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Giveaway: Adventures in Mochimochi Land

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adventures in mochimochi land

Congratulations to Lulu!

This is a really cute book, guys. Anna Hrachovec has made her name as a designer making what she calls mochimochi and what you might also think of as knit amigurumi, fanciful creatures, knit food, tiny little things that are so fun to look at and to knit.

Her latest book, Adventures in Mochimochi Land: Tall Tales from a Tiny Knitted World, includes three stories about the little creatures and people who live in this world, and then gives you the instructions to knit 25 people/sea creatures/things that feature in the stories.

One story is about a giant doughnut that goes a little wild. Another features sea creatures trying to figure out who should be in charge of a treasure chest. The third chronicles the love between a balloon and a blimp.

The stories are cute, and of course adorably illustrated with the knits. And who wouldn’t want to knit a tiny dolphin, a bundle of balloons, a gang of tiny bakers or a wee cherry pie? These little things would be great for making your own worlds or as tiny gifts for the fun-loving people in your life (thought some are really small, so watch out when choosing one to knit for a little person).

If you’d like a chance to win a copy of this book, leave a comment on this post before the end of the day Sunday, August 3. I’d love to know what the wildest/strangest/funnies thing you’ve ever knit was. Mine is probably a tossup between a carrot and a penguin.

Thanks  for visiting, commenting and sharing, and good luck!

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Comments

  2. I just finished her Confused Moose, and the antlers looked scary, but her instructions are pretty clear.

  7. I haven’t stitched any thing to weird, I do love to knit barbie doll clothes for my grand daughter.

  8. Not too many weird things on my finished list. I made a rattle for a baby once that looked like a daisy…………you could smoosh it around to make different facial expressions.

    from sunny summertime VT,
    the Vermonster

  9. I’d love this book. The wackiest think I’ve ever knit was a womb. It was used by a friend for anti-natal training.

  10. I’ve been following Anna Hrachovec’s Mochi Mochi books for years and would love to add to my collection.

  11. I knit some cupcakes for my grandaughter’s kitchen. I also just finished knitting a ball, which didn’t come out too round.

  13. Would an iPhone cozy be considered strange – LOL! That’s about as wild as I’ve gotten so far.

  14. The Royal Wedding….that was a crazy knitting trip…had to make a few adjustments to make the dresses/colours match the ones worn!!! This looks so cute!

  17. This one time I was making a flower and while I was assembling it, I realised I had an extra petal. As I wasn’t going to waste it, I stuffed it, put eyes and hair on it, knitted the rest of the body, and ended up with the wackiest alien I’ve ever seen, lol 😀

  20. I’ve knitted radishes (for Peter Rabbit) and a polar bear and socks for my daughter’s toy rabbit!

  21. I would love to have a book like this one. I have knitted a sort of free form wizard’s hat based on the Harry Potter books and knitted coal truly free form.

  22. I knitted a whole bunch of little pumpkins that I decorate the house with in the fall! I’d love this book, it looks adorable.

  23. After I knit a pair of houseslippers for my daughter, she asked me to knit houseslippers for all of her friends as well and, then, she hosted a “skating” party at our house and she and all of her friends “skated” on our living room floor in their houseslippers.

  24. I think the silliest thing I ever knit was a Death costume for a teddy bear. A hooded black cloak and pipe-cleaner reinforced scythe.

  25. yo solo e tejido asi de miniatura, a una sirena, y realmente me encanto!!!! y bueno a mi hija le facino!!! y creo que seria fantastico hacer mas figuras miniatura con este libro!.

  26. I have crocheted amigurumi octopi and jellyfish as Christmas tree ornaments. They were so cute and I’m sure I’d find more fun ornaments to make from this book!

  27. I have knit tiny fried eggs and a tiny hot dog. Both patterns are from another Anna Hrachovec book, Teeny-Tiny MochiMochi. Her patterns are adorable! Thanks for the chance to win this new book!

  31. I have gotten the most comments on a chicken hat I made. It was just yellow with a bright red comb but because my daughter wore it with a bright yellow coat, the effect was ‘stunning’..

  32. I made a hedgehog! It was a pattern from Purl Bee and it was so loved by all that I had to give it away!

  33. I have a WIP and is a mermaid, I think the name is Kailani… she is cute but still unfinished.

  34. Gosh, this book is cute!! The strangest things I have made are a sushi pillow for my husband, a couple of viking hats for my mom and brother, a beard hat for my dad and brother and a deer humping hat for my other brother! I’ve made some strange things!

  35. The weirdest thing I have ever knitted is a tower of penguins each holding a different food for example one was holding bacon one was holding a donut and so on

Have you read?

Book Review: Brooklyn Tweed’s Knit & Crochet Blankets

Blankets are a great blank slate project that you can change up in a million different ways. From color to stitch pattern to size, the possibilities are almost endless.

Jared Flood, the designer behind Brooklyn Tweed, was inspired by a log cabin quilt his mother made in 1995 to re-create that design in knitting, which led to more blankets and ultimate Brooklyn Tweed’s Knit and Crochet Blankets, which includes 25 patterns from an array of designers using different skills and techniques to make cozy, pretty blankets.

The patterns are divided into three aesthetic themes: traditions, minimalism and colorplay. The patterns are rated on a scale of one to five, with one being the easiest, and there aren’t any pieces rated five. Two blankets are rated one, 14 are two, eight are three and one is four. 

In addition, three of the 25 patterns are crocheted, but they either use single crochet or granny stitch, so they are pretty easy even if you don’t do a lot of crochet. You can see all the patterns on Ravelry.

Some of my favorites include Rattan by Rastus Hsu, a chunky blanket worked in knits and purls with simple crossing stitches to make a raised woven look; Homewood by Seth Richardson, covers in dramatic, loopy cables; Ainur Berkimbayeva’s Tessellate, one of the beginner projects that doesn’t really look beginner but is totally worked in knit and purl stitches; Warp + Weft by Aist? Butkevi?ien?, which is mostly knits and purls but makes a fun woven look fabric that blew my mind a little bit; and the same designer’s Canyonland, a multicolored blanket with wavy stripes.

The patterns tell you how to resize them for different dimensions and include information on pattern repeats where it is possible to make a totally custom size.

Many different techniques are included here such as cables, lace, shadow knitting, intarsia and other colorwork techniques, as well as modular knitting and lots of sewing pieces together. The patterns are all presented with charts, but there are line by line written instructions available on the Brooklyn Tweed website if you need them.

The book ends with a deep dive into log cabin knitting, telling the story of the quilt Jared’s mom made and how he made it in knitting, as well as the multitude of variations you can make if you want your own log cabin style design.

The back of the book includes a little written information about some of the special techniques needed, but there are no photos.

This is a lovely book full of inspiration for knitting and crochet blankets for any skill level. If you like to make blankets as gifts or aspire to have a handmade blanket in every room of the house, these designs would be a great place to start.

About the book: 192 pages, paperback, 25 patterns. Published 2024 by Abrams Books, suggested retail price $24.99.

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