A Birthday Gift

 My dear friend's little boy is turning 4 tomorrow! He's grown so much this year, has really turned into a little man.  He began his first year at our local Waldorf School and has really blossomed there.

Despite my friend's repeated attempts to ask her friends and family to refrain from gifting her son with media based toys, she lamented over the mountains of Transformer and Batman toys her son received this Christmas feeling defeated.  He loves those toys, but she has worked really hard since he has started at The Waldorf School to try to introduce him to toys that encourage more open ended play.

I know how hard she is struggling and how she feels nobody is taking her request/concerns about the media toys seriously.  So I decided to gift her son with a story.  I needle felted  a carrot, knitted then felted a little mouse, and knitted a chicken, a horse and the cutest little gnome I ever did see (if I do say so myself).

The story is inspired by this story which is inspired by The Giant Turnip, I believe.

One day horse saw what looked like a enormous carrot growing in Farmer's field, deciding this carrot would make a fine lunch, he tried and tried to pull it from the ground, but could not loosen it from the earth. 

Chicken saw horse struggling and came over to help, Horse and Chicken pulled and pulled but could not loosen it from the earth. 

Mouse watching the goings on, came to help. Horse, Chicken and Mouse pulled and pulled but could not loosen it from the earth. 

Mouse said he would ask his friend, Gnome to help. Mouse tapped on the earth and asked if gnome would help.

 Out popped gnome explaining, "I didn't know you wanted the carrot, I've been tugging on the other end this whole time!" 

So gnome came to help. Horse, Chicken, Mouse and Gnome pulled on the carrot and it popped right out of the earth, but horse fell onto chicken who fell onto mouse who fell onto gnome.

 Horse got up and said," I'm sorry chicken", Chicken said, "I'm sorry mouse" and Mouse said, "I'm sorry gnome". Nobody was hurt so they all laughed and enjoyed one enormous carrot  for lunch together.

I am so in love with the way this little gnome turned out.  I think I am going to knit up a few more in different color ways, I forsee my very first give away in the very near future.  The pattern is the same pattern my friend Claudia used for her second grade students and is available on her blog.