Waldorf Inspired

The children in The Thicket always look forward to the approaching summer months. This means the days themselves grow like weeds, with more hours of daylight allowing for more hours of fun. But this also means, that at the close of the day, the wee ones are often allowed to sit around the campfire with their elders, and hear tales as old as The Thicket itself. There are tales of extreme heroics, tales of warning, tales of wild shenanigans, and their very favorite, tales of the unexplained, and often spooky, happenings in The Thicket. Often they fall asleep while listening and mysteriously find themselves safely tucked in their beds come the morning.

Making your own campfire is very easy and an important mainstay in the life of your gnome.

WARNING: There are small pieces in this project which can be a choking hazard. Not for children under 3 years of age or children that are likely to place small objects in their mouth.

Materials:
1/8" Masonite or dense cardboard
small pebbles
little twigs
raffia, small wood shavings, or dried grass
red food coloring
crafting glue

1] Cut out a 4" circle from 1/8" Masonite using a scroll saw or by hand with a coping saw. You may also use thick cardboard. It must to dense enough to support the weight of the rocks.

2] Place a thick bead of crafting glue around the edge of the circle. Note: I originally used hot glue but the pebbles fell off over time. I found the crafting glue held them in place much better.

3] Fit a ring of pebbles in the glue, pressing them in place. Add additional glue around the rocks to insure a tight connection. The glue will dry clear.



4] When the rocks have thoroughly dried, cover the entire bottom of the circle with glue.

5] Sprinkle coffee grounds on the glue, making sure you have good coverage. Let dry. When dry, turn the campfire over and gently shake to remove loose grounds.

6] Build a fire by breaking thin twigs to size. Generously use crafting glue to hold together.




7] Before the glue dries, cut grass, wood shavings or raffia into small pieces and dye with red food coloring to make flames.


8] Sprinkle "flames" on campfire. They will adhere to the wet glue.

9] When the glue has thoroughly dried, turn it upside down and gently shake to remove loose flames. You are now ready to gather the gnomes around the campfire and begin spinning tales!

If you haven't done it already, it's time to get your gnome home ready for the warm days of spring and summer. Below are some of our past gnomey spring things. Just click on the picture to take you to the tutorials. I have a few other warm weather accents I'll be adding soon!

Felt Flower Garland

Flower Fairies

Flower Fairy Carpet

Spring Gnome Sleeping Bag

Spring Rag Rug

Waldorf Style Gnomes

Wooden Apple Orchard

Crocheted Rugs

I have always been fascinated by unique collective nouns. For instance, did you know a group of mice is called a "mischief"? Sounds about right, doesn't it?  Or that dolphins travel in pods? Other names are band, horde, tribe, and coalition. (For a bunch of animal collective nouns, check out this list.) When I went to post this tutorial, I began to wonder what I should call a gathering of gnomes. Since nothing brilliant or witty came to me, I settled for a Cluster of Gnomes. Any ideas?

EDIT: One of our readers, Cami, suggested calling a group of gnomes a Whimsy of gnomes. I love the idea so much, from now on I will always referring to a group of gnomes as a "whimsy". Thanks Cami!!!

Here is the hat pattern that will allow you to turn our Basic Knit Dolls into Gnomes. The pattern can be found HERE. Decide which size doll you would like to make and follow the directions. 
 

3" dolly
4" baby
5" toddler
8" child
10" mother
12" father

Make sure you read about gauge, materials and stitches. When you have completed the doll, use the directions below to knit and attach the gnomey hat.  The 3 dolls in the photo at the top of this tutorial are the 5" toddler. The lone green gnome at the bottom is the 8" child. Directions are given for the 3" doll with sizes 4", 5", 8", 10" and 12" in parentheses. The gnome pictured in the directions is the 8" child.

Using size 6 needles, or a size that obtains the gauge, cast on 10 (15, 20, 30, 40, 50) leaving an 18" tail for sewing.

Working in a stockinette stitch (knit one row, purl one row) knit 2 (4, 6, 6, 8, 8) rows for hat rim.

Odd rows: (the right side) Knit 2 together. Knit across the row to the last 2 stitches. Knit 2 together.

Even rows:  (the wrong side) Purl.

Continue until you have 1 stitch left on your needle. Clip the yarn leaving an 18" tail for sewing and pull it through the last loop .  

Pin the side seams together, with the wrong sides together.

Beginning at the top of the hat, sew the side seam using the yarn tail at the top of the hat. Catch only I piece of yarn on either seam.

Gently pull the yarn on the first few stitches causing the top of the hat to curl.

Continue sewing the seam. Tie off and clip the yarn.

Lightly stuff the hat with fiberfill. You just want enough fiberfill to prevent the sides from caving in. Do not overfill or it will look like a clown's hat.

Before beginning to sew the hat to the gnome, on the inside, weave the yarn tail along the seam up 2 (4, 6, 6, 8, 8) rows. Poke the needle through to the outside.

Note: You will be sewing the hat to the gnome several rows above the hat edge. When you are done sewing on the hat, you will roll the rim upward. When positioning the hat on the gnome, remember that the first several rows will be rolled. Take that into account when deciding on placement.

Position the hat on the gnome so that the beginning of the hat, excluded the rows of rim, are touching the gnome's body in the back. Make sure the body and hat seams are lined up.

Slant the hat at a pleasing angle, remembering that part of the hat will be rolled up. Pin in place.

Sew the hat to the gnome using a running stitch. This stitch should be 2 (4, 6, 6, 8, 8) rows up from the bottom edge of the hat. You should go in and out of each stitch, making sure to catch the head beneath.

When the hat has been attached, tie off and clip the yarn.

Gently roll up the rim. It will stay in place without sewing it down.

Three selfish frogs learn a valuable lesson about sharing from a toad and a very scary thunderstorm in Leo Lionni's It's Mine. I created the pattern for the Water Lily and the Lily Pads to extend the story but you can certainly use these for decorating or adding to a nature table. I made 3 lily pads and 1 water lily and laid them on a blue play silk, but you can make enough lily pads to cover an entire pond :) These have become a favorite with the grandbabies. Enjoy! 

LILY PADS

Materials:
green felt
embroidery floss
It's Mine Pattern (pattern includes lily pads for felt and  frog and toad for wood)

Directions:
1] Print the It's Mine Pattern.

2] Cut out 2 pieces for each lily pad. I made 3 lily pads using 2 different greens. (How to Cut Out Felt)

3] Using a blanket stitch, sew the 2 pieces of lily pads together using a blanket stitch.

WATER LILIES

Materials:
white/off white roving
embroidery floss
balls for wrapping 2", 3", 4"

NOTE: I planned to make 3 layers of petals, thus I used 3 balls. When I was done, I felt the water lily was too big for my project, so I wound up using only 2 balls; the 2" and the 3". The more you use though, the fuller the flower will be.

1] Choose the balls you are going to felt over. Think graduated sizes.

2] Follow steps 1 - 10 of our Felted Eggs for general directions on how to felt around a form. Note: I LOVE to hand felt in water. If you prefer, you can felt in the washing machine.

3] Using string or yarn, wrap the string around the ball, dividing it into 8 equal sections.

4] Using a disappearing marker, mark along each string from the top down about 2/3 the way.

5] Remove the string.

6] Using very sharp scissors, cut along each mark. Remember, do not cut the bottom third of the flower.

7] Using a fingertip or thin rag, dip in water and gently tap petal edges removing disappearing ink.

8] When you have cut your petals, place the smaller one inside of the larger one. (If using 3 sizes, place the small and medium petal in the large petal.)

9] French knot the 2 or 3 petals together using 6 strands of floss. Make one French Knot in the middle of the bottom, and 6 more knots circling the center knot.

To display:
Arrange the 3 lily pads in a circle and place the water lily in the middle.

The other day we shared our pattern for the Basic Knit Doll Pattern. It has become an overnight success! I think the reason is twofold. First, it has the potential to be utilized in many ways, and second, it is lovable in its unadorned, simple state. I love gazing at the faceless, hairless doll and trust me, it even looks lovelier when cuddled by a cherub faced child! I then got to thinking (which usually winds up costing me time, if not money) how adorable this sweet little baby doll would look embroidered or appliqued on something, thus the birth of the Basic Doll Applique Block.

As with all of our blocks, it was designed to fit on a 6" x 6" block, but it can be reduced or enlarged to meet your needs. Think bibs... onesies... t-shirts... or what I'm considering, the center block of a baby quilt. And like the Basic Knit Doll, this applique can be embellished with a face, hair or clothes. And, of course, you can make them in multiple sizes to create a whole family. The pattern for the Basic Doll Applique can be found HERE or with our FREE Applique Patterns. Enjoy! 

Few things bring more joy to a child than snuggling with their special doll. We have created a basic doll pattern in 6 sizes: 12", 10", 8", 5", 4", and 3", enough to create a whole family or village. THIS IS OUR BASIC KNIT DOLL PATTERN. Over time we will be using this basic pattern to make many different dolls. When we do, we will refer you back to this pattern, and share alterations, embellishments, and perhaps a story or two :)

Special Note: As I posted yesterday, we just lost our dog, Scully. I've been working on these patterns with a heavy heart and often a clouded brain. PLEASE let me know if you find ANYTHING that is wrong or doesn't make sense. Thanks.


Below are the general directions for making knit dolls. As time goes on we will share many different projects that begin with this basic doll pattern. The directions are for 6 sizes. First, there are directions for the four larger dolls:

5" toddler
8" child
10" mother
12" father

Then, there is another set of directions for making:
4" baby
3" dolly

Stitches:
You can chose to knit the bodies and arms in a garter stitch (knit every row) or a stockinette stitch (knit 1 row, purl 1 row). The garter stitch produces horizontal lines and creates a nubbier surface.

The stockinette stitch creates vertical lines and a smoother surface.

Just like clothing, the horizontal lines of the garter stitch tends to make the dolls look plumper, whereas the stockinette stitch with its vertical lines, makes the dolls appear thinner. It is all a matter of choice. ALL FACES should be knit in the stockinette stitch. 

Materials:
These dolls should be knit using worsted weight yarn. I prefer to use 100% wool because it stands up to play better than acrylics which tend to ball up over time. Because dolls will be played with by children, they will need cleaning from time to time. Wool will felt and shrink but I found if you stuff the dolls with an acrylic fiberfill instead of wool roving, they will not flatten out, and they will maintain their shape. I found I could wash a doll in with my normal wash (cold wash, cold rinse) and even tumble dry on warm, with minimal shrinkage. Note: The stockinette stitch will felt and shrink a bit more than the garter stitch. 

Needles:
Size 6 needles or needles that fit the gauge.

Gauge:
22 stitches and 28 rows = 4" square in stockinette stitch

IMPORTANT: Leave long yarn tails (12" - 18" depending on the size of the doll) when you cast on or when you cut yarns. These will be used for sewing up the dolls.

DIRECTIONS FOR TODDLER, CHILD, MOTHER AND FATHER DOLLS

Directions are written for the 5" doll. Additional sizes are in parentheses as follows: 5" (8", 10", 12")

Leg 1:
Loosely cast on 10 (15, 20, 25) stitches.
Work in garter stitch or stockinette stitch for 10 (16, 20, 26) rows.
Do not bind off but cut the yarn.

Leg 2: 
Slide the first leg to the back of the needle, and loosely cast on 10 (15, 20, 25) stitches.
Complete as you did for the first leg but DO NOT cut the yarn.

Body:
Slide the two legs together. You will now have 20 (30, 40, 50) stitches.
Knit across the row, treating the 2 separate legs as one. This will create the body.  

Continue working in your pattern for 16 (24, 32, 40) rows.

Cut yarn.

Head:
Switch to head color.
Work in stockinette stitch for 10 (16, 20, 26) rows.

DO NOT bind off.
Cut thread.
Thread the end through a yarn needle. Slide the needle through each stitch as you remove them from the knitting needle. Later, this will be pulled tight to gather the stitches.

Sew Doll Together:
Thread a yarn tail at the bottom of a leg and sew a close running stitch across the bottom of a leg.

Pull the thread tight, gathering the leg edge. Tie off but do not cut yarn.

With right sides together, sew up the inseam. Tie off this yarn tail with the yarn tail that is at the crotch. DO NOT CUT THIS YARN. Weave in the yarn tail that you used to sew the inseam and clip.Do the same for the other leg.

Use the yarn tail at the crotch to sew up the back of the body. Tie it off with the matching yarn tail where the body meets the head. Weave in this yarn tail and clip. Leave the other body yarn tail long.

Using the head yarn tail at the base of the neck, sew up the back of the head. Tie off this yarn and weave in the tail and clip. Turn the doll right side out. Using a yarn needle, pass the remaining long body yarn tail that is at the neckline from in inside of the doll to the outside. This will be used later to form the head.

Stuff the doll.

Pull the yarn tail at the top of the head that was slipped through the stitches. By pulling it tightly, you will gather the top of the doll's head. The knit head should be wrinkle free. If you have wrinkles around the top of the head, try adding a little more stuffing. When satisfied, tie it off. Note: On the larger dolls you might create a "hole" in the top of the head. If so, simply sew the hole closed by making little stitches across the hole.

Tie off the thread, and work it into the doll. Clip. 

Forming head:
To form the head, thread the body yarn tail remaining at the nape of the neck. Using a running stitch, go in and out of every stitch all around the neck.

When you've gone all around, pull the thread firmly to create a neck. When you are pleased with the shape of the head and neck, tie off the yarn, and work the thread into the doll and clip the thread.

Arms:
Using the body yarn, loosely cast on 8 (12, 16, 20) stitches.
Work in garter stitch or stockinette stitch for 12 (18, 24, 30) rows.

DO NOT bind off.
Cut thread.
Thread the end through a yarn needle. Slide the needle through each stitch as you remove them from the knitting needle.

Pull the thread tight, gathering the arm edge. Tie off but do not cut yarn.

With right sides together, sew up the inseam of the arm. Tie off this yarn tail with the yarn tail at the top of the arm. DO NOT cut the arm tail at the top of the arm. Weave in the yarn tail that you sewed the seam with and clip.

Stuff the arm.

Position the arm 1 or 2 rows below the neckline, with the arm seam against the body. The arms should be at the dolls sides but slightly towards the front of the doll.

Stitch the arm to the doll. Since young children might decide to chew on an arm, I always double sew an arm on for extra safety.

Make the second arm in the manner described above and attach.

DIRECTIONS FOR DOLLY AND INFANT DOLLS Note: Read all the general directions at the top of the page concerning materials, needles, gauges, stitches and yarn tail lengths. Because these are knit and sewn together in the same fashion as the larger dolls, refer to those pictures if you need clarification.

Directions are written for the 3" doll. Additional size is in parentheses: 3" (4")

Body:
Loosely cast on 10 (15) stitches.
Work in garter stitch or stockinette stitch for 14 (18) rows.
Cut the yarn.

Head:
Switch to head color.
Work in stockinette stitch for 6 (10) rows.
DO NOT bind off.
Cut thread.
Thread the end of the yarn tail through a yarn needle. Slide the needle through each stitch as you remove them from the knitting needle. Later, this will be pulled tight to gather the stitches.

Sew Doll Together:
Thread a yarn tail at the bottom of the body and sew a close running stitch across the bottom edge.

Pull the thread tight, gathering the bottom edge. Tie off but do not cut yarn.

With right sides together, sew the seam until you reach the head. Tie off this yarn tail with the yarn tail that is at the neck. DO NOT CUT THIS YARN. Weave in the yarn tail that you used to sew the seam and clip.

Using the head yarn tail at the base of the neck, sew up the back of the head. Tie off this yarn and weave in the tail and clip. Turn the doll right side out. Using a yarn needle, pass the remaining long body yarn tail that is at the neckline from in inside of the doll to the outside. This will be used later to form the head.

Stuff the doll.

Pull the yarn tail at the top of the head that was slipped through the stitches. By pulling it tightly, you will gather the top of the doll's head. The knit head should be wrinkle free. If you have wrinkles around the top of the head, try adding a little more stuffing. When satisfied, tie it off. Note: On the larger dolls you might create a "hole" in the top of the head. If so, simply sew the hole closed by making little stitches across the hole.

Tie off the thread, and work it into the doll. Clip.

Forming head:
To form the head, thread the body yarn tail remaining at the nape of the neck. Using a running stitch, go in and out of every stitch all around the neck.

When you've gone all around, pull the thread firmly to create a neck. When you are pleased with the shape of the head and neck, tie off the yarn, and work the thread into the doll and clip the thread.

No Arms - I made the infant and dolly without arms to look like they are swaddled.

Few things bring more joy to a child than snuggling with their special doll. We have created a basic doll pattern in 6 sizes: 12", 10", 8", 5", 4", and 3", enough to create a whole family or village. THIS IS OUR BASIC KNIT DOLL PATTERN. Over time we will be using this basic pattern to make many different dolls. When we do, we will refer you back to this pattern, and share alterations, embellishments, and perhaps a story or two :) 

Instructions for the Basic Knit Doll Pattern can be found HERE or with our FREE Patterns. Enjoy!

Special Note: As I posted yesterday, we just lost our dog, Scully. I've been working on these patterns with a heavy heart and often a clouded brain. PLEASE let me know if you find ANYTHING that is wrong or doesn't make sense. Thanks. 

As a child, it never failed, when you returned to school after any break or vacation, your teacher was sure to say, "I would like you to write an essay titled, "What I did on my vacation". This was usually followed by a collective groan, except for Margo. Margo was the class know-it-all who actually enjoyed homework. As a matter of fact, when you asked Margo what she did do on her vacation, her list usually included writing an essay on what she did on her vacation. She liked to get a jump on things. For the rest of us, this task was tedious enough to ALMOST make us wish we hadn't gone on vacation in the first place!

So, here I am, back from vacation, feeling like I should be writing on essay on What I Did on Spring Break. Well, lucky for me, no one is grading this, and although it will take me a few days to get back into my normal routine, I'm actually excited to share my adventures... at least my crafting adventures. So, here goes...

For some time now, Michelle and I have been talking about creating an all purpose doll pattern. Just a basic pattern in multiple sizes, that can be adorned in various ways to meet our needs. I spent the week pouring through my old patterns and books, visiting many websites, and unraveling many unsatisfying attempts. Finally, I put together an easy, very versatile pattern, that can be used in many ways, and can be made in many sizes. (The largest size is still on my needles, so it is not pictured!)

We begin with the basic doll:

You can add a little hair:

You can add gnome hats:

You can even make them removable clothing:

Over the next few months, we will start with the basic doll pattern, and share many variations. We will be making clothing, adding faces to some, and all sorts of fun hairdos. We will even be turning them into some animals! Tomorrow I will share the basic pattern that can be used to make:

Daddy - 12"
Mommy - 10"
Child - 8"
Toddler - 5"
Baby - 4"
Dolly - 3" 

So, there you have it... my crafty doings over break! Hope everyone had a lovely week, missed you all, and it's nice to be back! 
 

 

EDIT: This posting was originally published March 9, 2009, but I thought it was worth moving to the top of the blog again! The kids loved these, and it is a project quite easy for children that are comfortable with a needle and thread to do. Make a dozen decorated for Easter, and a dozen for the play kitchen. 

This is the last egg project of the week. If you're not into making eggs out of roving, then try some of these Traditional Felt Eggs. VERY easy to make. Copy the pattern then you simply take 2 egg pieces, blanket stitch them together, leave an opening at the bottom, stuff and finish blanket stitching them closed. You can leave them plain or add embroidery or fabric paint to decorate. I did a combination. Although you can paint or embroider the eggs before you stitch them together, if you want a uniform pattern around the egg, wait until after it has been stuffed. The pattern includes 2 different sized eggs. The smaller eggs will fit in a standard egg carton. Perfect size if you'd like to make a dozen white or brown eggs for the play kitchen! There are no additional directions since it is very straightforward, but the pattern is available in the FREE Open Pattern section. Enjoy!

FYI... If you can't tell from the photo you are either being very kind or I did a remarkable job of camouflaging... I really am puff paint challenged! I always felt like my embroidery flowed like paint... thank goodness I was wrong! I was all thumbs as I tried to transfer my mental image to the eggs. So... there are smudges here and blobs there. Alas, not perfect, but the colors are still lovely, right? And if you squint your eyes just a wee bit, you can hardly notice the imperfections. Ah, we all need to be humbled occasionally!

In another life I must have been a man, because I hate to stop and ask for directions... (I'm never lost, I always know where I am... in my car!) and I insist on trying to figure things out for myself before I turn to instructions. So, the other day, when I put our new loom together, I decided to dig right in. Sure, next week there will be a stack of weaving books on my nightstand, but for right now, I just want to touch and feel and experiment. Later, I'll learn technique and truly appreciate the advice of experienced weavers. But right now... it's all about sensations.

We bought a simple table top loom... very suitable for children. I can't use any technical terms yet, because I don't know them, but suffice to say, Michelle and I successfully strung the loom (see what I mean... I have no idea of what the correct terminology is) and set to weaving. I am sure we are doing many things wrong... like, do you start the weaving right at the bottom, or do you leave space? And what is the best way to stop and start new fibers? There will be time to answer all those questions. For the time being, this is about process, not product.

The kids weren't very interested in the loom construction. The girls were off playing with their spoon dolls, and Bug was somewhere saving the world. So, I sat down and started weaving. I brought down a stash of weaving yarn I had received by mistake many, many years ago (I have a blog written about THAT already) but after making several passes back and forth, and squinting to check my work, Michelle disappeared. She returned with a large ball of extra chunky yarn. "Here", she said, "try this."

WOW! With a few more passes I felt like I was on my way. Okay... so I'm often about immediate gratification and this chunky yarn gave me a feeling of accomplishment. Thank you, Michelle! About this time, Fairy and Pixie came into the room with their entourage of spoon dolls. Fairy watched me make a couple passes, them promptly climbed on my lap and wanted to give it a go! She immediately fell in love with weaving! Her fingers worked the threads adeptly... maybe more so than mine... and she only needed to be shown something once before she incorporated it into her technique! So, for the next hour we wove, gammy and granddaughter, guiding each other's hands and equally delighting in the beauty of the creation that was unfolding before us. 

I can guarantee you that you will be hearing much about weaving over the next couple of months. We will show you how to make a couple of quick, inexpensive looms that will get you and your children started weaving. And, as we learn, we will share our triumphs and our tribulations. I'm excited!