview. I am in love with the creations at Mochimochiland.
I just heard about mochimochiland 2 days ago from my sister, and now here's an interview! Adorable!
I just came across Mochimochi Land on LJ, and am completely smitten. I really want to try the snake and the love gun. I'm digging out tiny dpn's now to make snails to attack people at work with!
very nice interview.
I love Mochimochiland toys and how clearly written the pattern was! Everyone I know loves the Bob I made and is always enchanted by the website. The toys are really the epitome of cute! I love how streamlined the toys always look.
Good interview!
I don't like plush animals but I immediately was attrakted by Anna's ideas. My favourites of Mochicochi designs are the lemmings.
I already knitted two of her designs: the Sleepy Snake and Uh-Oh. My nieces and nephiew also like them very much.
Ciao
I first saw Anna's site a while ago, maybe 8 months ago, and I fell in love with the cloud pattern and the one for the small hearts- they're sooo cute! Anna has a real gift for knitting original and often funny toys. Even the names are cute! My favorite toy would probably be Tubby- I love the little droplets waiting to splash out of the rim. I don't know if it's just me, but small round things are completely adorable! The only thing I have to say is go Anna! I'm always looking forward to each new post on her blog, because it's always new and interesting. Thanks for interviewing her!
-Ariel
This is a great interview, I love Anna's work. I first found out about mochimochiland when a friend sent me a link to her rainycloud pattern.
a friend just introduced me to the Mochimochi goodness...and there's no turning back!
I just bought the pattern for Sleepy Snake after letting my son (4 yrs) browse through the pics in Anna's webshop. He can't wait for me to get started!
Awesome! I'm so glad I had the oppourtunity to learn more about Anna.
Thanks for the interview, I love finding new talented people.
yzgirl4[at]verizon[dot]net
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