I have a friend who is wild, and I mean “wild” about her chickens. Having decided some time ago to design her a special pillow, I finally came to the conclusion that only a “chicken” would do. Now, she isn’t into the average chickens, she prefers the exotic, and unusual, so enter the Golden Sebright Hen and Chicks.
This new design not only gives me a chance to do the many techniques of color knitting, but also gives me an opportunity to use various kinds of yarns for special affects. The chicks are really little fuzz balls, so Mohair will give them a more realistic look. The spotted area you see in the design is actually going to be a blend of black Mohair and one ply of beige grey fingering yarn. I will also be using White Mohair on the chests.
The border was another matter altogether. I wanted a lacy grid in the design you see, but cabling the black fingering yarn over the bronze, was much to bulky looking. What to do? I began to think “lace.” I pulled out my lace silk and wool cone, and went to work, using white in the background, I worked “floating” chain loops between the stitches to form the design I drew on the pattern. Here is the result.
This gave me the affect I wanted. So I am now waiting for the Black lace yarn to be delivered, so I can get started. Meanwhile, I will be knitting up swatches of the various shades and combination shades that I will be using in the main design, and recording them in my color chart for later use.
If you might be interested in learning how to knit these free floating chains, take a look at the “Wandering Chains” tutorial on my “Fun Stuff” page, or you can use this Floating chains tutorial. I will be add to the info as I work on this project and develop the pattern for sale.
Just thought I would share –
Knit-tweaker
Creative Knitting - Beyond Knit and Purl 
The moment I read “wild” and “chickens” in the same sentence, I knew exactly who will receive this wonderful pillow. She will be wild about it, too and always treasure it. What a thoughtful and beautiful gift!