Beautiful birdie knit kits

Thanks so much for all the lovely feedback you've been giving me about my bird knit kits - it's all very much appreciated!

"Beautiful, well presented kit which will be a gift. It looks excellent and such a friendly seller. Thank you very much."

"Super fast delivery and great kit! I'm a knitting newbie but spent my whole Saturday crafting Sparky and I'm already looking at new wool for another one. Perfect, thank you!"

I'm so happy that people are enjoying knitting Jeff the Gull, Beneduck Cumberquack, Sparky the Budgie and the rest of the knit kit family. I'm going to be working on some new designs over the coming months, along with a very special kit that's a bit different from my usual ones - will be able to reveal all soon!

Steve the Chaffinch

Did you know that a chaffinch has an incredibly loud song, and you may well hear him before you see him? So if you're out and about and you hear some high-volume tweeting, it may well be Steve the Chaffinch!

Bird knit kits

I'm so glad that people are enjoying my bird knit kits - I'm working on more at the moment and will keep adding to the collection throughout the year! Here's Bill the Pigeon, Jarvis Cockatiel and Sparky the Budgie.

Bill the Pigeon

Coo! Here's Bill the Pigeon - he's here to tell you that his pigeon knitting pattern and pigeon knit kit are now available in my Etsy shop, so you can knit a flock of Bills of your very own! The pattern is available as an instant download and the knit kit contains everything that you need to knit Bill, apart from needles - you also get a cute Pigeon Club badge!

Meet Noel the Partridge

Meet Noel the Partridge! He's a cute knitted partridge, who's ready to hop on your Christmas tree (or pear tree) and he'd make a great holiday season gift. He's 12cm tall, super friendly, and available as a knit kit or PDF pattern from Etsy, Ravelry and Love Knitting. The knit kit contains everything you need to knit Noel, apart from needles - and you also get a cute button badge of Noel and his much-loved pear.

Northern Cardinal knit kit

And the next knit kit is ready and waiting for your needles to work their magic! This is Bob, the Northern Cardinal. He's the perfect size to sit in your hand, and can't wait to come and live with you. He's easy to knit on a pair of 4mm knitting needles, and your knit kit will contain everything you need to make Bob, along with a cute Bob button badge. Grab your cardinal knit kit here in my Etsy shop, or download the pattern from Ravelry and Love Knitting!

Kookaburra

It's a new knitted bird! I've been working on this Kookaburra for the last week and am so pleased with how he turned out.

Blackbird

This little knitted blackbirds is still one of my favourites to knit - the pattern is in my book Knitted Birds, if you fancy making one yourself. At this time of year the blackbirds in my garden seem more friendly than usual and come right up to my feet some days, when I go out to top up the bird feeders. I throw them a handful of suet pieces onto the grass and then have to wait for them to finish, otherwise the seagulls come and eat it.

Knitted cockatiel

Another member of the parrot family - I'm definitely enjoying knitting parrots at the moment! This little cockatiel is currently for sale in my Etsy shop, it is hand knitted from my own pattern. If he has sold, please do get in touch, and I may be able to knit you another as a custom order.

Peacock on the beach

Here's another of my new designs - a knitted peacock. It's not often that you spot a peacock on Worthing beach. The seagulls didn't quite know what to make of it.

Knitted budgies

I've been hard at work designing some new bird knitting patterns, this time exploring the exotic birds of the world. There are so many to choose from! These little knitted budgies are the latest off my needles - I'm hoping to make some more to add to my Etsy shop soon.

Word on a wing

Here's a new bird knitting pattern - I'm very pleased with this one. It's a dove of peace and like all my patterns, it's knitted in the flat on 2 needles. I think these might be the best wings I've knitted to date - they are double-sided so can easily be posed up or down, and the whole project is a nice, simple knit. The pattern is available as a download from my Etsy shop!

The dove is an ancient symbol of peace and love in many cultures - hope these knitted doves spread a little more peace and love into your world. I'm also hoping that people will knit these white doves as an alternative to releasing the real thing at weddings or funerals (so many of the released birds end up attacked by predators or in shelters as they are unable to fend for themselves after release).

You can download your dove pattern instantly, from Etsy.

Under the mistletoe

Mr Knitted Pheasant is waiting under the mistletoe for a queue of ladies to arrive...

Cardinal

Here's a festive - looking northern cardinal! He's one of my new designs so the pattern isn't available yet (it currently only exists as some mysterious notes in my fancy notepad, which is technically known as "phase one" of pattern making). They are such beautiful birds - that red is just stunnning. Now all we need is a dusting of snow so I can take some really wintery photos... (I live in the mildest part of England so please don't hold your breath!)

Chris Packham!

Well this was very exciting - thank you Chris Packham for tweeting about my knitted woodcock! I'm hoping to have the knitting pattern for this woodcock available very soon (it's not in my Knitted Birds book as this is one of the projects I've been working on since it has been published). This autumn I have really enjoying sitting down and knitting some of our native birds that for me, reflect the spirit and colours of the season.

Knitted Pheasant

Knitted Pheasant is admiring some lovely new Sirdar Harrap Tweed yarn - I'm going to make him a friend. This yarn has such lovely autumnal shades! If you fancy knitting a pheasant, the pattern is in my book Knitted Birds.

Rainbow of little birds

I knitted a rainbow of tiny little birds - if you'd like to do the same, the little bird knitting pattern is available in my Etsy shop. You can make them just like the ones in the photo, or add wire legs - instructions are included with the knitting pattern.

Add caption

Blue footed booby

Knitted blue footed booby! This was the genius idea suggested by Sam from Oak Leaves and Faerie Wings (thanks, Sam!). Boobies are the most ridiculous birds, like a cross between a penguin and a duck, only with bright blue feet and a need to do a little happy dance to impress the ladies (it's worth having a look on YouTube if you've never seen their mating dance).

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...

Cute little bird knitting pattern

I have had so much fun recently making these little brightly-coloured birds with wire legs. They are a great way of using up any odds and ends in your stash and are super-cute! If you'd like to knit a flock of your own, the knitting pattern is now available in my Etsy shop.

If you knit these little birds and don't add the wire legs, you can attach ribbon to the top of their heads, or body, and use them as cute Easter decorations or as a mobile.

I'm going to play round with this pattern and knit a few different variations so watch this space...