Chick-in-an-Egg

Early spring, with its skipping lambs and bobbing daffodils, is certainly a good time for whimsy. And Easter, with its symbol-rich traditions, is definitely a good time for whimsical knit chicks!

Like all new life at this time of year, these funny little chicks are spirited with the wonder of birth, blinking and peeping, curious and eager. Sounds a little like us battered northerners, emerging from the dark depths of a long winter, intent on what’s next!

Soft and squishy, roly and poly, these chicks are just the right shape and size for Easter baskets and little hands, and they’re knit up in one of our all-time favorite yarns, Koigu Premium Merino!

Yarn lovers, if you adore the yarn used in this project, you’ll love exploring all of our other yarn collections! Discover over 45 thoughtfully designed yarns in nearly every natural fiber and in every spectacular color you can imagine. Only available here at Purl Soho’s online yarn store, where every skein is created with care and your creativity in mind!

Fill your Easter season with lots of cheer and welcome spring with whimsy! -Whitney

P.S. Our beautiful Super Simple Felt Easter Basket is a perfect nest. Click here for the free Bee pattern!

Designed by Purl Soho designer, Whitney Van Nes.

Share your progress and connect with the community by tagging your pics with #PurlSoho, #PurlSohoBusyHands, and #PurlSohoChickInAnEgg. We can’t wait to see what you make!

Materials

These are enough materials to make at least 12 Chicks…

• 3 skeins of Koigu Premium Merino, 100% merino wool.
  • Main Color: #2100, bright yellow
  • Contast Color 1: #0000, ecru
  • Contrast Color 2: #1051, pale turquoise
• 6 skeins of Koigu Premium Merino Needlepoint Yarn, 100% merino wool.
  • Contrast Colors 3, 4, 5 and 6: #2180, yellow; #1230, ochre; #1143, bright pink; #2351, aqua
  • Beak Color: #1131, warm pink
  • Eye Color:#2425, dark gray
• A set of US 3 (3.25 mm) double pointed needles
• ½ bag of Poly-Fil stuffing

Shop our wonderful collection of fingering-weight yarn to find a suitable substitute for this project, and remember that it’s always a good idea to check your gauge before you cast on… Our All About Gauge Tutorial shows you how!

Gauge

28 stitches = 4 inches in stockinette stitch

Size

Finished Dimensions: Approximately 10 inches in circumference and 5 inches high (not including tassel)

Pattern

Knit the Egg

With Contrast Color 1 or 2 (see Materials, above), cast on 8 stitches. We used a basic Long Tail Cast On.

Join for working in the round, being careful to not twist your stitches.

Round 1: Knit into the front and back (kfb) 8 times. [16 stitches]

Round 2: Knit.

Round 3: *K1, kfb, repeat from * to end of round. [24 stitches]

Round 4: Knit.

Round 5: *K2, kfb, repeat from * to end of round. [32 stitches]

Round 6: Knit.

Round 7: *K3, kfb, repeat from * to end of round. [40 stitches]

Round 8: Knit.

Round 9: *K4, kfb, repeat from * to end of round. [48 stitches]

Round 10: Knit.

Round 11: *K5, kfb, repeat from * to end of round. [56 stitches]

Knit every round until piece measures 2 1/2 inches from cast on (or for 18 rounds).

Cut the yarn.

With a different Contrast Color, knit 2 rounds.

Cut the yarn.

To pick the next Contrast Color my rule was if the previous Contrast Color was 1 or 2, I now used 3, 4, 5 or 6; or if the previous Contrast Color was 3, 4, 5 or 6, I now used 1 or 2 (the one that I hadn’t started with). So, with this next Contrast Color…

Knit 1 round.

Next Round: K27, p3, knit to end of round.

Repeat last round 4 more times.

Purl 2 rounds.

Cut the yarn.

Knit the Chick

With the Main Color…

Rounds 1-3: Knit.

Round 4: K10, ssk, place a marker (pm), k4, k2tog, k20, ssk, pm, k4, k2tog, k10. [52 stitches]

Round 5: Knit.

Round 6: [Knit to 2 stitches before next marker, ssk, k4, k2tog] two times, knit to end of round. [4 stitches decreased]

Rounds 7-12: Repeat Rounds 5 and 6 three more times. [36 stitches]

Round 13: Slip the first stitch from the left needle to the right needle, [k4, ssk, (k4, k2tog) 2 times] two times. [30 stitches]

Now is a good time to turn the Chick inside out and weave in all the ends. Then, turn it right side out again and stuff the Chick so it is fairly firm but soft. I used 14 grams of stuffing for each Chick. Continue…

Round 14: [K3, ssk, (k3, k2tog) 2 times] two times. [24 stitches]

Round 15: [K2, ssk, (k2, k2tog) 2 times] two times. [18 stitches]

Round 16: [K1, ssk, (k1, k2tog) 2 times] two times. [12 stitches]

Round 17: [Ssk, k2tog twice] two times. [6 stitches]

Cut a 30-inch tail. Thread the tail onto a tapestry needle and sew it through the remaining stitches. Pull tight.

Make Tassel

With the tail still on a tapestry needle, insert the needle across the last round of stitches.

Bring the yarn back and forth across the top of the Chick, forming equal size loops. (Use two fingers as a guide to measure the loops.)

When you have 5 loops, tightly wrap the tail around the base of the loops a few times.

Push the needle down through the center of the tassel, exiting the Chick anywhere.

Trim the tassel and cut the tail flush to the Body of the Chick.

Stitch the Face

Feel free to make your Chick’s face however you want, but here’s how I made mine!

Beak

Thread a length of the Beak Color onto a tapestry needle.

Poke the needle into the body of the Chick and bring the needle out the third round of Main Color, centered above the vertical column of 3 purl stitches. Pull the yarn until a small tail is sticking out of the Chick.

Now insert the needle 3 stitches to the right and bring it out the original exit point.

Insert the needle 3 stitches to the left and exit 2 1/2 stitches to the right and one round up.

Insert the needle 1 1/2 stitches to the right and exit one round directly below the previous entrance point.

Insert the needle 1 1/2 stitches to the right and bring it out the body of the Chick somewhere.

Eyes

Thread a length of Contrast Color 1 onto a tapestry needle.

Poke the needle into the body of the Chick and bring the needle out 1/2 stitch to the right and 3 rounds up from the right end of the Beak. Pull the yarn until a small tail is sticking out of the Chick.

Now insert the needle 2 stitches to the right and 2 rounds down. Bring the needle out one round below the original exit point.

Insert the needle 1 1/2 stitches to the right and one round down. Bring the needle out 1/2 stitch to the left and 3 rounds up from the left end of the Beak.

Repeat the same steps to make the left eye. At the end, bring the needle through the body of the Chick and cut the tail.

Now thread a length of the Eye Color onto a tapestry needle.

Poke the needle into the body of the Chick and exit right below the center of the eye. Pull the yarn until a small tail is sticking out of the Chick.

Insert the needle one round up, between the two Contrast Color 1 stitches. Exit 3 rounds straight up.

Insert the needle 2 stitches to the right and 2 rounds down and bring the needle out the previous exit point.

Insert the needle through the last exit point and bring it out right below the center of the left eye.

Repeat these steps for the left eye, bringing the needle through the body of the Chick at the end.

Cut any remaining tails flush with Chick’s body.

Nestle your Chick-in-an-Egg into a bed of Easter grass and have a happy Easter!

Looking for more inspiration? Explore all of our free knitting patterns and knitting tutorials, buy one of our many knitting kits and yarn bundles, and shop for beautiful yarn. We have over 35 gorgeous natural fiber yarns in 100’s of magnificent colors, designed to bring integrity, beauty, and joy to your next knitting project and only available at Purl Soho!