This is the pattern for the gnome featured in the blog post, "
The First Gnome." Above is another one knitted by one of my second grade students. I just love how they are turning out. The students are so into their gnomes, too. It seems to become a theme that they want to knit them backpacks, which is turning out to be another great project for them.
The students are using worsted yarn and size eight needles, but gauge is unimportant for this project. You will also need some fuzzy mohair yarn to make the hair & beard for which I used a crochet hook to work the strings in as one would do in rug-hooking. It is helpful to knit the pieces in the following order as the BODY and SHOES require knitting only, whereas the other pieces incorporate purling as well. Since the pattern is intended for children in their 2
nd grade year of knitting at a Waldorf school, it is not in the round, but requires sewing up. If you are an advanced knitter, you will see that the pieces can easily be knit in the round.
BODY --- Cast on 30 stitches. Knit 30 rows – 15 ridges. Next row: BO 2 stitches, knit until 11 stitches are on your right needle, BO 4 stitches, knit 'til end. Next row: BO 2 stitches. Work 6 rows for each leg using the 11 stitches between BOs. BO all stitches. Sew up leg seams & crotch. Close back seam. Stuff with wool batting. Sew top seam, but leave feet "open." You will later attach the shoes.
SHOES (Make 2) --- Cast on 6 stitches. Knit 40 rows. Bind off. Fold in thirds, sew up the sides & back. No wool stuffing needed.
HEAD --- Cast on 28 stitches. Knit one row, purl one row. Repeat these two rows until a total of 16 rows have been worked, ending with a purl row. Row 17: k1, *) k2tog, k2, repeat from *) until last stitch, k1. (21 stitches remain). Row 18: Purl. Row 19: *) k2tog, k1, repeat from *) across (14 stitches remain). Row 20: Purl. Cut yarn leaving a tail. Thread needle & pull through the remaining stitches. Pull closed. Sew up back seam. Stuff with wool stuffing. Sew up top.
HAT --- Cast on 32 stitches. Knit 4 rows. *) Next row: k1, k2tog, knit until last three stitches, k2tog, k1. Next row: Purl. Repeat from *) until 4 stitches remain. Cast off. Cut yarn, leaving a long tail. Sew up seam.
ARMS (Make 2) --- Cast on 8 stitches. Knit 20 rows. Change to skin color. Knit one row, purl one row for 4-6 rows. Bind off. Sew side seams. Stuff with wool.
FINISHING --- The head is placed about midway onto the body & secured with a few stitches. The hat goes over the head & meets the body in the back. It is also secured with a few stitches. The arms are attached on the sides of the body, but reaching to the top of the body piece, thus creating a bit of a hunched look. I run a whip stitch around the wrist to shape the hand a bit better.
The story of Saint Brendan is one of my favorite saint stories. What adventures. A quest of seven years! The pictures here were guided drawings my students created.
A favorite part of the long story was the story of the Easter worship on a "small island" that turned out to be a whale. One of Brendan's men shouts out, "Brendan, the island is sinking." - The students just loved that part!
I was looking through pictures from April just now & this picture brought a smile to my face. A rubenesque woman & the man. Good times. Going to listen to mushy music & read a letter from months ago. He made me so happy. Sniff.
The pretty autumn colors are everywhere. The trees look so amazing in yellows, red & browns. The sun was shining, but there was a pleasant breeze.
The yellows and greens on this tree in the park across the street were so gorgeous. Couldn't quite capture it on camera. Then I remembered I was standing in a field that brought memories of laying together in the grass under the spring sun & as the tears started flowing down my cheeks, I decided to journey on.
Two squirrels were playing tag up & down the tree. So funny. Hard to snap a picture of a squirrel in motion, though.
Lovely red roses still in bloom.
I have always loved stained glass art. I remember being captivated as a child with the gorgeous stained glass art of the old European churches & cathedrals. Just so pretty. How beautiful the light falling through such a window must be inside the home. Just around the corner from us is a house with beautiful stained glass art. As I drove by one evening, I noticed the workshop in the basement. So much colorful glass. I have been wondering if I should knock and ask if I could learn.
My fascination with the white picket fence continues. My own version that is, which has nothing to do with middle-class life in suburbia. My head tells me it's a stupid ideal from a fairy tale world. My heart tells me, it must be possible.
Funny enough the house with the white picket fence is right across the street from a haunted house. Coincidence?
How idyllic - overgrown with ivy, the symbol of determination, strength & renewal to the Druids of olden times. I mean, it's virtually indestructible and grows just about anywhere. - A nudge to carry on, maybe.
Or maybe not?
Back at home. Our marigolds are still blooming. It's a lovely day out. Now back to reality. To work. To chores. To dealing with the now. To figuring out how to go on from here. Where to go. What to do. How to make the half-empty glass half-full again. What bread to bake. What undies to wear...
Nathan finished his hat a few handwork classes ago. He was in a knitting frenzy! One night I caught him secretly knitting under the covers after 10 p.m. Since this put him way ahead of the class, the handwork teacher now has him work on bike helmet earmuffs before going on to the "traditional" 5th grade socks. The boys do like to ride their bikes to school. I'm sure the earmuffs will come in toasty this autumn & winter.
This is the pattern for the gnome featured in the blog post, "The First Gnome." Above is another one knitted by one of my second grade students. I just love how they are turning out. The students are so into their gnomes, too. It seems to become a theme that they want to knit them backpacks, which is turning out to be another great project for them.
These are some baby socks I have been working on. There's also a green pair, a Tequila Sunrise pair & a Long Island Iced Tea pair. I just think they are so cute. Awww. A nice way to use up sock-yarn leftovers. We'll see how many more pairs I can whip up before I get tired of the pattern.
The Barn-Raising Quilt squares I continue to work on as well - when I have yarn available. The stack is growing. I should probably block some of them soon. I can't wait for all 36 to be complete. I'm planning on creating a bit of a rainbow with the squares. We'll see. Superwash wool yarn leftovers anyone?
I just love acorn time! There are three different oak trees on our street. The boys collected these & we baked them a bit in order to eliminate critters. So nice of a bowl on our nature table.
They also collected acorn caps for crafting wee lil' fairies and such. Nathan planted an acorn that had a teensy sprout already in a lil' pot wanting to grow an oak tree. We'll see how that goes.
Nathan felt like baking something. We didn't have all the ingredients for his favorite recipe, so he improvised. (He also took the picture.)
... the night before Christmas, when all through the house
