Why Not Knit Yourself a Pigeon?

When it comes to adding whimsy to your knitting, nothing quite does it like knit amigurumi or otherwise knitting animals. And I haven’t seen anything (well, knitting patterns anyway) that made me smile recently like Bill the Pigeon did.

This pattern from Knit for Victory has a few stripes like a rock pigeon, but don’t be intimidated by his fancy looks. This pattern is actually really easy as it’s knot flat in pieces and sewn together when the knitting is done.

It calls for DK weight yarn, which makes a pigeon that’s about 12 cm/4.7 inches tall, perfect for perching in your hand. Of course you can also make it with worsted weight yarn to get a bigger bird if you want. And don’t feel the need to stick to nature’s color choices on this one. Use whatever little bits of yarn you have in your stash to make the stripes, or just leave them off if you’d rather.

The eyes are made with a bit of felt and black beads, but you can also embroider eyes on if you’re making this for a little kid.

The pattern is available on Etsy, or you can purchase a full kit to make your own knit pigeon direct from Knit for Victory. The kit includes the yarn, stuffing, felt, beads, thread and a Pigeon Club button. You’ll need to supply your own knitting needles and sewing needle but otherwise you’ll be all set to make your own cute knit pigeon. The kit comes in a cute box if you want to buy it to gift to someone else for them to make as well.

I hope you’ve been enjoying the funnier patterns I’ve been sharing this month. If you’re a designer who has some whimsical patterns, or there’s an off-the-wall design you’ve made and loved, you can share it in the comments or click on “suggest a DIY” at the top of the page and tell me all about it!

[Photo: Knit for Victory]

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One of the hardest things about winter for me is the lack of color. It’s like the whole world ran out of toner, and often our clothes reflect the muted landscape outside, which just makes everything more drab.

This year I’m trying to use and wear all the fun colors of yarn I have in my stash, and I think the Minas Sweater from Cecilia Lalanne & Gabriella Calderini for Manos del Uruguay would be a great way to use a lot of colorful yarn on a sweet sweater.

This cropped sweater uses 1×1 stranded colorwork where the colors change as you work the pattern, which makes it look more complex than it is. The project calls for five colors of worsted weight yarn, but you could probably even use more (or use a multicolored yarn as one or some of your options) to bring even more color to the party.

It’s a simple drop shoulder crewneck with straight sleeves, so pretty much all you have to focus on is changing your colors when you need to.

There are seven size options in the pattern, ranging from a bust circumference (on the sweater, not the wearer) from 42.75 to 69.25 inches, or 108.5 to 176 cm. It’s intended to be worn with around 8 inches or 20 cm of positive ease for a casual, oversized look.

You can go bold with the color choices like the sample shown here, or pick a couple of more neutral colors to combine with some brighter shades if that’s more your style. Either way this project should be as easy to knit as it is fun to wear. And of course those bright colors make me think a teenager in your life might love it, but of course there’s no rule that says you have to stop wearing fun colors at a certain age. Thank goodness.

The pattern is free to download from Ravelry and is available in both English and Spanish.

[Photo: Cecilia Lalanne & Gabriella Calderini]

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