Pattern: Jultomtar & Teeny Tomten by Alan Dart
Yarn: SRK Northern Sport and some fun fur
Needle Size: US 2 (2.75 mm)
Modifications: After knitting a first gnome (the blue one in the background) as written - knit flat and seamed - a few weeks ago, I determined to convert as much as possible to knit in the round. In this second gnome (the green one in the foreground), the head and body are knit entirely in the round, as are the hat and nose. For the feet and legs, I knit the feet as tubes in the round and then added an afterthought leg. The arms were knit in the round but the mitten hands were knit flat and seamed. Also, following tips from the project notes of other Ravelers, the beard was knit with Fun Fur held double.
Comments:
Well, that was waaaay easier. Finishing took about a half hour and was easy peasy. This pattern should definitely be knit in the round as much as possible. I still have to add the twirl to the top of his hat, but it's a messy business - twisting and pinning, and spraying with Stiffen Stuff - so I'm gonna wait until I've got a few more gnomes ready and do them all at once.
Holding the Fun Fur double for the beard was painful, and the resulting beard isn't as supple as the original one. Of course, the Fun Fur I'm using isn't the one the pattern calls for - so that might be the difference - but this particular mod wasn't worthwhile for me.
For my feet I increased to 24 sts, but my feet came out pretty chunky. Next time I'll stop increasing at 18sts. Otherwise, the legs worked out perfectly. Also, this time round I used less stuffing at the top of the legs, so they're a bit floppier. He still sits fine, but now his legs straighten out to dangle below him when you pick him up. I think that's better.
The pattern designer makes particular mention that the pattern as written includes additional stitches which will be taken up with mattress stitching. Based on that I expected gnome no2 to finish larger than gnome no1, but not so. The second gnome is actually shorter. Maybe that's because my row gauge is so much tighter when just knitting in the round, compared to knitting and purling back and forth? Weird, huh?
Well that's it for me today. I'll be knitting a few more gnomes over the next few weeks; that is, when I'm not making Christmas soaps, which seems to be my new obsession. It's a sunny autumn Friday - have a great one. And make sure to check out all the other finished awesomeness at Tami's Amis!
14 comments:
Looks like You have these gnomes down to a science and they are adorable. Love the colors You've chosen also !
Great work, your gnomes are well made and I think their feet look super cute.
Hope you will have a lovely weekend!
I am just in love with these little fellas! They are so darn cute. :)
I'm so impressed with your gnomes ~ they're delightful.
I love them both! :-)
Your little gnomes are adorable. I'm in awe of how you figured out all that changing for circular knitting.
Oh gosh ... fun fur. That is some painful stuff to knit with. Makes me wince just thinking about it! The gnomes are adorable, and if you have a trick for knitting with fun fur please share!
Ah, you are so very clever. Love the second gnome!
Super cute x
Awesome job, Lynn. Great how you converted what you can to the round.
So fun! Great job modifying the pattern. The less finishing work required, the better.
They are so cute! I definitely have to make one this year!
These two guys are great! :-)
Love the "Bigfoot" gnome:)
Excellent mods.
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