Gnomes

This is what I'm doing when I'm not stressing about reports that still need to be written, when I'm not packing for destination unknown, when I'm not attending a parent night, when I'm not baking for the 8th Grade commencement, when I'm not attending a meeting, when I'm not sleeping off a fever & cold, when I'm not stressing about $$$ (or better the lack thereof), when I'm not wondering about future housing arrangements:

I'm sewing up the final crew of gnomes my 2nd grade students have been working on during handwork this year. The children who take their time with things are finishing their gnomes during these last few days. I do let the girls have "girl gnomes," although that's not quite an accurate picture of the world of the elementals. This fella & two ladies are today's creations. Twelve down. Three to go. You can find the pattern here on my blog or at Ravelry.

WIP Wednesday

A pile of gnome body parts & flute cases waiting to be stitched up. Students are finishing their projects. A sign the end of the school year is near. A busy time for the handwork teacher in me.

More 2nd Grade Knitting

Another gnome finished. This one was made by a girl in my class & she requested it be a "girl gnome," so no beard. (While the students do all the knitting, I always sew them up.) I came up with the idea for shoelaces. Wish I had thought of that with the others. I will take it to her this afternoon. Spring has come to Richmond. Photos by Nathan.

Gnome Pattern

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 First Gnome

Can you believe it? I thought this project would take at least until Christmas to complete, but one student in my class has finished knitting her gnome already & others are going to follow quickly. The planets must be aligned to "knitting frenzy," because Nathan, too is starting to decrease the hat he is knitting (in the round on 4 double points) in 5th grade.

Yes, knit by a child who is seven years old. Isn't it amazing? We used yarn plant-dyed by Mama Jude & pretty knitting needles from Peace Fleece for the gnome. I sewed the gnome up for the child. It will be on her desk in the morning, just as I promised today - along with a little gemstone gift. He's about 12" tall. There were lots of seams since 2nd graders don't knit in the round yet. I stuffed him with wool batting.

My students are so creative. They actually suggested we should start knitting booties & hats for charity & I think we will do just that. They are hearing so many wonderful stories of human beings with saintly qualities this year, I think it's very fitting to take these images into the will-life.