​January 2021 came in cold and dismal and also full of wishes, expectations, and emotions. I thought of a crochet fairy doll that I made last year, with a smile and a recollection. This is my new yarn tale, even as I live  it. Come with me on a journey into tomorrow. Bring some yarn and a loom or a crochet hook or both. We’ll make it as warm, soft, and pretty as we can.
 
I have a memory of my mother, who enjoyed imagining fairies dancing in her yard as tulips and daffodils bloomed. They had tea, and walked barefoot in the garden. That memory has brightened my own fantasies of this upcoming year.
 
Last year I crocheted a fairy with the reflection of my mothers’ fantasy. I pulled her out and decided to do a mix of crochet and loom knit projects for the year. I wanted to use up my holiday yarns, the reds and greens and little balls of various colors.
 
 I started by making some garden gnomes on looms. I made several sizes. Some will be for an indoor, window garden. Others will be set outside. Yes, they’ll get wet and dirty and will possibly disintegrate after a year. But I made them anyway.
 
I named my first gnomes Ed, Stanley, and Fred. Good, solid names for 3 watchers of the growing grasses. They sit stolidly on the ground and don’t appear to look to the left or the right. But they notice which birds come back for food, and they watch the starlings quarrel among themselves and the scrub jays. They could say how royal the white crowned sparrows are and how dignified the flicker is. The hummer flits around and goldfinches munch on the thistle. Oh, the tales my gnomes could tell if they would only talk…
 
Then I started making gnomes for family members. A big one (about 11 inches high) for my sisters yard. Another about 4 inches high for another sisters windowsill garden. Here a gnome, there a gnome, everywhere a gnome… It didn’t help that I noticed the new spring garden stuff at my local dollar tree. The excitement is growing. I hope you come back to see how the story progresses.

Check out the Yarn Gallery and Yarn Patterns pages for more pics and patterns. ​