gnome home

Another catch-up solstice post. I realize it is February. No one really wants to hear about the holidays at this time of year, so let's just call this a crafting post and leave it at that. This was my gift to Ari- a gnome home made with another of Katies's amazing patterns. It has been getting so much play around here.I had no idea how this would go over- you just never know with three-year-olds. But when Ari opened it he actually exclaimed "I always wanted one of these!" and set to playing with it straight away. I can't imagine he knew felted gnome houses existed, I certainly didn't before I came across the pattern, but could there be any nicer words to hear when your kiddo opens a gift you made just for them? I think not.

It is designed to look like a little cob cottage with a living roof, and it really does I think. I didn't get to embellishing it as much as the pattern called for- this was my late-night-before-solstice-morning project- but I am really pleased with it. I made one major blunder late that night and was sure for a few minutes that it was game over. I cut out the door upside down. My mind immediately started trying to think of what toys I had in the closet that I could pass of as handmade as there clearly was no time to start again. Knitting and felting another giant brown tube just was not going to happen starting at midnight on solstice night. But after flipping it over and fiddling a bit I figured out I could turn that ill-placed door into a window. A sort of knot-in-a-hollow-branch kind of window. And I am actually kind of fond of it now, though it does make the whole thing a bit floppier than it would otherwise be. But it has woodland charm, in a funny, floppy sort of way.
And the little people love it still. Hard even to take photos without someone making off with a knitted gnomie.

A couple details: the wooden gnomes in the second picture are from ZooLoo Naturals and are ever so sweet. The firepit I needle felted (early in my holiday crafting when this cottage was going to be just one small part of a whole elaborate playmat with a river and a farmyard...) and has since been picked apart by those sweet little hands pictured above. Not toddler friendly clearly. The knitted gnome is part of the gnome house pattern and knits up really fast. I love it and have about 6 more of them sitting unassembled in a bag in my studio. Maybe next solstice they will make an appearance.

I still have several other solstice crafts to share, but I am running out of steam. Maybe I'll just do one big post in the next few days and be done with it.

goodnight!

ETA: I just noticed on Ravelry that Katie is currently donating 100% of the profits of this Gnome Home pattern to Doctors without Borders for Haiti earthquake relief. I can't recommend her patterns highly enough.