Northern cardinal

Materials:

- Yarn of your choice. Cotton, acrylic, wool will do. You can choose smooth or fluffy yarn.

- Colors: red, brown, light brown. The consumption of yarn is small

My bird is crocheted from 200m / 50gr "Baby" yarn. The height of the bird is 7 cm

- A crochet hook, I have 1,5 mm crochet hook

- Hollow fibre for stuffing

- A sewing needle, matching sewing threads

- A long needle for sculpting, strong thread for sculpting

- For the eyes: 2 half-beads, I used 6mm diam half-beads, white piece of felt or 1 pair of ready-made eyes

- Transparent glue.

Abbreviations:

ch – chain

sl st – slip stitch

sc – single crochet

hdc – half double crochet

dc – double crochet

inc – increase (2 sc in 1 st)

dec – decrease (single crochet two stitches together)

(...) x N times – repeat instructions in brackets N times

Crochet with red colour yarn.

Tail

1) 9 ch, starting from 3rd ch from hook: 3 hdc, 2 sc, 2 sl st, 1 ch, turn (7)

2) 4 sc, 3 hdc, 2 ch, turn (7)

3) 3 hdc, 2 sc, 2 sl st, 1 ch, crochet from A to B: 2 sc

Fasten off, cut off.

Body - head

Stuff as you go.

1) 7 sc in a Magic Ring

2) (inc)× 6 times, 3 sc in 1 loop (15)

3) 2 sc, (inc, 1 sc)× 5 times, 1 sc, 2 inc (22)

4) 5 sc, (inc, 2 sc)× 3 times, inc, 5 sc, 3 sc in 1 loop, 1 sc (28)

5) 4 sc, (inc, 2 sc)× 5 times, inc, 5 sc, 2 inc, 1 sc (36)

6) 7 sc, inc, 4 sc, inc, 5 sc, inc, 4 sc, inc, 9 sc, 3 sc in 1 loop, 2 sc (42)

7) 37 sc, attach the tail, work the loops of the tail and body together: 2 sc, work into loops of the body: 3 sc (42)

8) 10 sc, inc, (6 sc, inc)× 2 times, 10 sc, 3 dec, 1 sc (42)

9) 1 sc, dec, 31 sc, dec, 6 sc (40)

10) dec, 31 sc, dec, 5 sc (38)

11) 34 sc, 2 dec (36)

12) 2 sc, dec, 26 sc, dec, 2 sc, dec (33)

13) 4 sc, dec, 5 sc, dec, 6 sc, dec, 5 sc, dec, 3 sc, dec (28)

14) 28 sc

Continue making the head using two colours.

15) red yarn: 6 sc, into the front loops only: 3 inc, 2 sc, brown yarn: 1 sc, inc, 2 sc, inc, 1 sc, red yarn: 2 sc, 3 inc, continue: 6 sc (36)

16) red: 14 sc, brown: 9 sc, red: 13 sc (36)

17) red: 14 sc, brown: 9 sc, red: 13 sc (36)

18) red: 14 sc, brown: 10 sc, red: 12 sc (36)

Work 1sc, transfer your place marker here.

19) red: 9 sc, brown: 19 sc, red: 8 sc (36)

20) red: 7 sc, brown: 4 dec, 6 sc, 4 dec, red: 7 sc (28)

21) red: 7 sc, brown: 5 sc, inc, 2 sc, inc, 5 sc, red: 7 sc (30)

22) red: 7 sc, brown: 16 sc, red: 7 sc (30)

23) red: dec, 5 sc, dec, brown: 4 sc, red: 1 sc, dec, 1 sc, brown: 4 sc, red: dec, 5 sc, dec (25)

Continue with red colour yarn alone.

24) 23 sc, dec (24)

25) (1 sc, dec)× 3 times, 6 sc, (dec, 1 sc)× 3 times (18)

26) dec, (dec, 2 sc)× 3 times, 2 dec (12)

Add hollow fibre.

27) (dec, 2 sc)× 2 times, dec, 1 sc, into the front loops only: inc (10)

28) into the front loops only: inc, continue:  1 sc, 3 dec, 2 sc (8)

29) 4 sc, 2 dec (6)

30) 3 dec

Cut the thread, pull off the loops, hide the tip.

Wings (make 2)

1) 2 ch, starting from 2nd ch from hook: 3 sc, ch, turn (3)

2) 1 sc, inc, 1 sc, ch, turn (4)

3) inc, 2 sc, inc, ch, turn (6)

4) 6 sc, turn (6)

You will now make the feathers.

5) 5 ch, starting from 3rd ch from hook: 3 hdc, continue along the stitches of the wing: skip 1 stitch, 2 sl st

7 ch, starting from 3rd ch from hook: 5 hdc, continue along the stitches of the wing: 2 sl st,

5 ch, starting from 3rd ch from hook: 3 hdc, continue along the stitches of the wing: 1 sl st

Fasten off, cut off.

Beak

Work with light brown colour yarn.

1) 2 ch, starting from 2nd ch from hook: 3 sc, ch, turn (3)

2) inc, 1 sc, inc, ch, turn (5)

3) inc, 1 sc, inc, 1 sc, inc (8)

Cut off yarn, leave a tail for further operation.

Sew sides A and B. Add a piece of hollow firbe. Sew the beak to the head. Using a contrasting colour yarn/thread embroidery a line to divide the beak into two parts.

Paws (make 2)

Work with brown colour yarn.

1) crochet 3 fingers: (4 ch, starting from 2nd ch from hook: 3 sl st)х 3 times, along the base of the fingers work 2 stitches, single crochet two stitches together; 3 ch, 1 dc

Cut off yarn, leave a tail for further operation.

Assembly and Decoration

Find the points for sculpting. See the photo for guidance.

To sculpt the eyes: take some strong sewing thread and fasten it below in point 5, take the needle out in point 2. Insert the needle in point 1 and back in point 5. Sculpt the second eye. Points 6-3-4-6.

Take a pair of half – beads or ready - made eyes. Take a piece of white felt and cut out 2 circles to make the whites of the eyes. They should be slightly larger in diam than the beads. Glue the eyes on. Make sure the side of the white felt is showing.

Sew on the paws and wings.

The little cardinal is completed! It looks very nice as a Christmas tree decoration, you only need to make a loop or a clamp on it.