Last week I got a review copy of Teeny-Tiny Mochimochi: More Than 40 Itty-Bitty Minis to Knit, Wear, and Give by Anna Hrachovec, which is due to be released next week, on August 16.

I can sum up this book in one word: adorable.

Need proof? Check out this photo at the bottom of the Acknowledgements page.

The book starts with a nicely detailed techniques section with plenty of photos:

It covers all the techniques you need to be able to knit these tiny gems.

The patterns temselves are divided into sections: Tiny Animals, Tiny Edibles, Tiny Humanoids, Tiny Inanimates, Tiny Naturals, and Tiny Holidays. Here’s one of my favorites from the food group:

Tiny corn! Squeeeeeeeeee! The patterns are all very well-written and detailed, and they look easy to follow.

There is a section entitled Tiny Possibilities, with lots of ideas for what to do with your tiny knits:

And in the back there is a section with basic knitting techniques.

I am, of course, sorely tempted to keep this copy for myself, but I know there are many of you who would put it to better use than I. So I will offer it up for a giveaway.

To be entered in the drawing for this adorable book, leave a comment on this blog post by Thursday, August 11, 12:00noon EDT. I will do a random drawing from among the comments that afternoon and announce the winner in my Thursday blog post.

Today, Lucy plans to help me with my knitting.

Since we last spoke, I completed my second Wanda mitten.

As you can see, they are mirror image of each other.

And there a couple of little fishies on the thumb.

To recap, I used The Loopy Ewe Solid Series in the “Tangerine” and “Caribbean” colorways and my ubiquitous size 2 (2.75mm) needle. Because you need only about 150 yards of each color, you only need one 2-ounce skein of each color.

The pattern is available in my Ravelry store.

Speaking of patterns available in my Ravelry store, the pattern for Super Slouch is available there as well.

I have, of course, started a new project. Yes, another pair of mittens.

As you can see, these are starting out in a slightly different manner. I started with a picot edge, some colorwork, and now I’m about to do a bit of ribbing.

I am once again using The Loopy Ewe Solid Series, this time in the “Grape” and “Kiwi” colorways. (Thinking about that makes me hungry.) This yearn is perfect for colorwork mittens. Because it is sold in 2-ounce skeins, and you only need one skein for each color, it is much more cost-effective than using a yarn that is put up in 4-ounce skeins since you are using less than half of one of those skeins. And it comes in 90 different colors!

While I am knitting away on my mitten, Lucy is hanging out with friends.

Thank you for all your kind and supportive-of-long-hair comments on my last post. I wasn’t fishing for compliments — honest! Just attempting a preemptive strike to avoid the inevitable emails criticizing my personal style and hair choices. And for the most part, it worked.

Okay, first of all, the Knittens pattern has been finalized, and is now available for sale in my Ravelry store.

Speaking of mittens, I’ve been working on the second fishie mitten:

It is a fair bit further along than the photo shows, as I took that picture 24 hours ago.

And in slouchy hat land, I have finished the second Super Slouch:

I strong-armed one of my co-workers (far younger and cuter than I) to model it:

I should have the pattern finalized in a day or two, with both versions of the hat included. I’ll let you know when it, too, is available in my Ravelry store.

As you can see, this hat is knit from a true variegated yarn. The lace pattern I am using for this version is a very simple all-over pattern — much more suited to the variegation than the pattern for Super Slouch I. The yarn I am using here is Fiesta Boomerang in the “Morocco” colorway.

Interestingly, this yarn is listed as aran weight, but it works up very nicely at the same gauge (and needle size) as the Madeline Tosh DK I used for the other Super Slouch.

Lucy is thinking about that.

Did you see that the guidelines for Camp Loopy Project III are up on Sheri’s blog? I’m really looking forward to this project. I’ve ordered my yarn and am eagerly awaiting August 15 when I can get started!