A symbol of northern wilderness and the Great Lakes of North America, this water bird is knit in the round, tail to beak, with no seams, minimal colorwork, and short rows

This is an untested pattern, please feel free to contact me with errors you find

3/24/2026 UPDATE
Thanks to everyone who commented, posted photos, and contacted me about corrections! I’ve updated the pattern to address these issues, but feel free to let me know if I’ve missed anything!

Gauge is not important, but you’ll need to use a yarn and needle size combination to achieve a tight enough fabric for stuffing.
I used 2 ply fingering yarn held double (worsted could also work) with size 4 (3.5mm) needles. I made a mini sized loon using fingering yarn and size 1 (2.25mm) needles.

This pattern is dedicated to my fellow northern/Great Lakes state of Minnesota and everyone doing the hard work of active resistance and protecting their communities during the current political turmoil.