woolly santa ornament

woolly gnome & mushroom pattern

I created this santa gnome ornament over the holidays and just love him!

I used the same Woolly Gnome & Mushroom pattern. As you can see he is smaller than my usual gnome, a perfect size for the tree or wreath. I hung him along with my matroyshka doll ornament on my dining room chandelier -- decked with pine boughs, little glass pine cones and ball ornaments.

This gnome santa is made using Cascade 220 fingering weight red yarn and size 5 dps. I needle felted a bigger nose and used embroidery thread for the eyes. I knit the gnome’s hat’s brim with the cream yarn and once felted, needle felted a decorative trim on to give the brim a fur-like look. The beard is needle felted wool roving. No feet on this gnome.

I also stuffed him with woolly stuffing so it would hold its shape longer. Plus the stuffing allowed me to needle felt it afterwards into desired shape. I love woolly stuffing for that little trick alone!

It would be cute with a white jingle bell on top too.

Happy Knitting!

Fun New Items!

'N is for Noel'

I just added a bunch of new pins, such as the set above, to my Etsy Shoppe. They are decorative pins used to adorn a favorite pin cushion or in my case, a favorite woolly item. These pins come from one of my favorite companies, Just Another Button Company.

Each set includes five pins. Each pin measures about 2-inches high (including pin) by 1/2-inch wide.

The pins are first created out of clay, built into canes and then reduced and cut into each individual shape resulting in precise consistency and detailing. They are sturdy and solid pins.

In the next several weeks, I want to show several ideas on how to use these pins on your own woolly projects adding that further whimsical detail. Stay tuned!

Happy knitting!