Overlay Mosaic Crochet square - Christmas Cardinal

This pattern is for an overlay mosaic crochet square that can be used in other types of projects, such as blankets, pillows, satchel bags, table mats, etc. Any yarn or hook will work, depending on the desired size of the finished square. I used yarn weight of 4 with a 5.5 hook, which creates a square of 13.5” x 13”. You will need at least 2-3 colors of yarn - the sample image uses cream for the background, brown for the tree branch, & mostly red for the bird with a little black mask. I added gold for the legs but you could do those in black or red. Once the square is complete, there are optional French knot berries & straight stitch pine needles. You could do this pattern in 2 colors if you want to keep it simple, however the instructions include using all colors seen in the sample image. I've added a black safety eye, but a black bead sewn on would work as well. This is a great way to use up scraps! For projects using 2 colors, (one for the background & one for the featured design), you will need approximately 2 oz of each color for a worsted or aran (wt 4) type of yarn. Pattern is in US crochet terms.