Message on card for Donation/Anonymous Recipient

I am an Emotional Support Chicken. I listen with a sympathetic ear, I do not give advice or complain, and I never judge. Every stitch of me was made while wishing love and comfort for you. You are special, and I am here to help you remember that and to offer love and hugs whenever you need them, or to simply bring you a smile.

PS: I am intended for adults (not child-safe).

Pre-washing

The Intrepid yarns were all pre-washed before winding. This means they can bloom a bit without blocking the chicken itself, and it also mitigates against crocking and bleeding of one color into others in the FO.

YARN

MC: Hold together for A:

• Intrepid in Paprika
• Southampton in Mauve

CC: Hold together for B:

• Intrepid in Bloomin’ Pansies
• Southampton in Garnet

Beak: Hold together for beak:

• Intrepid in Walking On Sunshine (less than 0.25 gr)
• Silky Kid in Stardust (less than 0.25 gr)

Comb / Hair: Hold together for comb/hair:

• Whisper in 2 multicolored (pink, purple, red, peach brown)
• Southampton in Mauve

Wattle: Hold together for wattle:

• Intrepid in Aloha (less than 0.25 gr)
• Southampton in Garnet

For Tails

Long tail CO 2, then turned and cable CO (as knit) 16, then worked final CO stitch per Patty Lyons “Knitting Bag of Tricks” page 87.

Used German short rows (think “work and turn”).

Steps 17 & 26: Used Icelandic BO.

Steps 18 & 27: Used backwards loop CO.

After step 35, do not BO but instead put on another needle.

After 2nd half of tail: work a 3-needle BO (seam showing) with Color B to attach the tail sections.

For Chicken Body & Shaping Breasts

For slightly asymmetrical CC chest spot for more color pop and to help align the breast during finishing (no edge stitch markers needed):

For first side (after 8 garter st ridges on RS), change to CC to make a spot in the short row area, being sure to twist yarns per intarsia technique, work per pattern until:

• Step 6: First and last 2 sts in CC
• Step 7: First and last 4 sts in CC
• Step 8: First and last 6 sts in CC
• Step 9: First and last 8 sts in CC
• Step 10: First and last 10 sts in CC
• Step 11: In CC
• Step 12: In CC
• Step 13: K10 in CC, cut CC and leave a long tail of the CC (for return after the second side breast), then work rest of row in MC

For second side, work per pattern for Steps 3 & 4 and then:

• Step 5: work in MC until the last 2 sts and work those 2 sts in CC
• Step 6: Work first 2 and last 4 in CC
• Step 7: Work first 4 and last 6 in CC
• Step 8: Work first 6 and last 8 in CC
• Step 9: Work first 8 and last 10 in CC
• Step 10: Work first and last 10 in CC
• Step 11: In CC
• Step 12: In CC
• Step 24: K10 in CC, cut CC leaving a long tail for the later return, K53 in MC, use extra long tail on other side to work last K10 in CC

For Shaping Chicken Breasts

For the first side breast, rejoin CC and use CC for Rows 1 - 7, and then:

• Step 8: K12 CC, then use MC to K1, w&t, K1, and work last K12 in CC
• Step 9: Work first and last 10 sts in CC
• Step 10: Work first and last 8 sts in CC
• Step 11: Work first and last 6 sts in CC
• Step 12: Work first and last 4 sts in CC
• Step 13: Work first and last 2 sts in CC
• Step 14 - 17: Cut CC and work these rows in MC

Step 18: Work first part with MC per pattern, but instead of K50, work: K38 in MC and then use the long tail of CC to K12 in CC.

For the second side breast, rejoin CC and use CC for Rows 1 - 7, and then:

• Step 8: Work first and last 12 in CC
• Step 9: Work first 12 and last 10 in CC
• Step 10: Work first 10 and last 8 in CC
• Step 11: Work first 8 and last 6 in CC
• Step 12: Work first 6 and last 4 in CC
• Step 13: Work first 4 and last 2 in CC
• Step 14: Work first 2 in CC and the remainder in MC
• Steps 15 - 17: In MC
• Step 36: In MC

For Neck

• Rows 1 - 4 in MC
• Rows 5 - 8 in CC
• Rows 9 - 12 in MC
• Rows 13 - 20 in CC
• Rows 21 - 24 in MC

For Comb / Hair in Head:

Work Head per Short-row series 1 pattern for 4 garter ridges on the RS (8 short rows through the K11), then:

Starting with the K9 (RS) short row: work 3 sts per pattern, then for each of the middle 3 sts:

• Drop Intrepid and join Whisper with Southampton to make a tendril per the technique from Annie Modesitt and Cat Bordhi seen here
• Once tendril is made, work the stitch + tendril with all three yarns (Intrepid, Southampton, and Whisper).
• After the 3 middle sts of hair tendrils, work remaining short row using only MC

For the K7 (WS) short row (and all WS short rows), be sure to work the central 3 st tendrils as to purl (pulling tendrils to RS of work).

Keep this rhythm of working tendrils in the central 3 sts for Step 2 and for most of Short-row series 2 except for K7 where the central 3 sts are worked K3 with all three yarns without tendrils then cut the Whisper/fur yarn only and use MC only for the last K16.

Work final row of Head section per pattern using MC only.

NOTE: Vary the length of tendrils based on desired look (eg, this one had longer tendrils on the nape and top and shorter tendrils approaching the beak).

For Wattle:

Initial cable CO 4 onto DPNs, then slide first two sts to the other end and unravel (2 sts remaining).

Used Icelandic BO and cable CO in comb

For finishing

Used a Scheepjes Wobble Ball (4.25 inches / 11 cm tall) to make a weeble wobble chicken!

Dimensions:

Pre-assembly:

• Body lying flat: Horizontal wingspan: 15.75 in / 40cm. Vertical chest edge to top tail point: 11 in / 28 cm.
• Base: Horizontal length tip to tip: 11 in / 28 cm. Width (vertical across the middle): 5 in / 12.75 cm.
• Wattle: 1.75 in / 4.5 cm long, and 5/8 in / 1.5 cm wide.

After assembled: 12.25 inches / 31 cm long from beak to tail, and 12.5 inches / 32 cm talk from base to top of hair / comb.