Tiny Cats! Virtual Workshop with Mochimochi Land

Get in, knitters—we’re going to Mochimochi Land!

Details

Date:  Friday, December 13, 2024

Time: Noon-3:00 p.m. Eastern time

Location: Zoom. This is a virtual event.

Please note: Kits will ship from Nashville in late November. 

The Class

She had us at “tiny cats.” These mini toys take minimal yarn and time yet produce maximum joy.

In this class, Anna Hrachovec, the imagination behind Mochimochi Land, will introduce you to her Cozy Squozy Cats patterns and get you started on two of the projects: a cat in a box and a cat in a bag.

The Projects

We’ll make a Box Cat from start to finish. We’ll switch between flat and circular knitting to form a box, which we will then turn into a cat by picking up stitches, then adding ears and tail, plus the 3 dots of embroidery that bring the cat to life.

A demonstration of the unique design points in the Bag Cat pattern will follow, and your obsession with knitting tiny cats will be in full swing.

What’s in the Kit?

Your workshop kit includes everything you need to join the cat craze.

You’ll receive:

• 8 bobbins of fingering weight yarn. Enough to make 3 Cozy Squozy Cats and their containers.
• Set of size 1 US (2.25mm) double-pointed needles
• Tapestry needle
• A baggie of stuffing to plump your cats
• Two adorable Cozy Squozy Cat stickers all the way from Mochimochi Land

Your Confirmation

Check your order confirmation email for all the information you will need for class.

The confirmation will include:

• The Zoom link for the workshop on December 13.
• A PDF with patterns for Box Cat, Bag Cat, Life Preserver Cat, and Corset Cat.
• A quick homework task so we can hit the ground running once class begins.

Our Workshop Leader

Anna Hrachovec is a Chicago-based designer and artist who is obsessed with knitting little toys and bringing them to life through stop-motion animation. She named her woolly world Mochimochi Land after learning to knit in Japan, where she fell in love with the characters that inspired her early designs.

Anna has published five books of knitting patterns in addition to hundreds of patterns and knitting kits. Anna’s first picture book, Catside Up, Catside Down, was published by Feiwel & Friends in September 2023. A sequel—Short Dog, Long Dog—will be published in February 2025.

Anna’s animation clients have included Nickelodeon, The Washington Post, and Sesame Street. A new animated series based on her knitted world, Woolly Woolly, is set to debut on television in France and Canada in 2025.

Workshop Q & A

Are Cozy Squozy Cats suitable for beginners? Yes! The projects require these basic skills: cast on, knit, purl, pick up stitches, basic increases and decreases—plus a willingness to work with double-point needles. 

Do I have to order the kit in order to participate in the virtual workshop? Yes, because of the specificity of materials, this is an all-inclusive experience.

How should I get ready for the workshop? Your confirmation email will include a PDF that will contain a short homework task to complete before the workshop, the Zoom link for the workshop, and patterns for a set of Cozy Squozy Cats to print out if desired.

We’ll send email reminders as the event gets closer, but do save the PDF so you’ll have all the information handy.

What’s the format? With Anna’s instruction and an overhead camera focused on her hands, we’ll learn several techniques for making Cozy Squozy Cats. Participant mics will be muted most of the time, and the chat box will be monitored constantly for questions from participants. 

How far along on my cats can I expect to get during the workshop? We will be completing the Box Cat from start to finish and will be learning techniques to help you complete the Bag Cat. You will leave this class with the confidence to finish your Bag Cat and Lifesaver Cat, and we know you will want to make many more! 

When will the kits ship out? Kits will ship from Nashville, Tennessee the week of November 25, 2024. Please note that shipments to addresses outside the U.S. may not arrive in time for the live workshop on December 13.

What if I want to work at my own pace? That’s perfectly fine. All participants will receive the pattern and the workshop recording will be available to participants indefinitely. 

I can’t make it to all of the live Zoom session. May I still participate? Yes! Everyone enrolled in the workshop will receive a link to the recording and all resources we share.