The kingfisher is one of the UK’s most colourful birds, often just tantalisingly glimpsed as the briefest flash of electric blue as you walk along a river bank. This pattern is to make a knitted model kingfisher to be used as a toy or decoration.

Knitted on straight needles in 9 individual pieces, the seams help to give your bird structure. The work is in stocking stitch, using two yarns held together. The knitting and sewing skills required are not extensive but there are many increases and decreases in this pattern that make the shaping of the bird that require attention to detail. This means the pattern is unsuitable for beginners unless they are very patient.

Materials
1 x 25 g orange 4 ply, e.g. Rowan alpaca classic in cinnamon (118)
1 x 25 g blue 4 ply e.g. Rowan alpaca classic in peacock (107)
1 x 50 g teal, e.g. Rowan alpaca classic in verdigris (108)
Small oddment of off-white 4 ply e.g. Drops Flora off-white (01)
Small oddment black 4 ply e.g. Drops Flora black (06)
V small oddment mid brown 4 ply e.g. Drops Flora brown (08)
V small oddment red lace weight yarn e.g. Rico essentials crochet cotton in red (04) (optional for the feet and female beak)
V small oddment Habu 1/20 silk stainless steel in black (02) (optional for the feet and beak)
2.75 mm straight needles
2.00 mm straight needles for the feet
waste wool/spare needle or stitch holder
toy stuffing
eyes, either 6 mm safety eyes or black embroidery thread
large and small tapestry needles
embroidery cotton in mid brown eg DMC coton a broder in 841 (optional).

As the yarns are held double except for the feet and beak, oddments of double knit weight yarns could be substituted in peacock blue, teal, orange, off-white and mid brown.