Super Easy Knitted Bunny & Secrets to An Awesome Pom-Pom

I have a few yarns in my yarn cupboard that I only have 1 lonely ball of. You know, the stuff that is too expensive to buy enough to actually make something out of, but way too pretty or just plain cool to pass up owing a tiny bit of it. This Lana Gatto Class was one of those balls. Italian yarn, 20% angora, sooooo soft and fluffy. In one of those happy accidents, I was looking for stuffie patterns on Ravelry and saw this simple knitted bunny pattern. A bunny stuffed animal out of angora yarn? And it only needed about 1/2 a skein? Sold! Cast on that night and in 3 afternoons I had this little bunny! Isn't he cute!!

This is such a great project for beginning knitters. You basically are knitting a square out of any yarn and any needle size, as long as it produces a tight enough fabric for stuffing not to show through, and then sewing the square in a specific pattern to magically make the rabbit shape appear. I spent more time sewing this than knitting, took my time sewing, and a cute little bunny emerged!

I had plenty of yarn left over to make a matching pom-pom tail. I don't have a store bought pom-pom maker, I just used these simple pom-pom instructions. What's not stated in most pom-pom instruction tutorials:

1) Use a ton of yarn when wrapping. More than you think you need. The more you wrap the fluffier your pom-pom will be. I used *80* wraps for this small bunny tail.

2) When tying that piece of yarn around around the center of your wraps and knotting it, pull super, SUPER tight. Get someone to put their finger on the knot when you are tying it to make sure it stays tight. If it is too loose, little bits of yarn can be pulled out of the finished pom-pom. If in doubt ...... a dab or two or clear-drying glue on the knotted section can work wonders.

My usual black safety eyes didn't seem quite right for this white fellow, so I found some vintage pearl buttons for eyes. But ... my son came home, took one look at the bunny and proclaimed it perfect just the way it was and started snuggling it tight, so no eyes for this little guy. I'd love to make more of these. I think they would look cute with a knitted or felted heart embroidered on the side, or a bow around the neck .. oh, the possibilities!