If you are anything like me, you need a little extra emotional support at times. But live animals- they are expensive, difficult to train, and honestly, a lot of work for someone who can barely take care of themselves.
Enter: The Emotional Support Chicken.
Come along on an adventure into pattern writing and creating with me, as I share how I make one of my most popular tiny crochet items.
Please forgive me if any of the pattern looks wonky or off, this is my first attempt at taking something from inside my head and writing it out for others to try.
Pattern is written in USA crochet terms.
Abbreviations:
Sc = Single Crochet
Slst = Slip Stitch
St (or st) = Stitch
Ch (or ch) = Chain
Hdc = Half-double Crochet
Dc = Double Crochet
Tc = Treble Crochet
INC = Increase
DEC = Decrease
Supplies needed:
3 colors of yarn (Worsted weight used for examples)
Color1: body
Color2: comb
Color 3: beak and legs
Scissors
Darning needle
Crochet hook (3.5mm used in examples)
Small amount of stuffing
Safety eyes
NOTE: This pattern is worked in continuous rounds… do not slip stitch or chain at ends of rows… Use a stitch marker to keep track of your rows.
This pattern includes photos of a chicken created with Red Heart Super Saver yarn, and a 3.5mm hook.
You can change hook size and yarn sizes according to your preferences, the resulting chicken will just be a slightly different size than the example shown. I tend to crochet with pretty tight tension. If you crochet with looser tension, try going down a hook size to make the holes between the stitches appear smaller.
***If the photos look backwards or odd to you, that is because I am a left handed crafter! My tails and working yarn will be opposite of those right handed person***
Start with magic ring
Row1: 6Sc into magic ring [6]
Row 2: INC into each st of previous row [12]
Row 3: 1Sc, INC x6 [18]
Row 4: 2Sc, INC x6 [24]
Row 5: 3Sc, INC x6 [30]
WEAVE IN TAIL OF MAGIC RING
Row 6-7: Sc in each st [30]
Row 8: 4Sc, DEC x5 [25]
Row 9-10: Sc in each st [25]
Row 11: Sc into next 11 st, turn
Row 12-16: Sc into each of your 11 st from the previous round and turn your work.
You will end up with a bowl shape with one longer section (that’s the head and neck of your chicken!). You can choose to add the eyes and beak now or wait until after stuffing and sewing the back of the neck. Instructions will show adding eyes and beak now.
I cut my working yarn at this stage and leave a good 5-6 foot of tail for sewing up the back and making the tail.
Add safety eyes and beak.
Place eyes on front of head, in the spaces of row 14 or 15, leaving 1 “hole” between the eyes
You can choose to either embroider a flat beak into the stitches between and below your chicken’s eyes, or join yarn in the center hole between the eyes and work the next few stitches down the front of the head.
BEAK: 1Hdc, 2Dc, 1Hdc, Slst and fasten off. Tuck ends inside chicken head and tie off.
Sew down the back of the neck, stuff body and then sew across the chickens back. We are now going to work on the tail.
Starting with your yarn tail at the butt area and work the top stitches back towards the chicken head: chain 3, 1Dc, 2Tc, 2Dc, Slst and then run the remaining tail inside the body and out the top of the head.
Stuff chicken’s head and neck, using your hook to push the stuffing in if needed. Then zipper stitch tightly across the top of the head with your remaining white yarn tail, fasten off, and hide end inside body.
Add comb on top of head, starting from the front and working stitches towards the back of the head. This doesn’t have to be precise or exact, just go with how it feels right to you.
COMB: Join yarn, ch1, then we are going to stack the stitches into the next stitch area *2Hdc, 2Dc, 2Hdc, Slst* – repeat 2-3 times to get the comb all the way across the top of the head. Fasten off and weave in ends.
NOTE: Your resulting comb will be somewhat wavy from having several stitches stacked into the same space.
To add legs: flip your chicken upside down and locate the Magic ring/Row1.
Into the holes on each side of Row1 you will join yarn in chosen leg color. Thread a 2 yard section of yarn into a darning needle into your chicken as shown above. Center your yarn length. By crocheting down each side of the yarn you will be using one leg to anchor the other in place.
Legs x2: Ch15, Slst into 2nd chain from hook, 2Slst, Chain 3, Slst into 2nd chain from hook, 2Slst, chain 3, Slst into 2nd chain from hook, 2Slst. Fasten off and hide tail of yarn in the center toe.
Your chicken should now be complete!
**Photo below is of several chickens created with various types of yarn. You can see the slight size differences between them because of different types of yarn, as well as the difference between an embroidered beak and a crochet beak.
This pattern was inspired by a pattern from Tracey Stuart, member of the facebook group “Random Acts of Crochet Kindness, USA” you can find her pattern and more posts by going to: https://www.facebook.com/groups/522076442176218
