Teeny-Tiny Mochimochi Book Giveaway

It's no secret that I am huge fan of Anna Hrachovec's work. Last week was the release of her second book, Teeny-Tiny Mochimochi. The idea for this book started from her blog. She made it a personal challenge to design a new tiny toy every day for a month in 2009. But it didn't end there. She has kept it going and it has been so much fun seeing what she comes up with every week.

The book has over 40 itty-bitty toys to knit, wear and to give. The projects are quick to knit up and super adorable. Although the toys uses fingering weight yarn, it can be made with any weight yarn. Last year, I test knitted one of her tiny collections and they still came out very cute with worsted weight yarn.

Besides the cuteness, Anna's clever construction techniques is another reason you should try her patterns. Just like her first book, she has included "Toy Techniques" in the beginning of the book. It has step-by-step instructions and photographs to ensure that your toys will come out perfectly.

The following pictures are some of my favorite projects from the book. It was hard to choose, so I had Melody pick them out. She has been obsessively flipping through the book picking the projects she wants me to make. I can't wait until she is old enough so I can teach her to knit.

All photos are from the book, Teeny-Tiny Mochimochi.

For a chance to win a copy of the book, please leave a comment stating that you want to be entered in the giveaway. Be sure to leave a way for me to contact you, either Ravelry name, blog link, or email address. Giveaway ends on August 31, 2011. If I don't hear from the winner after 1 week, I will draw another name. Good Luck! (ETA: The book is being sent by the publisher so the giveaway is only open to people with a US address. Sorry for the mix up.)

A huge thank you to Potter Craft for providing me a copy to giveaway to my readers.

"Spud & Chloë at the Farm" Blog Tour and Book Giveaway!

I have been a fan of Susan B Anderson's work for a long time. In fact, I own all of her books and even the magazines that her patterns are featured in. I still remember the day I bought Itty-Bitty Hats at a Borders Book Store in Connecticut while driving back to NY from MA. The book peeked my interest because it had cute and unique hat patterns and the spiral bound binding.

I knew Susan's new book, Spud & Chloë at the Farm, was coming out soon and was looking forward to seeing it. So, I was extremely thrilled when Artisan Books asked if I would like to be part of the blog tour for the book. Lucky me!

Well, let me tell you that Melody has fallen in love with the book the day it arrived on our doorstep. She has been trying to convince me every day to let her have the "gook". That's what she calls a book. She goes to my book shelf in the mornings and pulls it out and say, " Mama, me, gook, me?" I shouldn't be surprised that the book would appeal to children. The book contains pictures of 13 adorable knitting projects and in the back, a 9 page illustrated story of Spud & Chloë.

I figured that she would be the perfect person to lead you through some of the inside peeks of the book. So here goes Melody's first book gook review. Please cut her some slack. Since she is only 3 yrs old, her comments are brief.

"Oh sheep! I lub sheeps!"

I told her that the doll was named Chloë. She said,"Chloë red dress. No blue." Clearly, she is asking me to make Chloë for her, but in a red dress.

"Pig! Pink! Oink, oink, oink."

"Wow, more sheep!"

"Chick-in! Mama and baby chicks."

"Baby mouse."

"Oh cute kitty!"

"Wolf?" I told her it was a dog and she said,"Oh doggy, woof woof!"

"Awww...so cute!"

"Story! I lub stories."

Since Melody will not relinquish her copy of the book, Artisan Books has generously offered to give one of you lucky readers a copy of the book. Please leave a comment telling me which is your favorite character/animal from the book. The last day to comment is April 21, 2011. The winner will be picked by a random number generator. Good luck!

I need a do over.

The day after we came back home, Melody and I woke up with a cold. Just a small annoying runny nose type cold. By the end of the week, my throat was a bit sore. Then on the next day, New Year's Day, I woke up with Laryngitis. I was not pleased to start the New Year off like this. Since then, I have been a mess. Coughing all night long from the congestion, sinus headaches from being congested, not being able to breathe through my nose when I am sleeping because of the congestion and having that deep croaking voice which no one can understand.

My beverage of choice has been lots of ginger and honey with tea or hot water. The one good thing is that I have been exploring the many varieties of honeys. The Tasmanian Leatherwood Honey above is fantastic. Though these specialty honeys are way more expensive than the standard Clover, Orange Blossom or Honey Bear Bottle honeys from the supermarket, it's nice to treat yourself when you are feeling like crap.

I have been drinking my delicious concoctions with the new mug that my sister got me for Christmas. See that Canon camera lens in the background? It's actually a mug! It even has a lens cap to keep your beverage hot. I love it. You can get a Canon or Nikon one from HERE.

Another present from my sister is the Sundara Holiday Gift Set. 3 skeins of Aran Silky Merino in the purple family. It makes me happy just to see the beautiful colors sitting on my desk. I can't help but pet it every time I walk by.

These 3 books arrived on my doorstep this morning. I can't wait to look through them. They are from my awesome friend, Jennifer, who also happens to be a top notch book editor. Boy, did these cheer me up this morning. Melody came down with a fever 3 days ago and has been extremely sick. We finally got rid of her fever and then the coughing and congestion started. She has been very sensitive and needy because she feels horrible. I haven't had much sleep due to caring for her at night because she wakes up crying from the coughing and congested sinuses. And when I do get to sleep, I cough all night. DH couldn't be immune to all of this forever and he finally complained of a sore throat the other night. Luckily, he seems to be recovering faster than any of us. Ever since I was a child, I have always had a weak immune system. So it's not surprising that I was the first one to get sick and probably will be the last one to recover.

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend, germ free of course.

1000 Fabulous Knit Hats

Last year, I submitted my photographs for a upcoming book by Annie Modesitt called 1,000 Fabulous Knit Hats. The whole book was going to feature 1,000 knit hats. All the photographs used in the book was going to be contributed by knitters like you and me. I figured it was a long shot, but decided to do it on the day before the deadline. I even had to delay my vacation to the Jersey Shore for 3 hours because I needed to format all the digital photos correctly. Many months later, I received a email saying that they wanted to use one or more of my photos. They needed me to resubmit my release form because it did not go through correctly. I was so excited when I found out the news. I kept it to myself because I wasn't sure if I was going to make the final cut. I know in the publishing world that not everything makes it into the final book. As the saying goes, I didn't want to count my chicks before they hatched.

A few months ago, I received a email from Quarry Books announcing that the book was going to released soon. I asked them if I could get a copy to review and I would give it away to my blog readers. They were so nice to send me a copy. Thank you, Quarry Books!

If you like hats, this book is the perfect inspiration book. In the beginning of the book, they feature 10 originally designed hats that designers had submitted. They were judged and prizes were given for the top 10 winning designs. The 10 patterns are located in the back of the book. The rest of the book is broken into sections: Hat Shapes, Stitch Techniques and Specialty: Babies and Children.

You will get so many ideas from this book. From color combos, stitch patterns and interesting shaping, it has something to suit every one's taste. Berets, Cloches, Stocking Caps, Cabled Hats, Crocheted Hats, Lace Hats...way too many to mention. Plus, it's amazing to see so many talented knitters out there and their well-knit creations. If you are a hat knitter, this book should be included in your library. I am going to purchase 2! One for me and one for Melody.
When I received the copy, I was delighted to find that 7 of my photographs were used in the book. And Melody is in 4 of them. In the above photo (left), Melody is wearing the Norwegian Sweet Baby Cap that I knit with Sundara Sock Yarn.Left hand side, is my husband sporting his heather grey, Seaman's Cap. I told him that his head made it in the book, but not his face.Top right, Melody is wearing the Baby Hat by Leigh Radford from the One Skein Book.Bottom left, Melody is wearing the Coney Hat by Vyvyan Neel.Bottom right, Melody is wearing the Simple Baby Cap 3 by Susan B. Anderson from the book, Itty-Bitty Hats.Bottom right is the Hat Ornaments I knitted for our tree. Pattern is called Santa Baby Ornament by Susan B. Anderson.
And my dog, Caesar, made it into the book, too! The hat is called Cable and Seed Stitch Baby Hat by Sundara Murphy.

So for a chance to win a copy of 1,000 Fabulous Knit Hats, please leave a comment by 11pm est, Oct 5, 2010. Anyone can enter even if you live outside of the USA. Good luck!

(Whoops, DH caught my mistake. The deadline to enter is Oct 5, not Sept 5. Sorry!)

Knitting Mochimochi Review & Giveaway!

Anna Hrachovec's new book, Knitting Mochimochi, is fresh off the press. I have been test knitting Anna's patterns since the beginning when she launched Mochimochi Land in 2007. We met via Flickr and I was her first test knitter. Now, 3 years later, she has released her first book! I am honored to be able to review her book. I also have a extra copy to give away to one of you lucky readers. Details to follow at the end.

I have always enjoyed knitting toys. Unlike garments, they don't have to fit anyone and there is no need to check your gauge. They don't need to make sense because it's a toy. Anna's toy patterns has always been on the quirky and fun side. She says that her toys are inspired by everything cute, funny or strange that she sees. As you will see in the following photographs, the patterns are definitely fun and cute.

One of the reasons I love Anna's patterns is the construction techniques. The patterns are as seamless as possible. You might be required to stitch up a few limbs or seams on some of the patterns, but she really does try to minimize that. She is quite inventive and clever with how her toys are knit up. There is detailed instructions and photographs to help you out with certain aspects of the pattern. Which I always find very helpful in any pattern.

With any toy pattern, it really does matter in how you assemble it. When you take the time and care to put a toy together, you get a professional result in the end. Anna has included a section in the book called Basic Toy Techniques. In that section, these topics are covered; The Stuffing, The Closing, The Eyes, The Seaming, The Loose Ends, The Embroidery, Additional Techniques, and The Magic Loop. The topics have step by step photos to help you in understanding the technique. One of my favorites is the Seaming Section. She covers 7 different Mattress Stitches that will help you seam up your toys.

For those of you who would like to try your hand at designing a toy pattern, she has a section called Design Your Own Knitted Toy. She starts off with a sketch of a Pig and helps you break down the sketch into sections. Then step by step, she walks you through on how to plan it, number it, knit it, check it, continue it, appendage it, finish it and write it and share it. She also includes guidelines for 4 basic shapes and increases and decreases to shape the design.

There are 20 super-cute strange designs in the book. From small quick projects to more elaborate projects. The Impractical Wearable chapter has patterns that you can wear! There is something for everyone. You can be a beginner knitter and still be able to make something fun from this book.

I recently had the opportunity to help Anna knit up 5 samples from the book with the original yarn and colors done in the book. They are for Cascade Yarns, which will be used for a traveling trunk show to promote Anna’s book. Cascade Yarns generously donated the yarn, Cascade 220 Wool. Believe it or not, it was my first time using Cascade 220! The colors are great and I love the feel of the yarn while working with it and the finished results.Bite-Free Bed BugsOrbiting OddityThe little guy next to him is Squoze from the pattern Hugs and Squoze.Baby GatorsNeck NuzzlerTV GuyFor a chance to win a copy of the book, please leave a comment stating that you want to be entered in the giveaway. Anyone can enter, even for those of you outside of the United States. The last day to enter will be July 8, 2010. The winner will be picked by a random number generator. I will announce the winner on July 9, 2010. If I don't hear from the winner after 1 week, I will draw another name. Good Luck!

A huge thank you to Watson-Guptill for providing me a copy to giveaway to my readers.

Books, Quilt Blocks and a Present.

I recently won a blog contest for the book, The Gingerbread Architect: Recipes and Blueprints for Twelve Classic American Homes from Stephanie over at Half Baked. She generously sent me Little Cakes from the Whimsical Bakehouse along with my prize. I adore both of the books. The Gingerbread Architect Book requires you to be meticulous and patient because the houses do look like a lot of work. Luckily for me, that kind of thing is right up my alley. Though, executing one of these houses might prove to be difficult while taking care of a 15 month old. The 12 house designs are: Pueblo House, Second Empire House, Cape Cod, Adirondack Camp, Dawson City House, Urban Brownstone, Carpenter Gothic, Tudor Revival, Victorian Farmhouse, South Beach Art Deco House, Greek Revival Antebellum Plantation, and Modern House. And true to it's name of the book, it has blueprints of all the houses for you to enlarge on the photocopier. It reminds me of my drafting class in art school. The book contains all the recipes for the houses like the gingerbread dough, royal icing, and pastillage. Then it also has a list of resources for buying the candy pieces for the decorations.

I think it will be lots of fun to have Melody participate in decorating a Gingerbread House this year. It will have to be something simple because I don't think she is up for making a Victorian Farmhouse yet. :-)

Little Cakes from the Whimsical Bakehouse has delicious looking recipes. I have my eye on the Blueberry Crumb Cakes and Plum Kuchens right now. The pictures of the baked goods are very good, so it further entices you to make some. I find that people really like miniature cakes. Maybe it tricks you into thinking that you are having a smaller portion or maybe they are just too darn cute to resist. From my own experience, I know that my friends really love the fact that I now make my cheesecakes in individual portions. Shhhh...don't tell them, but it's actually a little easier.

I noticed that the book has some recipes that require you to have specialty mini-cake pans in different shapes, but not all of them require that. The front of the book has a section just for using muffin pans. Towards the back of the book are the decorative cakes that require a lot more decorating. I think this book ranges from Easy to Advanced, but they are all certainly doable.

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My friend, Jen, recently sent me Weekend Sewing and Material Obsession. Unless you have been living under a rock, I am sure you have seen Weekend Sewing. It's the new sewing book by Heather Ross that has taken over crafting blogs and Flickr. I seriously couldn't avoid seeing the book. Every blog I visited had pictures from the book or finished projects to show. I even had one person recommend it to me because of the cute children's clothes section. It's so true. I love that section. I have been wanting to sew garments and children's clothes would be a good baby step towards it. The Smocked Sundress and Flower Girl Dress would be adorable for Melody. I love the step by step illustrations (by the author) and the simple look of the projects. The hand drawn illustrations really adds a special touch to the book. You can tell how much love and care the author put into the making of the book. The projects, especially, the garments (adult and children) have simple clean lines. It really makes the garment projects look approachable, even for a newbie like me.

If you like making quilts, this one is a winner. Isn't the name, Material Obsession fantastic? Not only is it the name of the book, but it is the name of the authors store in Sydney, Australia. The two ladies really have an eye for color and fabrics. The way they combine prints and color really makes the quilts look so beautiful. Their most simple pattern, which is called Avalon, uses rich bold colors that are combined perfectly. Even though it is a pattern that uses only 12 squares of fabric, the fabric choices is what makes it unique.
I was very inspired by the book and decided to use one of the block patterns for Lynn's month of our virtual quilting bee, Common Threads. She sent an impressive selection of fabrics. I chose the 4 biggest pieces to make this block for her. The block is from the pattern, Cowboy Baby, in the book. I took one set of the block and blew it up. The block ended up being 14 inches, so she could trim it down if she wants to. The picture below is the picture of the quilt, Cowboy Baby, from the book.
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I haven't talked about the other blocks I made for the virtual quilting bee since the last update.
This 15 inch block is for Jacquie. The light blue is a linen and was a little tricky to work with because it frays very easily. The finished quilt is for her son, Jon. Jon asked for something minimal, modern and masculine.
These two are for Jenny. I had extra fabric, so I tried to make another one.The second one is smaller because I ran out of fabric. But I had fun experimenting with the striped fabric she sent.

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Last weekend, we Melody received a special package in the mail. This little guy came all the way from Chicago only to arrive on a yucky rainy day here in NYC. Sara had made this for Melody as a belated birthday present.
The next day, Easter Sunday, was bright and sunny, so we took Melody and the Koala to the park. She never let go of him and dragged him around the whole afternoon. DH took her on the slide and all 3 of them slid down together.
Here is Koala resting on the park bench. We decided to give him a break from the jungle gym and the (dirty) ground. He might need a bath now after all that playing.

Thank you, Sara. She really loves him. She loves holding him by his apron. I think that is my favorite part, too. So cute!