Teeny Tiny Mochimochi; more than 40 itty-bitty minis to knit, wear and give. Anna Hrachovec. 2011, Potter Craft.
Do you like small things? Do you like projects that take a few hours from cast on to finished? Do you like teensy tinsey small things? Do you like projects that use up scraps of sock yarn? Do you love toys that can fit with half a dozen of their friends all together in the palm of your hand? Do you like well written and photographed instructions? But most of all, do you love teeny tiny things?
Of course you do, everyone does!
Anna Hrachovec started a designing and knitting challenge for herself, to design and make a Tiny Toy every weekday for a month. Once she posted each Tiny Toy on her blog mochimochiland.com, it was clear that she wasn’t the only one who was in love with tiny knits. She has continued to make a Tiny Toy at least every week since then, and her new book Teeny Tiny Mochimochi is a collection of her favourites.
This book contains more than 40 Tiny Toys to knit. Some of them are humanoid, like the Tiny Mermaid, Tiny Gnome and Tiny Caveman. Some are animals, food or from nature, such as the Tiny Lion, Tiny Chickens, Tiny Cupcakes, Tiny Cacti and Tiny Volcano. And a few of them are inanimate objects, like a Tiny Computer and Tiny Record Player. All of the projects in this book have little eyes that look back at you, and did I mention that all of them are Tiny? Really, really Tiny. Most projects are under 2” in size, which makes them seriously cute indeed.
As always, Anna Hrachovec’s techniques section and instructions for each pattern are very clear, very comprehensive, and very well photographed. The projects in this book use double pointed needles and fingering weight yarn (4 ply), but don’t let that scare you. Even if you haven’t used this kind of needle, or ever knitted in the round, the instructions will lead you step by step.
If you have a niggly little sensible voice in your head saying “those Tiny Toys are terribly cute, but what do I do with them?” rest assured that there is a whole chapter on how to adapt the Tinies to wear, carry, display and gift them. Instead of casting on for Holiday gift knitting and worrying about the sizing on the hats or mittens you are wanting to make, or wondering how on earth you are going to get something made for all of your kids’ teachers, relations and workmates, a Tiny Toy for everyone to put on their key ring, in their cubicle, or on a pair of earrings might just solve all of your worries.
The two downsides to this book as far as I can see, is that you will have a hard time choosing which one to make first (then second, third, seventh and fifteenth), and that I have to wrestle the book back from my kids, as they are besotted with it. I made a Tiny Caveman for my son to take with him on a school caving trip, and now we are all addicted to Tiny Toys in my house. Which one should I cast on next?
Anna is guest posting during Kath’s Guest blogger series, and explains her design process and talks a little more about her year long challenge. Watch this space on 2nd of October!
About the reviewer: Kate is a busy mother of four with many craft projects on the go, including, but not limited to, crochet, knitting, sewing, dyeing, paper making, spinning, felting and bookbinding. Kate has challenges in the areas of finishing things, saying no and craft supplies storage. She also has a very very patient and tolerant husband.
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