Project Specs
Pattern: Confused Moose by Anna Hrachovec
Pattern Source: Knitting Mochimochi by Anna Hrachovec
Yarn: 26g (55 yds) Malabrigo Worsted in Marron Oscuro and 25g (54 yds) in Beige. Small amounts of various other colors for birds.
Needles: US6 Clover Bamboo DPNs
Finished Size: 11" from antler to antler and 8" tall
Date Started: 7/12/10
Date Finished: 7/16/10
See him on Ravelry!

This moose instantly caught my eye when I was first browsing through Anna's book. I decided I had to knit up this rotund little guy as soon as possible! I think he turned out even cuter than I imagined.

This was a very enjoyable knit with just enough to keep me excited throughout. I really liked the construction of the antlers. They came together so neatly, and without the need for much extra finishing or tidying up at the end. I do wish I would have knit more little birds though, but they reminded me of knitting all those balls earlier this year and I couldn't bring myself to knit more than five!

Not surprisingly I chose to knit with Malabrigo. It seems I always have Mal Worsted around in just the right colors for about every project! I love how the semi-solids give my moose a little more depth--since we know in nature things really aren't all one color! And because this guy is extra soft, he's sure to get lots of cuddle time with Camdyn. Even before he was finished she toted around his body (with only the eyes attached) all day Wednesday!

Of course I could go on about Malabrigo all day (it is truly an addiction), so if you're interested in listening to Grace and I wax poetic about our love for the yarn you should check out the interview we just did with Hannah at Malabrigo Yarn! It was awesome to be asked some great questions about our favorite yarn and to remember some of the first projects we made with it. You can check out it out on Malabrigo's blog where they'll be featuring even more Mal-loving bloggers in the future.

Okay, now it's time to announce our two winners of the Knitting Mochimochi book giveaway. Our Twitter winner is missblonde1 and our blog winner is Hannahbelle! Congrats to both of you, and we'll be getting in contact with you to find out where to send your copies of the book!

All this week Alice and I will be featuring a few patterns from Anna's new book, Knitting Mochimochi. It's kind of like we're throwing our own little Mochimochi release party over here at Kathryn Ivy! Also in case you missed it last week, we're giving away two copies of Knitting Mochimochi and there are two ways to win! Either leave us a comment on last Friday's post or sign up to follow us on Twitter (you might have noticed the new Twitter button on the right sidebar). We'll be drawing the two winners this Friday.

Project Specs
Pattern: Cuter Polluters designed by Anna Hrachovec
Pattern Source: Knitting Mochimochi
Yarn: Malabrigo Merino Worsted in Polar Morn, Black Forest, and <1 yd Black for mouth.
Needles: Clover DPNs size US 6
Date Started: 6/7/09
Date Finished: 6/8/09
Finished Size: 8.5" tall
Other Supplies: Four 9mm safety eyes
See it on Ravelry!

I knit this little fellow a way back when Anna was still testing out her patterns for this book. You could knit up this pattern in a day pretty easily. The finishing is minimal and mostly hidden. Being knit out of Malabrigo, he's extra soft and cuddly which I love, because who would have ever thought that a smoke stack could be cuddly? There aren't any difficult construction techniques needed to knit this guy, only kfb and k2tog, so this would be a good project for a beginner or a youngster who likes to knit.

Pulling this guy out after knitting him so long ago was a little bitter sweet.. The book suggests knitting this for "Grim Greenies" and that is very much how I have felt lately with the ongoing oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. It is confusing to get a little depressed looking at something you've knit while at the same time smiling because it is so cute.

It's no secret that we love knitting toys, so when we heard one of our favorite toy designers, Anna Hrachovec from Mochimochi Land, was releasing her own book (Knitting Mochimochi), we were thrilled! We've been big fans of all her patterns to date and love the little creatures we've created using them. Anna's signature quirky style is prevalent in her 20 new designs in the book, which range from a quartet of pigs with wigs to a grouchy vintage couch--there's definitely something for everyone! We were lucky enough to get the chance to ask Anna a few questions about her new book, knitting, and life in general, so read on to find out what she has to say, plus, find out how you can score a free copy of Knitting Mochimochi for yourself!

How did you get started knitting? How old were you? What was the first thing you ever knit?

I first learned to knit in Japan, when I was there as an exchange student in high school. (I was 18.) My darling host sisters, who were in their 20s at the time, taught me how to knit a scarf. It was purple "fun fur," so you couldn't see my mistakes, and I wore it quite a bit!

You obviously have a love and knack for knitting toys. Do you have any other types of items you like to knit too?

You know, once I started knitting toys about three and a half years ago, I immediately loved it so much that I really have stuck to only knitting toys since then! I keep telling myself that once I get sick of the toys, then I'll knit some other things for a change, but it just hasn't happened yet.

Do you have a favorite type of yarn to design or work with? What type of fiber do you think works best for your toys?

I love working with wool, just because of its flexibility and the nice way it feels. Outside of my "tiny" series, I've used worsted-weight yarn for most of the patterns I've designed (I love the colors Cascade 220 comes in), but that's almost more out of habit than anything else -- I tend to concentrate much more on interesting shaping and color than material or weight.

How long after you started knitting did you start designing your own items? What was the first thing you ever designed?

After I took up knitting as a more regular hobby (later in college, from the influence of my awesome mother-in-law), It was about three years before I created my own design. The first thing I designed was a knitted bonnet, and it turned out surprisingly well! It wasn't the kind of pattern that would be easy to write up and have someone else use, though.

There is a great section in your book with helpful tips on creating your own designs. What do you think is the most important thing for a young designer to keep in mind as they're working on getting their original ideas down on paper?

It has to be all about experimentation and discovery. I think even if someone gives you a step-by-step process (which I more or less try to do in the book), you will learn the most by jumping into it and learning from your own mistakes. And I think toys are a great thing to start with because you can try something out and start over again if you don't like where it's going.

Can you take us through your design process?

I start out with a sketch - sometimes from multiple angles - and try to get a very basic idea of the types of pieces and shaping that I'll have to do to make it work. If necessary (as when I'm using a special stitch pattern), I'll do some simple math for guidelines, then I'll just get started on the main piece. As I knit, I type down everything that I do, and if I decide to rip out a few rounds, I save different versions of my typed notes so that I can go back to them later if I change my mind again. Sometimes I get lucky and don't have to re-start too far in, and things just come together, and sometimes I make multiple versions of the toy so that I can compare them side-by-side. It's not very scientific, but I've found that sometimes I come up with interesting solutions to knitting challenges by making myself be creative as I knit.

Once I have a version that I'm happy with, I clean up my notes into a pattern, and when I find time I try to knit it all over again from my pattern to make sure it's correct. Then after that I enlist some wonderful testers to give it a try themselves, and sometimes I make design changes based on their feedback.

What is your favorite design that you've come up with to date?

Argh, that's such a difficult question to answer! It's seriously always the thing that I just finished designing. But I will say that one of the patterns I was most excited about when it debuted was the Woodins--I was still relatively new to designing when I made it in 2007, so it was a fun challenge to work on, and when it made it into Knitty I was beyond thrilled.

Is there any place you like to look to for inspiration?

There is inspiration for me in everything, but if I really think about it, I think it's the mundane and even cliché things - like chain stores, TV commercials, and plain old people watching - that inspire me.

In the past year you've added several cross stitch patterns to your Mochimochi Land shop. What other types of crafts do you enjoy doing?

I tend to be pretty obsessive in the long term with crafts (hence the knitting only toys for several years), so branching out to cross-stitch was kind of a big deal for me! I also have a beautiful sewing machine that I never use (every year I tell myself that I'm going to start sewing toys, but it hasn't happened yet), and there are tons more crafts that I would love to do, if only I didn't have that next knitted toy or cross-stitch that I can't wait to get started on.

How did you come up with the name "Mochimochi" and what does it mean?

You may be familiar with mochi, the Japanese sticky rice sweet. I love mochi, and I thought that the way it was sweet and soft had nice connotations for my toy designs. Mochimochi is actually an onomatopoeia for something that's sticky like mochi. And it's fun to say!

What does the future hold for Mochimochi Land?

Well, three and a half years ago I had no idea that I would have written a book of patterns by now, so I guess I'd like to keep going with the flow! But in the short-term future, I'm working on a solo show to be at gallery hanahou in NYC this fall. I'm so excited about it!

What does your desk look like right now?

It's somewhere between chaos and order. I do tend to switch from one project to another pretty quickly, so I have embroidery hoops on one end (frames for my newest cross-stitch design), the other end has some miscellaneous knitting needles and a pair of pliers (from what I can't remember now), and one of the shelves in crammed with new business cards and pipe cleaners (for my Tiny Perching Pigeons). I guess it's time for a little tidying up!

How would you describe your personal style?

Although I'm all about the bright colors in my designs, I like to otherwise surround myself with modern neutrals, and just a splash of color, I also like just a small touch of vintage kitsch.

What's in your knitting bag?

Right now it's supplies for knitting pigeons! I'd like to make some to leave around in various public places for anyone to find. But letting them go might be a bit hard for me!

Doesn't that interview get you totally jazzed up about knitting? Thanks Anna so much for sharing with us!

If you happen to be in the vicinity of New York City this weekend, Anna is having a release party for Knitting Mochimochi this Sunday at Brooklyn General. It sounds like it's going to be awesome, so those of you in the area can check out the details on Anna's blog, or if you're unfortunately too far from NYC to make it, just head to the Mochimochi Land Shop to get yourself a signed copy of her new book!

Here at Kathryn Ivy we're also giving away a copy of the book to two lucky readers. There are two chances and two ways to win--first we'll be drawing a name from the comments on this post, and second we'll be randomly selecting one of our followers on Twitter! The deadline to enter both giveaways is noon (PST) on Friday July 16th. This giveaway is open to everyone no matter where you're from. Good luck!

All images above belong to Mochimochiland.com. Thanks Anna for letting us use them!

Project Specs
Pattern: Milo designed by Georgie Hallam
Pattern Source: Georgie's Ravelry store
Yarn: Malabrigo Silky Merino in Wisteria 62g (186 yds) and Natural 26g (78 yds)
Needles: KnitPicks Nickel Plated Options Circular Needles size US4 (for garter) and US6 (for colorwork)
Size knit: Child's, 3 years
Date Started: 4/15/2010
Date Finished: 4/22/2010
Modifications Knit the body of the vest in two colors using a free elephant color chart provided by www.jessica-tromp.nl (located half way down the first section of charts).
See it on Ravelry!

You might remember the first Elephant Milo I knit back in March. It was supposed to be for my niece Jojo's 3rd birthday but it grew too much during blocking and ended up fitting my older niece Camdyn perfectly. I really should have swatched before hand but it all worked out in the end and I was able to come up with the right fit the second time around. All I had to do was go down two needle sizes (to a US4) for the garter portions of the vest.

These colors are perfect for Jojo. She looked amazing in the Gretel Beret knit in Orchid Malabrigo Lace and I wanted to make her new vest to match. I am really pleased with how Natural contrasts with Wisteria and the elephants pop without being bright. This vest is pretty versatile and Jojo should be able to wear this vest throughout the year -- over short a short sleeved t shirt in the spring and summer and over a longer sleeve tee when the fall comes.

Now that I've made Milo vests for all three of my nieces, I'll be taking a break from this pattern. There are so many really cute children's patterns out there and the Milo vest is definitely one of my favorites, but I need to get out there and try the others that are in my queue! I'm excited to get ready for Christmas knitting for all of my nieces, who are easily my favorite people to knit for.

Project Specs
Pattern: Opus Spicatum, a free design by Kate Osborn
Pattern Source: Kelbourne Woolens
Yarn: Malabrigo Merino Worsted in Garnet 28g (59 yds) and Bijou Blue 29g (61 yds)
Needles: Denise Circular Needles size US6 and US9, bamboo DPNs size US9
Cast On: 8/14/2008
Finished: 8/14/2008
Finished Size: Women's Medium, 9.5" in diameter laid flat
See it on Ravelry!

I knit this hat ages ago so I don't remember every detail about knitting it! This was part of my Ravelympics line up all the way back in 2008 and I finally dug it out of my closet just the other day. Now I'm excited to have a new hat to add to my spring wardrobe!

Originally I was convinced that I'd have to give this hat away as a gift. The way I first blocked this hat made the fit a bit strange -- not tight enough to be a stocking cap and not loose enough to have any slouch. I think that's the main reason it got buried in my closet for so long. I decided to try blocking it again, this time over a dinner plate to make it more beret style, and I love how it turned out! I've never really been comfortable wearing slouchy hats, let alone berets, but I think I'll give this one a try.

This hat is great in Malabrigo and there even was a KAL for this pattern during the last Mal March. I really liked seeing all the color combinations everyone used. I opted to use some partial skeins I had laying around, pairing Garnet with Bijou Blue. I love the color combination! If you start with two full skeins (one in each color), you should definitely have enough yarn to knit this hat as well as a matching pair of Herringbone Mittens. These two patterns would make an amazing set requiring only a small amount of yarn and barely any time to finish (I was able to knit this hat in just a few hours).