Chicken jumpers!

I have been looking into getting a pair of chickens recently. I never thought crafts and chickens would have a connection but how wrong I was. My friend and fellow Fiskarette pointed out that some ex battery hens needed woolly jumpers as they have lost their feathers through stress. The pattern is below & if you can not knit there’s a fleece option too.

There’s also a call out for people to rehome ex battery chickens and lots of other links including the fleece fabric pattern . Here & the website Here..details of where to post your jumpers are on the site too.

Basic Chux Tux
Abbreviations:
k:   knit
p:   purl
k2tog:   knit two stitches together
tbl:   through back of loop
st:   stitch
rt:   right

Use up your odds and ends of wool. It probably takes about one ball in total and about six hours to knit
Using size 3.25mm-4mm needles and double knitting wool.
Cast on 100 stitches.

Work 20 rows k1p1 rib.
Start decreasing, right side of work is facing you.
Keep the continuity of the rib pattern throughout.

Rib4, k2togtbl, rib26, k2togtbl, rib31, k2tog, rib27, k2tog, rib4 (96st)
3 rows rib maintaining pattern.
Rib4, k2togtbl, rib25, k2togtbl, rib29, k2tog, rib26, k2tog, rib4 (92st)
3 rows rib
Rib4, k2togtbl, rib24, k2togtbl, rib27, k2tog, rib25, k2tog, rib4 (88st)
3 rows rib
Rib4, k2togtbl, rib23, k2togtbl, rib25, k2tog, rib24, k2tog, rib4 (84st)
3 rows rib

Continue decreasing but only in the centre of the work
Rib28, k2togtbl, rib23, k2tog, rib29 (82st)
3 rows rib
Rib28, k2togtbl, rib21, k2tog, rib29 (80st)
3 rows rib
Rib28, k2togtbl, rib19, k2tog, rib29 (78st)
1 row rib
Rib28, k2togtbl, rib17, k2tog, rib29 (76st)
1row rib
Rib28, k2togtbl, rib15, k2tog, rib29 (74st)
1 row rib
Continue decreasing like this until:
Rib 28, k2tog tbl, p1, k2tog, rib29 (60st)
1 row rib
Rib28, slip next st onto rt needle k2tog, pass slipped st back over to cast it off, rib29,
(58st)
Continue without further shaping, k1p1 rib for 15 rows
Cast off loosely, in rib, in slightly smaller needles if possible.

image from Lincs Little Hens.

x Jayne x