Freesia Teacup-Lace Bunny – Knitting

This knitted bunny set is designed to match the soft countryside look of the sample image, with a floppy-eared rabbit, lace-panel dress, bonnet, shoes, flower basket, mini companion bunny, and embroidered pillow. It makes a lovely handmade bunny doll for spring decor, nursery styling, Easter display, or a knitted heirloom gift. The shapes are gentle, the colors are muted, and the details feel boutique and collectible, like the kind of artisanal stuffed rabbit many shoppers search for when browsing for luxury handmade toys and keepsake gifts.

Please note: I strive for accuracy in every pattern, but occasional errors can happen. Thank you for understanding and for enjoying my designs.

Materials

• Main bunny yarn: Fingering or light sport weight wool or wool-cotton blend in warm cream for head, body, ears, arms, and legs.
• Dress yarn: Light sport weight in pale buttercream.
• Sleeve and shoe yarn: Light sport weight in dusty sage green.
• Bonnet trim yarn: Buttercream and cream.
• Mini bunny yarn: Small amounts of cream, buttercream, and dusty sage.
• Basket yarn: Buttercream with a tiny amount of sage for the small decorative motifs.
• Flower yarn: White, pale yellow, lavender, and green.
• Pillow yarn: Cream, pale yellow, sage, and a tiny amount of soft green for stems and leaves.
• Needles: A set of double-pointed needles or circular needles for small circumference work. Use a size that gives a firm fabric. For most knitters, US 1.5 to US 2.5 works well.
• Smaller needle: One size smaller for hems, trims, and straps if you want crisper edges.
• Stuffing: Fine polyester toy stuffing.
• Safety eyes or black beads: Two very small eyes for the large bunny and two tiny beads or French knots for the mini bunny.
• Tapestry needle: For sewing and embroidery.
• Stitch markers: Helpful for shaping and lace placement.
• Scrap thread: For holding stitches.
• Narrow cotton lace or eyelet trim: Optional if you want the waist trim to match the image even more closely, though a knitted eyelet band is included below.

Finished Size

The large bunny sits at about 12 to 14 inches tall from the base to the top of the head, not including the bonnet ruffle.

The ears hang to shoulder level. The dress falls just below the knees in a seated pose. The mini bunny measures about 4 inches tall. The basket is scaled to rest in the bunny’s hand, and the pillow is a small accent cushion for display.

Gauge

Gauge is less important than firmness, but the fabric should be dense enough that stuffing does not show through. On most hands, 32 to 36 stitches and 44 to 52 rounds over 4 inches in stockinette with light sport yarn will create the right compact toy fabric.

If your stitches look loose, go down a needle size. If the fabric feels stiff and difficult to shape, go up a size. Matching the proportions matters more than exact stitch count per inch.

Construction Notes

• The large bunny is worked mostly in the round from the legs upward, then the head is shaped above the body.
• The arms and ears are made separately and sewn on.
• The dress is made as a separate garment with a fitted bodice, puff sleeves, wide skirt, and central lace panels.
• The bonnet is separate and tied only by fit, with long ear openings beneath it.
• The shoes are separate slip-on pieces with crossing ties.
• The basket, flowers, mini bunny, and pillow are all separate accessories.

Important visual notes for accuracy: the head is large and softly rounded, the muzzle is subtle rather than protruding, the ears are long and flat with a pale pink inner area, the body is slim, the legs are straight and lightly stuffed, and the arms hang naturally at the sides. The dress sits high at the waist, with a square neckline and wide shoulder straps.

Abbreviations

• CO = cast on
• K = knit
• P = purl
• st(s) = stitch(es)
• kfb = knit into front and back of stitch
• k2tog = knit 2 together
• ssk = slip, slip, knit
• yo = yarn over
• RS = right side
• WS = wrong side
• rep = repeat

Main Bunny: Legs

Make 2 in cream. Stuff as you go, but keep the upper third lightly stuffed so the seated shape looks relaxed and natural.

1. CO 14 sts and join carefully for working in the round.
2. Work 16 rounds in stockinette.
3. Increase round: K1, kfb, knit to last 2 sts, kfb, K1. You now have 16 sts.
4. Knit 12 rounds.
5. Increase round: K2, kfb, knit to last 3 sts, kfb, K1. You now have 18 sts.
6. Knit until leg measures about 4 1/2 inches from cast-on edge.
7. Bind off 2 sts at inner thigh for each leg, or place the final 16 sts of each leg on hold if you prefer a seamless join.

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Make the second leg the same. The legs in the image are long, slim, and straight, without heavy knee shaping. Keep them simple and elegant.

Main Bunny: Body

Join both legs onto one needle set. Place one leg, CO 4 sts for center join, place second leg, CO 4 sts for back join. You should have 40 sts if you used the held-stitch method with 16 stitches per leg, plus the 8 joining stitches.

1. Knit 6 rounds even.
2. Decrease shaping round: K8, k2tog, K10, ssk, K8, k2tog, K10, ssk. Remove the extra counts as needed to keep the decreases centered on the sides.
3. Knit 5 rounds.
4. Repeat the shaping round once more to narrow the waist slightly.
5. Knit even until body from crotch measures about 3 1/4 inches.
6. Increase round for chest: distribute 4 increases evenly.
7. Knit 8 rounds.

The torso should be narrow and upright, with only a gentle rise at the chest. The image shows a doll with a refined silhouette rather than a round, plush body.

Main Bunny: Neck and Head

The head is noticeably larger than the torso and smoothly attached, with no sharp neck break. Use gradual increases to create that full rounded look.

1. Neck shaping: knit 3 rounds while decreasing 4 sts evenly across the first round.
2. Final neck count should feel slender compared to the body.
3. Begin head increases. Increase 8 sts evenly around.
4. Knit 1 round.
5. Increase 8 sts evenly again.
6. Knit 2 rounds.
7. Increase 8 sts evenly a third time.
8. Knit until head from neck measures about 2 1/2 inches.

Start stuffing firmly from the lower head upward, especially at the cheeks and back of head. Keep the face area smooth and even.

1. Shape crown with evenly spaced decrease rounds every other round until about 10 to 12 sts remain.
2. Thread yarn through remaining sts and close tightly.
3. Use your hands to massage the stuffing and smooth the head into a near-spherical shape with a slightly flatter face plane.

Muzzle and Face Shaping

Thread a long piece of cream yarn and create two small indent lines from the lower eye area to the mouth point to suggest soft cheeks. Do not over-sculpt. The sample image has a delicate face, not a deeply pulled one.

Place the eyes widely spaced, about halfway up the head and slightly outside the center line. Embroider the nose in taupe-brown as a small triangular shape. Extend a short vertical stitch down and split into two gently angled mouth lines.

The expression should be calm, sweet, and understated.

Ears

Make 2 outer ears in cream and 2 inner ear linings in blush pink or very pale rose.

1. For each outer ear, CO 10 sts.
2. Work flat in stockinette, slipping first stitch of each row for neat edges.
3. Increase 1 st at each end every 4th row 4 times. You now have 18 sts.
4. Work even until ear measures about 4 1/4 inches.
5. Shape tip by decreasing 1 st at each end every RS row until 6 sts remain.
6. Decrease every row to 2 sts, then draw closed.

Inner ears are worked the same but a little narrower and shorter. Start with 8 sts, increase to 14, then finish slightly before the outer ear length ends.

Sew each inner ear onto an outer ear, leaving the edges of the cream ear visible. Fold the lower ear edge slightly before attaching to the head so the ears fall softly down the sides of the face. In the image, the ears hang under the bonnet and reach nearly to the upper arm area.

Arms

Make 2 in cream. The arms are simple tubes with very light shaping and soft ends.

1. CO 12 sts and join.
2. Knit 10 rounds.
3. Increase 2 sts evenly.
4. Knit 14 rounds.
5. Decrease 2 sts evenly.
6. Knit 6 rounds.
7. Lightly stuff the lower half only.
8. Flatten the top and bind off or graft shut for sewing.

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Attach the arms just below the neckline so they angle downward naturally. One arm should be able to rest near the basket, while the other sits close to the mini bunny.

Dress Bodice

Work in pale buttercream. This piece should fit snugly but not strain over the torso. The neckline is square, the straps are broad, and the front center has vertical texture with a narrow lace panel.

1. CO enough stitches to fit around the upper torso snugly. For the size given, 44 to 48 sts is a good starting point.
2. Work flat if you prefer a back opening, or in the round if you will dress the bunny before sewing the arms fully in place.
3. Work 4 rows in K1, P1 rib.
4. Begin bodice texture: work edge sections in stockinette or narrow rib columns, with a centered 8-stitch lace panel.

A suitable center panel looks elegant and close to the image:

1. Row 1: K3, yo, ssk, K2, k2tog, yo, K3.
2. Row 2 and all WS rows: Purl lace-panel stitches as they appear.
3. Row 3: K2, yo, ssk, K4, k2tog, yo, K2.
4. Row 5: K1, yo, ssk, K6, k2tog, yo, K1.
5. Row 7: yo, ssk, K8, k2tog, yo.
6. Repeat to desired height.

Work bodice until it reaches from upper chest to natural waist. Shape the armholes lightly at the sides if working flat. Create a square neckline by binding off a shallow central section and working each strap separately.

Each strap should be broad enough to match the image, around 6 to 8 stitches wide. Sew the straps neatly to the back bodice.

Puff Sleeves

Make 2 in dusty sage. The sleeves are separate little puffs that sit under the dress straps and create the soft rounded shoulder look seen in the image.

1. CO 24 sts loosely.
2. Work 3 rounds or rows in a tiny rolled frill: one purl row, then 2 knit rows, or a picot edge if preferred.
3. Increase lightly across the next row if needed.
4. Work stockinette for 10 to 12 rows.
5. Decrease evenly over the next few rows so the top edge draws in.
6. Leave a long tail, gather the top slightly, and sew into a puff shape.

Attach sleeves to the dress and tack lightly at the underarm. They should be rounded, not drooping, with a small frill at the lower edge.

Skirt

Pick up stitches from the lower bodice edge and work downward. The skirt is wide and softly flared, with central and side lace textures. It should spread over the seated legs but still look lightweight.

1. Pick up stitches all around the waist edge.
2. Work 1 round plain.
3. Increase evenly across the next round for fullness.
4. Set lace panels: one centered front panel and two smaller side-front panels.

For the larger front panel, use a mirrored leaf-and-vine look. For the side panels, use simpler yo decrease columns. Keep the spaces between panels in stockinette. Continue until the skirt reaches just below the knees in seated position.

Finish with a neat hem. A few rows of garter or a folded stockinette hem both work well. The hem in the image is plain and clean, not heavily frilled.

Waist Trim

To mimic the eyelet band at the waist, work a narrow strip separately.

1. CO 6 sts in cream.
2. Row 1: K1, yo, k2tog, K2, yo, k2tog.
3. Row 2: Purl.
4. Repeat until the strip fits around the waist.
5. Sew neatly over the waist seam.

Bonnet

The bonnet is cream with a double ruffle edge in cream and buttercream. It fits closely over the crown and sits low around the forehead.

1. CO 60 to 68 sts in cream.
2. Work in the round or flat as preferred.
3. Knit 2 inches in stockinette, shaping gently with a few decrease lines toward the back of the head.
4. To form the crown, work evenly spaced decrease rounds until the bonnet cups the head.

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For the brim ruffle, pick up stitches all around the front edge.

1. With cream, pick up 1 stitch in nearly every row around the brim.
2. Knit 1 row, then increase every other stitch to create a soft frill.
3. Work 3 rows.
4. Bind off loosely.

Repeat a second, slightly smaller ruffle in buttercream just above the first so the two colors ripple together. This layered edge is one of the most recognizable details in the image.

Shoes

Make 2 in dusty sage with cream openings. These are delicate Mary Jane style slippers with long crossing ties at the ankle.

1. CO 12 sts for the sole and work a small oval or rectangle with increases at each end until the foot length matches the bunny foot.
2. Pick up around the sole and knit upward in sage.
3. Decrease over the instep to create the rounded toe.
4. Work the opening in cream for a neat contrast.
5. Create i-cord or twisted ties in sage and tack them in crossed loops over the front ankle.

The ties should form an X across the front, exactly like soft ballet-style lacing.

Basket

The basket is small, rounded, and soft-sided, knitted in buttercream with tiny sage decorative marks around the body.

1. Begin at base with 8 sts distributed on needles.
2. Increase evenly to form a flat circle or oval base about 2 inches across.
3. Work upward without increasing for the sides.
4. Switch to a simple textured round if desired for basket structure.
5. Add tiny duplicate-stitch sage motifs spaced evenly around the body.
6. Bind off neatly.

For the handle, make a firm i-cord long enough to arch above the basket and sew at both sides. The handle should stand gently but not rigidly.

Flower Posy

Make several tiny knitted or embroidered flowers and leaves. The image shows white, yellow, and lavender blossoms with soft green leaves grouped at the side of the basket.

• Flower centers: use French knots or tiny wrapped knots in pale yellow.
• Petals: make small five-petal flowers by knitting miniature petals separately or using padded embroidery over a knitted base.
• Leaves: knit tiny pointed leaves in green and sew beneath the blossoms.

Arrange one white flower, one lavender flower, one pale yellow flower, and a few buds. Sew them in a clustered bouquet on the outer side of the basket.

Mini Bunny

The mini bunny mirrors the large one in simplified form. Keep the head large, the ears long, and the clothing colors matched.

1. Work two tiny legs and join into a narrow body.
2. Shape a slightly oversized head above a short neck.
3. Add tiny flat ears.
4. Embroider a very small nose and mouth.
5. Use tiny beads or black knots for eyes.

Dress the mini bunny in a buttercream dress with sage hem accents and a tiny bonnet or head cap edge matching the large bunny’s bonnet colors. The mini version should look like a companion piece, not a different character.

Pillow

The cushion is a cream square with floral embroidery and a delicate lace edge.

1. Make 2 cream squares in stockinette or reverse stockinette, about 3 inches across.
2. Embroider small yellow blossoms with green stems and leaves on one square.
3. Join three sides, lightly stuff, then close the final side.
4. Add a crocheted or knitted lace edging if desired, or create eyelet scallops by picking up around the edge and working a tiny decorative border.

Final Assembly and Facial Detailing

Sew the ears first, then the arms. Dress the bunny before permanently arranging the accessories. Position the bonnet low enough to frame the eyes and allow the ears to fall from beneath it. Place the shoes so the ties cross neatly.

Set the face carefully. The eyes should be small and widely spaced. The nose is tiny and centered low on the face. Keep the mouth short and soft. A very light blush at the cheeks can be added if desired, but only sparingly.

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Care Notes

• Display indoors and away from prolonged direct sunlight.
• Keep accessories attached only lightly if you want to rearrange them for photos.
• Avoid heavy handling of the basket flowers and bonnet ruffles.

Quick Checklist Before You Finish

• Head looks round and larger than the torso.
• Ears hang low and flat.
• Dress neckline is square and straps are wide.
• Sleeves are softly puffed in sage.
• Skirt has visible vertical lace sections.
• Bonnet has two layered ruffles.
• Shoes have crossed ankle ties.
• Basket, flowers, mini bunny, and pillow all match the main color story.

Detailed Cleaning and Preservation Guidelines

Spot clean only with a soft cloth and cool water. Do not soak unless absolutely necessary. If washing is needed, use a gentle wool-safe cleanser, press out moisture in a towel, reshape all parts, and dry flat away from heat.

Store with acid-free tissue in a breathable box. Keep away from damp spaces, rough Velcro, and strong fragrances. For long-term display, rotate the pose occasionally so the dress and bonnet keep their shape evenly.