The New Gnome is a fairly simple seamless and quick little knit packed with a lot of charm. I love these pint-size characters to no end. They are fun to knit, delightful to gift, and best of all the New Gnomes are guaranteed to bring a smile.
The New Gnome is worked seamlessly from the bottom-up in the round all the way to the top of the head. The nose bobble is worked in as you go. The arms with mittens are picked up around place marker purl bumps and then worked in the round from the top-down. The knit beard is picked up and worked flat, back and forth, in garter stitch. The curly beard is made with mohair locks pulled through the stitches with a yarn needle. The hat is worked seamlessly from the bottom-up in the round, finished off with an i-cord that is knotted.
Finished Measurement
About 9 1/2-inches tall including the knotted i-cord at the top of the hat
Yarn
Wisconsin Woolen Spun Sport Weight by Barrett Wool Co. (100% American wool). Amounts needed are listed below by the samples in the photos. One 50-gram skein of sport weight yarn in each of the colorways would yield many gnomes by switching the colors around.
Colorways Used for Samples:
Sample 1 (gray and red striped body, knit white beard and head, red mittens, dark green hat): Jam (red), Rain Shower (light heathered gray), Birch (creamy white), Pine Tree (forest green)
Sample 2 (blue and white striped body, brown head, gray beard, light green hat and mittens): Dungarees (blue), Birch (creamy white), Rain Shower (light heathered gray), Laurel (mossy green), and the brown used for the head and nose is our Woolens sport weight in the colorway Earthen
Sample 3 (light green and dark green striped body, white head, mohair locks beard, red hat and mittens): Laurel (mossy green), Pine Tree (dark green), Birch (creamy white), Jam (red)
Approximate amounts of yarn in grams used for one New Gnome:
Body and Arms: 7 grams used
Head and Nose: 2 grams used
Hat: 7 grams used
Beard: 2 grams used
Needles
Gnome Body and Head: US size 3 / 3.25mm double-pointed needles, set of 4, or size to obtain gauge.
Arms, Mittens, Beard, and Hat: US size 5 / 3.75mm double-pointed needles, set of 4, or size to obtain gauge.
Gauge
7 stitches per inch in stockinette stitch on the smaller size needles
6 stitches per inch in stockinette stitch on the larger size needles
Materials
Yarn needle
Locking stitch markers
Scissors
Fiberfill
Poly-pellets - Poly-pellets are considered a choking hazard for infants and young children. If this is a concern leave the pellets out and only use fiberfill.
Optional: Mohair locks for the beard