Our no sew sock gnomes are so cute and easy! They take less than 10 minutes to make and can be made with many different sock prints!
You might also like our sock snowmen! If you're looking for a fun holiday craft for kids, check out our paper cone Santa, model magic ornaments, or thumbprint reindeer ornament!
How fun would these darling gnomes be for a craft night? Everyone could go home with their own gnome to add to their holiday decor. I even have a tutorial for Halloween sock gnomes for fall. They are so fun to make.
Why I Like This Craft
- Quick craft project. Looking for a quick and easy craft to brighten a shelf? These sock gnomes are just the thing. They take less than 10 minutes to make and are so fun.
- Minimal supplies: Gnomes can be made from any adult crew sock! A perfect mismatched sock craft. You'll also need some hair ties, rice, and felt, but we'll get to that in a minute.
- No-sew craft. The best part? There's no sewing involved, so this is perfect for crafters of all skill levels.
What Others Are Saying
We made these with our homeschool group. They were simple enough for the kids to make, with a bit of assistance, and they turned out really cute.---Jen on Facebook
I had some scrap faux fur, so I did my beards differently, but the sock gnomes turned out great!---Angie on Facebook
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Tips and Tricks
- Use mismatched socks. It's fun to use printed socks for the gnome's hat. I found mine at Target for $3 a pair. Walmart and Dollar Tree also sell inexpensive, patterned socks. Crew socks work the best for sock gnomes. The banded edge is perfect for the hat, since it's a finished edge and fits the gnome's head just right. If you'd like a long, droopy hat that folds over, you can use a knee-high sock. You only need one sock from each pair, so save the others for a second gnome!
- Save leftover socks for future gnomes. After making this project, you'll have two unmatched socks. Save them for a later date or make a couple of extra gnomes to give as gifts!
- Use felt for the gnome's beard. One thing that sets our little gnomes apart from others is that we don't use craft fur. Felt is something I always have on hand, and it costs $ 0.25 a sheet. You can easily get 4 beards from one sheet. Easier to find and cheaper than faux fur.
Supplies
- One solid adult crew or ankle sock: Solid socks work great for the gnome's body. I love these ones. This is a great project for mismatched socks!
- One adult crew sock: for the hat.
- Rice: can also use dry beans. This will give the gnome a bit of weight, making it stand easily. Check out the jar method for filling the sock with rice. It's definitely easier than scooping rice into the sock with a spoon and even faster than using a funnel.
- Pillow stuffing (Polyfil): Just a bit to add on top of the rice. You can use all rice, but the more rice you use the heavier the gnome will be. I like using about ⅔ rice and ⅓ pillow stuffing for my gnomes. If you don't have pillow stuffing you can use scrap fabric or cotton balls. I save the stuffing from my old throw pillows for craft projects like this.
- Hair ties or rubber bands: These are used to tie off the socks. You can also tie off the ends with string, but I like using hair ties.
- Wood bead or half bead: You can use a wooden bead, half bead, or pom pom for the nose. I prefer using half beads. They don't have holes, and they sit and flush nicely. I ordered them from Amazon, but you can find wood beads at your local craft store, like Hobby Lobby or Joann.
- Felt: One thing that makes our little gnomes different than others is the fact that we don't use craft fur. Felt is something that I always have on hand, it's $.25 a sheet and you can easily get 4 beards from one sheet. Easier to find and cheaper than faux fur.
- Printable beard pattern: feel free to print out our cutting template to use for the beard.
- Scissors
- Hot glue/hot glue gun
See the how-to card at the end of the post for full information on supplies and quantities.
How To Make A Sock Gome
Make sure to watch our step-by-step video for the best visual instructions!
Step 1: Fill a jar or cup with rice.
Step 2: Slide the body sock over the jar, and turn the jar over to allow the sock to fill with rice.Pull the jar out of the sock.
Step 3: Add a couple of handfuls of pillow stuffing on top of rice. The sock should measure 6-7" from the bottom to the top of the pillow stuffing.
Step 4: Secure the opening with a hair tie. Trim excess.
Step 5: Cut hat sock as shown, cutting just before the ankle. Set foot portion to the side (can use to make another gnome sometime). You'll be using the side with the finished edge band.
Step 6: Turn the piece with the edge band inside out. Gather the cut (unfinished) end and secure it with a hair tie. Trim of excess.
Step 7: Turn the sock right side out. You should now have a gnome body and a gnome hat.
Step 8: Cut out a felt beard using the cutting template. Glue beard onto the front of the gnome.
How To Make a Pointy Hat
Step 1: If you'd like your hat to stand up nice and tall, insert a pencil into the opening of the body. It should stick out a few inches. You can add a bit of hot glue around it to keep it in place.
Step 2: Slide the hat over the pencil. Arrange the hat so the top is pointed and touches the top of the pencil.
How To Make a Floppy Hat
Step 1: For a floppy hat, simply slide the sock hat onto the gnome and hot glue it into place. You can hot glue a pom pom to the end of the hat if you'd like.
Note: floppy hats work best with regular socks (not fleece or bulky fuzzy socks).
Finishing Touches
Step 9: Glue the nose onto the front of the gnome.
Step 10: Add a few dots of hot glue under the hat to keep it in place.
Sock Gnome FAQs
Faux fur is a popular choice for making gnome beards, and the beard looks darling. I prefer using white felt instead, as it is incredibly affordable and easy to work with.
Adult crew socks work best because they are larger than kids' socks. You can use an ankle sock for the body, but definitely use a crew sock for the hat.
More Holiday Crafts To Make
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No Sew Sock Gnomes
Equipment
- scissors
- hot glue gun
Materials
- 1 adult sock for body (crew or ankle)
- 1 adult sock for hat (crew)
- 1 ½ cups rice
- pillow stuffing
- 2 hair ties
- 1 half wooden ball (or pom pom or wooden bead)
- felt
- cutting template for beard
- 1 pencil (optional)
- 1 pom pom optional
Instructions
- Fill a jar or cup with rice.
- Slide the body sock over the jar, and turn the jar over to allow the sock to fill with rice.Pull the jar out of the sock.
- Add a couple of handfuls of pillow stuffing on top of rice. The sock should measure 6-7" from the bottom to the top of the pillow stuffing.
- Secure the opening with a hair tie. Trim excess.
- Cut hat sock as shown, cutting just before the ankle. Set foot portion to the side (can use to make another gnome sometime). You'll be using the side with the finished edge band.
- Turn the piece with the edge band inside out. Gather the cut (unfinished) end and secure it with a hair tie. Trim of excess.
- Turn the sock right side out. You should now have a gnome body and a gnome hat.
- Cut out a felt beard using the cutting template. Glue beard onto the front of the gnome.
Pointy Hat
- If you'd like your hat to stand up nice and tall, insert a pencil into the opening of the body. It should stick out a few inches. You can add a bit of hot glue around it to keep it in place.
- Slide hat over pencil. Arrange the hat so that the top is pointy and touching the top of the pencil.
Floppy Hat
- For a floppy hat, simply slide the sock hat onto the gnome and hot glue it into place. You can hot glue a pom pom to the end of the hat if you'd like.
- Glue the nose onto the front of the gnome.
- Add a few dots of hot glue under the hat to keep it in place.
phoenix says
good works well
Nana says
I am so excited to try this with the grandkids. We love love crafts and you always have so many fun fun things to do. Thank you
Brandy says
Thank you so much! I hope you enjoy making them! 🙂
Bonnie says
Sock gnomes are adorable. I have a question. What kind of hair ties do you use? Not having any girls, I'm not familiar with hair ties. Many of ties I found were not reusable, so not a good option for this. Thanks for sharing your creativity.
Brandy says
I just used inexpensive ones from Walmart. They come in clear or colored. It doesn’t really matter since you won’t see them anyway once the gnome is finished. You can also tie it off with string or yarn instead of using hair elastics if you’d like.
Denise Horsley says
How big of a half of wooden ball do you use.
Brandy says
Hi Denise! These are the exact ones that I used: https://amzn.to/3CayzKJ I think I used the 22mm ones, but there are a few different sizes in this package and the 25mm would work too.
Denise Horsley says
Thanks, I just these. I think I will have my Granddaughters help me make them.
Brandy says
That sounds like fun! What a sweet grandma!
DJ says
I have to make some of these. I have some white fur I want to use instead of felt.
Laurie says
Love this! Doing these adorable gnomes with my daughters class for their winter party! Thanks for sharing ☺️
Brandy says
Oh how fun! What a great mom---I hope they have a blast making them!!
waqas says
wow amazing..
Sandra says
Awesome.