How to Knit a Bunny from just a Square
Welcome back! Today I thought I’d share another project with you all. This is a really simple idea that I discovered on Pinterest which almost looked too good to be true. So of course I had to give it a go! I’ll be walking you through how to knit a bunny from a square, using fairly basic techniques and requiring only a few items.
The finished product gives you a super cute bunny, which you can personalise as you like. These can make for great little gifts for your friends/family, because who doesn’t love a handmade present? If you know any children, you could get started on this now and maybe give them out at Christmas. But for now…
All you need:
- Knitting needles
- Yarn
- Sewing needle
- Stuffing
- Extra yarn for sewing
- Ribbon (optional)
- Tea light (optional)
Let’s get started on how to knit a bunny!
Step one:
Now you know the basics of knitting, the first thing you’re going to do is knit a square, in any stitch you like.
I chose to continue with my knit and purl pattern. I was using the yarns I had left over from my blanket project: Aran yarn with 5mm needles.
You can make the square as big as you like but I cast on 50 stitches (just because it seemed like a nice round number) and if I remember correctly, I think it took about 56 rows to make it square.
Tip: a good way to check if your square is actually square, fold diagonally from the bottom corner to the top. Once the corners match up without any left over, then you know you’ve got a square!
Step Two
Take your square so the neatest edge is at the top. About a third of the way down, take your sewing needle threaded with the extra yarn, and stitch across from left to right. To make sure it was not visible later I used the same colour as my square.
Now stitch up to the centre of the top edge and back down to your starting point.
You should be left with a triangle sewn into the top part of your square, with both ends of yarn at the left side.
Step Three
Start to pull on the yarn, it should have a drawstring effect. As the edges come together put some stuffing into the centre of the pouch. Continue to pull the thread tight – you can add as much stuffing as you feel needed, a bit like Build A Bear!
Your bunny should be starting to take shape, with the head and ears now complete! Cool huh?!
Step Four
When you’re happy with the size of your bunny’s head, pull the ends tight and secure it by wrapping one end of the yarn around the neck and double knot the two ends together. (This isn’t as violent as it sounds I swear!)
Step Five (optional)
I decided to make things more complicated for myself because I thought it would be really cute if my bunny had feet… because why not over-complicate a simple project haha!
That being said I was really happy with the end result so I’m putting this in as an optional step.
You’re going to need your tea light. Now this part was a little trial and error and placement comes down to your personal preference. Essentially you are using the tea light as a template. You want to stitch around it as closely as possible with both ends of yarn ending up at the same point. Repeat the drawstring effect from step three, and stuff to desired look. Then when you’re happy, tie it off so it doesn’t loosen. Repeat so you have either two or four feet – I went for four.
Step Six
Mattress stitch the two edges of the square together to form the body of the bunny.
You should now have a tube shape which you can fill with more stuffing before sewing the bottom of the bunny up. And voilà!
Step Seven
Adding the finishing touches.
Now it’s time to give your bunny some personality! Take some ribbon and give it a bow tie; use some of that spare thread to give him or her a face… and don’t forget their tail!
There you have it! This is how to knit a bunny in just 7 easy steps. I hope you enjoyed reading and we’ll be back with another post soon. Jess x
To discover how to knit your own baby blanket, click here: https://www.emgoingplaces.com/2020/06/knitting-a-baby-blanket-an-easy-beginners-guide/
Find us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/emandjessblog
Or Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.co.uk/emandjess_blog/
Em’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/positiv3lywandering/
18 Comments
Michelle
This is so cute. My daughter is a knitter and she loves bunnies. I’m going to show this to her!
emandjess
That’s amazing, thank you Michelle ☺️ I hope she finds it helpful x
Shania
The end result looked so good. Hopefully, I find the time to do this before school starts. Thanks for sharing this useful posts. 😊👍
emandjess
Thanks for your comment, I’d definitely recommend giving it a try, it’s such a satisfying project 🙂
Katie | Life With Ktkinnes
Oh my word this is the cutest thing ever!! I remember knitting a doll and a bear years ago, but they never looked this cute! Thank you for sharing the pattern, I’ll be printing it for my Granny who’s looking for patterns of things she can knit for my cousin’s baby.
emandjess
Thank you so much for your comment, and yeah these make for perfect little gifts for children – I knitted some for my niece and nephew and they loved them! 🙂
Rayo
OMG, this looks awesome and pretty. I know how to knit but not at this level yet. Would really like to give this a go
emandjess
Thank you! You totally should, it’s easier than you think 🙂
Queenie
That bunny is so cute :(((((( This makes learning to knit exciting!
emandjess
Thank you so much, glad you liked it x
Rachel
So cute 😀🐰
emandjess
Thank you for your comment 🙂
Fadima Mooneira
So lovely! This is a nice craft to try. Thank you for sharing.
emandjess
Thank you for your comment 🙂
Giulia
Super cute! I’m not much of a knitter at all, but I love knit and crochet toys. And rabbits are soooo me!!
emandjess
Aw thank you, I’m glad you liked it x
Serena
This is such a cute gift idea for kids, and it doesn’t sound too complicated to make! Thanks for sharing!
emandjess
Yeah it’s such a simple and satisfying project, thanks for your comment 🙂