Rnd 41: [k2tog, k10] to end
Rnd 43: [k2tog, k9] to end
Rnd 45: [k2tog, k8] to end
Rnd 47: [k2tog, k7] to end
Rnd 49: [k2tog, k6] to end
Rnd 51: [k2tog, k5] to end
Rnd 53: [k2tog, k4] to end
Rnd 55: [k2tog, k3] to end
Rnd 57: [k2tog, k2] to end
Rnd 59: [k2tog, k1] to end
Rnd 60: [k2tog] to end ( 7 sts)
Cut yarn and draw the tail through
the remaining 7 sts.
2. Knit the chicken parts.
» Beak
With orange yarn, CO 10 sts onto 3 dpns
and join in a rnd.
Knit 4 rnds.
Next rnd: [k2tog] to end
Cut yarn and pull the tail through 5 sts.
» Wings ( 2)
With yellow yarn, CO 16 sts onto 3 dpns
and join in a rnd.
Unless noted below, knit all sts.
Rnd 2: kfb, k6, [kfb] twice, k6, kfb
Rnd 4: kfb, k8, [kfb] twice, k8, kfb
Rnd 6: kfb, k10, [kfb] twice, k10, kfb
Rnd 9: kfb, k12, [kfb] twice, k12, kfb ( 32 sts)
Rnd 12: k2tog, k12, [k2tog] twice, k12, k2tog
Rnd 14: k2tog, k10, [k2tog] twice, k10, k2tog
Rnd 16: [k2tog] twice, k4, [k2tog] 4 times, k4,
[k2tog] twice ( 16 sts)
Rnd 18: [k2tog] to end ( 8 sts)
Cut yarn and draw through sts.
» Legs ( 2)
With yellow yarn, CO 16 sts onto 3 dpns
and join in a rnd.
Unless noted below, knit all sts.
Rnd 2: [kfb, k3] to end ( 20 sts)
Rnd 5: [k2tog, k3] to end
Rnd 7: [k2tog, k2] to end
Rnd 9: [k2tog, k1] to end
Switch to orange yarn and knit 10 rnds.
Working in sections, divide your sts into 3 toes:
First toe: k2tog, k1. Work these 2 sts on your right needle in 4 rows of I-cord. Cut yarn and pull through sts.
Second toe: Reattach yarn to the next st, and k2.
Work these 2 sts in 4 rows of I-cord, cut yarn,
and pull through sts.
Third toe: Reattach yarn to the next st, k1, k2tog.
Work these 2 sts in 4 rows of I-cord, cut yarn,
and pull through sts.
3. Felt everything.
Weave in any loose ends, and lightly felt all pieces
by running them through a washer and dryer. I recommend felting everything in a lingerie bag, so you
don’t lose any small pieces, and checking on the
felting while it’s in the dryer to avoid over-felting.
If your pieces felt too tightly, the toy will be harder
to turn inside out, and some stitch definition will be
helpful when you sew everything together.
4. Embroider the features.
Using the photo as a guide, embroider eyes on
the chicken and the egg, with either embroidery
thread or black yarn. (I used embroidery thread for
the eyes and black yarn for the cracked shell.) The
tops of the chicken and the egg are opposite — the
top of the chicken is the closed end, and the top of
the egg is the open end.
Embroider the egg’s crack as a thick zigzag line
(Figure B).
5. Sew on the chicken parts.
Without stuffing them, sew the CO edges of the
beak and the wings to the chicken using a mattress
stitch. Stuff the legs and sew them on at an angle,
again using a mattress stitch (Figure C).
6. Join the chicken and the egg.
Turn the egg inside out and stuff it inside the
chicken, with the egg’s eyes lining up in roughly
the same place as the chicken’s eyes. Stuff lightly
between the layers with fiberfill stuffing (Figure D).
The chicken shouldn’t look like a withered balloon,
but you also need to leave room for turning the toy
inside out.
Hold the pieces in place and sew up the open
ends using a mattress stitch. Because of the nature
of this stitch, you should be able to use either yellow or white yarn without it showing in the seam.
Once sewn together, you should be able to pop
the chicken and egg out of one another by pushing in the closed end of each (Figure E). Doing this
a few times will loosen up the stitches a little and
make it gradually easier to turn inside and out.
Time to cuddle, ponder, or play with your newly
hatched creation!
