Gnomes Part Two

Gnomes! Gnomes! Gnomes!

Oh dear, I missed last week due to family obligations.  But here I am with gnomes from six shops in our Waldorf on Etsy Team.

Each post showcases handmade items from different countries, crafted from varied materials.  I also share the item on my Pinterest, Tumbler, Twitter and Facebook page.  Where possible I have included social media links for the artist/crafter.

To change things up a bit next week will feature animals from shops in different countries crafted in a variety of ways.

Basil the Gnome from Hillcountry Dollmaker

Joyce in Texas, USA makes a wonderful variety of large dolls -pirates, mermaids, storybook characters, and animals-elephants, dragons and bears to name a few.  Click to find her on Facebook.

She writes about her gnome: "Although most at home in a garden, Hillcountry Dollmaker gnomes have a fondness for humans and would love to live with a compatible family. Just under 11" tall, body is made of hand dyed cotton velour, he has beard of goat locks, embroidered face. He is wearing a wool felt tunic hand dyed in hues of blue with embroidered details. This is a custom listing and you may choose eye color, skin tone and clothing colors for your special friend. Also, check out my girl gnome Marjoram, who is available in another listing."

Seed Pod Gnomes from Koester Kindje

Margriet from the Netherlands is imaginative in creating gnomes and accessories for them. She writes "My passion is designing and creating jewelry and making fairy tale figures out of wool, wood and silk.  I design one-of-a-kind and limited edition pieces, all handcrafted with attention to detail and quality.  Everything I make is close to my heart. "  

Find her on Facebook.

Gnome Play mats from The Pot of Gold

Kitty Moore from Germany is a needlefelter inspired by "folklore, legends, fairy tales, storybooks and nature. ". 

She writes " This play mat is double the fun because it is reversible!  Side 1: Has a green field with a border of multicolored flowers. There is a duck pond and 3 little toadstools.Side 2: Is the forest. Here there is a stream with stepping stones, an evergreen tree plus more flowers and toadstools.  I needle felted this play mat with Merino wool, so it is super soft."

Felt Pocket Dolls from Domus Lodus 

Sunchuko from Croatia has colorful gnomes and crocheted items in her shop.  

"I am a Waldorf inspired crafter,always trying out new crafts,materials and techniques, but always prefer natural materials."

Gnome House and Gnome Peg Dolls from Green Mountain Wee Woolies

Valarie Mazzarella from Vermont, USA works with wool from her Romany sheep.  Click for her Facebook page.

She describes her beautiful listing: "An adorable felted wool home for your gnomes. Gnome home has been knit from wool yarn and then felted, roof comes off. Inside each home you will find three wood gnomes, dressed in a crochet wool outfit. House measures 7” tall, 12” around. Gnomes measure 2 1/2” tall.  Toys crafted of materials like wood, wool, silk and cotton connects our children with the natural world and encourages creative and imaginative play."

Rainbow Girl Gnomes from Gnome Werks

Danyal Boyd of Oregon, USA paints peg doll animals and figures.  Follow her on Instagram and Facebook. 

"Rainbow Girl Gnomes, available here as a full set of 6- Each gnome wears a hand embroidered wool felt cap that has been stuffed with wool batting, making for a very sturdy and cozy gnome! These adorable gnomes are painted in all the beautiful colors of the rainbow with non toxic watercolors, and sealed with a non toxic acrylic sealer for added gnome protection. Each gnome has its very own facial features, drawn with a wood burning tool, making for a lovely and unique set of gnomes."

Check out the Waldorf on Etsy Team Shop

And on Facebook

and Pinterest

and Instagram

Knitting with Children

Learn to Knit with Your Kids

By Brenda Massei of Pail & Pie

 ziezo Designs

At a local outdoor trades fair my boys and I saw a woman dyeing and drying wool yarn. Her skeins looked like drying pasta on handmade racks and drew us in. Naturally, I started asking her about her yarn and then steered our conversation towards knitting, a favorite pastime of mine. She pointed to my sons, then ages six and four, and said, "How old are they? On the prairie, that one (pointing to my six year old) would be knitting his own socks or he would have cold feet." My son looked at me and I at him in disbelief. Hand knit socks by children? She had my attention.

Hand Knit Socks by Stitch & Purl

Beyond having warm toes on the prairie, knitting has many other lifelong benefits. Waldorf schools have children knitting at the first grade level citing benefits such as focus, concentration, left to right progression pre-reading skills, fine motor skill development, delayed gratification, and confidence building. Ruldolph Steiner said children should knit because it was working on their minds. Children must problem solve, pay attention, and form judgments while knitting. He believed that repeat movements created stronger mental connections, linking a child's thinking to his fingertips. Knitting learned as a child can be carried on through adulthood and has been cited as providing health benefits like lowered blood pressure and chasing away depression.  A little while after I was inspired by the yarn dyer, my six year old son learned to knit, to both of our delight. 

Hand Knit Hackey Sack by Girl Power
Simple ways you can get started knitting with your children:
1. Contact your local senior center.

A mother in our homeschool group had this great idea. Knitters love to share knitting and seniors love to see children. She has learned to knit alongside her son at the local seniors center through weekly social knitting.

2. Visit the local yarn shop.

Most local yarn shops have classes, some free, on beginning knitting. It's good business for them to teach you, so take advantage of it.

3. Search your library.

Perhaps you aren't ready to "sign up" for classes, but are interested in learning at home. Search your local library for books and DVDs on knitting. Ask your librarian to order in a specific book or DVD if they don't have it on their shelf, they almost always can.

4. Browse.

Youtube.com has many tutorials on how to knit. It can be helpful to have the ability to pause and repeat. 

 Hand Knit Wool Barn Bag by Pail and Pie

5. Call Your Local Waldorf School.

Chances are very good that someone who works at the Waldorf school knows how to knit. A simple phone call could yield more information or connections, if not lessons.

6. Check out Ravelry.com.

This website is dedicated to bringing "ravelers" together. Click on the "groups" button at the top bar and find local knitters. Contact them through the site for more ideas on knitting.

7.  Ask.

In conversations with the neighbors mention you would like to learn to knit. I always appreciate my friends as amazing resources. At the mere mention of a topic there is usually someone who can chime in. Perhaps the neighbor's mother knits or perhaps she just saw a free class at the library you missed. You never know unless you ask.

ziezo Designs

Simple ways to share knitting with your children if you already know how to knit.

Pink Pixie Hat by Stitch & Purl 

1. Knit.

It may sound silly, but just letting your child see you knit is a good way to introduce them to it. Your enthusiasm for a hobby can become enthusiasm for them. When they ask if they can try, take advantage.

2. When showing your child the knit stitch teach them this rhyme:

In through the front door

Come around the back

Out through the window

And off jumps Jack.

3. Find simple patterns.

Waldorf patterns are amazing for their ability to turn squares into the sweetest little animals. Some books to try are Kids Knitting by Melanie Falick, A First Book of Knitting for Children by Bonnie Gosse and Jill Allerton and Creative Play for Your Toddler: Steiner Waldorf Expertise and Toy Projects for 2-4s by Christopher Cloud.

4. Be Patient.

Knitting can be confusing and challenging. I have a niece desperate to learn but having trouble with it. We just try it sometimes and leave it alone other days.

Hand Knit Woodland Garland by Pail and Pie

5. Try different things.

If you knit, you have different needles and yarn around. My son learned on very large needles with thick yarn. Others have said their children have learned on small needles. Everyone is different. You can experiment and see what your child has the most success with.

6. Guide their hands.

My younger son holds the needles while I knit. He tells me he's knitting with me. I have held, guided, and showed him the process while knitting my projects.

7. Try finger knitting.

If knitting is not working out for you, don't despair. Try finger knitting or crochet. The repetitive motions are beneficial no matter how you stitch it.

Hand Knit Doll by Girl Power
 Let us know how you learned!

Thanks to these sites for their articles on the benefits of knitting: 

"InThis First Grade, Knitting and Stories are the Focus." WBEZ Blog. Linda Lutton. May 31, 2012.  

"Knittingand Crochet Offer Long-term Health Benefits." PRLOG. Editor Caley Walsh. Feb. 9, 2009.

"WhyTeach Knit and Crochet?." Craft Yarn Council.com.

"Will-developedIntelligence: Knitting Begets Thinking." Marijke McCartney. 

Make Your Own Handmade Knitting Needles ziezo Crafting and Living in Kenya blog

A special thank you to Brenda Massei for this post!

 Please visit her Waldorf on Etsy shop:  of Pail and Pie

as well as visit her blog:  Pioneer Kids

Hand Knit Purse by Joyous Crafts