As there are a lot of bird spotters among my friends and family, I’ve had quite some appeals for knitted birds. So I’ve taken up the venture of cloning different species in a knitted collection. Nowadays, the kids in my family actually collect these birds and I’m always delighted when they can actually spot and identify a species without even leaving the house!

Birds come in all happy hues of the rainbow and even in your own backyard, there might be more shades and shapes to be spotted than you could guess. This holiday season knit your own white-breasted nuthatch, yellow warbler, American robin, purple finch, lazuli bunting and black-capped chickadee.
These birds make great, colorful hanging ornaments for your Christmas tree. Or hide them away in your house and spend your holidays on an in-house bird-watching adventure! Even if you don’t quite manage to pull off the full flock in time for the holiday season, celebrate the wonder of these feathered friends on the 5th of January: National Bird Day!

Each bird is a fun, fast and small project, that can be finished in an evening or so and a great way to use up any yarn scraps you have lying around!
The birds were knitted on 2.25 mm double pointed needles (UK 13, US 1) and the tiny beaks on 1 mm double pointed needles in lace gauged yarn (but can also be done in a heavier yarn or scraps of felt and will turn out slightly larger). Soft toy stuffing (and small beads) were used to finish the birds.
The birds are knitted flat and some intarsia color work and short rows are required.

Happy Holiday Knitting! Viv