Mochimochi Land in Berlin

Mochimochi Land was recently in Berlin for her show at Smallspace Gallery.  How cool is that?  Check out all the photos here

Urban Craft Uprising

Okay, it's starting.  Today!  AHHHH.  I am most likely running around like a crazy person, sleep deprived but really excited.  Some things I am extra excited for are:

Seeing Anna of Mochimochi Land fame.  Anna is doing her FIRST craft show with UCU which I am so happy about.  I have been trying to convince that lady for year's now to do one so I am so honored it's with us!  She also did the amazing art work we have for this show.

Isn't it adorable?

I am also really excited about seeing Twinkie Chan again.  I met her sorta once but it was at Plush You! in SF and was awkward because I forgot her real name.  hahaha

I was going to start running down the list of all the vendors I want to shop with but this list would quickly get out of control.  It's gonna be awesome!

Greeting from Mochimochi

Anna of Mochimochi Land fame will be having her first solo show at Gallery Hanahou this October! 

Greetings from Mochimochi
 October 7 - 29, 2010
Opening reception: Thursday, October 7, 7-9 p.m. - RSVP info@galleryhanahou.com

If you live in NYC

If you are in NYC, Anna will be signing her new book, Knitting Mochimochi: 20 Super-Cute Strange Designs for Knitted Amigurumi.  Be sure to tell her I said hello and HAPPY BIRTHDAY!  Here is all the info taken from her site.

Are you in the NYC area? If so, please come to Brooklyn General on July 11th for the Knitting Mochimochi release party!

I’ll be at the store from 2 to 6 pm along with the full cast of characters from the book, so you can pat them and hug them and decide which you’re going to knit first.

There will also be a sampling of mochi, and—of course!—copies of Knitting Mochimochi to browse and buy.
It would mean a lot to me to see people there. PLUS two days later is my birthday, and having a fun little release party would be the best present ever.
If you haven’t been to Brooklyn General before, it’s about time that you did! They are housed in an old general store (hence the name), and they carry yarn, fabric, and other cool crafty stuff. The closest subway station is Carroll St in Brooklyn—just a short trip from Manhattan on the F line.
Hope to see you on July 11th!

Knitting Mochimochi!

Today is a special day.  It's the day sweet sweet Anna's, sweet sweet book, Knitting Mochimochi: 20 Super-Cute Strange Designs for Knitted Amigurumi hit's the shelves of booksellers around the county.  I was able to look over this book while in NYC for Lost at Sea.  Her publisher sent over a few copies so I could review it more and do a giveaway!!!  Deadline is July 13th.  So first let's discuss how adorable this book is.

Knitting Mochimochi: 20 Super-Cute Strange Designs for Knitted Amigurumi was made for people like us!  To start with, it's adorable.  It's simple to use, has patterns for the elementary knitters to a few for the more skilled.   In a nut shell (ooo anna, make a nut shell) it's accessible to the masses.  So you masses go out and get this book today!  You won't regret it.  And thank you Anna for making a book that really makes me want to pick up my knitting needles again!  Leave a comment with a suggestion of what Anna should make miniature next and your contact info for your chance to win a free copy of Knitting Mochimochi: 20 Super-Cute Strange Designs for Knitted Amigurumi!

Here is a little interview I did with the author.

S- Can you tell us a bit about your new book, Knitting Mochimochi!?  

MML- I am so excited about this book! It's my first book, and although I've been designing knitted toys for a few years now, I had a lot of fun creating these 20 all-new patterns and making them feel like a "collection." The theme is cute and strange and silly and not just for kids, and the techniques are pretty basic, so you don't have to be an advanced knitter to follow the patterns. 

S- Creating all these projects seems very labor intensive!  How long do you spend on new ideas?

MML- I try to take time to work on new ideas on a regular basis, and it can be a nice break in between making samples and writing/editing patterns.  Sometimes it's tough to find the time to just sit down and brainstorm new characters, but I've found that devoting time to concentrate on it is way more productive for me than just waiting to be inspired while I'm busy doing other things. And brainstorming is one of the few things that I do without music or a computer in front of me, or any other media going on at the same time, and that can be really refreshing. 
 

S- You are also working on a new project!  Are you able to reveal that to our fans?

MML- I'm actually working on a few new projects! One that I can tell you a bit about is a solo show that I'm putting together for this fall at gallery hanahou. It's going to be a knitted landscape installation, with a fun moving component (at least that's the plan!). I'm really excited about it, and also a little nervous about pulling it off and having it "work" as a show on its own. I'll start blogging about my progress soon over at my website. 

S- I am in love with your mini pieces!  Sooo cute!  How many do you think you will have made by 2011?

MML- I think I've made about 68 so far! I started off with making a new one every weekday in July of last year, and I've continued making a new one every week ever since. I keep wondering when it will be time to retire my size 1 needles, but I'm still having a lot of fun with it. There's pretty much nothing that can't be made cute in tiny form, so I guess I'll see how long I can keep going with it! 

S- When your book hits booksellers, do you have any release parties planned or places people might find you to get a copy signed?

MML- I do have a release party planned at Brooklyn General on July 11th, from 2-6 pm. I really hope people will come! All the new toys from the book will be there, and I'm planning to bring some mochi too. I will also be at the Lion Brand store in NYC on July 27th, and I'm talking to a few other local stores about future events. 

I love all of this

I really love the series Craft does called Make Space for Crafting.  Anna of Mochimochi Land fame was recently featured and what a treat that was!  Anna is the sweetest and I am lucky enough to see her from time to time during my visits to NYC.  I am always in awe of some of the small live/work spaces we deal with in larger cities (although a lot of my friends places in NYC are actually larger than here).  My "studio" is a closet.  I should take pics one day...but not now, it's a disaster!  Anyways, go read Anna's interview here.

Tiny Things

How did I miss these???  Mochimochi Land has been miniturizing all types of things and they are so freakin' cute!!!!  I could go on and on but just go check them all out for yourself.  You will not be disappointed.  There is so many other cute tiny things on there!

Schmancy Exclusive- Mochimochi Land

The latest Schmancy exclusive are these adorable Baldees by Mochimochi Land. We love everything she comes up with and these are no exception. 5 designs, 4 of each design. Get one or collect them all! Male and female baldness has never been so cute!

WoW!

When I say I am cleaning Schmancy, this time I really mean it. It's getting a makeover. I can't stand looking at the junk I have acquired in the last few years being here. Then there are items that have just been here way too long. I need some new products so people don't leave empty handed and that means I need room. I don't need plush...just throwing that out there...just other items, mainly vinyl but anyways I should not be blogging, I just needed a break.

And I couldn't ignore the awesomeness to be hand over on the Plush You flickr group



like this plush roller skate!



Or the crazy realistic looking corn cobs!



Or the cute new weeds by mochimochi land



Or this amazing Goth girl by Robyn Fabsits



More to come about these toys that will be released July 15th by Hine

Mochimochi Land

Anna over at Mochimochi Land is at it again. This new pattern for these adorable puppets is now up for sale. All I have to say is OMG!

Favorite Finds for the day

Here are some of my new favorites.

By Lincoln Bear



By Kivett-Studio



By Apple and Eve



By Danielleorama



Mochimochi Land



By Softlife

Favorite Finds for the day

Here some of my new favorite things this week.

From Effunia



From Jupey Krusho



From Paint Granny



From Mochimochi Land



From Knitalatte



From Astulabee

Mochimochi Land Photo Contest

Anna just emailed me to remind me of her awesome photo contest. The prizes include:

The first place winner will get a box full of cute and unusual goodies straight from Japan: craft books, supplies and kits, toys, and more! There will also be prizes for second and third place. Awesome right?

Deadline is July 15th and all details are here. I can't wait to see some of the entries.

Mochimochi Land Interview and Giveaway

This winter I had the pleasure of meeting Anna of Mochimochi Land. If you don't know of Mochimochi Land yet, where have you been? Anna makes some of the most cleverly cute knitted creatures I have seen to date. From Tubby, to the Luvgun to Pepto, she has something for everyone. The best part is, for $5.00 you can get one of her patterns and make one of your very own and occassionally she has a FREE pattern up on her blog. And what's even better than that is if you leave a comment here you have the chance to win a $15.00 gift certificate to Mochimochi Land! I will be meeting up with Anna again in NYC in a few weeks so I think we will choose the winner on March 31st.



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