There are many varieties of goose, but ours is the classic farmyard domestic variety. The most aggressive of poultry, geese were alleged to have saved Rome from the Gauls around 390BCE. Geese feature in many legends and fairytales, laying golden eggs, drawing chariots and changing into princesses. Their feathers also make a lovely filling for pillows and duvets.
You can make the goose more stable with the help of a cocktail stick pushed up the back of the leg and used like a high heel.
Length: 10cm (4in)
Height to top of head: 16cm (6¼in)
• Pair of 2¾mm (US 2) knitting needles
• Double-pointed 2¾mm (US 2) knitting needles (for legs and for holding stitches)
• 5g (⅛oz) of Rowan Pure Wool 4ply in Jaipur 463 (ja)
• 25g (1oz) of Rowan Pure Wool 4ply in Snow 412 (sn)
• 2 pipecleaners for legs and feet
• 2 cocktail sticks or wooden kebab sticks to support legs
• 2 tiny black beads for eyes and sewing needle and black thread for sewing on
See here.
See for I-cord Technique.
(make 2 the same)
With double-pointed needles and ja, cast on 4 sts.
Work i-cord as folls:
Knit 8 rows.
Shape feet
Row 9: Inc, k2, inc. (6 sts)
Row 10: Purl.
Row 11: Inc, k4, inc. (8 sts)
Row 12: Purl.
Row 13: Inc, k6, inc. (10 sts)
Row 14: Purl.
Knit 3 rows.
Row 18: P2tog, p6, p2tog. (8 sts)
Row 19: Knit.
Row 20: P2tog, p4, p2tog. (6 sts)
Row 21: Knit.
Row 22: P2tog, p2, p2tog. (4 sts)
Cast (bind) off.
Feet
Use pipecleaners to make a triangle for the webbed feet.
With sn, cast on 5 sts.
Row 1: Inc, k4. (6 sts)
Row 2: Purl.
Row 3: Inc, k4, inc. (8 sts)
Row 4: P8, cast on 4 sts. (12 sts)
Row 5: K11, inc. (13 sts)
Row 6: P13, cast on 2 sts. (15 sts)
Row 7: K14, inc. (16 sts)
Row 8: Purl.
Row 9: Inc, k14, inc. (18 sts)
Row 10: P18, cast on 2 sts. (20 sts)
Row 11: Knit.
Row 12: Purl.
Row 13: Inc, k18, inc. (22 sts)
Row 14: P22, cast on 2 sts. (24 sts)
Row 15: Knit.
Row 16: Purl.
Row 17: K23, inc. (25 sts)
Row 18: Purl.
Row 19: Knit.
Row 20: Inc, p24. (26 sts)
Row 21: K25, inc. (27 sts)
Row 22: Purl.
Row 23: Knit.
Row 24: Purl.
Row 25: Inc, k26. (28 sts)
Row 26: Purl.
Row 27: Cast (bind) off 5 sts, k to end. (23 sts)
Row 28: P21, p2tog. (22 sts)
Row 29: Cast (bind) off 4 sts, k to end. (18 sts)
Row 30: P2tog, p16. (17 sts)
Row 31: Cast (bind) off 3 sts, k to end. (14 sts)
Row 32: Purl.
Row 33: Cast (bind) off 3 sts, k9 icos, k2tog. (10 sts)
Row 34: P2tog, p6, p2tog. (8 sts)
Row 35: K2tog, k6. (7 sts)
Row 36: Purl.
Work 6 rows st st.
Row 43: Inc, k4, k2tog. (7 sts)
Work 5 rows st st.
Row 49: Inc, k4, k2tog. (7 sts)
Row 50: Purl.
Row 51: K2tog, k5, cast on 3 sts. (9 sts)
Row 52: Purl.
Row 53: K2tog, k7. (8 sts)
Row 54: Purl.
Row 55: K2tog, k4, k2tog. (6 sts)
Row 56: P2tog, p2, p2tog. (4 sts)
Cast (bind) off 4 sts.
With sn, cast on 5 sts.
Row 1: Inc, p4. (6 sts)
Row 2: Knit.
Row 3: Inc, p4, inc. (8 sts)
Row 4: K8, cast on 4 sts. (12 sts)
Row 5: P11, inc. (13 sts)
Row 6: K13, cast on 2 sts. (15 sts)
Row 7: P14, inc. (16 sts)
Row 8: Knit.
Row 9: Inc, p14, inc. (18 sts)
Row 10: K18, cast on 2 sts. (20 sts)
Row 11: Purl.
Row 12: Knit.
Row 13: Inc, p18, inc. (22 sts)
Row 14: K22, cast on 2 sts. (24 sts)
Row 15: Purl.
Row 16: Knit.
Row 17: P23, inc. (25 sts)
Row 18: Knit.
Row 19: Purl.
Row 20: Inc, k24. (26 sts)
Row 21: P25, inc. (27 sts)
Row 22: Knit.
Row 23: Purl.
Row 24: Knit.
Row 25: Inc, p26. (28 sts)
Row 26: Knit.
Row 27: Cast (bind) off 5 sts, p to end. (23 sts)
Row 28: K21, k2tog. (22 sts)
Row 29: Cast (bind) off 4 sts, p to end. (18 sts)
Row 30: K2tog, k16. (17 sts)
Row 31: Cast (bind) off 3 sts, p to end. (14 sts)
Row 32: Knit.
Row 33: Cast (bind) off 3 sts, p9 icos, p2tog. (10 sts)
Row 34: K2tog, k6, k2tog. (8 sts)
Row 35: P2tog, p6. (7 sts)
Row 36: Knit.
Work 6 rows st st.
Row 43: Inc, p4, p2tog. (7 sts)
Work 5 rows st st.
Row 49: Inc, p4, p2tog. (7 sts)
Row 50: Knit.
Row 51: P2tog, p5, cast on 3 sts. (9 sts)
Row 52: Knit.
Row 53: P2tog, p7. (8 sts)
Row 54: Knit.
Row 55: P2tog, p4, p2tog. (6 sts)
Row 56: K2tog, k2, k2tog. (4 sts)
Cast (bind) off 4 sts.
With WS together and whip stitch, sew sides of body together along centre back, up back of neck and across top of head.
Row 1: With ja and RS facing, pick up and k10 sts across end of head.
Row 2: P4, p2tog, p4. (9 sts)
Row 3: Knit.
Row 4: Purl.
Row 5: K2tog, k5, k2tog. (7 sts)
Row 6: Purl.
Row 7: K2tog, k3, k2tog. (5 sts)
Row 8: Purl.
Row 9: K2tog, k1, k2tog. (3 sts)
Row 10: Purl.
Cast (bind) off.
(make 2 the same)
With sn, cast on 6 sts.
Work 2 rows of k1, p1 rib.
Row 3: Inc, rib 4, inc. (8 sts)
Row 4: Rib.
Row 5: Inc, rib 6, inc. (10 sts)
Row 6: Rib.
Row 7: Inc, rib 8, inc. (12 sts)
Row 8: Rib.
Row 9: Inc, rib 10, inc. (14 sts)
Work 6 rows rib.
Row 16: Cast (bind) off 2 sts, rib to end. (12 sts)
Row 17: Rib.
Row 18: Cast (bind) off 2 sts, rib to end. (10 sts)
Row 19: Rib.
Row 20: Cast (bind) off 2 sts, rib to end. (8 sts)
Row 22: Cast (bind) off 2 sts, rib to end. (6 sts)
Row 23: Rib.
Row 24: Cast (bind) off 2 sts, rib to end. (4 sts)
Row 25: Rib.
Row 26: Cast (bind) off 2 sts, rib to end. (2 sts)
Row 27: K2tog and fasten off.
Wings
Attach the wings at an angle to the body and make sure they are symmetrical on each side.
Eyes
The goose has tiny black beads for eyes.
SEWING IN ENDS Sew in ends, leaving ends from cast on and cast (bound) off rows for sewing up.
BODY With WS together and whip stitch, sew two halves of body together from tail, along bottom of body and up front including beak, leaving a 2.5cm (1in) gap.
STUFFING Stuff the goose firmly, then sew up the gap. Mould body into shape.
LEGS AND FEET Thread a pipecleaner through each i-cord leg and shape lower end into a triangle to form a webbed foot. Sew foot around the pipecleaner. Push other end of pipecleaner through base of body approx 1cm (¼in) apart. Sew legs to body. Insert wooden sticks up backs of legs and into body; these act as heels to help stabilize the goose.
WINGS Sew wings to body with long end at the top and approx 3 sts from back of neck and 3 rows down from centre back, with end of wing approx 6 rows down from centre back.
EYES Sew on black beads for eyes positioned as in photograph.
