Hello, I’m Jose and I design and make life-like crochet birds from my home studio in the heart of rural Sussex, in the UK.

My love of birds began in childhood and bird-watching is still an endless source of joy and inspiration for me.

All birds have their own character and energy, and I try to recreate that in my sculptures. It’s a slow and mindful process - a small bird takes several days to make, while the largest owls can take several weeks.

I’m self-taught, and use a combination of Japanese crochet (amigurumi), Tunisian crochet and classic crochet - as well as needle-felt, embroidery and some of my own techniques - to create realistic looking birds. I work exclusively in natural yarns and threads, and am something of a perfectionist, relying on field observations and photographs to get the details just right.

Each bird I make is unique. When you hold one in your hand, it feels very like a real one would. Making them is soul-work for me and I really enjoy bringing them to life. I hope they make you smile.