Whit's Knits: Fuzzy Easter Chicks and Mini Easter Eggs

It's been a very long, very snowy winter in New York and, so, Easter is especially welcome to me this year. I can't wait for a holiday that celebrates spring's harbingers: baby chicks and lambs, budding daffodils, the bright colors of a warm, sunny day. To get the feeling started early, I made these Fuzzy Easter Chicks and Mini Easter Eggs. They fill me with anticipation and the hope that, yes, spring will actually come.  I was excited to use Alchemy Yarn's latest inspiration called Kozmos. A fascinating blend of silk, mohair, cotton and wool, this yarn is unlike any other. Each yarn absorbs the dye differently, creating a complex depth of color that seems to shimmer and glow. The diaphanous halo of sweet fuzziness is perfect for the creation of a baby chick.

Happy Easter! --Whitney

The Materials

For the Chicks

• Main Yarn: 1 skein of Alchemy's Kozmos, 30% silk, 26% mohair, 31% cotton, 13% wool. You need one skein for each chick. I used the colors "Michelle's Marigold" (foreground) and "Canary" (background).
• Contrast Yarn: A small amount of coordinating DK weight yarn for the beak and legs. I used Rowan's Handknit Cotton, 100% cotton. These colors are #336 Sunflower (bottom) and #325 Primrose (top).
• A very small amount of scrap yarn for the eyes.
• A set of US #7 double pointed needles.
• A set of US #5 double pointed needles (for the beak and legs).
• Stuffing.
• A very small amount of fabric (about 8 inches by 8 inches) in either a neutral color or the color of your chick. The fabric is for the bean bag that goes inside the chick to weigh it down. I used Robert Kauffman's Kona Cotton in the color "Lemon".
• A handful of lentils for the bean bag.

For the Mini Eggs

• Small amounts of fingering weight yarn. I used Koigu's Premium Merino, 100% merino wool. I'm not sure exactly which colors I used because they came from my label-less stash, but any assortment of pretty Easter colors will be great.
• A set of US #3 double pointed needles.
• Stuffing.

The Chick Pattern

Gauge

6 stitches = 1 inch in stockinette stitch with the Main Yarn.

Finished Size

About 5 inches high

The Bean Bag

The chick is weighed down by a small bean bag filled with lentils. You won't use it until a little later, but it's kind of satisfying to have it ready to go when you do need it.

Fold the fabric in half with its right sides facing each other. Trace a 3 1/2 inch circle onto the fabric, and cut the circle out, giving you two identical circles.

Sew the circles together with about a 1/4 inch seam allowance, leaving a 1 1/2 inch opening (Don't worry about perfection here. No one will ever see it!)

Turn the circles right side out and fill the pouch with lentils, using a funnel or a piece of paper taped into a cone.

Sew the opening closed however you want, or, in my case, however you can.

Now you can set the little bean bag aside and start knitting!

The Body

NOTE: The pattern begins at the chick's tail and makes its way to the beak. 

With US #7 double pointed needles and the Main Yarn, cast on 6 stitches.

Join for working in the round, being careful to not twist the stitches.

Round 1: Knit.

Round 2: *Knit into the front and back (kfb), repeat from * to end of round. (12 stitches)

Round 3: Knit

Round 4: *K1, kfb, repeat from * to end of round. (18 stitches)

Round 5: Knit

Round 6: *K2, kfb, repeat from * to end of round. (24 stitches)

Round 7: Knit

Round 8: *K3, kfb, repeat from * to end of round. (30 stitches)

Round 9: Knit

Round 10: *K4, kfb, repeat from * to end of round. (36 stitches)

Round 11: Knit

Round 12: *K5, kfb, repeat from * to end of round. (42 stitches)

Round 13: Knit

Round 14: *K6, kfb, repeat from * to end of round. (48 stitches)

Round 15: Knit

Round 16: *K7, kfb, repeat from * to end of round. (54 stitches)

Knit 8 rounds.

Next Round: K24, slip slip knit (ssk), place a marker, k2, k2tog, knit to end of round. (52 stitches)

Next Round: Knit to 2 stitches before marker, ssk, slip the marker, k2, k2tog, knit to end of round. (2 stitches decreased)

Repeat the last round 11 more times. (28 stitches remaining)

Now is a good time to start stuffing your chick. First place the bean bag in the area between the tail and the beginning of the decreases. (The dotted lines are outlining where I put my bean bag.)

Fill in the rest of the body with stuffing, keeping in mind that the lines of decreases are the chick's chest. Make the chick nice and plump!

The Head

NOTE: Because the opening will get smaller and smaller as you knit the head, be sure to stuff as you go. Also, try not to overstuff the neck area.

Round 1: Removing the stitch marker when you get to it, *K2, k2tog, repeat from * to end of round. (21 stitches)

Round 2: [K1, kfb] 3 times, [kfb] 9 times,  [k1, kfb] 3 times. (36 stitches)

Knit 6 rounds.

Round 9: *K4, k2tog, repeat from * to end of round. (30 stitches)

Round 10: Knit.

Round 11: *K3, k2tog, repeat from * to end of round. (24 stitches)

Round 12: Knit.

Round 13: *K2, k2tog, repeat from * to end of round. (18 stitches)

Round 14: Knit.

Round 15: *K1, k2tog, repeat from * to end of round. (12 stitches)

Round 16: With US #5 double pointed needles and the Contrast Yarn, knit.

Round 17: *K2tog, repeat from * to end of round. (6 stitches)

Knit 3 rounds.

Round 21: *K2tog, repeat from * to end of round. (3 stitches)

Cut the yarn, and thread it through the remaining stitches.

Weave all the tails into the inside of the chick.

The Wings

Using just two US #7 double pointed needles and the Main Yarn, cast on 3 stitches. (Leave an 8 inch tail.)

Row 1: K1, purl to last stitch, k1.

Row 2: K1, make 1 right (m1R), k1, make 1 left (m1L), k1. (5 stitches)

Row 3: K1, purl to last stitch, k1.

Row 4: K2, m1R, k1, m1L, k2. (7 stitches)

Row 5: K1, purl to last stitch, k1.

Row 4: K3, m1R, k1, m1L, k3. (9 stitches)

Row 5: K1, purl to last stitch, k1.

Row 6: K4, m1R, k1, m1L, k4. (11 stitches)

Row 7: K1, purl to last stitch, k1.

Row 8: Knit.

Row 9: K1, purl to last stitch, k1.

Row 10: K5, m1R, k1, m1L, k5. (13 stitches)

Row 11: K1, purl to last stitch, k1.

Row 12: Knit.

Row 13: K1, purl to last stitch, k1.

Row 14: K6, m1R, k1, m1L, k6. (15 stitches)

Row 15: K1, purl to last stitch, k1.

Rows 16-18: Knit.

Row 19: K1, purl to last stitch, k1.

Row 20: K5, ssk, k1, k2tog, k5. (13 stitches)

Row 21: K1, purl to last stitch, k1.

Row 22: Knit.

Row 23: K1, purl to last stitch, k1.

Row 24: K4, ssk, k1, k2tog, k4. (11 stitches)

Row 25: K1, purl to last stitch, k1.

Row 26: Knit.

Row 27: K1, purl to last stitch, k1.

Row 28: K3, ssk, k1, k2tog, k3. (9 stitches)

Row 29: K1, purl to last stitch, k1.

Row 30: K2, ssk, k1, k2tog, k2. (7 stitches)

Row 31: K1, purl to last stitch, k1.

Row 32: K1, ssk, k1, k2tog, k1. (5 stitches)

Row 33: K1, purl to last stitch, k1.

Row 34: Ssk, k1, slip the first stitch over, k2tog, slip the remaining stitch over. (1 stitch) (If this row confuses you, think of it as the cast off row with simultaneous decreases.)

Cut the yarn so there is an 8 inch tail.

Fold the wing in half at the purl ridge (purl sides facing each other), and use the tails to sew the edges of the wings together.

Make another wing identical to the first.

Use one of the tails to sew the first wing to the chick's body. You can put the increase or decrease side up, just make sure you do the next one the same way.

Sew the second wing on as symmetrically to the first as you can.

The Legs

With a US #5 needle and the Contrast Yarn, pick up 4 stitches along the bottom of the chick, slightly to the left or right of center.

Make a 1 1/2 inch I-cord.

Next Row: K1, [kfb] 2 times, k1. (6 stitches)

Without turning the work, slip the first 4 stitches off the right end of the needle onto an extra US #5 needle.

With the 2 stitches remaining on the left needle, * work 3 rows of an I-cord.  Slip the first stitch over the second, cut the yarn and pull it through the last stitch.**

Slip the next 2 stitches off the left end of the needle onto an extra needle. With those stitches and new yarn, work from * to **.

With the final 2 stitches and new yarn, work from * to **.

Weave in the ends.

Make an identical second leg on the other side of center.

The Eyes

With some white scrap yarn, sew three parallel lines for the first eye.

Thread the yarn through to the other side of the head and sew the second eye.

Use a contrasting color to sew two lines perpendicular to the white lines.

Bring that yarn to the other side of the head and finish the second eye.

 

Mini Easter Egg Pattern

Gauge

7 stitches = 1 inch in stockinette stitch

Finished Size

About 1 1/2 inches tall and 3 3/4 inches in circumference

The Egg

With US #3 double pointed needles and fingering weight yarn, cast on 8 stitches.

Join for working in the round, being careful to not twist the stitches. 

Round 1: *K1, kfb, repeat from * to end of round. (12 stitches)

Round 2: *K2, kfb, repeat from * to end of round. (16 stitches)

Round 3: *K3, kfb, repeat from * to end of round. (20 stitches)

Round 4: Knit.

Round 5: *K4, kfb, repeat from * to end of round. (24 stitches)

Rounds 6-10: Knit.

Round 11: *K4, k2tog, repeat from * to end of round. (20 stitches)

Round 12: Knit.

Round 13: *K3, k2tog, repeat from * to end of round. (16 stitches)

Round 14: Knit

Round 15: *K2, k2tog, repeat from * to end of round. (12 stitches)

Round 16: Knit.

Round 17: *K1, k2tog, repeat from * to end of round. (8 stitches)

Cut the yarn and thread it through the remaining stitches, but do not pull it tight yet. First fill the egg with stuffing, then you can pull the tail tight and weave in the ends.

You can keep your eggs plain and simple, or knit some stripes into the pattern, or try some duplicate stitching to create polka dots, vertical stripes, or any other embellishment you can think of.