FO Post : She's Here At Last!

Meet Maggie!

You may remember that The Tim gave me this kit for my birthday:

Project: Maggie the Emotional Support Chicken

Pattern: Emotional Support Chicken Kit, from the Knitting Tree LA in the colorway M-EggShell Obama

Yarn: Supplied in kit: 2 skeins worsted weight, small amounts for comb and wattle - brand, content, etc. not indicated

Needles: US size 7/4.5 mm

Notes: This is one of the most fun things I have ever knit! You start with the tail section, which is made in two sections that you join together.

Then you knit the back and work your way to front of the chicken, in one piece. I saw one where I really liked the way it was joined, and watched a video where it was joined by a crochet chain, so I did that (vertical red line below).

This requires paying attention, because you need to count a lot, but not in a complicated way. Once you do a couple of the rows, you can see what you are doing. The pattern uses wrap and turn short rows, which I generally find difficult to do, but you are just wrapping and turning, there's no picking up the wraps and knitting/purling them. So I had much more success with that.

Before you know it, you have a chicken body! Once you have added the beak, the comb, and the wattle, you create a separate gusset piece for the bottom so that she can "stand up" so to speak. That requires seaming, which is something that is my downfall, since I really suck at it. But for something like this, I figured it didn't matter as much, because it was a) for me, and b) not a garment. Once that's all done, you stuff her and stitch her up at the tail (kinda rude, but it has to be completed).

I knit the sections in fits and starts, and in between other things. It's very manageable that way, and not at all intimidating. 

I decided that I didn't do a good enough job to call her "M-EggShell Obama," and decided that she would be Meg. But I like Maggie better than Meg, so she is Maggie the Emotional Support Chicken. 

She seems very pleased to be part of the family. The cats were interested at first, but they they were like, "Meh, it's not a real chicken. Call us when you're offering that." 😊

I love her so much, she just pleases me. Right now, she is hanging out in the craft room, which seems to agree with her. When I was nearly finished knitting her, The Tim said, "You should give her away, she would be a nice gift." Nope. I'm keeping her, at least for now.

It occurred to me that now that a) I know how it works, and b) I have the pattern, I could use any yarn I have to make more if I like. Depending on the weight of yarn you use, you'd get different sized chickens!  

BTW, if you are not interested in the kit, but want to give the pattern a try, you can buy it on its own.

I highly recommend this project. The pattern is clearly written, and it is just so enjoyable to knit. You have a sweet friend for yourself or a loved one when you are finished. And there's an added bonus - it's vegetarian friendly to boot!