Spring has sprung

"You alright up there, Steve?" Pippa the Pied Wagtail and Steve the Chaffinch are off exploring the spring blossom.

Rats

"Looks like that funny white stuff has melted - does that mean it's spring now?" The knitted rats are hopeful...

Cosy knitted budgies

So it looks like we may have snow forecast for tomorrow - time to cosy up with a cup of tea and some knitting! These knitted budgies are staying warm and happy inside so they can watch the snow through the window.

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.

Cockatiels

Two knitted cockatiels, trying to put the world to rights.

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.

Knitted budgie

It's really good to have someone help you with the paperwork at this time of year!

Knitted David Bowie - Low

I have decided to slowly work my way through trying to knit David Bowie in all his album cover incarnations, and Low is a good place to start. This Bowie is a finger puppet - I've been enjoying playing around with knitted finger puppets this year and will definitely make some more Bowie puppets soon. If you fancy giving Low Bowie a home, there should be one in my Etsy shop.

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.

Knitted Rubber Ducks

Everyone needs a cuddly knitted rubber duckie in their life, don't they? Here's your chance to make a flock of your very own - my knitted rubber duck pattern is now available in my Etsy shop as an instant download. The pattern includes full instructions for a large and small duck as in the photo - and there's no reason to just stick to yellow, the pattern looks great in any colour!

If you live near Worthing, the paper pattern is also available at The Wool Bar.

Now, all I need to do is to find a way to make them float...

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!)

Seagull and the stars

Knitted seagull getting a bit confused about a vintage map of the sky for December (it's upside down, gulls aren't great at stuff like this...) If you'd like to knit one, the knitted seagull pattern is in my Etsy shop (this one doesn't have the optional wire legs but the pattern comes with full instructions if you want to add them).

WWT Arundel Discover Birds weekend

I'm going to be at the WWT Arundel Wetlands Centre on 21st November, taking part in their brilliant Discover Birds day - I'll be there from 2-4pm on Saturday so come along and say hello and meet me and the knitted birds! I'll be knitting woolly wildfowl and signing copies of my book Knitted Birds, which is available in the WWT Arundel shop.

I'm so happy to be taking part in this event, as WWT Arundel was the inspiration for many of my knitted birds, including the kingfishers below.

There are going to be walks, talks, craft sessions and activities for all ages at Arundel WWT on 21st and 22nd November. Hope to see you there!

The Lady

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

Ducklings and their dad

Five little knitted ducklings, off for a swim with their dad.

Knitted blackbird

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

Cockatoos

Knitted cockatoos! Cheerful chaps with felt crests - they enjoyed their visit to the Wool Bar, Worthing, and behaved themselves with the fat quarters.

Paul O'Grady knitted doll

Well, here's an interesting break from the knitted birds: it's much-loved TV host and funny guy Paul O'Grady and his lovely dog, Olga. I was asked to knit them by his TV production company, and the dolls should appear on his ITV show sometime after today.

This was the first time I have ever designed and knitted a dog, so it was pretty nerve-wracking knowing that the finished woolly hound was going to appear on a major TV channel!