These little trees are knitted in the round and repeatedly divided in two to form branches and twigs. They could also be crocheted but I haven’t tried it yet so I’ll talk in terms of knitting. Once I get time to try it I’ll write it up. In the meantime have a go yourself once you get the idea of the knitting.

The choice of yarn and needles is up to you. Browns and greens are best for colour. Thickness of wool and size of needles can vary but it’s best to work to a slightly tighter tension so the stuffing doesn’t show through.

Once you’ve decided how many to start with cast them on, join in a circle, place a marker at the start of the round and knit the trunk of your tree. Trees come in many shapes and sizes so you can make it short and squat or longer and thin. For your first tree I’d knit as many rounds as you have stitches cast on.

If you make a tree and would like to have it included in the Botanica Mathematica Arboretum please send it, with your name and location (and any other information about it you think is interesting) to:
Madeleine Shepherd
Coburg House Art Studios
15 Coburg Street
Edinburgh
EH6 6ET
United Kingdom

NB this is just an extract from a blogpost about how to make Binary Bonsai. Ravelry guidelines say the actual pattern isn’t supposed to appear here. Hence, you’ll have to visit the project blog for the full instructions.