Knitting a Vintage Nurse Bunny

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Nursing is one of the MOST under appreciated professions. Knitting a vintage nurse bunny makes such a unique gift or a wonderful addition to your own handmade toy collection. This is my interpretation of the original idea from the talented Suzanne from Suzy Marie Knits and with her permission I’m showing you how I made mine.

Have you ever stumbled upon a project and knew in that instant that you HAD to make it and exactly who it would be for? That’s exactly what happened when I saw Suzy Marie Knit‘s vintage nurse bunny on her Instagram account. If you haven’t seen her amazing work you definitely need to check her out. She has a gift for creativity and whimsy that regularly inspires me by her beautiful creations.

Suzy Marie Knits

When I saw this adorable vintage nurse bunny project I immediately knew who I would knit this for. I contacted Suzanne, the creator behind Suzy Marie Knits and asked if I could boldly copy her idea. She graciously gave me permission and I got right to work. My neighbor, Toni, was a nurse for fifty-eight years. Folks, that’s longer than I’ve been alive. She is a spunky, petit Italian woman from New Jersey with a vocabulary that would make a sailor blush. She moved across the street from me seven years ago and has become like family to us.

Toni was a passionate nurse and although retired now, she still uses her skills to help those in need in our local community. The project was a complete surprise to her and if you would like to see her precious response click on the video. Don’t you just love her accent???

1950s Nurse

Suzanne came up with the idea of a vintage nurse bunny and began doing her own research. She was surprised to find that no one had already knitted one so she got to work creating her own. Suzanne began looking at nurse’s uniforms from the 1950s to give the project a vintage vibe, which I totally dig. She came up with the idea to just add a simple hat and knit the clothing entirely in traditional white. I think it’s genius.

How to Make a Vintage Nurse Bunny

• I used this Girl Bunny pattern from Little Cotton Rabbits
• The bunny body was knit almost entirely in grey with a touch of the buttercream color for the piebald patch on the face.
• The clothing was knit with Ecru (white) yarn but I decided to make the stockings in black to give it a little contrast.
• The hat was made from felt with backstitch embroidery with black floss for the detail.
• Of course I added a handmade tag with a coordinating ribbon to finish off the entire look. I think it turned out adorable.

Supplies

These are the supplies I used, but if you already have what you need on hand, use that. Don’t feel like you need to buy something when you’ve got your own stash on hand!

Pattern

Girl Bunny from Little Cotton Rabbits

Yarn

Berroco Vintage in Buttercream

Berroco Vintage in Dove Gray

Debbie Bliss Baby Cashmerino in Ecru

Debbie Bliss Baby Cashmerino in Black

Knitting Needles

Addi Turbo Circular Needles size 3.00 mm

Addi Turbo Circular Needles size 2.50 mm

Miscellaneous

White Felt

DMC Black Floss

Poly-Fil Premium Polyester Fiber

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How to Make the Nurse Bunny Hat

• first, cut 2 identical pieces of white felt in a slightly curved shape
• next, measure the length of the felt pieces based on the size of the bunny head and positioning of the ears
• on one felt piece, use a pencil or pen to draw the line where the backstitching detail will go
• using black embroidery floss, backstitch a straight line across the top of the nurse hat over your drawn line
• beginning at the bottom corner, with white thread, stitch the two pieces together leaving a long tail at the beginning and end to use to attach to the head
• finally, sew the hat to the head

If you’re interested in learning how to knit your very own toys please check out my series, Knitting Toys 101:

• Cable Cast On
• How to Knit and Purl
• Increases
• Decreases

Gifting the Nurse Bunny

Finally, there’s nothing so exciting as seeing someone react to something you made them. I rarely get to see the people who receive my toys and it is always a joy to witness. My neighbor, Toni, had such a fantastic response and it absolutely made my day. Take a look at the video if you would like to watch it as well, don’t you love that New Jersey accent?

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