Canada goose

 

And now a Canada Goose joins the ever-increasing flock of knitted birds! I used to have a proper goose-phobia, due to being chased on multiple occasions by these avian watchdogs when I was a child. Knitting this one is proof that those days are now behind me, mostly down to the good goose PR dished out by the sweet-natured Nene geese at Arundel WWT. They are tiny, and love to eat out of your hand.

I am still very much aware that a Canada Goose on a bad day can give Dennis Hopper a run for his money, but this knitted version is very well-behaved. He was offered chips at Worthing's Hut 42 seafront gallery today, and only took one.

Spock doll

A knitted Spock! He's a one-off custom order for an Etsy customer. This is the first time I have made a doll with ears, which, let's face it, are an intrinsic part of his Spock-ness, aren't they?

Bellatrix Lestrange

After gallons of black coffee and faffing around with PDFs, I have finally added my Bellatrix Lestrange knitting pattern to my Etsy shop. I think this has been the most-requested pattern from the past couple of years, so, if you've been waiting for it, I hope it was worth the wait!

Bellatrix is around 12 inches tall and is pretty simple to knit. If you can't find thick, crinkly chunky wool for her hair, you can always knit up some black dk or chunky yarn on large needles, wash it in warm soapy water and let it dry for a few days. When you unravel it, you should have nice, curly hair.

I can't believe I just described Bellatrix Lestrange's hair as "nice". Sorry. That should have read, "evil, curly hair".

Oystercatcher

And here's the final one of this week's knitted birds: an oystercatcher. The oystercatcher's black and white plumage always reminds me of a butler dressed in a white shirt and black tails. It's one of my favourite birds. I've never seen one in Worthing (which is why it was great to see the knitted version looking for lunch on the beach) but was lucky enough to see one at the WWT Arundel Wetlands Centre when I visited a few weeks ago. He was close enough to see his bright red eye through my not-particularly-fancy binoculars.

This knitted version has a red bead eye, his beak is felt, and his red legs are yarn-wrapped wire.

Hopefully another bird will be alighting here next week!

Mallard ducks

A pair of my knitted mallards out enjoying the sunshine today. Maybe I should knit some bread for them to eat...

We take mallards very much for granted in England but they are incredibly beautiful birds. Take the time to stop and appreciate them next time you are hurling some white sliced in their general direction! The male's head is a stunning teal green and his black tail has a perky curl. Even the female's brown plumage has a pretty speckle and she has a showy blue and white splash on her wings.