Gnomes at Home!

"The gnomes, particularly from autumn on and through the winter, in their wanderings through ore and rock, bear with them what has trickled down to them through the plants.  They are the beings within the earth which carry the ideas of the whole universe on their streaming, wandering journey through the earth."  -- Rudolf Steiner, Harmony of the Creative Word.

Gnomes have been visiting our home lately.  So lucky!

Wilson Gnome

Hat pattern is available in our Etsy shop.  It's Tunisian-crocheted and very easy to make!  Wilson loves to wear this hat during the cold mornings.

Joey Gnome

A variation on our hat pattern.  Joey and Mommy share this hat which features the Tunisian simple stitch and knit stitch.  This also makes a cute baby hat!

Garden Gnome

A gift from Grandma and Grandpa.  Haven't see any slugs eating the veggies since he arrived!  Our garden protector.

Morrie Gnome

Wilson's 8th grade buddy Morrie, at Davis Waldorf School, knitted this beautiful gnome and blanket for him.  Wilson named the gnome "Morrie".  She likes to watch Wilson knit on the couch.

A wonderful article on Biodynamic Gardening, gnomes and composting can be found in this month's Lilipoh magazine.  Hopefully the gnomes are enjoying our compost pile!

Making a Hat and Shrug from a Cashmere Sweater

What to do with our favorite sweaters that not longer fit or have holes?  Felt them and turn them into new clothes!

Directions
1.  Wash your sweater in the machine with hot water.  Leave a pair of jeans inside to help the fibers felt well.  Dry in the dryer.


2.  Lay your sweater on the floor.  Look at where the seams are, and if there are any holes that need to be worked around.


3.  For a hat, the ribbed bottom will become the headband of the hat.  If you are making this for a child, measure the circumference of the head where the headband of the hat would hit. Make the width an inch larger than this.


4. Cut the hat piece from the back or front of the sweater.  In this picture, we chose the back because the front had a pocket on it.  Always make the first 4 inches or so straight, and then curve (or upward to a point for a gnome hat) as you cut.  Better to cut it too big and sew/trim down later.

 
















5.  Sew inside out, creating the shape of the hat that suits you.

6.  For a shrug, cut the front and back up to where the arms begin.  Be careful not to cut the seams that hold the arms together.  In this picture, our sweater has a hood, but you can make a shrug without a hood.  Or, you can sew on a fabric hood if your sweater doesn't have one.  Turn cut ends under and sew or surge.

 
Now, make some lavender/cedarwood sachets and put them with your new items to prevent more holes from appearing!  Keep the extra cut scraps to make doll clothes, finger puppets, felted balls or cat toys.

Crocheting

There's been a lot of crocheting going on this week!

Joey crocheted a "walker cozy" for her great-grandmother's walker. It can tie around any of the poles or handles to make it look pretty and unique.

Mommy finished up a custom order of fingerless gloves and a hat for a customer. The pattern (it's easy!) is available in our Etsy shop and our fiber arts webstore.

Mommy is teaching a Tunisian Crochet workshop at Babetta's Yarn Cafe in Fair Oaks, CA on 9/13/09 from 11-2. She loves teaching classes!

The boys are busy spinning and knitting....more to come on their knitting projects!