Bunnies, chicks and Easter eggs - crocheted decorations

Here is something to experiment with for the coming Easter. Crocheting these little pieces will not take up much time, it’s cheap and most of all, it's tremendous fun!

My sister started with it some years back. After producing few botched pieces she soon became so good with it, she even sold 70 chicks the first year! Although till then I was more a knit-girl, I quickly followed suit and invented the eggs (yeah, right after the hen, of course:)). What I really love about crocheting is that it doesn’t bind you to a certain pattern, you can truly form your pieces according to your imagination.

BUNNY

It’s a standing one, so it consists of two separately crocheted sides – front and back. (Basically, a stocky bowling pin with a short neck, plus ears.) If it’s easier, you can cut out the form from a piece of cardboard for later reference. Paws and bushy tail will be created last, when front and back are joined together. You can use any synthetic yarn, the color of your preference. Shouldn’t be too thin, we need our bunny strong and able to stand.

Start with your chain, approximately 2 inches long. Go with the simplest pattern till you get a 2x2 inches square piece. From here on, you will gradually cinch in a waist, form a body, head and the ears one by one. Be patient when doing the ears, they will look like tentacles first, but don’t lose hope. If you botch them, don’t worry - at least your bunny will have a character! (One upright ear paired with a loopy one, for example…)

When ready, repeat the exact same for the back piece. Decide which will be the front and sew on a simple, funny face with few stiches. Two eyes - you can use beads, if you wish - a triangular nose, under which you stich two upturned “C”-s. Now you’ll lay the two pieces upon each other – no need to turn it inside out – and join them around the edges, leaving the base open, like a glove. (You could actually make it into a glove-puppet, if you crochet it bigger!)

Next, you will do the little stumpy arms on both sides and then comes the tail. All you need to do is crochet a circular piece, which you can fold up purse-like with a piece of yarn or thread, stuff it with cotton and then stitch it onto your bunny’s bum. That’s it! To make this fellow stand you can stuff the cavity with cotton, a mandarin or something similar. Bunny is also good to keep a hard-boiled egg warm for some time.

CHICK

Also made of two pieces and here, too, you can cut out intended form from cardboard. Again, you start with a chain, as long as the base of the figure, usually about 2 inches. Go on to form a rectangle. When you think it’s tall enough, start cinching in one side at the last two rows, in preparation for a neck.

At this corner you’ll form the head, crocheting back and forth on the tip. On the other corner, create the tail - let your imagination run away with you! Use different colors for every row or fan it out lacelike. Make the other piece in the same manner. Join the two when ready, leaving the base open again.

Next step is to crochet 2 rows of red yarn on top of the head – your chick’s rowel. Then do the beak – usually with a piece of yellow yarn, forming a triangle. You’ll need patience with this, it’s a fiddly job. If the beak is not pointy enough, you can sew/pull it narrower with some orange thread.

For the eyes, use beads, yarn or sew it on with thread. If you wish, you can stitch in the wings with different colors. As with our bunny, chicks will be stuffed with cotton, hard-boiled eggs or anything which keeps them nicely upright in sitting position.

EGGS

Crocheted in one piece. Use any kind of yarn - the more colorful the better! Start with a very short chain, about five eyelets. Immediately start doubling back on it, like you would do with a round tablecloth. When you have a piece like a coin, keep on going around without adding eyelets. It’s quick work and soon you’ll see the base of your egg forming out. In the process, you can decide if you want your egg bigger: add some extra width by hooking into each hole twice for a couple of rows. If you want to decrease circumference, hook into every second eyelet as you go around. You can create stripes, using different colors every other row, or crochet the whole bicolored. At the top of the egg you will have only few eyelets remaining. Stuff it nice and tight with cotton, pull the top together and you are done.

At this point, I leave a length of yarn looped back in and secured on top, as I normally hang these eggs from a bunch of spring branches set in a vase of water. However, you can skip doing this. Just scatter them around on the table or fill up a wicker basket with your cheerful creations.

Decorate your home with these colorful little guys or give them away as presents. I hope you soon will be as hooked as I am. Good luck and have fun!