When I think about winter and the Christmas season, I can’t help but feel a sense of joy and wonder. The possibilities of transformation, ancient magic, and folklore fill my head with delight. This is why I designed the Surprise Sugar Plum Fairy, and then a couple of years later I made the Surprise Snowman. This season another little surprise idea popped into my head, and thus was born the Surprise Elf! With only 3 squares, This project works up in a flash and is quite addictive! Be careful though, you might develop a sweet-tooth.
Equipment:
Zoom Loom, 6” weaving needle, tapestry needle.
Yarn:
32 yards of green or red sock-yarn for the main color, 16 yards of “flesh toned” sock yarn.
Weaving: Holding the yarn doubled, weave 2 squares of your main color and 1 square of your “flesh” color.
Assembly:
Body:
Starting with one square of your main color, fold in half lengthwise to create a cylinder. Whip-stitch 2/3rds of the way up the side. Weave this tail around the cylinder at this 2/3rds mark. Pull tight to cinch in, then tie-off. Around the bottom 1/3rd, take a length of yarn and weave around, tie the ends of this yarn together to create a drawstring. Do not cinch in at this point. Flip the cylinder right side out and set aside.
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- Fold in half and sew
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- weaving across at the 2/3rds point
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- Cinch and tie
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- Flip right side out
Head:
Fold the “flesh” colored square in fourths to create a skinny rectangle, then roll that up into a spiral. At this point it looks like a rather bland cinnamon roll. Sew around the circumference of each side of the spiral, and pull tight to create a ball. Sew this ball to the top of the body.
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- Fold in fourths
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- Roll up into spiral
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- Sew and cinch
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- Finished head
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- Head on body
Hat:
Fold the remaining main color square in half diagonally. Whip-stitch from the point to halfway down the side. Flip the remaining fabric back, and whip-stitch around this fold. Cut the excess fabric off. Flip the hat right side out. Sew the hat to the top of the head, taking care to place the seam in the back of the work.
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- Fold into triangle and whipstitch
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- Fold excess fabric back
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- Whipstitch around fold and cut excess fabric
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- Flip hat right side out
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- Hat on head
Finishing:
Wash and dry your finished elf.
Optional: take a length of yarn, and sew it through the tip of the hat to create an ornament. For a more festive experience, dab some peppermint, cinnamon, or clove essential oils on to the head.
The Surprise:
Flip the body inside out, tuck in the hat, and cinch up using the other drawstring! Wrap the drawstring around the cinched portion to loosely secure!
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