How to connect the strawberry gnome

This delightful knitted creation is a charming strawberry gnome, perfect for adding a whimsical touch to your home decor or as a thoughtful gift for a loved one. The advantage of this hand-knit item lies not only in its unique design but also in the warmth and comfort it brings, making it an inviting addition to any setting. Handcrafted items like this gnome carry a personal touch that factory-made products simply can't replicate, making them special treasures.

For this project, it's essential to choose the right yarn. Opt for high-quality cotton or acrylic yarns that are soft yet durable. Cotton offers a smooth finish and holds its shape well, while acrylic provides vibrant colors and is easy to care for. A worsted weight yarn is ideal for achieving the perfect balance between structure and flexibility, allowing your gnome to stand proudly.

The techniques employed in creating this adorable gnome include amigurumi—a Japanese crochet method that involves creating small, stuffed yarn creatures. This technique typically uses single crochet stitches (sc) worked in rounds, ensuring that the gnome is tightly constructed and retains its shape. Additionally, you’ll be using color changes to bring the gnome to life, allowing for the distinctive red hat and white dress. The use of increases (inc) and decreases (dec) will help shape the head and body, providing a round and appealing form.

To enhance the gnome’s stability, consider incorporating a hollow tube into the neck area. This will prevent the head from tilting and ensure it remains upright. A helpful tip is to use a stick or a thin rod to create an opening in the neck for the tube, making the insertion process smoother. When filling the head, pack the stuffing tightly to maintain its shape over time, as it may soften with use.

Creating this knitted strawberry gnome is not just a fun craft but also a wonderful way to express creativity and add a personal touch to your space. Happy crafting!

  

3.
  

4.
  

5.
  

6.




  

7.
  

8.
  

9.

How to crochet the head.

For this we need:

- flesh-colored yarn and the color of the dress, I have white,

- a hook,

- stuffing,

- a hollow tube.

Let's start crocheting!

Notations: ch. – chain stitch. sc – single crochet. sl st – slip stitch. inc. – increase. dec. – decrease. rnd. – round.   Attention:  the final size of the doll depends on the hook number and yarn thickness. Mark the beginning of the round with a colored thread. Crochet is done in a circle. When a round ends with one color and the next round starts with another, finish the round with a slip stitch.   Head. Crochet with flesh-colored yarn. Rnd 1 – ch 2, in the first stitch crochet 6 sc. (6) Rnd 2 – 6 inc. (12) Rnd 3 – (1 sc, inc.) around. (18) Rnd 4 – (2 sc, inc.) around. (24) Rnd 5 – (3 sc, inc.) around. (30) Rnd 6 – (4 sc, inc.) around. (36) Rnd 7 – (5 sc, inc.) around. (42) Rnd 8-20 – 13 rounds around. (42) Rnd 21 – (5 sc, dec.) around. (36) Rnd 22 – (4 sc, dec.) around. (30) Rnd 23 – (1 sc, dec.) around. (20) Rnd 24 – 10 dec. around. (10) Rnd 25-27 – 3 rounds around. (10) Stuff the head.   Body. Continue crocheting with flesh-colored yarn. Rnd 28 – (4 sc, inc.) around. (12) Rnd 29 – inc., 4 sc, 2 inc., 4 sc, inc. (16) Rnd 30 – (1 sc, inc.) around. (24) Then crochet with white yarn (the color of the dress). Rnd 31 – inc., 9 sc, inc., 1 sc, inc., 9 sc, inc., 1 sc. (28) Rnd 32 – inc., 13 sc, inc., 1 sc, inc., 13 sc, inc., 1 sc. (32) Rnd 33 – around. (32) Rnd 34-35 – 7 sc, inc., 15 sc, inc., 4 sc. At the same time, at the end of this row, start forming the body and arms. The last 4 sc are not crocheted, and skip 3 sc at the beginning of the next round. In total, skip 7 sc. Crochet the next 10 sc, skip 7 sc, 10 sc. Accordingly, the arms have 7 stitches, and the body has 20 stitches. Rnd 35 – around. (20) Rnd 36 – mark the beginning of the round with a thread and crochet around through the back loop. (20) Cut the yarn.   It should look like this.  

Tips: stuff the head very tightly, as over time the synthetic stuffing will settle and become softer. At the same time, shape the head by hand into a round shape so that it is even. A hollow tube is inserted into the neck to prevent the neck from bending and the head from tilting, as the head is large and heavy. To insert the tube, insert a stick into the neck hole and twist it to create a hole for the tube. Insert the tube and stuff the filling inside the tube; you can also stuff the head through the tube.

Large flower
1) Petal (5 pieces)
Rnd 1: 6 sc in magic ring
Rnd 2 – 7: 12 sc
Rnd 8: (1 sc, A) x4
Rnd 9: 8 sc.
2) Center
Rnd 1: 6 sc in magic ring
Rnd 2 – 5: 12 sc
Rnd 6: 6 sc.
Stuff the piece, close the hole, cut and hide the yarn.      

  For the hat, we will take as the basis 
            you can borrow ears from the giraffe         Arm (2 pieces)

Crochet in a circle with flesh-colored yarn.

Fingers (3 pieces)

Rnd 1: ch 2, 6 sc in 2nd from hook (6)

Rnd 2: (2 sc, 2 sc in next stitch) 2 times (8)

Rnd 3-5: 1 sc in each stitch (8)

Middle finger

Rnd 1: ch 2, 6 sc in 2nd from hook (6)

Rnd 2: (2 sc, 2 sc in next stitch) 2 times (8)

Rnd 3-6: 1 sc in each stitch (8)

Assemble the fingers into a hand:

Rnd 1: crochet 4 sc of the first finger, 4 sc of the middle finger, 8 sc of the second finger, 4 sc of the middle finger, 4 sc of the first finger (24)

Rnd 2-3: 1 sc in each stitch (24)

Rnd 4: Crochet together the first four stitches of the row and the four stitches of the third finger, 1 sc in each stitch 20 times (24)

Stuff all fingers with filling, not too tightly.

Rnd 5: Crochet together the first four stitches of the row and the remaining four stitches of the third finger, 1 sc in each stitch 20 times (24)

Rnd 6: 1 sc in each stitch (24)

Then crochet around for 2 rounds with red yarn, 2 rounds with white yarn.

Rnd 7: (10 sc, 2 sc together) 2 times (22)

Rnd 8: (9 sc, 2 sc together) 2 times (20)

Rnd 9: (2 sc together) 10 times (10)

Rnd 10: (2 sc together) 5 times (5)

Stuff the arm with filling.

Rnd 11: (2 sc together) 2 times, 1 sc (3), crochet the remaining 3 stitches together, secure the yarn.

Crochet the second arm similarly, differing only in Rnds 4 and 5.

Rnd 4: 1 sc in each stitch 4 times, crochet together 4 stitches of the row and 4 stitches of the third finger, 1 sc in each stitch 12 times (24)

Stuff all fingers with filling, not too tightly.

Rnd 5: 1 sc in each stitch 4 times, crochet together 4 stitches of the row and the remaining four stitches of the third finger, 1 sc in each stitch 12 times (24)

You can also crochet cuffs for the arms: with red yarn, chain 22 ch, join in a circle.

Rnd 1-2: 1 sc in each stitch (22), sew on.