Anna Hrachovec is an amazing designer who shows us how imaginative and playful knitting can be. Her adorable characters and delightful, quirky creations are sure to make you smile. Today, we’re excited to feature a Q&A with Anna herself on our blog along with a fabulous giveaway of her book Teeny-Tiny Mochimochi. Leave a comment below for a chance to win!
How did you become a toy designer and fiber artist?
It happened pretty much by accident! I didn’t have a background in art or design, but I was an avid knitter who got bored of knitting the usual stuff, like scarves and hats. I tried my hand at designing some knitted toys as gifts for friends, and I was instantly addicted to knitting cute little characters. Making a career out of it was all thanks to the internet—that’s how I found knitters from all over who shared my passion for cute toys and wanted patterns for my designs. The more large-scale and experimental projects that I do—the art installations and animations—is how I keep myself inspired and always trying new things.
Where do you find the inspiration for your knitted characters?
My inspiration comes from everywhere—cartoons, urban myths, rhymes and puns, and artists like Dr. Seuss and Mary Blair. I’m also hugely inspired by character designs from Japan, like Hello Kitty, Katamari Damacy, Kogepan, and the animations of Miyazaki Hayao.
The tagline on your website Mochimochi Land is “Let’s make happy.” Does that sum up your mentality as a designer?
I want my toys to be things that people instantly fall in love with when they see them. And when someone has just finished knitting their own toy from one of my patterns, I hope they experience it like I do: the creature that you made is looking back at you, and it’s a moment of pure joy. You can’t wait to show it to everyone and see the smiles!
What does a typical day look like for you?
I can’t sit still for too long, so I try to mix it up and use different parts of my brain throughout the day. So I might start the day knitting little creatures for an art piece, then I’ll blog and check in with social media, then move on to editing patterns, then pack up a wholesale order, then end the day by working on an animation concept.
Tell us one of the highlights of your career so far.
In 2011 I had the opportunity to have a solo show at a small gallery in Berlin. I made an installation of big knitted anthropomorphic planets, each of which had little aliens living on it. It’s cool enough having a bunch of people come look at my knitted weirdness, but to have it be in a different part of the world and hear the happy noises in another language was so exciting for me.
About the author: Anna Hrachovec is a Brooklyn-based designer and artist who combines her passions for knitting and Japanese-influenced character design to create unusual toys that all ages can get excited about. When she’s not designing patterns to share with her fellow knitters, she is creating character-based art pieces, installations, and animations, which have been exhibited around the world. She has written three books of patterns for knitted toys, the newest of which is Super-Scary Mochimochi.
For a chance to win a copy of Teeny-Tiny Mochimochi, leave a comment below! We’ll select a winner on Friday, March 1st.
these are so very cute! I have one of these books, but not this one. would love to win a copy!
I’ve always loved Anna’s patterns! Would love to win this book
Oooh I would LOVE to win this book. I’ve only just gotten into knitting toys but I love doing it soo much!
Absolutely adorable. Such amazing talent!
I cannot tell you how much I admire people who are so amazingly creative. Thankfully, they teach us these fun things!
So sweet! You are very talented!
Love the knit toys. I would love to win this book!
The toilet and plunger is just too cute for words.
I love knitting dolls. It is my favorite thing to knit. I would so love to win this book!!
So cute! Would love to knit some of these for the munchkins who call me “Auntie”.
I’m at that stage in life when friends are becoming grandparents and these make great fast gifts.
This is awesome! Great work she has done, i could only imagine doing all of those litlle and big projects! Good job!!!
I would love to win this to knit a special toy for a G’Nephew and Grandchildren
Wow! And here I thought knitting teddy bears were a challenge. Anna, your work is incredible. Lucky is the child who knows you!
Love knitting and finding novel new things to do hope I win a copy of the book it looks fantastic
I wish I had so much creativity! a true artist!
I wish I was so creative!! a true artist!
These are so cute I love knitting toys!!!!
Very cute! My great nephew would love the train!
I love gnomes and just about any inanimate object with a face. When my girls were toddlers we had “cooking things”: pots and pans with faces and our favorite was the “happy toast”. The Mochimochi projects remind me of those wonderful years and now that we are awaiting the arrival of my first grandchild, I would love to win this book so I can populate the nursery with some smiling faces!
Love your work! Thanks for a great interview!
Loves these. What great gift ideas. Would love to win this book
Very cute ideas for the grandchildren. I would like to have this book!
These are so cute. Makes me smile every time I visit her blog!
What a knitastic book! I love smaller projects and the challenge of knitting smaller creations. I can’t wait to see more!
I love making toys for my boys and my nephew! This would be such a great addition to my collection!
After knitting countless Easter eggs, life-sized apples and pears and little Christmas bells, these toys would be so fun! I really admire Anna’s work and would love to win her newest book!
This would be a fun book to own. Would love to do some of these for my new great niece!
Omg they are so cute. I would love to win to book so i can make them! The grandkids would love them,
OMG I love your stuff, can we hang and you teach me some of your tricks? Or I guess the next best thing would be to win the book. I will keep my fingers crossed, which of course makes it almost impossible to knit.
Just in awe of your creativity Anna! I would love to win the book and make a teen-tiny cutesy craft of my own!
Wow this is amazing! You are an inspiration!!
I love love love your knitting madness!!! I have miniaturized many knitting ideas, mostly clothing and doll stuff but NEVER thought of a toilet and plunger!! love the insanity – and would love to win a copy of her book! Will she autograph it?
I love to knit, but have never entered the magical land of mochi mochi! It looks AMAZING!
Anna has a way of creating books that put a smile on your face page after page. The creativity and imagination that goes into her designs is truly inspiring!
Love the Santa – he looks big enough for me to knit. Not so sure about some of the othes. I made a dog and bear for my now 40+ year old daughter when she was a baby. I told her they looked the way they did because they were made with love!
I would love to win this book for a good friend.
I absolutely love knitting mochi! I have one book which has not only helped me by providing some cute patterns, but it helped me make some of my own!
I love your books. You are so creative. I like having little surprise gifts to give.
All of these toys are adorable! I would love to win a copy of this book!
Loved making the Bundle Up Bears for various nieces and nephews this past Christmas! Would love to own her book!
These little creatures look like so much fun it knit! Almost instant gratification.
Wow! I love her designs and would love to try making some of her creations. Winning her book would be a blessing!
Sooooo cute!
I love these tiny toys! The toilet and plunger are awesome!
The toys are so cute. My daughter would love them.
love her! thanks so much for doing the giveaway!
I love to knit toys. So much fun.
These are too cute for words. They are full of the joy of life. Would love to win a copy.
Love her designs! And we are neighbors in Brooklyn!
I would love to win this book. I would like to make the train set and tunnel for my grandson, he loves trains. I know I could find something in the book to make for my granddaughter.
i love knitting toys for friends as well. Often I’m a little sad to part with my newly made creature, but the joy it brings to my friends inspires me to continue knitting for them. I havent tried my hand yet at tiny-mochi and would love to!!
I have formed a knitting group at work and would love to share your book with my coworkers. We work with InCare Hospice patients here in South Carolina and it is so wonderful and stress relieving to pursue our hobby on our lunch. I promise, if you send me a book, I will have all of my coworkers knit a project and send a picture to you! We also can donate our projects to our patients
I would love to have this book. My son wants me to make just about all f them. We like to sit on the ouch together and dream about all the creatures.
Am learning how to knit. This would be a great book to use to learn skills.
The teeny-tiny are so bright and cheerful. I think they would be great to sell in a gift shop…:-)
Sweet little toys with a friendly look; great for traumatized kids; I’m a foster Mum and a grandmother. The book would be put to good use.
Just love your designs, would love to win your book so that I can use up a lot of my scraps and also I think it would be so easy to finish small things, as I have arthritic hands and am finding it very hard to finish large projects .
How fun!! I would love to win a copy-thanks for the giveaway!
Great toys for my yarn stash, would love to win!
These are all soooo cute! Thanks for a chance to win a book!
I have never seen anything like these toys; two granddaughters would be thrilled to receive these knitted toys from their grammy! I will have to give them a try!
Interesting interview. Anne’s characters always make me smile.
You are so talented! I wish I had your talent
These are darling quick knits – I’d love to have this book and design abilities!
What a wonderful way to use up all the little bits of yarn.
OH LOVE! my grandmother insisted that after wash cloths the first thing I knit was socks — and that could only mean one thing – sock puppets!! and failed gloves? Finger puppets!! and now I am all big –oh I love the tiny!!! your work is magical, thank you so much for sharing it.
Knitting little toys is so fun – what creativity! I really love Anne’s use of color and sence of joy!
Of course I know how to spell ‘sense’ : )
What a great imagination you have! I am finishing up a project for my mom, then I’m gonna learn how to make cute little dolls and creatures.
I would love a copy! My daughters are 2 and 5 and love little things like this!
So tiny and CUTE!
Guess I won’t win this book as there are lots of people ahead of me. But I really would like to own this as I love making small things for small hands.
I just started knitting in December and absolutely love it!
I would love to have these patterns for my granddaughters. Always looking for new patterns for the girls!
A-dor-a-ble!! Love all the colors and shapes-they look so real!!
So cute! So adorable! I have 17 grandchildren….
What fun! I have so little time as a new mom, so a quick project can get me back on the needles!
I’ve been facinated by these tiny creations for a while. What fun it would be to give them a try!
I have a 4-year old grandson who would love some of these “hand toys”. And what a great way to use up stash accumulated over the past many, many years. Bless you for offering the book to us.
They are so cute.
I love her designs!! they really make me smile!!!
I love all the weirdness!!! Wish I had more time to experiment with this kind of art!
Oh my, so many fun ideas!! I would love to knit the little mermaid for my son’s girlfriend.
Very detailed & professional looking creations. Great job.
I love to knit…especially different things!! Imagine little knitted versions of our everyday things!! Please pick me!!
These are sooo cute! I would love to win this book.
Wow! How cute are these???!!!
I first picked up Anna’s book as I know her sister Leah through the Presbyterian Church then bought the second one. I missed her at the NY Sheep and Wool in 2011 but hope to meet her someday
Very cute!!!
How Cute!!! I would love t0 win this book.
This looks like so much fun. I would luv to try these tiny treasures
I knitted some Human Beans for my daughter’s fourth grade teacher who’s wife is expecting her first baby next month. I made them all different colors and with different hair and all the kids are excited to see which “Bean” comes closest to the new little “Being”! SO fun!!
I just love your patterns-well written, quick, cleverly fun. Cheers-Laura