Chicken Sweaters and Fingerless Mitts

Dear Mom,
Aren't Bonnie Jo's chickens smart! Not only have they figured out how to log onto the blog, but they also know that Aunt Kim will stop just about everything to knit for a niece. Even if that niece is a chicken.
The Chicken Sweater Pattern I used is this one. After seeing how lovely Gloria, Marge and Golda look in their jumpers, I imagine that there will be more hens asking for sweaters this Christmas.
The sweaters required less than 50g of yarn and these fit Bonnie Jo's robust ladies just right. I don't know how her girls fit into the scheme of Hen Sizing- are they Average? Plus size? All I can say with certainty is that they are not petite, so if knitting for a petite chicken niece, a knitter might want to scale the pattern down a smidge.
Knitting the sweaters was the easy part. The Chicken Photography was not. (But it was fun!) Chickens do not hold still. I took over 200 photos and Bonnie Jo had to do some deep knee bends.



multi-tasking one handed deep knee bending photographer/chicken whisperer



 I am beginning to think that putting a camera in Bonnie Jo's hands turns her into Super Stretchy Limber Woman!
Our patience, gymnastics, low batteries and rapidly filling memory cards were rewarded with some excellent (or should I say eggcellent?) shots.


Chicken sweaters aren't the only thing I've been knitting. I feel like I am late to the appeal of the fingerless mitts, but having made one pair for the Young Lady, I can't seem to stop. I can knit a mitt a night. They don't require much yarn, and they've been good stash busters.
I've made some with self-striping  and variegated yarns and they look good on their own, but the few pairs I've done out of solid colors needed some embellishments. I pulled out my Colorful Stitchery book and some sock yarn leftovers and had some fun.

I made this pair for Bonnie Jo: (she already opened them so I can show them off )



And I finished the first of this pair last night:

I knew the mitts were a hit when the Young Lady approved my making a pair as a birthday gift for her friend. She chose a bright variegated yarn from the stash for that pair. I also want a pair or three for myself. They are cozy for hugging a warm mug of tea, or for right now when my hands are cold as I sit at the computer keyboard. I don't have a pattern for these- it is in my head- but I probably should write down what I've done somewhere. Right now I am just enjoying the satisfaction of finishing projects.

It amy be cold and snowy, but life is good. I've got hot tea in front of me and two sleeping dogs on the floor beside me.

Keep Warm!
Love,
Kim

Favrit Ant

Deer Ant Kim,


U r a good nitter!  and fast!  thank u for nu sno soots.

Look!  We r playing in sno togethr!

U r favrit ant.  We feel speshul.  We wil giv u egggs.

Luv,

Golda, Marge and Gloria

p.s. We lik cow buttens.  pleez eet mor beef.

Deer Ant Kim

Deer Ant Kim,

Kan u maak us a swetter sno soot? 

Gloria wont shar. 

Mom sed if we ask nislee u will nitt a sno soot for us.

p.s.  we lik chikin buttens too.

Luv,

Golda and Marge

Dressing a Chicken

Dear Mom,
I didn't plan on knitting a sweater for a chicken. Ever. But when Bonnie Jo sent me this story, and knowing that Meg has been feeling peckish, I didn't stop to think. I had to cast on.
I used yarn from the abundant stash and the Young Lady raided her collection for the perfect buttons.

Not being intimately familiar with the anatomy of a live chicken, I wasn't sure exactly how this little jumper was going to fit on the actual bird. The directions were not perfectly clear about fronts and backs and head openings and hen sizing. It is a 'one size fits most' kind of pattern. Knowing that Meg is a petite little chick, I cast on with a smaller needle size, but otherwise followed the directions. I kept the faith, kept on knitting, and then went back to the website to really study the photos of chickens wearing sweaters so I could figure out what in the name of chicken feathers I was knitting.

It was quick project and the Young Lady and I were eager to deliver it to Meg, hoping it would boost her spirits.

Here is Meg, modeling her sweater. It is much, much too big for her little frame. Bonnie Jo had to roll up the bottom a bit to keep it from catching on Meg's feet.

Marge has been missing Meg out there in the coop, so she was allowed in for a quick visit, and Meg graciously allowed Marge to try on the sweater.

It fit Marge perfectly, and really suited her coloring. Meg decided to let Marge keep the sweater, and I promised Meg I would make her one that fit better. I finished it last night, but still need to block it and sew on the buttons.

Marge went back out into the snow and cold, wearing her sweater and showing it off to Golda and Gloria. I raided the stash again when I got back home and found complimentary yarns to make sweaters for them.

Knitting for chickens was not the only thing I did over the weekend. On Saturday, 3 of my knitting friends and I loaded ourselves into the car and took a mini road trip up to exotic Kokomo, Indiana for their annual Winter Woolen. Quilting, knitting, tatting, spinning, weaving, needle punch, cross stitch and rug hooking were all represented by vendors selling supplies and hand made items, and by guild members and experts teaching and demonstrating their respective arts. Such was my inspiration and sensory overload that I neglected to take any blog-worthy photos of the day. I did manage to buy some roving to spin, a pair of super warm mittens made of recycled felted sweaters, and some home made soaps. Not knowing exactly what to expect, I think we were all pleased with the event, although we all agreed that knitting could have been better represented. Fortunately for each of us, our fiber interests don't stop with knitting and there was plenty there to enchant us. We spent our afternoon enjoying a long lunch, and as the restaurant was not busy, we lingered with our knitting. Our Saturday together was a desperately needed boost in what has been a looooong, snowy, grey winter.

Love,

Kim