Not Enough Chickens Wear Hats - Start Up Knitting Is Fun

In the following steps, I'll share how to make a chick or doll's hat, which if you are a newbie or lapsed knitter like myself, is an easy introduction to more serious knitting projects.

I made these for a specific purpose, I have been shooting footage and gathering material over several years for a film on raising chicks in cold weather for my YouTube channel. The film has taken much longer in the making than usual because, I wanted to have plenty of different examples of problems and solutions and I was getting a little bogged down. So, I decided to make a taster film and to knit some hats for my chicks as a joke. Then in randomly hunting through freesound.org looking for sounds for another project, I came across this most amazing film-trailer music and inspired by it, decided to make a spoof of an action/spy/bank heist/adventure type film trailer.

I chose 'The Twins' my two Sebright-cross chicks, who are always getting into trouble, to be my bank robbers, and for that I needed to knit them balaclavas, which I also used later as a joke idea for introducing my film proper, So cold chicks need headgear and not enough of them wear hats.

Step 1: Materials & Sizing

Many years ago I bought in a sale, an 'Elizabethan slipper-making kit' and which has been sitting at the bottom of the wardrobe ever since. The upper of the slipper is meant to be covered in needlepoint and the tapestry wool provided is of a deep burgundy colour which compliments the Twins' beautiful gold and black plumage. However, any sort of wool remnant, even a single skein of tapestry wool would do.

The amount of wool you need will depend on the size of head and neck of the chick - these two are Sebright-cross bantams so their heads are on the small size even for 4 month old chicks. The circumference of their necks was 4" - 10cm and I estimated that to be the equivalent of 20 stitches, which included a 2 stitch sewing allowance, The neck measurement is the most important as this is the only part of the balaclava which will be sewn up (other than the pointy bit at the top which doesn't matter) and which will need to be eased comfortably over the head.

Wool for one chick hat was exactly 7.7m (or 8 yards 14" ) which is conveniently just under the amount of wool in one skein of 4-ply tapestry wool which is sold in 8m lengths.

Size 6 US - 4mm EU - 8 UK knitting needles I find wooden or bamboo needles are best

a tapestry needle with an eye large enough to take your wool

a pair of small scissors

a tape measure

and if you can get one

a knitting needle row counter aka a knitting register

Step 2: Design & Knitting Shorthand

Inspired by a post-war baby's mug by Alfred Meakin (Pixie Ware) and images from my copies of 1920's 'Flower Fairies' Books, I had initially meant to make a simple pointy Pixie hat but then I realised that there was no way that would stay on a chick's head and my great work would end up in the mud savaged by some passing rooster or mother hen.

Then I found the Trailer music and immediately saw the Twins as bank robbers and knew that balaclavas albeit with a 1920's/40's twist would be both aesthetically pleasing and more importantly, they would stay on for the shoot!

Knitting uses a shorthand. The two stitches we will be using are Knit (K) and Purl (P)

So as an example: K1 = Knit one stitch, P2 = Purl two stitches.

Step 3: Practice Run - Getting Started and Casting on

For ease of knitting make your skein up into a ball.

I decided to make a small mock-up of the hat as it's years since I did any knitting and wanted to get the feel of the wool. Knitting is a lot about tension, the way you hold the wool and how it flows through your fingers - there's nothing to lose as the great thing about knitting is it is easy to undo and start again. It's a really good idea too if you are new to knitting, so just cast on 8 stitches to try out the design see how the hat will look. The stitch I'm using to do this is:

CABLE CAST ON

1. Make a slip loop on the left hand needle and knot in place.
2. The right hand needle is then inserted into this loop from the front to the back.
3. The yarn is then passed under and over the tip of the right needle and drawn through far enough to be able to pass it over the tip of the left hand needle and this makes the next loop/stitch.

To make all the rest of the total 8 stitches :

Place the right-hand needle between the slip loop and the second stitch on the left needle and then repeat as for step 3 above. Continue to make all the stitches you require by each time placing the right hand needle between the last stitch you made and the one before it on the left hand needle.

This makes for a strong and elastic edge which will couple with;-

Step 4: Practice Run - Making the Neck Section

ONE BY ONE RIB

This stitch is used to make a stretchy band for the neck part of the balaclava, which allows for ease of putting it on (most important for the chick) and crucially, for a snug but non-annoying fit. I love my chicks and in no way do I want to stress them, so all of the design was predicated on that. This is a combination of alternate Knit (K) and Purl (P), which are explained below:

Knit

With the yarn to the back insert the right-hand needle from the right to the left through the back of the first stitch on the left-hand needle. Bring the yarn up and over the right needle. Draw the right needle and the yarn through the stitch, discarding the stitch on the left-hand needle and at the same time forming a new stitch on the right hand needle.

When you make a K stitch this will come out as a P stitch on the opposite side and obviously vice versa, this creates the ribbed pattern.

Purl

With the yarn to the front insert the right-hand needle from the right to the left through the front of the first stitch on the left-hand needle. Bring the yarn up and over the right needle. Draw the right needle and the yarn through the stitch, discarding the stitch on the left-hand needle and at the same time forming a new stitch on the right hand needle.

To Create the Rib:

Row One - * K1, P1. repeat from * to the end of the row. If you end with K1 then your next row should be as Row Two below but if you end your row with P1 then your next row should be as in Row Two a (2a)

Row Two - * P1, K1. repeat from *

Row Two a - * K1, P1. repeat from * etc, etc,

Step 5: Practice Run - the Body of the Hat - First Row

STOCKING STITCH

For the body of the hat I used stocking stitch, this is really easy as it comprises two stitches we already learned in the rib.

Start with a row of Purl - this will now be your work's 'right side' aka the side of the hat that will be seen.

You are now ready to begin to shape the hat.

Step 6: Practice Run Shaping the Body of the Hat and Casting Off

DECREASING & CASTING OFF

In order to make the classic Pixie shaped Balaclava of the 1930s and 40s you will need to be able to decrease the stitches by one on each alternate row. There are many ways to do both the above - I do the following because I find it easy!

Decreasing

The first decrease row is the second row of stocking stitch and is a Knit row:

K2 stitches onto your right-hand needle and then take your left-hand needle and insert it into the bottom stitch and pull that stitch up and over the second stitch and discard it. Carry on to the end and then on the next row, the Purl row, repeat the same only in Purl stitch this time.

Casting Off

I always try to make the last row a knit one, it seems easier somehow.

Knit two stitches onto your right hand needle and then take your left hand needle and insert it into the bottom stitch and pull that stitch up and over the second stitch and discard it. Repeat this until you are left with the last remaining stitch. Cut the yarn at a couple of inches from the work and then slip the last stitch off the needle and run the yarn through the centre of it. Gently pull the thread to secure the stitch in a knot.

Step 7: Ready to Knit the Actual Hat!

Using the method outlined in the previous steps, Cast on 20 stitches or whatever size you need using my 20 stitches to 4" - 10 cm as a rough guide.

Knit 4 rows of 'One by one' rib.

Now change to Stocking Stitch, starting with one row of Purl.

For the second row, knit K2 stitches onto the right hand needle and then using the left hand needle decrease those stitches down to 1 by using the cast off method as outlined in the previous step. Carry on with the Knit row to the end.

For the third row (Purl), knit P2 stitches on the right hand needle and follow as above.

Keep repeating this on each row until you are left with 5 stitches.

Cast off.

FINISHING & MORE IDEAS

Take an embroidery needle.

Thread with a length of wool and then with right (Purl) sides together sew together just the ribbed area (neck). Fasten off and cut off the excess wool thread.

Now sew up to the point of the hat, starting at ¾" - 1.5cm from the tip. Neaten as above.

Turn inside out.

Hurrah! Hen Haute Couture!

If you want more sewing ideas for your poultry some of which are frivolous and fun but several of which are really serious. I have three choices so far on my Site the Holistic Hen.

A Warm Winter Coat for Cold Stress Prevention - https://holistic-hen.blogspot.com/2015/11/caring-for-chickens-in-cold-weather.html#.YADD1Hfk-V5 Suitable for fine feathered Frizzles and Older Birds. It's easy to wear and enables the bird to fly up to roost.

On My YouTube site - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5F-IBvnp9AY A Chicken Saddle/Coat for Ex-battery Hens and/or hens with damaged back feathers - A design both to prevent cold stress in hens with limited feathering due to being in CAFO conditions and also to prevent Rooster damage and for discouraging potential feather-pecking damage from other hens.

Totally fun and most frivolous Halloween Costumes - https://holistic-hen.blogspot.com/2016/10/halloween-costumes-for-chickens-anyone.html#.YADGhHfk-V4 4 styles to choose from.

Love from Normandie, Sue xx