Free postage on my Knitted Birds book!

For a limited time, you can swoop down and pick up a copy of my book Knitted Birds from my Etsy shop, and enjoy free UK postage and packing - and if you're outside the UK, shipping is just £3 for airmail to anywhere in the world. Woo hoo!

Knitted nest and eggs

Spring is in the air and it's the time of year that I love knitting little nests and eggs - they make lovely spring decorations for your home, or you can substitute the knitted eggs for chocolate ones, and you have the perfect Easter treat!

If you'd like to knit a nest and eggs, the pattern is in my book Knitted Birds, published by Search Press. There may also be a nest or two in my Etsy shop if they haven't flown off to a new home already (not that nests can fly, but you know what I mean).

Knitted Birds for Christmas

There's still time to order a copy of my book Knitted Birds, if you're looking for the perfect Christmas present for the knitter in your life! It contains over 30 different bird knitting patterns, along with nests and eggs. Maybe if you give it as a Christmas present the lucky recipient might knit you a bird or two in the new year? 

It's available directly from my blog, or from my Etsy shop, or you can buy it in all good bookshops (although if you buy one from me, I can sign it for you, for an-extra special present idea). 

Knitted Birds book launch

I'm going to be at The Wool Bar, Worthing on Saturday 3rd October from 2-5pm, signing copies of Knitted Birds and dishing out tea and biscuits to celebrate the launch of my book.

Come along and meet me and the knitted birds, it would be lovely to see you!

The Lady

Thrilled with this wonderful feature on my Knitted Birds book in The Lady magazine! 

Knitted Birds book - it's here!

This is my book, Knitted Birds! It contains over 30 knitting patterns and instructions for all kinds of birds, along with information on the materials, tools and techniques you'll need.

Whether you want to make a robin to perch on your Christmas tree, an owl to overlook your breakfast nook, or a whole family of ducks to decorate your desk, these beautiful birds are fun to make and display, whether you are a beginner or a more experienced knitter.

All birds are knitted flat on a single pair of needles. There's no knitting in the round or using four needles!

Patterns include: a family of mallard ducks and ducklings, song thrush, blue tit, canada goose, blackbirds, mute swan and cygnets, a family of barn owls, avocet, lapwing, puffin, collared dove, magpie, oystercatcher, osprey, kingfishers, hoopoe, pheasant, snowy owls, woodpecker, robin, sparrow, seagull, raven and tufted duck. There's also patterns for nests and eggs! Some birds have wire legs, and detailed instructions are included on how to make these, along with templates for beaks.

I'm so happy with how the book turned out! Search Press did a wonderful job and created a large and beautiful, glossy paperback. It's 128 pages long, and full of stunning photography.

The Knitted Birds book is £12.99, and if you live in the UK, for a limited time, shipping is free! If you are in the USA, Canada, Europe, or anywhere else in the world, air mail shipping is just £5, making a total of £17.99.

If you'd like to own a copy of Knitted Birds, the PayPal button is below... Please use the drop-down box to choose your shipping option.

Knitted Birds book

UK free shipping £12.99 GBP Rest of the World shipping £17.99 GBP

If you'd like a signed copy, let me know when you place your order.

A peek at my Knitted Birds book

So excited, I've just received the advance copy of my book from Search Press - it looks amazing! And so cute...

Knitted mute swan is just checking to see whether he has been included (he has, don't worry).

The book will be available in August!

Knitted blackbird

Knitted blackbird out enjoying the sunshine today. This is one of the patterns from my Knitted Birds book!

Gosling and cygnet

Knitted gosling and cygnet - the knitting pattern for these little fluffy beauties is going to be in my Knitted Birds book, and the two below are currently looking for a new home (visit my Etsy shop for details and more photos).

Easter chick free knitting pattern

Here's my knitting pattern for a little Easter chick! He (or she) is quick and simple to knit - why not knit a chick or two as little Easter gifts or decorations? The free knitting pattern is below.

This little chick is worked in stocking stitch, on a pair of 4mm (UK 8, US 6) knitting needles using DK yarn.

Tension: 6 sts and 8 rows per square inch (if your tension is slightly less or more than this, don't worry. This is such a tiny project that it won't make much difference! The darker chicks that I knitted had a tension of 6 sts and 7.5 rows per square inch and turned out fine.) Each chick is approximately 7cm tall.

You will need:

Oddments of yellow DK yarn

yellow felt

yellow cotton thread in the same shade as the felt

2 x 3mm black beads

black cotton thread

polyester stuffing

a glass pebble (the sort that you use to fill vases, or put in a bowl of floating candles)

Head and body (make 1)

Cast on 8 sts.

Row 1: *inc 1, k2, inc 1*, repeat from * to * to end (12 sts).

Row 2: purl.

Row 3: *inc 1, k4, inc 1*, repeat from * to * to end (16 sts).

Row 4: purl.

Row 5: *inc 1, k6, inc 1*, repeat from * to * to end (20 sts).

Row 6 – 12 : beginning with a purl row, work st st.

Row 13: *k2tog, k6, k2tog*, repeat from * to * to end (16 sts).

Row 14: purl.

Row 15: *inc 1, k6, inc 1*, repeat from * to * to end (20 sts).

Row 16 - 20: beginning with a purl row, work st st.

Row 21: k2tog to end (10 sts).

Row 22: purl.

Cut yarn, leaving a 12 inch tail, and run yarn through remaining sts on needle.

Wings (make 2)

Cast on 2 sts.

Row 1: inc 2 (4 sts).

Row 2 – 4: beginning with a purl row, work st st.

Row 5: k2tog to end (2 sts).

Row 6: purl.

Cast off remaining sts.

Making up

Sew up the side seam, starting at the head and stuffing as you go (you can use the yarn that you ran through the stitches on the last row). When you get to the base, insert a glass pebble to give the chick a little stability. Sew up the remainder of the seam.

Run a length of yarn around the chick's neck and pull tight to create the neck shape. Secure with a knot and sew the ends in (I have used blue yarn in the photo to make it clearer, but use yellow yarn on your own chick!)

Sew wings into position, either side of the body.

To make the beak, cut out a yellow felt diamond shape, 1cm each side.

Fold the beak in half and sew a few stitches along the fold line to hold the beak together. Sew the beak onto the head, using yellow thread.

Make the eyes: sew two beads onto the face using black thread.

Have fun knitting an Easter chick!

Please do not reproduce this pattern without my permission. Thank you!

If you enjoyed this pattern, watch out for my book Knitted Birds, which will be published by Search Press in September 2015. You'll be able to knit over 20 different birds and make a woolly flock of your very own. Join my mailing list to keep up to date with my book and future free patterns...

Two hoots

A pair of knitted snowy owls - the patterns for these are going to be in my book. One with wings up, one with wings down...

Knitted blackbird

I've decided to make a limited number of knitted birds for sale on Etsy, in the run-up to my Knitted Birds book being published by Search Press in September. So here's the first one who is currently available for adoption on Etsy - a handsome male knitted blackbird.

He's approximately 20cm long from tip of the tail to tip of the felt beak. If you'd like to knit one of your own, he will be one of the patterns in my Knitted Birds book!

Kingfisher

It's been a really busy new year so far - I've been proofreading all the bird patterns for my new book and working on the final few birds who will make it into the pages. This little knitted kingfisher is one of them!

Knitted eggs and nest

Just finished a little knitted nest and eggs - the pattern will be in my knitted birds book. Both are knitted on 2 needles (I hate knitting in the round! ).

Knitted Collared Dove

I dodged the showers today to visit the local park so I could take some photos of my latest bird, a little knitted collared dove. Signs of spring starting to show all around: a small pool of yellow croci, hopeful-looking buds on the tree branches and - my favourite - bird twitterings and flutterings as the local avian residents start to stretch their wings.

I was particularly delighted when I sat down on a bench to take a photo of my bird, and heard the distinctive coo-coo-coo of a real life collared dove in one of the nearby trees, very loud and very close. It felt like a little seal of approval from the natural world. Thanks, collared dove!

Collared doves have a very sweet expression. I think it's the contrast between that pretty buff/grey plumage and the beady black eye that helps. People don't tend to like pigeons (I do, though) but collared doves are different.

This little dove is destined for my book of bird knitting patterns, which is going to published by Search Press next year.

Tufted ducks

Belated happy new year to you all - I have been working hard on new patterns for my Etsy shop, and my book of knitted birds, which is going to be published by Search Press next year. It's going to be a very exciting 2014 here at Knit for Victory.

Here's a couple of little knitted tufted ducks enjoying the new year sunshine and wondering who's going to be next off the needles. Clue: it's a bird, but not a British one.

My bird book!

Here's some rather exciting news: the knitted birds are going to have their own book! I am absolutely delighted to announce that Search Press will be publishing my very first knitting book in 2015.

I can't wait to get started working on the knitting patterns for this book, and will keep you all updated here with any news!

If you have any favourite British birds that I haven't knitted yet, let me know - you never know, they might end up in the book.