Blueberry the Moose is a cute, cuddly character with plenty of personality, standing about 12 inches tall and ready to become a favorite.

Blueberry has a bit of a following. The design was chosen for the 2011 Seattle Stitch n’ Pitch, the knitting community night at the ballpark, and appeared in that year’s official pattern booklet. It is one of the designs that helped put The Byrd’s Nest on the map.

Blueberry is knit both flat and in the round, with stripes and a handful of techniques worth having in your toolkit: a three needle bind off, Kitchener stitch, and short rows, all on a project small enough to stay fun.

Skill level is intermediate, or an ambitious advancing beginner ready to practice short rows and Kitchener on something rewarding.

Yarn needed is one skein each of brown, dark blue, and light blue in worsted weight.

For a child, the result is a soft, huggable friend built to take years of loving.

Designed by Julie Anderson of The Byrd’s Nest, drawing on a Master’s in early childhood special education and more than 17 years of designing toys made to be loved.