Bird on a Branch 

Originally published on February 1, 2024

Last week, the weather was exceptionally warm for the month of January. With the sun's warm rays caressing your skin, you couldn't help but feel the undeniable arrival of spring. Closing your eyes, you could hear the chirping melodies of birds singing to each other from the trees.

The atmosphere was so enchanting that I wanted to catch that feeling in a square pattern, so I decided to knit a perched bird.
The first thing I did was drawing a sketch so that I could make that sketch into something that can be knitted.

Drawing a silhouette is easy, but bringing this to a “pixel” form was very hard. I sat for hours at my laptop and tried to make the tale of the bird look like one. After several hours, I decided to ask my son, since he really enjoys pixel art. We had purchased him a set that allowed him to create and display his own pixelated artwork.

He glanced at my bird sketch, grabbed a piece of paper, and effortlessly produced a perfect pixelated bird tail. I felt proud and stupid at the same time, for what I needed hours, he needed just one second. :) 

I decided to share all patterns for free on my blog. With these versatile patterns, you can create not only a beautiful blanket, but also stylish dishcloths or other crochet creations.

I think this would also make lovely gifts for your loved ones!

I've created both a chart and a written pattern. You can find the PDF of the pattern, both written and chart, at the end of this blog post. When using the chart, remember that odd rows (wrong side) read from left to right, and even rows (right side) read from right to left.

Feel free to reach out anytime if you have any questions or need assistance. I'm always eager to help fellow crafters enthusiasts on their creative journeys.

Happy crafting!

Instruction

Finished Measurements:
20 cm width
16 cm height

Gauge blocked:
21 stitches and 26 rows = 10 cm
Exact gauge is not critical 

Yarn:
DK weight yarn 
I am using Drops Lima

Yarn Requirement:
20 g each square

Needles:
4.5 mm or size to obtain gauge 

Notes:
Gartner stitch is used to frame the motif; on the RS (right side) and WS (wrong side) all stitches are knit stitches. 

When using the chart, read odd Rows (WS) from left to right and even rows (RS) from right to left. 

Key:
K Knit stitch 
P Purl Stitch
CO Cast on
BO Bind off 

Written Pattern:

CO 45 stitches

→ Row 1 [WS]: k45
← Row 2 [RS]: k45
→ Row 3 [WS]: k45
← Row 4 [RS]: k45
→ Row 5 [WS]: k3, p39, k3
← Row 6 [RS]: k45
→ Row 7 [WS]: k8, p15, k1, p18, k3
← Row 8 [RS]: k20, p2, k11, p9, k3
→ Row 9 [WS]: k3, p4, k8, p8, k3, p16, k3
← Row 10 [RS]: k12, p1, k5, p4, k5, p9, k9
→ Row 11 [WS]: k3, p9, k7, p4, k4, p5, k2, p8, k3
← Row 12 [RS]: k10, p3, k5, p3, k3, p6, k15
→ Row 13 [WS]: k3, p14, k6, p2, k1, p6, k4, p6, k3
← Row 14 [RS]: k9, p3, k7, p7, k10, p5, k4
→ Row 15 [WS]: k3, p2, k1, p3, k1, p9, k11, p4, k1, p7, k3
← Row 16 [RS]: k8, p15, k3, p1, k7, p1, k3, p1, k6
→ Row 17 [WS]: k3, p4, k1, p3, k1, p3, k7, p6, k10, p4, k3
← Row 18 [RS]: k5, p6, k11, p2, k6, p3, k3, p1, k8
→ Row 19 [WS]: k3, p6, k1, p13, k1, p12, k5, p1, k3
← Row 20 [RS]: k3, p4, k13, p1, k7, p5, k1, p1, k10
→ Row 21 [WS]: k3, p8, k1, p5, k3, p5, k1, p12, k1, p3, k3
← Row 22 [RS]: k5, p3, k11, p1, k4, p1, k7, p1, k12
→ Row 23 [WS]: k3, p10, k1, p6, k1, p5, k1, p9, k4, p2, k3
← Row 24 [RS]: k5, p4, k9, p1, k4, p1, k6, p1, k14
→ Row 25 [WS]: k3, p12, k1, p5, k1, p4, k1, p9, k3, p3, k3
← Row 26 [RS]: k7, p2, k9, p1, k4, p1, k4, p1, k16
→ Row 27 [WS]: k3, p14, k1, p7, k1, p10, k1, p5, k3
← Row 28 [RS]: k19, p1, k6, p1, k18
→ Row 29 [WS]: k3, p16, k1, p2, k1, p2, k2, p15, k3
← Row 30 [RS]: k20, p1, k3, p1, k20
→ Row 31 [WS]: k3, p18, k3, p7, k1, p10, k3
← Row 32 [RS]: k12, p2, k17, p1, k13
→ Row 33 [WS]: k3, p9, k2, p17, k3, p8, k3
← Row 34 [RS]: k10, p4, k17, p3, k11
→ Row 35 [WS]: k3, p7, k4, p17, k5, p6, k3
← Row 36 [RS]: k8, p4, k18, p5, k9
→ Row 37 [WS]: k3, p6, k4, p20, k3, p5, k3
← Row 38 [RS]: k8, p2, k22, p3, k9
→ Row 39 [WS]: k3, p6, k2, p25, k4, p2, k3
← Row 40 [RS]: k3, p3, k28, p5, k4
→ Row 41 [WS]: k6, p32, k6
← Row 42 [RS]: k3, p2, k32, p2, k3
→ Row 43 [WS]: k45
← Row 44 [RS]: k45
→ Row 45 [WS]: k45

BO all stitches, weave in all ends, and block the work. 

You can download the PDF to print the pattern here: 

Bird on a branch pattern chart

Bird on a branch written pattern

Chart

A Little Way to Say Thanks