From the author of the incredibly original Knitting Mochimochi comes a delightful collection of supersized, quick-and-easy knitted toy creations sure to please knitters of all ages. Bigger sometimes does mean better. In Teeny-Tiny Mochimochi Anna Hrachovec charmed knitters with her adorable miniature Mochimochi Land creatures. In Huge + Huggable Mochimochi she gives us knitted toys with even more to love. With 20 large-scale projects, from a massive monster truck to a pirate pillow pal and a super-cute bag buddy that converts from knapsack to shoulder bag, these playful knits make wonderful gifts and whimsical decorations. Anna also explains how to size the projects up or down so the knitter can customize each piece as desired.

Toys, people! Who doesn't love toys? They make you smile, give you something to squeeze and hug, and can even sit on the couch and watch TV with you. But could the toy be a couch, or an old-fashioned television? Is that too weird? Not if the toy is mochimochi, the super-cute and strange knitted toys author Anna Hrachovec created after fallingi n love with the bizarre character designs that are popular in Japan. A mochimochi can be anything, from fearsome baby gators to pigs with beehive hairdos, from the toe-nibbling monster slippers to an assortment of itty-bitty hamsters, micro mountains, and human beans complete with comb-overs! And what knitter doesn't need a diversion from the usual socks, hats, and scarves? Many of these toys take less than an hour to make. Don't worry, even a beginner can learn to knit mochimochi. If your toy comes out a little lumpy, it'll only add to its personality! Whether it's a bite-free bed bug, a smiling smokestack, or a grouchy couch--these 20 toys are quirkier than teddy bears but every bit as adorable.

TINY IS THE NEW HUGE! It’s an indisputable fact: Everything is cuter in miniature. And while it’s true that knitted toys are cute to begin with, they’re even more adorable when they’re tiny. In Teeny-Tiny Mochimochi, designer Anna Hrachovec presents more than 40 patterns for her funniest and most delightful knitted Tinys—three-dimensional animals, objects, and people, all with Anna’s quirky, Mochimochi Land anthropomorphism that knitters love. Tinys make cool gifts for any occasion, are some of the fastest, easiest projects you’ll ever knit, and can be turned into pins, magnets, Christmas ornaments—anything that could use some scale-model silliness. So pick up your sock yarn and size 1 needles and get started—you’re certain to make even a grouch giggle like a schoolgirl!

Susan B. Anderson's fifth book--her most enchanting yet--turns the spotlight on "reversibles": knitted projects that are two toys in one. This collection of a dozen delightful toys features a dog in a doghouse, a chrysalis with a fluttery surprise inside, a tiny hidden fairy, a vintage toy with a fabled theme to boot, pigs in a blanket, and much more. The adorable photographic sequences and the playful and energetic line drawings show how each finished reversible can be turned inside out to reveal its companion toy. Projects are arranged in order from simplest (fine for a beginner) to the most challenging. Finally, the book features tutorials from the author (a great knitting teacher), explaining special techniques: how to apply any applique, how to do the stem stitch, how to embroider "eyes" on the Bunny and Lamb, and 14 more. It all adds up to the best knitting book of the season.

This is what happens when you let the pigs get into the piggy bank. Such extravagance is appalling! Included are 4 designs for interchangeable wigs—an awesome afro, magnificent mohawk, beautiful beehive, and buxom bob. Suggested materials include 4/medium (worsted) yarn, a set of 6-inch US size 6 (4.0mm) double-pointed needles, stitch marker, safety eyes (size 9mm), tapestry needle, and stuffing.

Behind the walls of a hidden monastery garden, a master herbalist teaches the secrets of healing to his apprentice. Half a world away, a tribal shaman gathers medicinal roots along the Amazon. In the hills of Tibet, a Buddhist monk brews a pot of green tea for an ailing brother. And, at home in a coastal Mediterranean cottage, a young mother keeps her child’s fever at bay with a simple spoonful of thyme. For centuries, people across continents and cultures have experimented with the restoring properties of “nature’s bouquet.” And you, too, can enhance the flavor and vitality of your everyday meals with the health benefits found in such herbs as thyme, basil, parsley, cinnamon, dill, and many others. As a source of vitamins and antioxidants, herbs are natural energy boosters and disease fighters—and you can add them to your menu with the easy-to-prepare recipes found in this book. From amazing appetizers and super salads to extraordinary entrées and dynamic desserts, The Magic Teaspoon offers it all—with just the flick of a teaspoon: More than 100 recipes for health-boosting meals and snacks—listing the healing virtues each herb brings to your table “The All Naturals” herb chart revealing the best herbs to choose for specific health issues Vegetable profiles—from artichokes to zucchini How to make processed foods healthier The Sugar Lover’s Survival Guide How to make potent herbal purées for instant energizers The 25 top teas for healing The health properties found in honey, vinegar, and olive oil And much more

Nikki Van De Car spent the months before her daughter's birth knitting constantly to keep her hands busy and to help the time before her arrival pass more quickly. She knitted everything from sweaters and hats to burp cloths and stuffed animals. Over the course of the following year, she learned which items were actually useful, and which sat in a drawer, never to be worn. The 28 patterns collected in 'What to Knit When You're Expecting', for babies aged from 0 to 12 months, are the best of these, and include booties, mittens, bibs and blankets, as well as sweaters, hats and cardigans. All are relatively simple, so can be knit while your mind is elsewhere, and all are immensely practical. This title is organized according to where you are in your pregnancy, the patterns for the first trimester reflect the fact there is still plenty of time to finish a longer project; those for the second, when many women learn the sex of their baby, focus on clothes for girls and boys; and projects for the third are quick and easy.