Saturday, May 21, 2011

Meet Rowan

Rowan Chickens

Picture from this website called "Colorful Stitches".  Click HERE.

Today I was on a bit of a mission:
  • Do laundry (Ugh!)
  • Clean bathrooms (Ick!)
  • Cook like mad for the upcoming week (NOT in the mood today!)
  • Make a chicken that looks just like the chickens above (FUN!)

So of course, first thing this morning, after cooking breakfast and making coffee, I set out to make the chicken. A girl's got to have priorities, right!?

I've been admiring the chickens above for quite awhile.  The pattern is from Rowan which is a really nice line of yarn... gorgeous patterns (some for free and some to buy).  The Rowan website can be found HERE.  The chicken pattern can be found in a few different books but I just couldn't justify spending $20.00 for one pattern. So I set out to figure it out on my own.

I started with a provisional cast on and then knit from the edge of the bottom of the body to the top of the head, of course tapering as I went.  I started with 30 stitches and ended with stitches. Then I picked up the live stitches from the provisional cast on and tapered to close up the bottom. When I had just a few stitches left, I inverted the body upside down in side a plastic tumbler (drinking cup) and then filled the body with rice.  Then I continued my decreases until 3 stitches remained and then closed up the body. The body is made with organic cotton yarn in pink.




I set about figuring out how to make the comb on top of the head, the tail feathers, and the legs... they are all crochet (I used natural colored cotton kitchen twine).  I struggled the most with the beak (also made out of cotton in yellow). The black eyes are beads.  
Meet Rowan!

Rowan looking about the window... nice weather today!

Rowan and I had a busy day today.  While I cleaned the bathrooms, he supervised my son mowing the lawn in the back yard.  In fact, Rowan spent most of the day lounging around while I cooked and cleaned.  I thought it was a good idea for Rowan to hang out in the living room while I made... ummm, (Shhhhh!)... egg salad for my husband's lunches; I also made rosemary and garlic chicken with brown and wild rice for my lunches this week. (Sorry Rowan!).  The Wisconsin Beer Cheese soup is done.  Two pans of baked ziti are complete (one is in the freezer and my husband polished off the better half of one 8" x 8" pan for dinner).   The laundry is done and put away.  I have meals prepped and planned for a few more days. 

I kept asking my husband, "Do you like my CHICKEN?"
To which he replied, "That's not a CHICKEN, that's a POTATO!"
He just doesn't get it!

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Rowan is so cute. I love his Knobby Knees. Harriet

Wool Free and Lovin' Knit said...

Adorable -- very good job and potatoes are curvy -- Rowan looks just like a chicken should! Isn't it fun to knit critters? I'm LOVING making my rabbit, oscar.