Knit a Rabbit Video Tutorial & Free Pattern – From Britain with Love

There is something deeply satisfying about making a toy by hand. Unlike a garment that disappears under a coat or a pair of socks that get tucked into shoes, a handknitted toy sits on a shelf, rides in a pocket, and gets carried to bed every single night. It becomes part of someone’s story. If you have been looking for a project that combines traditional British craft with genuine heartfelt purpose, this knitted rabbit is exactly what you have been searching for.

This post walks you through everything you need to know to knit your own rabbit from scratch, including a free pattern, step-by-step guidance, and links to the full video tutorial so you can watch every stage as you work. Whether you are picking up needles for the first time or you have been knitting for decades, this pattern is designed to be approachable, enjoyable, and genuinely lovely to make.

Why Knit a Rabbit?

Rabbits hold a special place in British childhood. From the timeless pages of Beatrix Potter to the much-loved Velveteen Rabbit, the rabbit has always represented comfort, imagination, and the kind of soft magic that belongs to early childhood. A handknitted rabbit carries all of that meaning with it, and it carries something extra too: the time, care, and love of the person who made it.

Knitting a rabbit is also a wonderfully practical project. It uses up small amounts of yarn, works up relatively quickly, and the skills involved — knitting in the round or flat, basic shaping, seaming, and embroidering facial features — are transferable to dozens of other patterns. So even if this is your first soft toy, the techniques you learn here will stay with you for life.

This particular pattern has a classic, slightly vintage feel that suits the “From Britain with Love” spirit perfectly. Think cream and oatmeal yarns, pale pink inner ears, and a simple embroidered face with a slightly wonky, handmade charm. The finished rabbit sits comfortably in the palm of an adult hand and is the ideal size for small children to carry around.

What You Will Need

Before you begin, gather your materials. Having everything ready before you cast on makes the whole process smoother and much more enjoyable.

Yarn: You will need approximately 50g of a DK weight yarn in your main colour (the rabbit’s body), plus a small amount of a contrasting colour for the inner ears. A soft, machine-washable DK in a natural shade like oatmeal, cream, pale grey, or sandy beige works beautifully. For the inner ears, pale pink or dusty rose is the traditional choice, but you can use whatever calls to you. If you are knitting this rabbit as a gift for a baby, always choose a yarn that is free from synthetic fibres or at minimum hypoallergenic and certified safe for infant use. Several British yarn brands produce wonderful organic DK yarns that are perfect for toys.

Needles: A pair of 3.25mm or 3.5mm straight or double-pointed needles. The slightly tighter gauge recommended for toy knitting (compared to the usual gauge suggested on the yarn label) creates a denser fabric that holds the stuffing in well and gives the finished toy a firm, satisfying feel.

Stuffing: Toy stuffing, also known as polyester fibrefill. Use a good quality stuffing that will hold its shape over time and through the inevitable wash cycles a loved toy will need. Some knitters prefer to use natural kapok or organic wool stuffing for gifts to very young children.

Notions: A blunt-ended tapestry needle for seaming and embroidery, a small amount of black or very dark brown DK yarn or embroidery thread for the face, safety eyes if you prefer (though embroidered eyes are recommended for toys given to children under three), and stitch markers.

Optional: A small piece of ribbon for a neck bow, which gives the finished rabbit a charming, old-fashioned look.

Tension and Gauge

Before you cast on the body, it is worth knitting a small tension swatch. For this pattern, you are aiming for approximately 24 stitches and 32 rows to 10cm over stocking stitch using 3.25mm needles. If your swatch is larger than this, go down a needle size. If it is smaller, go up a needle size. The exact tension matters more for a toy than you might think — too loose a fabric and the stuffing shows through; too tight and the knitting becomes stiff and uncomfortable to work.

Free Pattern: The Britain with Love Knitted Rabbit

The pattern is written for a finished rabbit of approximately 25cm (10 inches) tall when sitting. Instructions are given flat, with seaming to finish.

Abbreviations:

• k: knit
• p: purl
• k2tog: knit two stitches together (decrease)
• kfb: knit into the front and back of a stitch (increase)
• st(s): stitch(es)
• RS: right side
• WS: wrong side
• BO: bind off (cast off)
• CO: cast on

Body

Using your main colour yarn, CO 10 sts.

Row 1 (RS): kfb into every stitch. (20 sts)
Row 2 (WS): Purl.
Row 3: k1, kfb to end. (30 sts)
Row 4: Purl.
Row 5: k2, kfb to end. (40 sts)
Rows 6–36: Work in stocking stitch (knit RS rows, purl WS rows), ending on a WS row.
Row 37: k2, k2tog to end. (30 sts)
Row 38: Purl.
Row 39: k1, k2tog to end. (20 sts)
Row 40: Purl.
Row 41: k2tog to end. (10 sts)

Break yarn, thread through remaining stitches, pull tight and secure. Seam the body using mattress stitch, leaving a gap for stuffing. Stuff firmly and close the seam.

Head

Using your main colour yarn, CO 8 sts.

Row 1 (RS): kfb into every stitch. (16 sts)
Row 2 (WS): Purl.
Row 3: k1, kfb to end. (24 sts)
Row 4: Purl.
Row 5: k2, kfb to end. (32 sts)
Rows 6–24: Work in stocking stitch.
Row 25: k2, k2tog to end. (24 sts)
Row 26: Purl.
Row 27: k1, k2tog to end. (16 sts)
Row 28: Purl.
Row 29: k2tog to end. (8 sts)

Break yarn, thread through remaining stitches, pull tight and secure. Seam as for the body, stuff firmly, and close.

Ears (Make 2 in main colour, 2 in contrast colour)

CO 6 sts.
Rows 1–4: Work in stocking stitch.
Row 5 (RS): kfb, k to last st, kfb. (8 sts)
Rows 6–16: Work in stocking stitch.
Row 17: k2tog, k to last 2 sts, k2tog. (6 sts)
Row 18: Purl.
Row 19: k2tog, k2, k2tog. (4 sts)
Row 20: Purl.
Row 21: k2tog twice. (2 sts)
Row 22: p2tog. (1 st)

Break yarn and fasten off. Make one piece in main colour and one in contrast for each ear. Place contrast piece on top of main colour piece, wrong sides together, and whip stitch around the edges using your main colour yarn. This creates a neat ear with a pink (or contrast colour) inner face.

Arms (Make 2)

CO 8 sts.
Rows 1–20: Work in stocking stitch.
Row 21: k2tog, k4, k2tog. (6 sts)
Row 22: Purl.
Row 23: k2tog, k2, k2tog. (4 sts)

Break yarn, thread through remaining stitches, and pull tight. Seam the arm lengthways, leaving the cast-on end open. Stuff lightly and close.

Legs (Make 2)

CO 10 sts.
Row 1 (RS): kfb into every stitch. (20 sts)
Rows 2–6: Work in stocking stitch.
Row 7: k2tog, k6, k2tog, k2tog, k6, k2tog (this begins to shape the foot). (16 sts)
Row 8: Purl.
Rows 9–22: Work in stocking stitch.
Row 23: k2tog, k12, k2tog. (14 sts)
Row 24: Purl.
Row 25: k2tog, k10, k2tog. (12 sts)

Break yarn, thread through remaining stitches. Seam the leg, stuff firmly (the foot especially needs good stuffing to help the rabbit sit upright), and close.

Tail

CO 8 sts.
Rows 1–6: Work in stocking stitch.
Row 7: k2tog to end. (4 sts)

Break yarn, thread through remaining stitches. Gather into a small round bobble, secure and sew closed.

Assembly

Assembly is the stage that transforms a collection of knitted pieces into an actual rabbit, and it is worth taking your time here.

Begin by attaching the head to the body. Position it so it sits slightly forward on the body — this gives the rabbit a sweet, alert expression. Use your tapestry needle and main colour yarn and sew all the way around the neck join, going through both layers of knitting several times for security.

Next, attach the ears to the top of the head. Most knitters find that ears placed slightly further back on the head (rather than right on the very top) give a more natural, rabbit-like silhouette. Pin them in position before sewing and step back to check the look before you commit.

Sew the arms to either side of the upper body at a slight downward angle. Legs attach to the base of the body — again, pin first, check the rabbit can sit upright, then sew securely in place.

The tail goes at the back, at the base of the body, directly above where the legs join.

Embroidering the Face

The face is what gives your rabbit its personality, and this is the part of the process that most knitters feel nervous about. The good news is that simple is almost always better, and even a slightly asymmetrical face adds to the handmade charm rather than detracting from it.

Using dark yarn or embroidery thread, create two small oval or round eyes positioned roughly in the centre of the face, slightly further apart than you think looks right (they tend to look closer together once you step back). For the nose, work a small triangle or Y shape just below the centre of the face. If you like, add a few straight stitches below the nose to suggest a mouth.

If you are adding safety eyes, insert them before you close the head seam, following the manufacturer’s instructions for securing the washer backing.

Finishing Touches

A small ribbon tied in a bow around the rabbit’s neck is completely optional but thoroughly delightful. Choose a narrow satin or grosgrain ribbon in a colour that complements your yarn — pale blue, soft green, and dusty pink are all beautiful choices.

If the rabbit is a gift, consider blocking the finished toy very gently with a damp cloth before assembly. This evens out any uneven stitches and gives the knitting a smoother, slightly more polished finish.

Watch the Video Tutorial

Reading a pattern and watching someone work through it in real time are two very different experiences, and for many knitters the video is where everything truly clicks. The full video tutorial for this rabbit walks you through each section of the pattern in detail, showing exactly how to shape the increases and decreases, how to seam the pieces together neatly, and how to embroider the face with confidence. If you have questions about any step in the written pattern above, the video is the place to look first.

The tutorial is filmed in natural light with clear close-ups at every key stage, and it moves at a pace that allows you to pause, rewind, and work alongside the video at your own speed. Whether you prefer to watch the whole thing through before you start knitting or to work step by step alongside the video, both approaches work perfectly well.

Tips for Making Your Rabbit Extra Special

Using a hand-dyed or speckled DK yarn gives the finished rabbit a more artisan, contemporary feel that still suits the pattern’s classic character. Look out for British indie dyers who work with natural fibres — their yarns often have a warmth and depth of colour that mass-produced yarns simply cannot replicate.

If you want to give your rabbit a name, a small embroidered label sewn to the inside of one ear or to the base of the body is a lovely touch. You can embroider directly onto a small piece of ribbon using backstitch, or use an iron-on name label.

For a very small baby, consider omitting safety eyes entirely and using embroidered eyes throughout — a fully embroidered face is completely secure no matter how enthusiastically a baby investigates.

And if you make more than one rabbit (which, fair warning, becomes extremely likely once you have made your first), subtle variations in yarn colour, ribbon choice, and facial expression mean that no two are ever quite the same. Each one becomes its own small character.

The From Britain with Love Spirit

This pattern comes from a place of genuine love for British knitting tradition. There is a long, rich history of handmade toys in this country — passed down through families, made during wartime from unravelled jumpers, gifted at christenings, and carried through entire childhoods before being carefully packed away and rediscovered decades later. When you knit this rabbit, you are joining that tradition.

The best thing about a handknitted toy is not the finished object itself, though the finished object is genuinely lovely. It is the making of it: the quiet evenings with yarn in hand, the gradual accumulation of pieces, the moment when you sew the head on and suddenly it is unmistakably a rabbit. That process, that particular kind of slow and careful making, is something uniquely valuable. And the person who receives your rabbit — whether a newborn, a toddler, or someone who simply loves handmade things — will carry a little of that care with them.

Cast on, and enjoy every single stitch.

If you make this rabbit, please share your finished photo — there is nothing lovelier than seeing the ways different knitters bring the same pattern to life. Tag your makes and leave a comment below. Happy knitting, from Britain with love.