Anna Hrachovec’s Teeny-Tiny Mochimochi

They don’t get much teenier, or much tinier, than this.

When I first got into knitting at about ten years’ old, I was only interested in knitting toys. In fact, I only knitted a jumper for the first time about 18 months ago; before that, it was always, always exclusively cute things on my needles.

How then could I resist Anna Hrachovec’s designs? I stumbled across her work on Ravelry a year or so ago and had been desperate to try some patterns ever since. Thinking I’d literally start small, I bought one of her books, Teeny-Tiny Mochimochi. That was last June – and I’ve finally gotten around to trying it!

First off, my initial impressions: the book itself is beautifully photographed and really well-written. Every character has it’s own cheeky little bio line – some of which made me laugh out loud – and the instructions are very clear.

Every question you could possibly have is answered before you even jump into the patterns themselves, and Anna even offers tips and tricks for stuffing these teeny little cutiepies and tying off your ends neatly.

The actual patterns are equally clear, and very simple once you’ve got the hang of battling nine stitches on DPNs. I started with an elephant (toot toot!) and hadn’t knit in the round for ages, so for a little while I felt a bit like a weird, low-budget version of Edward Scissorhands.

Did I deliberately paint my nails before I started knitting because I knew I’d take photos? Yep.

Patterns are mostly made up of simple increases and decreases and work with i-cords. All your new friend’s appendages are made by picking up and knitting stitches, so if you’ve got those skills down you’ll definitely be able to tackle any of the patterns in the book.

It’s even cute without legs. Or ears. Or a face.

My favourite thing about these patterns (apart from their heart-wrenching cuteness, obviously) is that they really forced me to start being a bit of a perfectionist. Like my bio says, I’m a pretty slap-dash crafter, but with a project this small every mistake becomes glaringly obvious so it’s essential to pay super close attention to the instructions.

In fact, I even found myself approaching tying in my ends, and adding details, much more carefully; I even re-did the eyes (twice!) because I wasn’t sure they looked quite right. Because you’re working in such minute detail, the slightest difference in stitch placement can give these little guys an entirely different character.

Overall, I’d definitely recommend the book; it’s easy to follow, fun, and the results aren’t just irresistibly cute but achievable, too. It can be frustrating sometimes when you can’t get finished results to look like they do in their picture, but you won’t have that problem here.

I’ve now added a little dino to the family (he’s in the photo at the top!) and will be making a few more as a gift. Next, I’m dying to tackle Anna’s Squidpocalypse. It’s exactly as mad as it sounds.

Small dino.

Small tooter.

Small friends! 🙂

My Knight in shining armour

I’ve always fancied leaning how to crochet. I’ve tried a bit of knitting in the past, which was great, but I wanted to try something different, something less mainstream, something with different textures and possibilities.

Around a year ago, I decided to take this want more seriously and, after playing around with making a rather lovely crochet flower garland courtesy of Mollie Makes and getting absolutely hooked (!), I invested in some wool, a 6mm crochet hook and a crochet book to guide me on my journey to crochet mastery.

The book I chose was Crochet Workshop by Erika Knight and by golly, it’s one good book. Aside from being visually attractive (always a perk), Erika Knight’s book provides crochet enthusiasts with 20 interesting and modern crochet projects. I emphasise modern here as I feel this is something a lot of crochet books really struggle with – I don’t want to make things that my Gran would have worn in the 1920s (although very lovely in their own right), I want to make things that are more current and fresh! The projects here definitely provide this. From laptop sleeves to slippers, from projects for beginners to those more experienced, there’s something for everyone. Personally, I was so excited I didn’t know where to start!

And that’s not all. As well as well thought out projects, Erika’s book also provides readers with advice and guidance on different yarns, stitches and basic techniques, containing clear instructions on how to work everything, from a slip knot to a double treble crochet. Accompanied by illustrations, these instructions are one of the best bits of the book, being concise and easy to understand (even for a newbie like me!).

In addition to this, the projects actually seem to turn out as promised! I appreciate this may be partly due to the crocheter but it definitely has something to do with the instructions too. So far I have crocheted several place mats and a snood using the projects in Erika’s book and they really do look like the beautiful pictures inside. These were some of my first crochet projects and believe me, I was super proud of myself.

Next on my agenda from Crochet Workshop – maybe a blanket, when I have enough money(!) but until then, I know I will be referring back to Erika’s book for basic tips and advice regardless of the project I am working on.

Erika Knight – you are my knight in shining armour.