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Giveaway: Huge Huggable Mochimochi

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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?

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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