*Update for June 2024, £46.27 (including deductions for Ravelry sales) has been raised for Acorn Rabbit Rescue*

This is a pattern to make a decorative or toy rabbit, such as could be hung on a Christmas tree. I have written this pattern to be sold in support of Acorn Rabbit Rescue founded by my friends Caroline and Mick in East Yorkshire, UK. They have been rescuing rabbits and guinea pigs since the start of 2020, having had their own pet rabbits for many years. Many old and very neglected rabbits have been taken in as well as young ones bought in the pandemic and then no longer wanted. Not all can be rehomed if they have long term health problems and these rabbits live out their lives at Acorn. The ones that can be rehomed are and so far 55 rabbits and guinea pigs have been taken in and 32 have been rehomed.

The Acorn rabbit softie is a simple design that is quick to knit and uses oddments of yarn left over from other projects. It is knit using dk yarn for the rabbit and 4 ply oddments for the optional scarf. The pieces are all knit separately and then joined together using mattress stitch. The seams give the rabbit structure. Most of the pieces are knitted in stocking stitch but the ears are knit in moss stitch (seed stitch). The scarf can be knit in either moss stitch or garter stitch. The limbs are knit in I-cord.

The body and head could easily be converted to circular knitting by omitting the two stitches included in these two pieces (one stitch at each edge) as a seam allowance. The increases and decreases given can readily be changed to your favourite method. The rabbit is 13 cm tall using dk and 3 mm needles. He could easily be made larger or smaller by using a thicker or thinner yarn respectively. If you change the yarn, use needles smaller than those recommended on the ball band. The knitted fabric for toy making needs to be dense to prevent the stuffing showing through.

The different stitches involved in making this softie and the various sewing techniques make this animal not particularly suitable for a beginner but fine for an intermediate knitter.

Materials
Oddment (approximately 40 m) of double knit yarn (eg Stylecraft Special DK in camel (1420).
Oddments of 4 ply cotton yarn in one or 4 contrasting colours (approximately 8 m in total).
Small oddment of black embroidery thread or lace weight yarn, (e.g. Rico Essentials Crochet in black (12)) for nostrils and mouth.
6 mm plastic safety eyes (optional) or use the black thread to embroider eyes.
White or cream pompom, approximately 1 -2 cm diameter, for the tail.
3 mm straight needles for the body, head and ears plus scarf.
3 mm double pointed needles for the i-cord arms and feet.
Wool or polyester toy stuffing.
Large and small eyed tapestry needles for stitching the pieces together and for the embroidery.
A seven inch doll needle and 24 inches of a suitable narrow thread- optional - if you wish to hang the rabbit on your Christmas tree.
2 large coins of small value (eg 2p in UK) plus small piece of scrap felt or fabric to wrap them in - optional - only if you want the rabbit to stand easily.