This sweet knitted set brings together a soft rabbit doll, a tiny dressed bear, and a group of storybook picnic props that look beautiful in a nursery, on a seasonal shelf, or in a handmade gift box. The finished pieces have the charm of a handmade bunny doll, a knitted rabbit plush, and a collectible heirloom toy all in one. If you enjoy making artisan stuffed animals, nursery decor, boutique baby gifts, or handmade rabbit dolls for sale, this set gives you a polished result with thoughtful little details and a cozy countryside feel.
Please note: I strive for accuracy in every pattern, but occasional errors can happen. Thank you for understanding and for enjoying my designs.
Set Overview
This design recreates the full scene shown in the image. The main piece is a seated cream bunny with long floppy ears, a sky-blue hat, a blue dress covered with fluffy white sheep motifs, matching blue booties, and a tiny cream shoulder bag with one sheep on the front.
Beside the bunny sits a small brown bear. The bear wears a red sweater and a green scarf and carries a little basket lined with a red-and-cream cloth. The scene also includes a knitted carrot, a tiny teapot, and a stack of slim books.
The shaping is gentle and rounded throughout. Nothing in this set looks sharp or stiff. The bunny is the largest figure, with the bear scaled to look like a friend or smaller companion. The props are intentionally petite so they feel decorative and balanced beside the toys.
Finished Size
- Main bunny: about 11 to 12 inches tall seated, about 15 inches from head top to feet if legs are extended.
- Bear: about 4 1/2 to 5 inches tall.
- Carrot: about 3 inches long.
- Teapot: about 2 inches from spout to handle.
- Book stack: each book about 1 1/2 inches wide and 2 inches long.
- Basket: about 1 1/2 inches tall.
Materials
- Main yarn: sport or light DK weight in cream, dusty sky blue, white, light brown, dark brown, brick red, moss green, carrot orange, leaf green, blush pink, muted teal, and muted coral.
- Needles: double-pointed needles or magic loop needles in US 2 and US 3.
- Stuffing: soft polyester toy stuffing.
- Eyes: tiny black safety eyes or black embroidery thread for stitched eyes.
- Embroidery thread: brown, black, and cream.
- Tapestry needle.
- Stitch markers.
- Small scrap of lightweight cardboard or felt for the basket base if you want firmer structure.
Gauge and Fabric Notes
Use the needle size that gives you a dense, neat fabric. The stitches in the image are smooth and compact, with very little stuffing visible through the fabric. For the toys, aim for a firm stockinette fabric that holds shape without looking stretched.
A useful gauge for the main figures is about 7 to 8 stitches per inch in stockinette on the larger toy needle. The smallest props may be worked on the finer needle to keep them crisp. Adjust only if needed to preserve proportions.
The sheep motifs on the blue dress look soft and rounded. They work best with duplicate stitch and tiny attached bobbles, or with simple intarsia blocks softened by a little surface stitching. Duplicate stitch is the easiest option for clean control on a small garment.
Abbreviations
- CO = cast on
- BO = bind off
- k = knit
- p = purl
- st(s) = stitch(es)
- RS = right side
- WS = wrong side
- inc = increase 1 stitch
- k2tog = knit 2 together
- ssk = slip, slip, knit
- rep = repeat
- rnd = round
Main Bunny
General Construction
The bunny is made in separate pieces. Knit the head, body, arms, legs, and ears individually, then assemble. This method gives the gentle seated posture seen in the image and helps place the ears low under the hat, with the face staying broad and smooth.
The head is large and softly oval, not perfectly round. The cheeks are full, the muzzle is subtle, and the forehead is smooth. The body is narrower than the head and shaped like a small pear, with the dress fitting loosely over it.
Head
Using cream and the smaller toy needle, CO 12 sts. Divide for working in the round if you prefer, or work flat and seam later. Increase evenly every other round until you have 48 sts. Knit even for several rounds to form the lower face.
Continue increasing more gently until you reach 56 sts. Knit even until the head measures about 3 1/4 inches from cast-on edge. This extra length helps create the softly elongated face shown in the image rather than a short round face.
Begin the crown by decreasing gradually. Work one decrease round, then one plain round, repeating until 28 sts remain. Stuff firmly but not hard. The face should feel smooth and full. Close the top neatly and weave in the tail.
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To create the gentle muzzle, use cream yarn and place a few small horizontal tension stitches across the lower center front from inside the head. Pull only slightly. The effect should be very soft. The image shows shaping, but not a strongly raised nose.
Body
Using cream and the larger toy needle, CO 14 sts. Increase evenly over the next several rounds until you have 40 sts. Knit straight for 10 rounds. Add a few more increases around the lower belly so the body widens softly toward the base.
Continue until the body measures about 3 1/2 inches tall. Begin shaping the upper body with paired decreases spaced evenly. The shoulder area should end narrower than the widest belly, but not tiny. Leave a long tail for sewing the head in place.
Stuff the lower body firmly so the bunny can sit. Keep the upper body a bit softer so the dress drapes naturally. Flatten the bottom slightly with your fingers while stuffing. A flatter base helps the seated pose rest securely on a shelf or tabletop.
Legs
Make 2 in cream. CO 10 sts and work in the round. Increase to 16 sts for the foot. Knit several rounds. The feet in the image are plump and rounded at the toe, so add one increase round near the front if needed, then knit even.
After the foot is shaped, decrease slightly to form the ankle. Continue the leg as a slim tube. The visible cream section between dress hem and bootie is short, so keep the exposed lower leg compact. Stuff the feet firmly and the upper legs lightly.
When attaching, angle the legs forward so the bunny sits with both feet pointing outward toward the viewer. The feet should be large enough to show clearly beneath the dress, but not oversized. Their softness is part of the toy’s cozy look.
Arms
Make 2 in cream. CO 8 sts and increase to 12 sts. Knit straight for about 2 1/2 inches. Light stuffing is enough. These arms are slim and relaxed, with no defined paw shaping. One arm sits slightly outward near the teapot, while the other falls close to the bear.
Before sewing the top closed, flatten the opening. Attach the arms high on the body, just below the neck edge. Angle them slightly downward. The image shows the sleeves covering the upper arm, so only the lower cream arm is clearly visible.
Ears
Make 2 in cream. CO 10 sts and work flat in stockinette with a garter edge if desired. Increase to 14 sts over the first few rows, then knit straight for length. The ears are long, narrow, and softly tapered, reaching from under the hat to shoulder level.
Decrease gradually at the tip end so each ear finishes rounded, not pointed. Do not stuff. Steam lightly or finger-press flat. Sew the ears to the sides of the head, starting a little below the crown so they fall from beneath the hat brim.
The ears should hang straight with only a slight outward curve. They are not perked up. This relaxed position is important for matching the image. Keep the inner ear plain cream with no extra contrast panel.
Facial Features
Place the eyes low and wide on the face. They appear as tiny black dots, spaced generously apart. This wide placement gives the bunny a calm, innocent expression. If using safety eyes, install them before final stuffing. If embroidering, use only a few neat stitches.
Embroider the nose and mouth in brown. The nose is a small upside-down triangle with soft edges. From the base, stitch a short center line downward, then work two gentle mouth lines slanting outward into a tiny relaxed cross shape.
Do not add eyelashes, blush, or heavy contouring. The face in the image is simple and understated. That quiet facial styling helps the dress and accessories stay visually important without making the bunny look overly busy.
Blue Dress
Dress Shape
The dress is one of the signature elements of this design. It is a medium blue, long enough to cover the body and upper legs, with long sleeves and a very gentle flare. The neckline is plain and the hem rolls slightly, giving a soft informal finish.
You may knit the dress flat in pieces or from the top down in the round. A simple flat construction is beginner-friendly and gives good control over the motif placement. Make one front, one back, and two sleeves.
Front and Back
Using blue and the larger garment needle, CO 34 sts for the front. Work 4 rows stockinette beginning with a purl row if working flat. Increase 1 st at each side every 6th row until you have 42 sts. This creates the slight A-line flare.
When the piece measures about 4 inches, begin the armhole shaping by binding off 2 sts at the beginning of the next 2 rows. Decrease 1 stitch at each armhole edge every other row twice. Work straight until the neckline sits just below the chin line.
Shape a shallow neck opening. The front neckline in the image is modest and neat, not scooped deeply. Work the back similarly, but slightly higher and straighter. Join shoulder seams cleanly. The dress should fit easily over the stuffed bunny body.
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Sleeves
CO 14 sts with blue. Work stockinette, increasing 1 stitch at each side every 6th row until you have 20 sts. The sleeves are straight and soft, without puffing. Their overall look is relaxed and slightly roomy rather than fitted.
When the sleeve reaches wrist-to-shoulder length, bind off 2 sts at the beginning of the next 2 rows, then decrease at each side every other row twice. Sew the sleeve caps into the armholes. The shoulder line should look natural and slightly dropped.
Sheep Motifs
The dress features fluffy white sheep across the chest, sleeves, and skirt. These are central to the design. The motifs are rounded and cloudlike, each with a tiny dark face and little dark legs suggested with a few small stitches.
Plan seven sheep on the dress front. Place three across the upper chest, with one centered and two balanced on either side. Add four more across the lower dress, spaced evenly above the hem. This arrangement matches the image closely.
On each sleeve, add one sheep near the upper outer arm. Keep them slightly smaller than the body sheep. Work each sheep with white duplicate stitch over the blue fabric, filling an oval or rounded cloud shape about 8 to 12 stitches wide.
For extra texture, add tiny white bobbles or French-knot-like loops sparingly over the white area. Keep the texture low. The motifs in the image look fluffy, but still knitted rather than heavily embellished. Less is better here.
Add a tiny dark face at one end of each sheep using black or charcoal yarn. Stitch two or three straight little legs under the cloud body. These details should remain very small. The sheep should read clearly from a distance without becoming cartoonish.
Dress Finishing
Slip the dress onto the bunny before final neck sewing if needed. Seam the back neatly or leave a partial opening and stitch it closed after dressing. The hem is softly rolled in the image, so do not add a ribbed border at the bottom.
The neckline should sit comfortably beneath the hat and around the base of the bunny head. Avoid a bulky collar. The overall effect should be simple, rustic, and cozy, with the sheep motifs doing most of the visual work.
Blue Hat
The hat is a rounded beanie with a deep folded brim. It sits low over the head and partly covers the tops of the ears. This is an important proportional detail. The hat is not slouchy, but it has a soft gathered crown.
Using blue and the smaller garment needle, CO 40 sts. Join for working in the round. Work in k1, p1 rib for 8 rounds to create the section that will fold upward as the brim. Then switch to stockinette for the main hat body.
Knit until the hat from cast-on edge measures about 3 inches. Begin crown decreases by working 8 evenly spaced decreases on one round. Knit one plain round. Repeat, reducing the plain rounds near the end, until 8 sts remain. Draw through and fasten.
Fold the brim upward. Sew the folded edge lightly at two side points if you want it to stay in place. Place the hat low so it frames the face and lets the ear bases disappear beneath it. This matching placement helps the finished bunny look true to the image.
Blue Booties
The bunny wears soft blue booties that cover the cream feet almost entirely. They are darker at the toe and slightly lighter toward the ankle in the photograph, but you can use one blue if preferred. The surface is smooth stockinette with a snug top edge.
Pick up stitches around each finished foot or make separate little shoe covers. For separate booties, CO 12 sts in blue, increase to fit over the foot, and work a small rounded pouch. Close under the sole and stitch to the foot securely.
Add a tiny ribbed or turned edge at the ankle. Keep the finish simple. These are not lace-up shoes and they do not have straps. Their role is to echo the hat and dress color so the bunny looks coordinated from head to toe.
Shoulder Bag
The shoulder bag is cream and hangs diagonally across the front of the dress. It is narrow, soft, and slightly rounded at the base. A single small sheep motif appears on the bag front, tying it visually to the dress.
For the bag body, CO 10 sts in cream. Work flat in stockinette for 12 rows. Increase 1 stitch at each side once, then work 6 more rows. Bind off. Make a matching back piece. Sew side seams and bottom, leaving the top open.
For the strap, make an i-cord about 8 inches long or knit a narrow strip 3 stitches wide. Sew one end to the upper side of the bag, then attach the other end after testing the drape on the bunny. The bag should rest around waist level.
Duplicate-stitch one tiny white sheep on the front center, using the same method as on the dress but smaller. Keep the face and legs very subtle. Do not overfill the bag. It should remain flat and soft in the finished display.
Tiny Bear
Bear Body
The little bear is compact and upright, with a round head, small ears, a short muzzle, and plump legs. The body is slim enough to fit under the red sweater. Knit the head and body separately or as one piece if you prefer seamless toy shaping.
Using light brown, CO 10 sts for the head and increase gradually to 32 sts. Knit even until the head looks softly rounded. Shape a tiny snout by adding a small stuffed pad or by using a few tension stitches across the lower front.
For the body, CO 12 sts and increase to 24 sts. Knit straight for the torso. The bear should be much smaller than the bunny and sit around the bunny’s hip height when standing beside it. Stuff firmly enough to support an upright pose.
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Bear Ears, Arms, and Legs
Make 2 small semicircle ears in slightly darker brown. Sew them high on the head. The ears are small and rounded, not oversized. Make 2 slim arms and 2 short legs as tiny tubes. Light stuffing is enough for the limbs.
Attach the arms at the shoulder line and the legs close together under the body so the bear can stand with support from display positioning. The limbs in the image are very simple. Keep shaping minimal and rely on proportion for charm.
Bear Face
Embroider tiny black eyes and a black nose. The nose is small and triangular, with a short vertical stitch below it. Keep the expression calm and friendly. Avoid white eye highlights or extra facial decoration. The bear’s face should stay understated.
Bear Sweater and Scarf
The bear sweater is a deep warm red. It has long sleeves and a plain, close fit. Because the bear is very small, knit the sweater simply. Make a front and back with shoulder seams, or knit as a tiny tube with openings for the arms.
CO enough stitches to fit the bear torso snugly, about 16 to 18 sts in fine yarn. Work a few rounds or rows, then divide for arm openings if needed. Continue to shoulder height and finish with a neat neck edge. Add slim sleeves.
The green scarf is narrow and straight. Knit a strip 3 stitches wide and long enough to wrap once around the neck with short ends hanging down. Place one scarf tail slightly longer than the other. The green gives the tiny bear a bright accent.
Basket with Cloth
The basket is warm tan or honey brown. It has a rounded base, low sides, and a small curved handle. It sits in the bear’s hand and contains a red-and-cream cloth. The basket should look handmade and soft, not rigid like a real woven basket.
Using tan yarn, start with 6 sts in the round and increase to form a flat circle about 1 inch across. Then work even without increases to build the sides upward. Add purl ridges every few rounds if you want a woven effect.
For the handle, knit a tiny strip or i-cord and sew it from one side rim to the other. To make the cloth, knit a very small rectangle in cream and embroider a few red checks, or alternate red and cream stitches in a simple grid.
Fold the cloth and tuck it into the basket so just the top edge shows. The cloth should not fill the basket completely. A glimpse of the checked fabric is enough to match the scene.
Carrot
The carrot is small but clearly visible beside the bunny. Knit it in orange, beginning at the leafy top and narrowing to the point, or from point to top if you prefer. The shape should be gently tapered and slightly plump, not thin like a cone.
For the body, CO 14 sts in orange and work short rows or gradual decreases to form a rounded carrot shape. Stuff lightly. Close the pointed end neatly. For the leaves, knit three tiny green cords or flat leaf strips and stitch them into the top.
The carrot lies on the table at an angle. Keep it soft so it settles naturally in display. A tiny touch of shaping along one side can help it look more realistic and less perfectly symmetrical.
Teapot
The teapot is cream with a soft pink lid knob. It has a rounded body, tiny handle, short spout, and a fitted lid impression. This is one of the smallest details in the set, but it adds a lot of personality to the finished scene.
For the body, CO 8 sts in cream and increase to 20 sts. Knit a few rounds, then decrease toward the neck. Stuff lightly. For the lid ridge, add one purl round or sew a tiny cream ring near the top. Add a little pink nub for the lid handle.
Knit a short narrow spout and a tiny curved handle separately and sew them to opposite sides. The teapot should sit upright on top of the little books. Make sure the spout is short and slightly lifted, not long or dramatic.
Book Stack
The stack contains several slim books in muted tones, including dusty red, teal, and blue-green. These are simple rectangular props and help build the cozy outdoor reading scene. Their thickness is slight, almost like miniature notebooks.
For each book, knit two matching rectangles in garter or stockinette, about 1 1/2 inches by 2 inches. Sew around the edges with a tiny slip opening if you want to insert a sliver of felt or cardboard for structure. Keep them flat.
Make three or four books in different shades. Stack them unevenly and tack them together with one small stitch if desired. Place the teapot on top. This layered arrangement closely echoes the image and makes the tabletop display feel complete.
Assembly
- Sew the bunny head to the body, checking that the face tilts very slightly forward for a gentle seated expression.
- Attach the ears low on the head so they fall from beneath the hat brim.
- Sew the legs firmly to the lower front body so the bunny sits with feet forward.
- Attach the arms high on the sides, angled slightly downward.
- Dress the bunny in the blue sheep dress.
- Add the booties and then place the hat low over the head.
- Sew on the shoulder bag so it crosses from one shoulder to the opposite hip.
- Assemble the bear and add its sweater, scarf, and basket.
- Finish the carrot, books, and teapot.
- Arrange all props together in a balanced display.
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Styling Notes for an Accurate Look
- Bunny head: larger than the body and very smooth.
- Ears: long, flat, and relaxed.
- Dress: loose with seven sheep on the front and one on each sleeve.
- Hat: deep folded brim, worn low.
- Booties: rounded and soft, matching the blue outfit.
- Bag: cream, small, and worn crossbody.
- Bear: smaller companion in red and green.
- Props: tiny, neat, and softly rustic.
Final Assembly and Facial Detailing
Check the bunny face before tying off any final embroidery. The eyes should sit wide apart and low on the face. The nose should stay small and centered. A tiny shift in eye placement changes the mood, so adjust carefully before securing stitches.
Once the face is settled, place the hat and ears together. The hat should frame the face without hiding the eyes. Position the bag strap diagonally across the dress, making sure it does not cover the central sheep motifs too heavily.
Stand the bear beside the bunny and place the basket in its paw. Arrange the carrot, books, and teapot last. This final step helps you balance the full set and preserve the same warm storytelling feel as the image.
Care Notes
- Dust gently with clean dry hands or a soft brush.
- Spot clean only when possible.
- Avoid strong rubbing over the sheep motifs and facial embroidery.
- Reshape hats, ears, and limbs while slightly damp after cleaning.
- Keep away from prolonged direct sunlight to preserve the blue and red shades.
Quick Checklist Before You Finish
- Are the bunny eyes evenly spaced?
- Do the ears hang at the same length?
- Does the dress sit smoothly without twisting?
- Are all sheep motifs visible and balanced?
- Does the hat sit low with a neat folded brim?
- Are the booties aligned evenly?
- Does the bear scale look noticeably smaller than the bunny?
- Are the props proportionate and neatly finished?
Detailed Cleaning and Preservation Guidelines
For regular care, keep the set in a clean dry place and brush away dust lightly. If deeper cleaning is needed, use a barely damp cloth and blot rather than scrub. Work slowly around facial stitching and the bag strap to avoid distortion.
For long-term storage, wrap each figure in soft tissue and keep small props in a separate pouch or box. Avoid compressing the hat, ears, and basket handle. If the toys lose shape over time, massage the stuffing gently and smooth the knitted fabric by hand.
When displaying season after season, rotate the set occasionally so one side is not always exposed to light. This keeps the colors richer and helps the cream yarn stay bright. With gentle handling, the full scene should remain beautiful for many years.
