Nicky Fijalkowska

This blog post, slated for the weekend of March 7/8 is in honour of International Women's Day. We celebrate Ms Fijalkowska's nature-based creativity and the art of knitting, a traditionally female craft.

As spring approaches and hopes for a diversity of birdlife to reappear in our gardens and neighbourhoods, here's some inspiration from UK knitter, designer and artist, Nicky Fijalkowska. Knitted birds!

Pied Avocet

Fijalkowska says she tried knitting as a teenager but never was satisfied with her attempts to make articles of clothing. She picked it up again as an adult after a serious illness laid her flat for a year. Always interested in birds and birdwatching, she started with making stuffed birds. Gradually her expertise grew and she was able to open her own Etsy Shop, knitforvictory, where she sells knitting kits for these little sweeties.

Blue Tits

Herring Gull

Pied Wagtail

Sparrow

Puffin

Last fall Fijalkowska also published this book of knitting patterns with helpful hints, available from her Etsy Shop, knitforvictory and Amazon.

And that Pied Avocet in the top photo? Fjalkowska created it for the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) for their curlew recovery program. 

You can get a free pattern for it here:

Click here to download the Pied Avocet pattern from Knitted Birds.

Nicky Fjalkowska is on Instagram and Twitter.