Who knits?!

[Saveria]

@saysfaa

I’m legit curious. How would/do you adapt this picture to pattern and pattern to size?

Just by counting stitches, it would be a tiny chicken on an adult hat. And the problem I’m having is, how do you scale it? Like, without stretching the bottom, compressing the top, and distorting the chicken?

This seems like it could be an evolution in my knitting skills. I’m fine with following a pattern, but adapting my own?

Insights would be greatly appreciated.

Checking ravelry right now for an adult chicken hat pattern.

I don’t typically use acrylic yarn anymore. I find it gets fuzzy/ balled up even with careful care and no washing

I feel the same way. I also can't stand how acrylic will feel on my hands. I'd end up not wanting to wear even 50/50% blends, but up to 25% acrylic seems to be okay. I think the acrylic of the 60s/70s was higher quality.

I’m allergic to sheep wool

Does superwash work for you? I know it is coated so it doesn't felt, maybe that would work.

 

[Saveria]

This one is super similar and says it would fit a woman. The pattern is $5.

https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/chicken-hat-7

These two are a different style, but the same idea.

https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/super-bulky-chicken-hat
https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/cute-hen-hat

 

[saysfaa]

Gotcha.

And not to keep pestering, but would this chicken pattern be something you’d do intarsia, or fair isle?

It could be a lot of stitches to carry yarn behind, but it would save weaving a lot of ends. Particularly if you put the chicken on 2 or even 4 (size dependent) sides of the hat.

Thanks for the input. I consider myself an advanced beginner, and I always appreciate insight.

I had to look up intarsia.

My mom taught me knit, purl, increase, decrease, slip, and cable. Then I've played with needles and yarn for several decades. Since I rarely find patterns that do what I want, I rarely follow patterns. I just experiment until I have what I want.

Like mittens should have the thumb come out of the body of the mitten at the angle my thumb does. Neither straight to the side nor in front of the pointer finger. And there shouldn't be a hole at the top of the thumb. Socks should be shorter on the little toe side. And so on.

Anyway, I don't know how I would do the pattern. If it had been small enough and not meant to be worn then I would probably float the color not being used. I don't like to float yarns more than a few stitches if they will be exposed to wear.

So far, I've considered:

• double knit (like for reversible patterns) and float the yarns between the sides (horizontally for the main color and vertically for the pattern colors).
• Embroider the design over the background color
• Double knit (where you caste on the top of one side and caste off the top of the other side and telescope them together), and float the yarns between the layers.
• Triple knit it so the background color can be defloated without showing.
• Intarsia (it is so much faster to say when you have a word for something)

I don't know which would work best. Or at all. I'm not opposed to a combination of techniques.

 

[saysfaa]

I agree about alpaca. I haven't bought or knitted acrylic since I discovered alpaca. I still use wool sometimes, like if I want to wear out some yarn on something I don't know how to do yet, but I don't like wearing it. The acrylic left from before alpaca gets used as the "ribbon" on presents or as string.

What do y'all think about wooden needles? I switched to them but am finding myself moving back to metal. I broke to many size 1 and smaller needles then realized I like how the metal slides better in the alpaca. I liked how the wooden needles didn't slide as much as metal in acrylic. I miss the warmth and quietness, though.

 

[jpalmatier83]

I had to look up intarsia.

My mom taught me knit, purl, increase, decrease, slip, and cable. Then I've played with needles and yarn for several decades. Since I rarely find patterns that do what I want, I rarely follow patterns. I just experiment until I have what I want.

Like mittens should have the thumb come out of the body of the mitten at the angle my thumb does. Neither straight to the side nor in front of the pointer finger. And there shouldn't be a hole at the top of the thumb. Socks should be shorter on the little toe side. And so on.

Anyway, I don't know how I would do the pattern. If it had been small enough and not meant to be worn then I would probably float the color not being used. I don't like to float yarns more than a few stitches if they will be exposed to wear.

So far, I've considered:

• double knit (like for reversible patterns) and float the yarns between the sides (horizontally for the main color and vertically for the pattern colors).
• Embroider the design over the background color
• Double knit (where you caste on the top of one side and caste off the top of the other side and telescope them together), and float the yarns between the layers.
• Triple knit it so the background color can be defloated without showing.
• Intarsia (it is so much faster to say when you have a word for something)

I don't know which would work best. Or at all. I'm not opposed to a combination of techniques.

All good observations.

I’m way better with fair isle than intarsia so I might think about doubling (or quadrupling depending on hat size) the pattern and lining with fabric to cover and protect the floats.

This has been a great conversation. Thanks for your time.

 

[jpalmatier83]

I agree about alpaca. I haven't bought or knitted acrylic since I discovered alpaca. I still use wool sometimes, like if I want to wear out some yarn on something I don't know how to do yet, but I don't like wearing it. The acrylic left from before alpaca gets used as the "ribbon" on presents or as string.

What do y'all think about wooden needles? I switched to them but am finding myself moving back to metal. I broke to many size 1 and smaller needles then realized I like how the metal slides better in the alpaca. I liked how the wooden needles didn't slide as much as metal in acrylic. I miss the warmth and quietness, though.

I use bamboo almost exclusively. But I mostly use acrylic for plushies or wool for socks. I’ve yet to discover the joys of alpaca.

 

[saysfaa]

I can't tell much difference between wood and bamboo most of the time. I read that wood doesn't break as readily but I was only breaking the smallest sizes anyway and I went back to metal when I broke the wooden ones of that size too.

 

[RebelFord81]

No worries loves I'll just order them from etsy lol

 

[KristyLou12]

I have a proposition for you can anyone make these? Or do you have an etsy shop? Cause i would totally buy them! View attachment 3625250

If you right click the image you can do a google search of it and you'll get a bunch on etsy. Here's the first couple that came up when I did: https://www.etsy.com/listing/1287584119/chicken-beaniehomesteadchicken-mom-knit
https://www.etsy.com/listing/1287584119/chicken-beaniehomesteadchicken-mom-knit

 

[getreal]

if you can find a pattern or possibly find one online I can make these for you.