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sometimesamuse) wrote2025-01-06 04:48 pm
sometimesamuse) wrote2025-01-06 04:48 pm
Year of Gnomes - For You!
Okay so the gal who designs most of the gnomes I knit is running a "Year of Gnomes" challenge, wherein you knit one of her gnome patterns a month for an entire year. I did this the last time she ran it and it was honestly a blast! I had a lot of fun with it. So I'm doing it again this time except with a twist: I'm going to be knitting and sending my gnome buddies out to my friends, because there's nothing better than sharing the love with each other.
Here's how it's going to work: I'll knit a gnome within a month. I'll photograph the gnome and post it on Ravelry and do all the fun stuff I need to do for it to count toward the knitting challenge. Then I'll pack up the gnome and mail it to you! If you'd like, you can send me back photos of the gnome in his or her new home and I'll include them on my Ravelry project pages. I will not post to Plurk until I know you've gotten your gnome, to not ruin the surprise. But if you know how to find me on Ravelry, know that it's a spoiler.
When will I get my gnome? Order of comments here: whoever comments first is January, second is February, etc. I have the entire month to knit so it's possible I could finish January on the 31st and not ship it until February. I will try my best to knit early in the month but, well, life.
What gnome will I get? I'm putting pictures below of what your possibilities are, and you can comment under the gnome you want. Note that this is just for the design; the actual colors will differ. I'll also have a "mystery gnome" option where you won't know what you get until you get it, if you want to be totally surprised. It may or may not match one of the pictures below. I can do as many "mystery" signups as months, if everyone wants a surprise.
Wait, you said colors! Yes I did. I'll have a little form below for you to fill out to tell me what colors you would like to see in your gnome and I will do my best to accommodate from my yarn stash. You can also choose to be totally surprised.
What are they made of? These guys are knit almost exclusively with wool. There may be a wool blend here and there but I primarily work with animal fibers. Stuffing is polyester fiber. Each gnome is weighted with polyester pellets as well; I sew these into a pouch so they're not loose inside the gnome/won't work their way through the stitches. Particularly tippy gnomes may also get a drapery weight inside for stability.
Are these toys? These are not suited for pets or young children. Yes, they're soft and fun, but they are made of yarn and enough abuse can see ends tearing loose and we all know what happens with loose yarn and curious mouths. If you intend to give this to a young child, please let me know ahead of time and I'll try to make you a simpler design with less likelihood of ends that could come free and cause a problem. I do not recommend anything made with yarn as cat or dog toys.
How did you come up with these gnome gnames? I didn't; these were all named by the designer. You can name your gnome whatever you would like.
Will you ship outside the US? Yes, I believe I can make this happen unless you're somewhere really weird. Gnomes are soft toys and this usually means I can shove them in a padded envelope and they'll arrive just fine. Know that you probably won't be slotted in until March/April at the earliest just to give me time to figure out the shipping thing. I will contact everyone individually to collect shipping information, do not put it in this post. I'm sure we all know that but it's Monday when I'm writing this and we're all allowed to have Monday Brain. Plus, this lets me contact you before I ship, in case you've moved or you want me to hold the shipping until you're back from vacay or something else.
What does this cost? Nothing. It's my goal to just spread a little cheer and share some gnome fun with everyone, and I don't want someone's level of disposable income to prevent them from getting a gnome, if they want one. That being said if shipping to your region is super expensive, I may need to figure something out but we can talk about it.
How many people can sign up? Twelve, because twelve months (last I checked anyway). But if I get 13 responses, I'll probably make it happen. If I get 30 responses though, oof, I don't know if I can do that much gnoming in a year unless I put all my other projects on hold.
Down in the comments I'm going to have the mentioned sign up along with some pics of each gnome. Any other questions/concerns/whatever? Let me know!
You'll fill out this form to claim a gnome:
Name/Handle: just what I can call you here, does not have to match the name I'll use on your shipping label
Preferred color(s): colors you'd like to see in your gnome! I'll do my best to accommodate. You can also choose for me to surprise you
Gnome hair: your choices here are beard ("stereotypical boy"), braids ("stereotypical girl"), neither (your gnome will have a nose but no beard or braids), or surprise (my choice of hair feature)
Other notes: anything you want me to know! I.e., if you really want a gnome that evokes Santa Claus, let me know here and I'll let you know if I can accommodate. Or if you really like the cottagecore aesthetic, let me know and I'll try to make something to evoke that look. If you want to leave me a pic as inspiration, you can do that too
Sign up Status:
January: Churby
February: Aya
March: Cerie
April: Devon
May: Artemis
June: Mimi
July: Alex
August:
September:
October:
November:
December: reserved for me (holidays get crazy at work)
Here's how it's going to work: I'll knit a gnome within a month. I'll photograph the gnome and post it on Ravelry and do all the fun stuff I need to do for it to count toward the knitting challenge. Then I'll pack up the gnome and mail it to you! If you'd like, you can send me back photos of the gnome in his or her new home and I'll include them on my Ravelry project pages. I will not post to Plurk until I know you've gotten your gnome, to not ruin the surprise. But if you know how to find me on Ravelry, know that it's a spoiler.
When will I get my gnome? Order of comments here: whoever comments first is January, second is February, etc. I have the entire month to knit so it's possible I could finish January on the 31st and not ship it until February. I will try my best to knit early in the month but, well, life.
What gnome will I get? I'm putting pictures below of what your possibilities are, and you can comment under the gnome you want. Note that this is just for the design; the actual colors will differ. I'll also have a "mystery gnome" option where you won't know what you get until you get it, if you want to be totally surprised. It may or may not match one of the pictures below. I can do as many "mystery" signups as months, if everyone wants a surprise.
Wait, you said colors! Yes I did. I'll have a little form below for you to fill out to tell me what colors you would like to see in your gnome and I will do my best to accommodate from my yarn stash. You can also choose to be totally surprised.
What are they made of? These guys are knit almost exclusively with wool. There may be a wool blend here and there but I primarily work with animal fibers. Stuffing is polyester fiber. Each gnome is weighted with polyester pellets as well; I sew these into a pouch so they're not loose inside the gnome/won't work their way through the stitches. Particularly tippy gnomes may also get a drapery weight inside for stability.
Are these toys? These are not suited for pets or young children. Yes, they're soft and fun, but they are made of yarn and enough abuse can see ends tearing loose and we all know what happens with loose yarn and curious mouths. If you intend to give this to a young child, please let me know ahead of time and I'll try to make you a simpler design with less likelihood of ends that could come free and cause a problem. I do not recommend anything made with yarn as cat or dog toys.
How did you come up with these gnome gnames? I didn't; these were all named by the designer. You can name your gnome whatever you would like.
Will you ship outside the US? Yes, I believe I can make this happen unless you're somewhere really weird. Gnomes are soft toys and this usually means I can shove them in a padded envelope and they'll arrive just fine. Know that you probably won't be slotted in until March/April at the earliest just to give me time to figure out the shipping thing. I will contact everyone individually to collect shipping information, do not put it in this post. I'm sure we all know that but it's Monday when I'm writing this and we're all allowed to have Monday Brain. Plus, this lets me contact you before I ship, in case you've moved or you want me to hold the shipping until you're back from vacay or something else.
What does this cost? Nothing. It's my goal to just spread a little cheer and share some gnome fun with everyone, and I don't want someone's level of disposable income to prevent them from getting a gnome, if they want one. That being said if shipping to your region is super expensive, I may need to figure something out but we can talk about it.
How many people can sign up? Twelve, because twelve months (last I checked anyway). But if I get 13 responses, I'll probably make it happen. If I get 30 responses though, oof, I don't know if I can do that much gnoming in a year unless I put all my other projects on hold.
Down in the comments I'm going to have the mentioned sign up along with some pics of each gnome. Any other questions/concerns/whatever? Let me know!
You'll fill out this form to claim a gnome:
Name/Handle: just what I can call you here, does not have to match the name I'll use on your shipping label
Preferred color(s): colors you'd like to see in your gnome! I'll do my best to accommodate. You can also choose for me to surprise you
Gnome hair: your choices here are beard ("stereotypical boy"), braids ("stereotypical girl"), neither (your gnome will have a nose but no beard or braids), or surprise (my choice of hair feature)
Other notes: anything you want me to know! I.e., if you really want a gnome that evokes Santa Claus, let me know here and I'll let you know if I can accommodate. Or if you really like the cottagecore aesthetic, let me know and I'll try to make something to evoke that look. If you want to leave me a pic as inspiration, you can do that too
Sign up Status:
January: Churby
February: Aya
March: Cerie
April: Devon
May: Artemis
June: Mimi
July: Alex
August:
September:
October:
November:
December: reserved for me (holidays get crazy at work)
QUESTIONS
GNOME SIGNUP
Gnome pictures are professional photos from the designer. Your gnome will not look exactly like the picture. Something something hobby, something something handmade items. You guys know how it is.
GNEIL
Features: Gneil has a button on his hat, which I will do my best to customize to reflect your own tastes. The button can be functional (so you can undo the hat point) or static (I stitch down the hat point and it's just decorative). Gneil has no arms by default; please specify if you want me to add arms.
GNEDWARD
Features: Gnedward's hat features two balls, which I can replace with small pompoms instead. By default Gnedward's arms/hands are one continuous loop with no color change to indicate hands (the sample photo is tricky because of the yarn used) but I can separate them into two distinct arms with hands if you desire. I can also keep the loop arms with a color change for hands.
GNELLIE
Features: by default Gnellie has no hair (beard or braids). I can add either if you really want. The pockets on Gnellie's front are functional and allow the hands to be tucked inside — or can potentially hold something else teeny tiny. The scarf is tied on, not sewn down, so you can play with how you want it tied and positioned.
whooooa gnellie!!
Preferred color(s): porplz
Gnome hair: CHOOSE ONE: Neither!
Other notes: these are too cute<3
no subject
GNORA
Features: Gnora's hat can curve either to the right or to the left; let me know if you have a preference. I can even curve it to the back, but it makes the balance a little wonky (ask me how I know sob). The beard, if you want it, can either be rumply loops as in this picture or a smoother looped beard (or subbed for braids/no hair).
GNIFTY
Features: Gnifty's hat can be a solid color if you prefer. I can also see if I have anything in variegated yarn if you want a color change effect (no promises that I have anything, I honestly don't know). Gnifty can also be made with a much smaller nose if you desire. By default Gnifty has no beard or hair; if you want either added please let me know but we might have to figure out how because that nose covers a lot.
GNEVILLE
Features: Gneville's hat can either be sticking straight up or flopped over; let me know which you prefer and that's how I'll stuff it. By default the hat and the body are the same color but I can easily do two different colors, or a darker/lighter shade of the same color. Gneville comes with a beard but it's easy to sub in braids if you like. Keep in mind that Gneville will be easiest for me to do over the summer when I have more knitting time, as those cables take a while, so if you're an early signup I may ask if I can defer you for a little bit.
no subject
Preferred color(s): blues, purples, greens
Gnome hair: surprise me :)
Other notes: i like the flopped over hat and would love two different colors, but otherwise go nuts!
no subject
GNORWEN
Features: Gnorwen's hat features a cording spiral around it; I can eliminate this if you don't like it but it will leave the hat rather plain. By default Gnorwen has braids but they can be swapped to a beard. Gnorwen's hands are mittens that are attached together at the center; I can separate the mittens if you don't like that look (note: the attached mittens will cover up a beard, just FYI). I can also eliminate them entirely and give her smaller hands (like photos of other gnomes above).
Re: GNORWEN
Preferred color(s): purples and greens
Gnome hair: CHOOSE ONE: braids
Other notes: the mittens are so so sweet, please keep them!
no subject
GNOMBLEBERRY
Features: I debated even offering Gnombleberry because he takes a lot of work, but here we are. The hat pocket features a button detail, which I will do my best to customize to fit your tastes. The pocket is also functional and you can put something tiny into it. The backpack can be made into a messenger bag instead if you prefer that look. The small gnome accompanying Gnombleberry does fit into the backpack, but doesn't work as well in a messenger bag. If I'm having a rough month, I may ask you to choose either the smaller gnome or the backpack as an accompaniment, but not both; however, I will do my best to make both as shown. A word of caution: Gnombleberry does not balance well when there's anything at all in the backpack; I've made him twice and neither one stands without leaning against something.
GNORBERT
Features: the most basic of basic gnomes. There are no frills on this gnome but it's also the best design if you plan to give it to a younger child because I can use a larger, weightier yarn and really secure the ends down good. I once knit 24 of these in a single month...
MYSTERY GNOME
no subject
Preferred color(s): shock me
Gnome hair: CHOOSE ONE: surprise!
Other notes: SURPRISES!!!!!
no subject
no subject
no subject
Preferred color(s): surprise
Gnome hair: surprise
Other notes: go wild, i just want a lil gnome friend
no subject
no subject
Preferred color(s): happy ones~
Gnome hair: neither
Other notes: Is it possible for it in anyway to be vaguely inspired by Fizzarolli, since you enjoyed his design? If not, literally anything is amazing <3
no subject
no subject
Preferred color(s): surprise the hell out of me.
Gnome hair: CHOOSE ONE: surprise the shit out me.
Other notes: surprise the fuck out of me.
no subject
GNOME PARADE
JANUARY
Fun facts: this gnome took approximately 111 yards of fingering weight yarn, knit primarily on 2.25mm needles. I took the idea of a "garden gnome" and knew this design would fit perfectly as a "gardening gnome" with the mushrooms and leaf on the hat and the beard evoking a leaf in shape and color.
Ravelry project page: link
FEBRUARY
Fun facts: this gnome took approximately 90.5 yards of fingering weight yarn. The hat was knit on both 2.25mm and 2.75mm needles. At the request for purple I immediately knew I needed to use this yarn, which was hand dyed by a shop out of Tennessee.
Ravelry project page: link
MARCH
Fun facts: this gnome took approximately 124 yards of fingering weight yarn, knit entirely on 2.25mm needles. The cat I designed myself. Both Cerie and I have black boy cats who absolutely have to be under our skin at all times and I wanted a gnome that reflected that struggle.
Ravelry project page: link
APRIL
Fun facts: this gnome was made to echo a specific character design, and I did my best with diving into my yarn stash to find appropriate colors. All of the stripes are calculated by hand, and the tunic is completely off the cuff based on another design. Gnome was knit entirely on 2.25mm needles with 117 yards of fingering weight yarn; tunic was knit on 3.25mm needles with 49 yards of fingering weight yarn and button accents.
Ravelry project page: link