Woolly Gnome & Mushroom

Marie Mayhew Designs

CURLY MOHAIR BEARDS: The curly, wild looking beard below was created using 'washed mohair locks'. They are short pieces of silky soft mohair, the first clippings of a kid. The short pieces are then needle felted to the face individually, until a full-beard is created.

The mohair locks come in 1 and 2 ounce packages. I bought my 'cola-colored' mohair from a store in Minnesota called The Fiber Studio, 4810 Nicollet Avenue, Minneapolis, 55419. The store owner's name is Pam Angier. The store's phone number is 612.822.1600. Their website is: www.thefiberstudio.com

PHOTO ONE: These two gnomes were knit using the same yarns, Nature Spun worsted weight. The gnome on the left uses 2 strands of worsted, knit together, and size 13 double point needles, whereas the right gnome, uses one strand of worsted yarn and size 10-1/2 double point needles.

The left gnome's hat was embroidered with vegetables and a simple feather stitch wrapping around it. A tomato was created using red roving and needle felting it into a ball and adding a stem to the top.

PHOTO TWO: This is the larger gnome, again, turned slightly so as to see embroidery details.

PHOTO THREE: This gnome's beard was first coffee dyed to give it that antique-look, then it was needle felted poking at intervals to give the beard a scruffier dimension. The longer ends can be pulled and twisted slightly to elongate them. Tuck a feather in the brim for another detail.


	Marie Mayhew © 2008 All rights reserved.