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The Cedar Waxwing is my favorite bird. It’s such a thrill to see a flock of them in a berry tree. The distinctive red, waxy-looking tips on their wing feathers are actually hardened secretions of astaxanthin, a carotenoid pigment derived from their berry-based diet. Breeding pairs of cedar waxwings perform a ritual on tree branches, passing a single berry or flower petal back and forth. They are also rather well-known for becoming intoxicated after overindulging on fermented fruit. So they are interesting as well as beautiful!

Knit from the bottom up, the edging is shaped with decreases and short rows fill in the curve of the body.

Skills required
Long-tail cast-on
Decreasing
Picking up stitches (just a few!)
Short rows (instructions provided)

Materials
250 of worsted-weight yarn. For the 2 color version, the edging takes
approximately 100 yards and the body takes approximately 150 yards. The yarn used for the sample is Miss Babs Billow which is a cotton chainette with alpaca blown in. For a similar look, you can hold a strand of mohair with a DK or worsted weight yarn
US 8/5 mm needles or size needed to obtain gauge. Due to the large number of stitches, a circular is best
A long circular needle one US size smaller than your gauge needles for the edging
58 stitch markers plus a removable one for marking the RS
Tapestry needle for weaving in ends
Blocking supplies

sample was knit in Miss Babs Billow in Turkey Red and Oyster