The hen, a female chicken, is a very useful and much-loved bird, producing eggs and used for meat. Very fashionable these days, exotic breeds of hens are kept for both their eggs and as pets. Hens live in flocks with certain birds dominating, so a ‘pecking order’ has to be established. Famous cartoon hens include Camilla, Gonzo the Great’s girlfriend in The Muppet Show. Hens are equally popular characters in children’s books, such as The Little Red Hen and the fable Henny Penny.
Easy to knit, the hen is one of the simplest animals to make.
Length: 12cm (4¾in)
Height to top of head: 13cm (5in)
• Pair of 2¾mm (US 2) knitting needles
• 15g (½oz) of Rowan Fine Tweed in Dent 373 (dt)
• Small amount of Rowan Pure Wool 4ply in Kiss 436 (ks) for wattle and comb
• Small amount of Rowan Pure Wool 4ply in Gerbera 454 (ga) for beak, legs and claws
• 2 pipecleaners for legs and feet
• 2 tiny black beads for eyes and sewing needle and black thread for sewing on
See here.
See for Loopy Stitch. Work 2-finger loopy stitch throughout pattern.
See for Wrap and Turn Method.
See for Leg and Claw Method.
With dt, cast on 10 sts.
Beg with a k row, work 2 rows st st.
Row 3: Inc, k8, inc. (12 sts)
Row 4: Inc, p10, inc. (14 sts)
Row 5: Inc, k12, inc. (16 sts)
Row 6: Purl.
Row 7: Inc, k15. (17 sts)
Row 8: Purl.
Row 9: Inc, k15, inc. (19 sts)
Row 10: Inc, p18, cast on 2 sts. (22 sts)
Row 11: Inc, k21. (23 sts)
Row 12: Purl.
Row 13: Inc, k22. (24 sts)
Row 14: Purl.
Row 15: Inc, k23. (25 sts)
Row 16: P24, inc. (26 sts)
Work 4 rows st st.
Row 21: K25, inc. (27 sts)
Work 3 rows st st.
Row 25: K2tog, k24, inc. (27 sts)
Row 26: Purl.
Row 27: K2tog, k24, inc. (27 sts)
Row 28: Purl.
Row 29: K10, cast (bind) off 4 sts, k11 icos, loopy st 1, k1 (hold 10 sts on spare needle for Neck and Head).
Row 30: Working on 13 sts for tail, purl.
Row 31: Cast (bind) off 3 sts, k6 icos, loopy st 1, k1, loopy st 1, inc. (11 sts)
Row 32: Purl.
Row 33: Cast (bind) off 3 sts, k2 icos, [loopy st 1, k1] 3 times. (8 sts)
Row 34: P6, p2tog. (7 sts)
Row 35: K2tog, loopy st 1, k1, loopy st 1, k2. (6 sts)
Row 36: Purl.
Row 37: K2tog, [loopy st 1, k1] twice. (5 sts)
Cast (bind) off.
With dt, cast on 10 sts.
Beg with p row, work 2 rows st st.
Row 3: Inc, p8, inc. (12 sts)
Row 4: Inc, k10, inc. (14 sts)
Row 5: Inc, p12, inc. (16 sts)
Row 6: Knit.
Row 7: Inc, p15. (17 sts)
Row 8: Knit.
Row 9: Inc, p15, inc. (19 sts)
Row 10: Inc, k18, cast on 2 sts. (22 sts)
Row 11: Inc, p21. (23 sts)
Row 12: Knit.
Row 14: Knit.
Row 15: Inc, p23. (25 sts)
Row 16: K24, inc. (26 sts)
Work 4 rows st st.
Row 21: P25, inc. (27 sts)
Work 3 rows st st.
Row 25: P2tog, p24, inc. (27 sts)
Row 26: Knit.
Row 27: P2tog, p24, inc. (27 sts)
Row 28: Knit.
Row 29: P10, cast (bind) off 4 sts, p to end (hold 10 sts on spare needle for Neck and Head).
Row 30: Working on 13 sts for tail, k1, loopy st 1, k11.
Row 31: Cast (bind) off 3 sts, p9, inc. (11 sts)
Row 32: K1, [loopy st 1, k1] twice, k6.
Row 33: Cast (bind) off 3 sts, p to end. (8 sts)
Row 34: [K1, loopy st 1] 3 times, k2tog. (7 sts)
Row 35: P2tog, p5. (6 sts)
Row 36: [K1, loopy st 1] twice, k2.
Row 37: P2tog, p4. (5 sts)
Row 38: K2tog, loopy st 1 and cast (bind) off last 2 sts worked, cast (bind) off rem sts.
Row 1: With dt and RS facing, k10 from spare needle of Right Side of Body, then k10 from spare needle of Left Side of Body. (20 sts)
Row 2: Purl.
Row 3: K2tog, k6, [k2tog] twice, k6, k2tog. (16 sts)
Row 4: Purl.
Row 5: Knit.
Row 6: P6, [p2tog] twice, p6. (14 sts)
Row 7: K2tog, k10, k2tog. (12 sts)
Row 8: Purl.
Join in ks.
Row 9: K2togks, k1ks, k6dt, k1ks, k2togks. (10 sts)
Row 10: P3ks, p4dt, p3ks.
Row 11: K3ks, k4dt, w&t (leave 3 sts on lefthand needle unworked).
Row 12: Working top of head on centre 4 sts only, p4dt, w&t.
Row 13: K4dt, w&t.
Row 14: P4dt, w&t.
Row 15: K4dt, k3ks. (10 sts in total)
Row 16: P2togks, p1ks, [p2togdt] twice, p1ks, p2togks. (6 sts)
Cont in ks.
Row 17: K2, k2tog, k2. (5 sts)
Row 18: P2tog, p1, p2tog. (3 sts)
Cast (bind) off.
Head
Attach the wattles so that they hang below the beak, and the comb so that it sticks up on top of the head.
With ga, cast on 5 sts.
Beg with a k row, work 2 rows st st.
Row 3: K2tog, k1, k2tog. (3 sts)
Row 4: Purl.
Row 5: K3tog and fasten off.
(make 2 the same)
With ks, cast on 2 sts.
Knit 2 rows.
Row 3: [Inc] twice. (4 sts) Knit 4 rows.
Row 8: [K2tog] twice. (2 sts) Cast (bind) off.
Tail
To make the tail more luxurious, the loopy stitches can be knitted in different sizes.
With ks, cast on 6 sts.
Knit 1 row.
Picot edge cast (bind) off row: *Cast on 2 sts, cast (bind) off 4 sts, move last st from right-hand needle to left-hand needle.*
Rep from * to * once more. (2 sts)
Cast on 2 sts, cast (bind) off rem sts.
(make 2 the same)
With ga, cast on 4 sts.
Beg with a k row, work 16 rows st st.
Cast (bind) off.
(make 2 the same)
With ga, cast on 4 sts.
Beg with a k row, work 12 rows st st.
Cast (bind) off.
SEWING IN ENDS Sew in ends, leaving ends from cast on and cast (bound) off rows for sewing up.
BODY With WS together and whip stitch, sew two halves of body together, leaving a 2.5cm (1in) gap.
STUFFING Stuff the hen firmly, then sew up the gap. Mould body into shape.
LEGS AND FEET Using a 20cm (8in) length of pipecleaner and the Leg and Claw Method (see here), make up legs and feet. The hen’s legs are 2cm (¾in) high. To attach the legs, push protruding ends of pipecleaners into base of body approx 4 rows apart.
BEAK With WS together, sew up beak and attach to head positioned as in photograph.
WATTLES Attach cast (bound) off row of wattles just below and to either side of beak.
COMB Sew cast on row along top of head.
EYES Sew on black beads positioned as in photograph.
