My wife and the love of my life (handy how that worked out), Claire, recently published her first novel, At Last Count. It took her 15 years to write. As someone who took 15 years to knit his own project (check out www.kirkdunn.com re: Stitched Glass and The Knitting Pilgrim – oy), I completely understand. At Last Count features a birdwatcher who depends on Obsessive Compulsive Disorder in her attempts to control the uncontrollable. This pillow is a rendering of an image of a Henslow’s Sparrow—a bird rarely seen on Amherst Island, Ontario, where most of the narrative takes place—and uses yarn from Topsy Farms, located on the West End or “Head” of the island. I love the natural, earthy tones the doubling of Topsy fingering weight yarns provides. In the book, the Henslow’s Sparrow is a symbol of hope, survival, and a better world to come. This one’s for Claire.

The Henslow’s Sparrow is a pillow cover for a 20” x 20” pillow form.

Needles: 2.5 mm (US 1.5) or size needed to achieve the following gauge:

Gauge: 26 sts and 33 rows to 4”. Be sure to check your gauge by knitting an intarsia swatch in stockinette stitch. A test swatch pattern of the Sparrow’s head is provided for this purpose.

The main (or background color) is knit in Topsy Farms Pure Sheep Wool Worsted (2 ply) -- 2 skeins are needed.

I knit one version of the pillow in a Blue Tweed background (a light blue), and another in a Blue Heather background (a medium blue). They both worked quite well -- the choice is up to you.

The body of the Sparrow is knit in Topsy Farms Pure Sheep Wool Fingering (1 ply), doubled. I used the following colors and amounts:

Natural, Fingering weight, 113 g. (25 g. used, actual)
Brown Heather, Fingering weight, 113 g. (30 g used, actual)
Green Tweed, Fingering weight, 113 g. (20 g used, actual)
Medium Grey, Fingering weight, 113 g. (25 g used, actual)
Olive, Fingering weight, 113 g. (5 g used, actual)
Light Grey, Fingering weight, 113 g. (25 g used, actual)

The eye of the Sparrow requires 1 yard or 1 meter of Black worsted weight yarn.

Kits are available through Topsy Yarns (www.topsyfarms.com)