Make a Stable Sock Gnome with a Sweater Sleeve Hat

I was working out how to make a gnome with a sweater sleeve hat and figured out how to make a stable sock gnome – two birds, one stone! This easy gnome is made in just minutes and only uses a few supplies.

You will need a sock, weight, fill, a sweater (or just the sleeve), fur, and a wood ball for the nose. There are a lot of fun tips and tricks to making gnomes, so let’s dive right in.

Diy gnome with a sweater sleeve hat on a sock gnome body in front of striped background.
This easy DIY stable body gnome with a sweater sleeve hat is the fastest, cutest little gnome craft!

RELATED READING: How to Make a Sock Gnome 3 Minutes

How to Make a Stable Sock Gnome

Here at Ruffles and Rain Boots, we are dedicated to finding the easiest, fastest, funnest ways to make gnomes. And one of the biggest problems I run into is “how to get my gnome to stand up” or “how to keep my gnome standing” – all the variations of “my gnome is too top-heavy”. Guess what?! This stable sock gnome will NEVER have that problem.

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collage of diy gnomes teaching how to make a gnome with or without legs and with or without sewing

RELATED READING: How to Make Sock Gnomes – Tips and Tricks

No, seriously, this sweater sleeve hat gnome is insanely stable and won’t wobble, lean back, or fall over. And it’s so cute, I kind of want to make more just because I love the look so much. If you’re loving the look of this sweater sleeve gnome, let’s get started.

Place the wood slice into the toe of the sock. Add the poly beads over the top of the wood round. Finish filling the Sock up to the heel with polyfill and tie the top closed with the embroidery thread, then trim the excess sock material. Hot glue the top closed to secure, as desired.

Place the faux fur fur-side-down and cut out a large “u” shape with a 1/2-inch “v” shape cut from the top center of the beard. Check the video tutorial for exactly what shape I used to cut my beard. Part the fur all the way to the fabric about halfway down the beard, then hot glue it to the sock body, about 1 inch from the top of the sock. Hot glue the nose (the wooden bead) to the beard, about 1 1/2 inches from the top of the beard.

Cut the sweater sleeve about 9 inches from the bottom of the sleeve cuff. Hem the cut end of the sleeve at least once. I chose to double-hem mine because the fabric continued to fray even after hemming it once.

Tuck the cuff of the sleeve down over the gnome’s head, pulling it down into a cute wrinkle over the nose and hot glue in place. Pull the back of the hat down low and hot glue it in place in the back as well.

Tie a piece of embroidery thread around the top of the hat, leaving about 2 inches of loose material at the top. If the loose material is too loose for your liking, you can hot glue it together a bit, tucking parts inward, to make it look more neat.

Style your beard and enjoy!

Horizontal photo collage tutorial of how to make a stable sock gnome
stable bodied gnome with a sweater hat
You can make this cute gnome in minutes and you do not need a sewing machine.

No Time to Make This Cute Gnome Now? Save or Share for Later

If you need to gather supplies, save this to your favorite easy DIY pin board or share it on Facebook. Use the sharing buttons to make it easy and it will make it easy to find when you’re ready to begin.

Easy stable gnome pattern with a sweater sleeve hat with text which reads stable body gnome tomte nisse.
Learn how to make a gnome hat from a sweater sleeve in this quick gnome tutorial.

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Tips to Make a Gnome with a Sweater Sleeve Hat

  • This is another tutorial from Ruffles and Rain Boots that doesn’t require a complicated gnome pattern! All you really need is a sock, a a sweater sleeve and a nose – along with a little weight and stuffing on the inside, you’re done in minutes.
  • Are you curious about those cute and fun gnome noses? Every one of them is so different and unique from the last. And every gnome-maker seems to have a favorite. I try to mix mine up, to encourage other people to experiment, too, but I do have a soft spot for wood beads like these, which is what I used on this sweater sleeve gnome. But, I have used all kinds of noses in the past (clay, felt balls, buttons, etc.). Don’t feel like you have to do what I do, just grab anything round that appeals to you.
  • If the beard’s material is what’s holding you back from making your own gnomes, don’t worry. For anyone from the first-time gnome-makers all the way to seasoned professionals, I know cutting faux fur can be worrisome or a hassle. Faux fur isn’t the easiest to work with, but anyone (and I mean anyone) can cut a beautiful, flowing beard that looks natural with the trick I show in this quick video tutorial here. The gist of it is to place the fur-side-down on your table and, using your razor blade or a craft knife, slice you beard shape into the fabric backing for the fur. With the cut made. it’s as easy as pulling the cut portion of fur away gently and get ready to glue it in place on your sock!
Close up of handmade gnome with a sock and. a sweater sleeve hat with large wooden nose.
This adorable sock gnome tutorial makes a solid gnome body, a chunky gnome beard, and the cutest hat!

More Beginner Gnome Patterns You Might Like

  • Dollar Tree Gnome with a Twisty Hat – Not only is this a SUPER easy gnome perfect for beginners, but it’s also absolutely adorable and incredibly inexpensive to make!
  • Elegant Sock Gnome Hat Pattern – This slouchy hat sock gnome is a fan favorite because he’s so high-end looking.
  • One-Sock Gnome – A single sock, a few minutes and a bit of sherpa fabric makes this super cute, squatty gnome that is perfect for a patterned sock!

Please Save or Share This Easy Sock Gnome Tutorial

Your shares are how this site grows and I am sincerely grateful. Know a friend who’d like this? Please share it to a crafty Facebook group or save it to an easy DIY crafts pin board.

DIY gnome that won't tip over with text which reads sweater sleeve hat gnome make this super stable gnome.
I would love to see how you make this easy sock gnome!

How to Make a Stable Sock Gnome

Below is the written, step-by-step tutorial for this Scandinavian gnome. Keep this page open, follow along, and use the comments section for any questions.

If you are a visual learner, watch the quick easy sock gnome tutorial here on YouTube. While you’re there, be sure to subscribe – we have a lot of fun.

Yield: 1 Stable Sock Gnome

Stable Sock Gnome

easy DIY stable gnome with sweater sleeve hat

You can make this easy stable sock gnome with one trick that makes it different from all my other sock gnome tutorials!

Prep Time 5 minutes
Active Time 15 minutes
Total Time 20 minutes
Difficulty Easy
Estimated Cost $4

Materials

Tools

  • Scissors
  • Hot Glue Gun & Glue

Instructions

  1. Place the wood slice into the toe of the sock. Add the poly beads over the top of the wood round. Finish filling the Sock up to the heel with polyfill and tie the top closed with the embroidery thread, then trim the excess sock material. Hot glue the top closed to secure, as desired.
  2. Place the faux fur fur-side-down and cut out a large "u" shape with a 1/2-inch "v" shape cut from the top center of the beard. Check the video tutorial for exactly what shape I used to cut my beard. Part the fur all the way to the fabric about halfway down the beard, then hot glue it to the sock body, about 1 inch from the top of the sock. Hot glue the nose (the wooden bead) to the beard, about 1 1/2 inches from the top of the beard.
  3. Cut the sweater sleeve about 9-inches from the bottom of the sleeve cuff. Hem the cut end of the sleeve at least once. I chose to double hem mine because the fabric continued to fray even after hemming it once.
  4. Tuck the cuff of the sleeve down over the gnome's head, pulling it down into a cute wrinkle over the nose and hot glue in place. Pull the back of the hat down low and hot glue it in place in the back as well.
  5. Tie a piece of embroidery thread around the top of the hat, leaving about 2 inches of loose material at the top. If the loose material is too loose for your liking, you can hot glue it together a bit, tucking parts inward, to make it loo more neat.
  6. Style your beard and enjoy!

Notes

For more fun beginner gnome tutorials, visit Ruffles and Rain Boots!

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2 Comments

  1. I do appreciate your info. I’m new to making gnomes. My first one was 12 inches high with a tall fleece hat with brim.