spring chick

My yarn still isn't here! I don't know why it's taking so long, since I usually get my orders in 3 days. Can you tell I'm a little impatient? So, to help us all pass the time, I've got a free pattern for you! A sweet little spring chick, just in time to greet the warm days, sunshine, and daffodils.

The pattern is based on the chicken from the Fuzzy Farm pattern, but with the shaping adjusted to make it look more like a chick. The weight of yarn isn't specified, so just use whatever nice yellow yarn you have on hand. If you have no yellow, knit a sparrow from brown, or a robin from grey with some red felt stitched to it's breast. There are m1 increases on the purl side, which are not too hard: just lift the yarn between stitches with your left hand needle (inserting the needle from the back) and purl into the front of the loop. I can't seem to find a nice tutorial for this stitch, but if you know of one, please link to it in the comments, or email me. Happy knitting!

Spring Chick

Materials
approx. 15-20 m (or yards) of yellow yarn, small amount of black yarn, 3x3" piece of orange felt, orange thread, stuffing, pair of straight knitting needles, tapestry needle, hand-sewing needle

Whatever weight of yarn you use, select knitting needles that are 1-2 sizes smaller than recommended for the yarn. This way the knitted fabric will be dense enough that the stuffing will not show through. The finished size of the chick will depend on the yarn you use. I used DK weight yarn on 3.25 mm needles, and mine turned out 8 cm long.

Cast on 21 sts. P 1 row.
Row 2-3: k1, m1, k7, k2tog, k1, skpo, k7, m1, k1. P 1 row.
Repeat rows 2-3.
Work 6 rows in st st.
Row 12-13: k9, m1, k3, m1, k9. (23 sts) P 1 row.
Row 14: k10, m1, k3, m1, k10. (25 sts)
Row 15: p11, m1, p3, m1, p11. (27 sts)
Row 16: [k1, skpo] 3 times, k3, m1, k3, m1, k3, [k2tog, k1] 3 times. (23 sts)
Row 17: p10, m1, p3, m1, p10. ( 25 sts)
Row 18: [k1, skpo] 3 times, k7, [k2tog, k1] 3 times. (19 sts)
Row 19: bind off 3 sts, p to end. (16 sts)
Row 20: bind off 3 sts, k to end. (13 sts)
Work 2 rows in st st.
Row 23: p1, [p2tog] 6 times. (7 sts)
Break off yarn leaving a long end. Thread end through remaining sts and pull tight to gather.

Embroider eyes by making a french-knot for each eye with the black yarn. Use end of yellow yarn to sew up seam, starting from head, working along belly, and ending at bum. Make sure to stuff firmly before closing seam. Cut out a beak and two feet from the orange felt and sew in place. The open beak is a diamond shape, folded across the middle, with the fold stitched onto the face of the chick. The closed beak is a half-circle, rolled into a cone, with the flat sides stitched together. Place open end of cone on chick's face, with the seam facing down, and stitch on.


Abbreviations

[ ] = repeat instructions in brackets the number of times stated ("to end" means repeat until you reach the end of the row)
K or k = knit
k2tog = knit 2 together
m1 = make one by picking up loop between stitch just worked and next stitch, and knit/purl into the back/front of this loop
P or p = purl
skpo = slip 1, knit 1, pass slipped stitch over (or use ssk if you prefer)
st or sts = stitch or stitches
st st = stocking stitch

P.S. Don't forget to check out who else in participating in Fiber Arts Friday.

happy spring!

While the calendar might say today is the first day of spring, it looks decidedly like winter outside. This is nothing unusual in Canada, unless you happen to live on the west coast. I'm sure there are tulips in Victoria already.

This winter we've had a crazy amount of snow, quite a lot of it recently, so I don't expect to see any flowers by the end of this month (I believe my sister really did photograph those crocuses on March 30). When I was gardening last year, we were supposed to start on April 1. There was so much snow, we didn't really get going until the middle of the month, and even then many yards still had snow in shadowy corners.

I'm house-sitting for my sister and brother-in-law while they're in France for April (lucky ducks!) and I was planning to get her garden ready by the time they came home. At the rate the seasons are progressing, all I might get done is to clear up the dead stuff we missed in the fall, and see the green buds of crocuses peeping out of the soil. Planting the veggies will have to wait until later.

There isn't any garden at our place, although there is a tiny back yard. We're hoping to convince our landlord to let us plant some tomatoes, and set up a compost bin. I'll also have herbs on the balcony, and dahlias at the front door (if the bulbs made it through the winter). Thoughts of warmer days and green things will have to sustain me through these last days of snow, but it's getting more difficult to be content with that.