Astrid Lindgren’s The Tomten and The Tomten and the Fox are two of our most-cherished winter-time books.  I adored them as a child, and am very glad my kids love them, too.
A few years ago, Ruth made a needle-felted fox and little Tomten, and the boys still look forward to playing with them while I read the stories. Â 
The Tomten cares for the creatures of the forest and keeps watch over the animals of the farm.  He is a gentle, quiet little gnome and these simple stories of his unseen interactions on the farm resonate with young children.
My children have enjoyed their little Tomten and Fox playset so much, we have begun a tradition of felting little Tomte as Christmas gifts for friends with young children.
I set out everything to begin making a few, when Ruth decided to put the materials to better use: Â crafting another friend for her own Tomten:
She wants to make it clear that he isn’t completed yet, but her little squirrel is beginning to take shape.  He still needs color and detail, but when finished, he will make a nice little addition to the Tomten play set.  Perhaps we can make a few more forest friends to join him, but for now, it is back to crafting a few more Tomten men.
Joining the KCCO today. Â Back tomorrow with some knitting and books.
Oh how we love the Tomten books. After seeing your creations, I am thinking little man might need a Tomten.
The squirrel turned out so cute!
I’ll post a picture of it when she’s finished in a few days – it looks totally different now. 🙂
That is awesome! What a great project.
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