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Giveaway: Huge Huggable Mochimochi

by

mochimochi

Congratulations to Anne!

Sometimes I get jealous of crocheters because it’s seemingly so much easier to make dolls and characters and food and all sorts of really interesting creations out of crochet than it is out of knitting. Maybe that’s not really true and I’m just not creative enough to translate fanciful designs or ideas into knitting the way some people are with crochet.

Anna Hrachovec is one of those knitters who can turn wacky ideas into great knitting projects, and she has a whole series of books filled with what she calls mochimochi and what others might call knit amigurumi, to borrow a term from crochet.

Her 2013 book, Huge & Huggable Mochimochi, is full of 20 larger-than-life projects for fun knit items like the giant piece of birthday cake on the cover, big birdies, a giant hamburger with all the fixin’s, even a toy monster truck. (Huge in this case is still not all that huge; most of the projects are two feet long/tall or smaller.)

There’s a sweet pair of teddy bears, a capybara caravan, a stuffed submarine. Knit a giant pencil, or a huge toothbrush and tube of toothpaste.

No, I don’t know why you’d want to, either, but they’re still pretty darn cute, I have to say.

And as a writer, I may actually need a novelty knit pencil.

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, May 3. If you could knit any novelty shape, what would you knit? I’d kind of love a plush sewing machine.

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

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Comments

  2. I think I would knit a garden full of flowers with faces! I am starting to knit more. I am a crocheter first 🙂
    Thank you for this giveaway.
    Deb

  8. What a great giveaway! I would probably knit FOOD and/or trucks. Thanks for the chance to win!!

  9. I love knitting odd things! It’s so much fun! I really want to make a cupcake and some parakeets next!

  18. Wouldn’t some of these items be great to give to a day care center for fun or for teaching tools (like the pencil or toothpaste and toothbrush)? So much stockinette perfect for TV knitting and maybe stash busting?

  19. I would love a chane to win the book I don’t know what I would knit first love the big cupcake Louise

Have you read?

Coffee Cozy Knitting Patterns

During the summer (which is what it is where I am writing from) I like to share patterns for things that you can knit and use even when it’s warm out. And sometimes they are things you can use when it’s cold, too, like this collection of coffee cup cozies. Because hot coffee is a must almost any time of year. 

This simple pattern form Darling Jadore is a great one for beginners and could be a good first knitting in the round project. It uses worsted weight yarn and includes video tutorials if you need extra help. 

If you want a perfectly plain cozy that you can jazz up with your own designs, check out the Base Doodle Cup Cozy from Jamie Lomax. This free pattern on Ravelry comes in two sizes (short and long) and is meant to be used with her doodle charts to make it your own. You could also keep it plain, add stripes or design your own motifs to stitch on it. 

Most coffee cozy patterns that I see are just sleeves meant to go over travel mugs, but what if your mug has a handle? This pattern from Stacey’s Knit Wits has an I-cord loop and button so you can use it on a mug with a handle or a travel cup. It uses DK weight yarn.

Coffee cozies are a fun way to play with stitch patterns and learn new techniques. If you’ve never knit cables before, this cozy from Purple Wool Co. would be a great first cable project, as it features simple braided cables all the way around. It uses worsted weight yarn and is worked in the round. 

Try double knitting to make an extra-insulating coffee cozy with this pattern from Tracy Leming. It includes little color changes so you can get the concept of how double knitting works on a small scale. It also can include a little pocket for a tea bag if you want. This one uses worsted weight yarn and is a free pattern on Ravelry.

Or try stranded knitting with the Love in the Air cozy from Danielle Thuen. It features hearts of different sizes and is worked in sock yarn. You’ll need to make sure those floats are nice and loose so it will stretch to hug your cup. You can find this pattern on Ravelry. 

They’re also a fun way to add a bit of flair to an otherwise plain cup. KnitnKaboodle Designs has this lovely leaf-shaped cozy pattern, which you could use for hot or cold beverages by changing up the fiber you choose (that’s pretty much always true). It is made in pieces that are stitched together and can be worked in a single color or choose different colors for each leaf.