Hrachovec - Teeny-tiny mochimochi: more than 40 itty-bitty minis to knit, wear, and give

Its a scientific fact: Everything is more fun in miniature. From itty-bitty plastic sushi in Tokyo, to teeny-weeny purse dogs on Fifth Avenue, to super-small sliders in LA restaurants, tiny versions of everyday stuff make even grumpy old guys smile. And if those wee little things happen to be knitted toys that you made yourself, well, those old grumps might just giggle with glee. In July 2009, I had just finished Knitting Mochimochi, my first book of knitted toy patterns. It had been an exciting, exhilarating experience, and I was ready for a break.

Not a break from knittinglets not kid ourselvesbut a new kind of challenge for Mochimochi Land. On a lark, I decided to come up with as many Tiny Toys as I could in one month. It started with a Tiny Brain on July 1. Mostly composed of a bunched-up I-cord, it was about an inch long. As soon as I posted the photo on my blog and saw the enthusiastic comments left by my readers, I knew I had discovered a new obsession. I ended up knitting twenty-three Tiny Things that month, one for every weekday, including a box of tissues, a panda (with an even tinier bamboo shoot), and a melting glacier.

All of these Tiny Things are three-dimensional animals, objects, or people, and they all have that Mochimochi Land anthropomorphism. Why? Because the only thing cuter than a mini knitted forest is a mini knitted forest with twenty-eight little eyes looking back at you! When my crazy Month of Tiny ended, I was still on a roll, so I continued the Tiny Challenge on a weekly basis. As of this writing, Ive kept up my self-imposed Tiny Toys Challenge for over a year, making more than seventy Tinys, and Im still going. Maybe I will knit a cute tiny coffin on my deathbed. This book includes patterns for some of my favorite Tiny Things from that fateful July, plus many others, including a bunch that are making their debut in Teeny-Tiny Mochimochi. These minuscule creations are deceptively simple to knit using basic techniques, but the results are so magical that friends will think youve got a team of miniature knitting elves at your disposal.

And while the Tinys are pretty charming on their own, with a little ingenuity, they can be turned into pins, magnets, Christmas ornamentsanything that could use some scale-model silliness. So pick up your sock yarn and size 1 needles, and make the grouch in your life giggle like a schoolgirl!

Nobody needs a reason to knit Tiny Thingsits just funbut some of us more cautious, left-brained types like to have a little extra justification before we jump into a new project. So heres why it makes sense to go Tiny TIME IS MONEY As much as we love knitting, sometimes any project bigger than a single mitten feels like too much of a commitment. Here you can finish an entire project in less than an hourand its not a boring swatch, but a sweet little creature! Tinys are some of the fastest projects that will ever fly off your needles. MONEY IS MONEY No need to break the bank for these guys! If youve ever knitted a pair of socks, you probably already have enough yarn left over to make more than a few Tiny Toys. Or, you can pick up a skein or two of any fingeringweight yarn and then make dozens (yup, dozens!) of them.

Its all in the magic of yardage. YOUR GIFT LIST IS ANYTHING BUT TINY Friends, coworkers, parents, kids, teachers, siblings, significant others, not-so-significant othersyour list is long. You could pick up 20 gift cards (kind of impersonal), or buy a case of scented candles (kind of smelly), or you could try to knit 20 hats by December (dont forget to take everyones measurements). Or you could create Tiny Toys that you can make from one skein of yarn in about an hour each. Check out for some fun ideas. ITS NOT AS HARD AS IT LOOKS As intimidating as miniature projects might look, they use very simple techniques.

If you can finish knitting a hat using double-pointed needles, youre more than ready to tackle a Tiny. Check out the .

Now that you have caught the Tiny bug (its highly contagious, so you never really had a chance), lets talk about what you need to get started on making some Tinys of your own.