If you would like to read the feel good story of creativity, and how this all came about (I highly recommend it.) It will put you in the right mindset and some of this will frankly just make more sense. Click on the picture of Hamish ------>
Ok so a few folks asked how I made my Gnome friends. Here are some pictures to take you through my steps. I encourage you to find your own process, use what you have or can find to make your vision come to life.
You will need:
A cone shape*
Material to make a hat/mittens (optional)
If you use a pylon you need something to cover the base.
old pantyhose
fiberfill or cotton balls
Loop Yarn The one I bought is 18 yards. Enough to make 5-6 Gnomes
needle/thread or hot glue to make the hat
some type of wire (I used the stuff from a picture hanging kit I had) pipe cleaners, twist ties, coat hanger all great options.
embellishments of your choice.
*I used tinsel trees and a pylon from Dollar Tree. Also considered the birthday party hats. You can also fashion your own cone from poster board or wire.
OK here is is in pictures. If one seems cut off, just click on it for the full picture.
Unwrap the garland from the plastic form. I looped the yarn on the top and wrapped the tree using the ivory and then using a smaller amount of the gray, blending the gray yarn into the ivory.
The wrapped frame will look like this. To make the hat, cut a piece of fabric in a triangle. No exact science here, but my best calculation is the small hat is 13"bottom edge and 10" on the sides. The large is 24"bottom and 18" sides. This may require trial and error, so you may want to start with scrap fabric or paper. (I'm an eyeballer, it's also the way I cook.) If you want to add a yarn tassel at the top of the hat, tie some scrap yarn or felt strips together and lay them on the point. When you fold the hat over it will be on the inside, along the fold.
Every Gnome needs a cunning hat (extra points for getting this reference) fold the triangle bottom corner to bottom corner. You will stitch up the side with the fold to the right. You may also glue, fuse, staple or whatever manner of attaching works for you. I used my sewing machine because my eyes are old and it's faster than threading a needle. Turn right side out. and open as seen above. Cut a slight curve into the front and round off the back, keeping the back long. Feel free to add trim, if you so desire.
Put your best face forward otherwise known as finding the best beardy part of your gnome. Take care choosing, it is his face after all. You may need to pull the loops downward. Put his hat on. Now make a nose. Cut a section of pantyhose and stuff with fiberfill or cotton. Twist the hose until you have a ball and tie off the end. If your form is more of a frame like the small gnome, you can just tuck the tail of the nose into the frame. For a solid cone, you may need a wire so you can secure it to the yarn. I took one of the berries off of a floral stem and placed it in the center of the ball when I was making it. The "berry" is hidden, but has the wire stem to help secure the nose. You can also hot glue it in place.
For the large gnome I used a safety pylon from the Dollar Tree. It is maybe 14" tall. I covered the base with a piece of left over felt from the great dice tray project of 2018. (let me know if you want that story.) I was going to glue moss to it, but couldn't find it in the totes. Anything will do. To keep the yarn in place, I punched a small hole and pushed the yarn end through. This will help get a tight wind around the pylon. For this one I wrapped both yarn colors around at the same time, trying to keep the ivory in front as much as possible. I went back with about 18" of ivory and filled it in to get the look I liked. It is all up to your aesthetic. Since the top of the pylon isn't a true point, I stuffed the hat with a little fiberfill to get it to stand up better. Hamish's hat has fleece strips for a tassel. Wire the nose in place. If you are doing mittens, simply cut out the mitten shapes and quick stitch them together. Turn them right side out and stuff with a little fiber fill. I ran a wire under the yarn from side to side and taped it inside each mitten. That way I could bend the mittens where I wanted them. You can also hot glue them if that's the way you roll. How you dress your gnome is up to you. My sister is knitting mine some fine scarves, you know, cause it's cold in Buffalo.
So there you go. Gnome 101. I hope you make a few of your own. Please share pics, Gideon, Hamish and Izzy would love to see some distant cousins. Remember to Be in the Gnomement!
