Mallard ducklings

These are the smallest birds I've knitted so far - these mallard ducklings are about 2 inches long.

Magpie feather

Well that was rather magical, I was knitting a magpie and then when I got up to take a break, there was this beautiful magpie feather on the floor...

Fledglings

Fledglings tug at my heartstrings. That huge, sad beak. Those big eyes. Those little stumpy wings. A few days ago, I had a blackbird fledgling in the bush in my front garden, right outside the window. Oh, those heart-rending chirps. I couldn't concentrate and spent the afternoon looking out the window every five minutes for neighbourhood cats. Later in the day, he or she flew off, and I could get on with my life once more.

The RSPB has some excellent advice about fledglings on their website. No matter how tempting it is to pick up that helpless little ball of fluff, don't, unless it's on a busy path or in danger. Usually, the fledgling's parents will be supervising from a safe distance and what's happening is completely normal. The fledgling spends a few days on the ground, growing its final flight feathers and getting ready for takeoff.

Anyway - here's my knitted version of the little fledgling that spent the afternoon in my garden, and is hopefully now well on it's way to becoming an adult blackbird. You're allowed to pick this one up, don't worry.

Knitted barn owls

A little barn owl family, nestling in a tree, wondering if it was going to rain (it did, storms and wind five minutes later by which time the barn owls had decamped indoors).

There's an enormous differerence between the shape that people think that owls are, and the shape they actually are in real life. Lots of knitted, crocheted and sewn owls are plump and rounded, almost like a cushion with two big eyes. Real owls are actually quite long and thin, like a feathered tube (have a look at this fine specimen on my Birds board on Pinterest)

I started knitting an owl, shaping it realistically, but it ended up looking like a penguin. Too skinny. So I ended up plumping out the original shaping, to make it look more like that inner image of an owl, but I hope it's kept some of its realism.

The baby barn owl was easier - they start out as just a ball of white fluff with an adult's face looking like it's been pasted on the front. They are one of my favourite baby birds, so much character.

Plarn seagull

I love this! The brilliant designer Jane Robertson used my seagull knitting pattern to create a plarn seagull as part of a craft bomb at her local harbour, for a Voluntary Arts Week event.

Plarn is a type of plastic yarn, which you make by cutting carrier bags into strips. There's some plarn-making instructions here, if you fancy giving it a try.

Here's the craft bomb at North Berwick harbour. It looks great and I'm so happy to have one of my knitting patterns taken off in a new direction like this, thanks Jane!

Knitted avocet

One of those mornings where the skies are bright blue with not a cloud in sight. The perfect day for a trip to the beach with latest addition to my knitted flock, the avocet.

This bird is the first one I've made which has a driftwood base. I will probably make some more like this in the future as the driftwood looks beautiful, and on a more practical note, it helps with stability when you're trying to get a long - legged wobbly wader to stand up!

Barn Owl

Here's some work in progress - a knitting pattern for a little knitted barn owl. I decided to start with the face on this one which is quite unusual for me, it's usually the last thing I do.