Teeny Tiny Winner

Although it just barely missed the cut for Teeny-Tiny Mochimochi, this miniature ice cream cone seems to be in hot demand, as it was one of the most popular requests made in the comment section. Fear not, nimble knitters! This sweet little number is destined for another project, coming in the near future. Keep an eye on Anna’s blog for updates on her latest creations.

But let’s not beat around the bush here and get down to business. Selected by the random number generator, the winner of Anna’s new book is…

Commenter #46, Julie Overton, who suggests, “These are so darling! I would love to see if she can make lil sushi!” Sounds like a good choice to me, with a high probability of being adorable!

If you didn’t win this time around, never fear- You can still hop right over to Oiyi’s Crafts and join in on her giveaway, too.

And with that, it’s time for me to pack my bags and head off to Portland, OR for the first ever Vida Vegan Con. I’ll be leading a workshop on food photography, speaking on the “Young and Vegan” panel, and doing a demo on the illustrious vegan meringue. Who am I seeing there, and who’s getting excited now?!

It’s a Small World

Proving without a shadow of a doubt that simply downsizing everyday items makes them instantly adorable, Anna Hrachovec has created an overnight sensation with her ongoing series of tiny objects. Ranging from animals to edibles to computer equipment, you name it and there’s a good chance that Anna has a yarn-and-fiberfill replica that could fit in the palm of you hand. After slowly doling out a few tiny patterns in irresistible sets for the past year or so, her latest book, Teeny-Tiny MochiMochi: More Than 40 Itty-Bitty Minis to Knit, Wear, and Give has finally been unleashed upon the world, bundling together scores of quick, cute knits.

For any knitter that has been disappointed by the crocheted amigurumi craze, unable to create such adorable stuffed toys, this is the book for you! Containing such a wide variety of items that there’s bound to be something that everyone will love, one of my favorite aspects of these mini knits is how quick they are to make. Small size means small time commitment, so you can churn these cuties out in no time– A particularly useful fact if you’re stuck for last-minute gifts.

As one of Anna’s devoted test-knitters, I can’t claim an unbiased opinion here, but I can tell you that I would have purchased this compilation of cuteness anyway. I mean honestly, how could you resist patterns for…

…A tiny cupcake, complete with rainbow seed bead sprinkles?

How about a plump, green pear, almost realistic enough to imagine out in the orchards?

Don’t forget about the starches; a baked potato topped off with beaded chives and a generous pat of sewn in “butter” would sure hit the spot!

Anna has even managed to create the ever-elusive vegan fried egg! I must admit though, it was a bit fibrous for my tastes.

I did slightly modify my knits to exclude the eyes, but only because this vegan prefers not to have food that can look back at me. Still, the adorable factor hasn’t suffered in the least, if I do say so myself. While the section of tiny foods was clearly my focus, there’s still a whole world of tiny knits to explore far beyond the faux edibles. The miniature lion is next up on my knit list.

For all you eager crafters out there, you’re in luck- Ever generous, Anna and her publisher have offered to giveaway a second copy of Teeny-Tiny MochiMochi to one lucky blog reader! To secure your copy, all you need to do is leave me a comment, using correct contact info, telling me what item you’d like to see as a tiny knit next. Anna is still hard at work on this series, so who knows, you may see your suggestion show up on her blog some day soon! Be sure to comment before Wednesday, August 24th at midnight EST, at which point I’ll choose a winner via random number generator.  Open to residents of the US only.  So ready your double-pointed needles and start thinking small; there’s a whole tiny world to explore!