Needles at the ready for the latest book from talented knitting designer Sarah Keen, which will delight and inspire your cuddly toy creations. Perfect as a special gift for a child, animal lover or simply to add to your own personal collection, these forest friends are bursting with character. The projects range from a busy beaver, a bristling wild boar and a sleepy koala to a charismatic giant panda and a clever orangutan. There’s plenty to choose from. All the animals have easy-to-follow patterns, and this book also features detailed techniques, abbreviations and knitting conversions – allowing you to create with confidence.

Expert knitted toy designer Sarah Keen is back with her latest collection: a magical menagerie of all sorts of fabulous forest friends dressed in the latest fashions! Knitted Forest Friends brings you 20 adorable animals to make, and each one has its own outfit to wear. Choose anyone from the Giant Panda down to the little Ant, with all sizes of animals in between. They come from forests around the world, so you will find a Koala, an Orang-Utan and a Wolf alongside more familiar UK dwellers such as a Badger, a Squirrel and a Hedgehog. Each one has dungarees, a pinafore dress or trousers designed to fit him or her exactly, and in some cases there is more than one outfit to choose from.

favourite makes include Mr and Mrs Wild Boar, because of their cute tusks; the Cuckoo in his striped dungarees and the sweet little Mouse, who has a long plaited tail. The book includes a techniques section with diagrams, making it suitable for beginners as well as experienced toy knitters, and is perfect for gifts, yarn bombing inspiration and much more.

We love handmade animals but when those toys are wearing adorable clothes, it takes things to a whole new level! Sarah Keen’s latest pattern book features 20 woodland creatures from across the globe, dressed in sweet outfits from dresses to dungarees. We’re particular fans of the cuckoo wearing stripes!

This book immediately caught my attention with the vibrant colours of the cover and did not go on to disappoint with the fun endearing forest characters to knit. My favourites are the frog, the owl and the woodpecker. Most of the animals are dressed in dungarees and this gives the knitter the opportunity to use some of their stash to make the outfits in a range of colours. The photos bring the projects to life. The newbie knitter  with support might start with the owl and then go onto the more complex patterns and an experienced knitter would be able to follow all the patterns easily and they would be a quick knit. The terminology is explained fully and there are also instructions about how to do the embroidery for the eyes, nose and eyebrows so the knitter is fully supported throughout. The projects would be great as a gift to a child or an animal lover.

Sarah Keen is a freelance pattern designer and finds calculating rows and stitches challenging but fascinating. She is experienced in designing knitted toys for children and also enjoys writing patterns for charity. She has written numerous bestselling books for GMC Publications, including Knitted Farm Animals, Knitted Menagerie, Knitted Noah’s Ark, Knitted Wild Animals, Knitted Farm Animals, Knitted Farmyard, Knitted Safari, Knitted Fairy Tales, Knitted Nursery Rhymes, Knitted Cars and Trucks, Knitted Space, Topsy-Turvy Knitted Dolls, 50 Knitted Dolls and 100 Little Knitted Projects. Sarah lives in Aberystwyth, Wales.