Chicken egg cosy

Chicken Egg Cosy by Nicola Hutton

What is Being Made

This is a knitted egg cosy designed to resemble a chicken, created by independent designer Nicola Hutton. The cosy is a small, decorative accessory intended to keep boiled eggs warm while adding a charming poultry-themed element to your table setting. The finished piece features a chicken body with distinctive details including a comb, beak, and tail feathers that bring the design to life.

Craft and Techniques

This project uses knitting as the primary construction method, with an intermediate difficulty level. The pattern incorporates both knitting and crochet techniques to create the finished piece. The main body is worked in the round using double pointed needles, which is a fundamental technique for creating seamless tubular garments and accessories. A crochet hook is also required for finishing details, demonstrating how knitters often combine multiple fiber arts techniques in a single project.

Stitches and Construction Details

The pattern employs essential knitting decreases to shape the cosy:

• K2tog (knit two stitches together) – a right-leaning decrease used to reduce stitch count and shape the garment
• SSK (slip, slip, knit) – a left-leaning decrease created by slipping two stitches knitwise and knitting them together through the front loops

The body begins with casting on 31 stitches and arranging them across three double pointed needles to work in the round. This circular knitting method creates a seamless tube that forms the chicken's body. A stitch marker is used to track the beginning of each round, an essential tool when working with multiple needles.

Materials and Yarn Weight

The pattern offers flexibility in yarn choice depending on your finishing preferences. Approximately 14 meters (15 yards) of bulky weight or chunky wool is needed for the main body if you plan to felt the finished cosy, which creates a denser, more structured final piece. Alternatively, worsted or aran weight yarn can be used if you prefer not to felt the chicken. The pattern notes that tension is not overly critical; however, if felting is planned, stitches should be packed fairly tightly to ensure proper felting results. If using worsted or aran weight yarn without felting, you may wish to knit a tension square to verify your preferred stitch size.

Additional small quantities of red, yellow, and green yarn in the same weight are required for the decorative comb, beak, and tail feathers. A small amount of two-strand embroidery floss completes the materials list, likely used for adding facial features or other fine details.

Tools Required

• Four 3.75mm (UK size 9/USA size 5) double pointed needles for the main knitting
• 4mm crochet hook (USA size G/6) for finishing work
• Stitch marker to track round beginnings