Tweedy bird is perfect for using up small amounts of leftover yarn. The tweedy look is achieved by combining a contrasting strand with the working yarn. Because the beak and eyes are installed while knitting and the bird is stuffed partway through, when you cast off the last stitch and darn in the end, the bird is complete! The bird can be knitted in any weight of yarn with appropriate needles to achieve a fairly firm fabric which won’t let the stuffing show through. Heavier yarn will make a larger bird.
Knitting level: Intermediate to advanced
Techniques include knitting in-the-round on double-pointed needles, left- and right-sloping decreases and shaping with German short rows. Abbreviations, detailed technique instructions and links to my favourite online tutorials are given. Working with finer yarn and adding the contrasting strand adds to the difficulty, so try the pattern first at a larger size and with a single strand of yarn.