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!

Five Favorites For This Friday

 

OK, it was kind of hard to come up with five good things about the past week, mostly because it was so hot every single day all day and night that everyone in our house was miserable. Plus I got sick, which did not help the overall vibe.

But there are always some good things, so I just needed to find them. Here you go.

1. This podcast. I came across Renee's podcast about a year ago, and granted, not every single episode is one that I watch, but in general, I really enjoy it and get a charge out of her. She lives in Kentucky with her husband, and has two adult daughters. She is so crazy about her family and her two sweet dogs, and it's funny because I think she would be fun to hang with - while at the same times suspecting we would not really get along that well in real life. 😂

2. My walks. It's been really hard to get moving this week, but I've forced myself to go out between 5 and 6 a.m. every single day this week, even if it's for a shorter than usual walk. And even though I've seriously had to force myself to do it, or do it out of guilt, once I'm out and walking, and once I get home, I'm so glad I left the house. And for most of this week, it's been the only time I've left the house! Wednesday was the best walk because I got to pet 8 dogs. Eight!

3. Ordering a new refrigerator. Yes, ordering it. Because that's the fun part. Emptying the old one and moving stuff to the new one is another story, as is paying for said refrigerator. But the ordering is full of anticipation. We've been lucky - our current fridge is 30 years old and we have never had a single issue, or had to call for service, etc. But it is falling apart, and we figured rather than continue to tempt fate, we'd take the active step. As when we shopped around for a new front door, we were surprised at the cost of refrigerators - because when you didn't buy one for so long, prices do tend to go up! It will arrive next Friday, so we don't even have to wait that long until it's here.

4. Chocolate chip brioche bread toast. I've had this with my breakfast this week three times. The Tim found the loaf at a Lidl store in New Jersey, and bought it for us to try. It's been a big hit.

5. My current book. 

This is such a good read, and entertaining to boot. My mother spent summers during her childhood in Chicago, where her aunt, uncle, and cousin lived. Her stories from those days were always great, and some of them seemed ridiculously fantastical. This book covers a time period just before her childhood, but a lot of the same places, people, and well, practices, were involved. And having lived in Chicago myself as a child for a few years as well as an adult, I love the stories and the history as well. This is one of those non-fiction books that is so readable and enjoyable, you might forget that it's all based on real things!

So there you go - I did find five good things, and I have to say, finding those were fun. I'm starting to recover from being sick, and it has just (barely) started to rain here, so maybe myself and the plants and flowers will at least get a break for today. Because they have been predicting worse heat and humidity next week (is that even possible? Won't we all just explode?), and it's one of those weeks when I have some kind of appt every single day. So that will be a challenge.

I hope wherever you are, and whatever weather conditions are happening, that you can round up five things for yourself that made you happy. Have a good weekend, however you manage to do that, and I'll check in next week.

My Mom Was Right

 

This was one of her favorite expressions - who knew it was actually in the Oxford English Dictionary??

Stay cool, friends!

Monday FO Post : Smarties Socks

Hello all! I hope you had a good weekend, and were able to avoid any serious weather-related issues wherever you are. I was pretty miserable all weekend, because of the ridiculous temperatures here in Philadelphia. My Reverse SAD really kicked in big-time, and it was a struggle. I've made myself a list of things to do today so that I can stay fairly busy.

Anyway, here is my long overdue post for a pair of finished socks! I don't remember if I had showed this photo here, but this is the only photo that I shared anywhere while these were in progress, and this is the second sock!

Project: Smarties Socks

Pattern: Plain vanilla, with a mistake rib stitch on the leg

Yarn: Farmers Daughters Fiber Sock Squad May 2023

Needles: US size 1/2.25 mm

Notes: You may or may not remember that last year, I knit a pair of socks for The Tim using the mistake rib pattern, and really liked the results. So when I was deciding what to do with this yarn, I decided to use that pattern on a pair for myself. I was originally going to call these The Mistake Mistake Rib Socks, because when I would get distracted, I would to keep ripping back, since I would have failed to keep my place in the pattern. 

Then I showed a picture of the finished pair to my friend Lisa, and she said, "Oh I love them - they look like Smarties!" - and I have to agree with her. (I know that U.S. Smarties and Rest-of-the-World Smarties are different. I'm talking about the U.S. version here, which I love.)

She was right - so they became Smarties Socks. I used the Shadow Wrap Heel, just for something different - when I got to that part, I wasn't in the mood for a heel flap and gusset, so that was my other option. I am really pleased with them.

I'm going to put them away until sock season, and then decide whether to keep them for myself, or send them as a surprise birthday gift to Lisa in October. She is more than knit-worthy, and it would be fun to give them to her. But who knows what I'll decide?

I could probably actually make another pair, or at least a shortie pair with what I have left:

In any case, nothing will happen soon, because I'm really not in the mood to knit nearly the same/the same thing again. So it will all wait until another day.

Now I need or decide what pair of socks and what yarn to use next! Because I always have a pair of socks going, mainly since even if I don't feel like doing anything else, I'm always happy to work on them. ❤

Independence Day 2024

I hope that if you are celebrating today, that you have a fun, happy, and safe Fourth of July. 

I know that for a lot of us, things look grim for the future of our country. And I have to say that if you're not worried, it seems like you must not be paying attention.

But I also believe that today is worth celebrating what we do have, what we still hope to have, and recommit to the concept of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. 

If you pay attention, and vote in November, I really believe we can start to salvage things. In the meantime, enjoy the holiday today. 😄

For those of you who do not celebrate today's holiday, I hope your Thursday goes well, and that you can enjoy the fact that the weekend is almost here!