This is one of a set of Canberran parrot Christmas decorations I made for my brother’s family (galah, gang-gang cockatoo, sulphur-crested cockatoo, king parrot and rainbow lorikeet).
This pattern uses a 2.5 mm hook and black and red 8 ply wool. You also need grey and red 4 ply (I didn’t have any 4 ply so I just separated some 8 ply out, the point is it should be a bit thinner than 8 ply). The finished gang-gang cockatoo is about 10 cm tall, including the tail. You can add a wool hanger to make it into a Christmas decoration. The pattern is written in American crochet notation.
Head
With red wool
Round 1: 6sc in a magic ring (6 stitches)
Round 2: increase in every stitch (12 stitches)
Round 3: sc in the first stitch, increase in the next stitch – repeat (18 stitches)
Round 4: sc in each stitch (18 stitches) (2 black, 6 red, 2 black, 6 red, 2 black)
Round 5: sc in the first stitch, decrease the next two stitches together – repeat (12 stitches) (2 black, 3 red, 3 black, 2 red, 2 black)
From now on everything is black
Stuff
Round 6: decrease around (6 stitches)
Body
Round 7: increase in each stitch (12 stitches)
Round 8: sc in the first stitch, increase in the next stitch – repeat (18 stitches)
Round 9: sc in the first two stitches, increase in the next stitch – repeat (24 stitches)
Round 10: increase in the first 6 stitches, sc in the next 18 stitches (30 stitches)
Round 11: sc in each stitch (30 stitches)
Round 12: sc in each stitch (30 stitches)
Round 13: sc in each stitch (30 stitches)
Round 14: sc in the first 9 stitches, (decrease two stitches together) x 6, sc in the next 9 stitches (24 stitches)
Round 15: sc in the first 6 stitches, (decrease two stitches together) x 6, sc in the next 6 stitches (18 stitches)
Round 16: sc in the first 3 stitches, (decrease two stitches together) x 6, sc in the next 3 stitches (12 stitches)
Stuff
Round 17: decrease until the hole closes.
Fasten off, weave in the end.
Wings (make two)
With black 8 ply wool
Round 1: 6sc in a magic ring (6 stitches)
Round 2: sc in each stitch (6 stitches)
Round 3: increase, sc 2, increase, sc 2 (8 stitches)
Round 4: increase, sc 3, increase, sc 3 (10 stitches)
Round 5: increase, sc 4, increase, sc 4 (12 stitches)
Round 6: increase, sc 5, increase, sc 5 (14 stitches)
Round 7: increase, sc 6, increase, sc 6 (16 stitches)
Rounds 8 – 9: sc in each stitch (16 stitches)
Round 10: decrease the first two stitches together, sc 4, (decrease two stitches together) x 2, sc 4, decrease the last two stitches together (12 stitches)
Round 11: decrease the first two stitches together, sc 2, (decrease two stitches together) x 2, sc 2, decrease the last two stitches together (8 stitches)
Round 12: decrease until the hole closes, don’t stuff, leave a long tail for sewing
Tail
With black 8 ply wool
Round 1: chain 7 (one of which is a turning chain), sc 5 along the chain, increase, then on the other side of the chain sc 4, increase
Rounds 2 – 4: sc in each stitch
Round 5: decrease the first two stitches together, sc 4, decrease the next two stitches together, sc 4
Round 6: sc in each stitch
Round 7: decrease the first two stitches together, sc 3, decrease the next two stitches together, sc 3
Round 8: sc in each stitch
Fasten off, leaving a long tail for sewing.
Beak
With grey 4 ply wool
Round 1: 4sc in a magic ring (4 stitches)
Round 2: decrease the first two stitches together, increase for the next two stitches (5 stitches)
Round 3: decrease the first two stitches together, increase for the next three stitches (7 stitches)
Crest
With red 4 ply wool
Feather 1 (front of head)
Round 1: 4sc in a magic ring (4 stitches)
Rounds 2 – 5: increase in the first stitch, sc in the next stitch, decrease the last two stitches together (4 stitches)
Feather 2 (behind feather 1)
Round 1: 4sc in a magic ring (4 stitches)
Rounds 2 – 4: increase in the first stitch, sc in the next stitch, decrease the last two stitches together (4 stitches)
Feathers 3 and 4 (behind feather 2)
Round 1: 4sc in a magic ring (4 stitches)
Rounds 2 – 3: increase in the first stitch, sc in the next stitch, decrease the last two stitches together (4 stitches)
Assembly
Sew the wings and tail onto the body. Sew the googly eyes, beak and crest feathers onto the head. Sew a loop of wool for hanging onto the back.
