Free Crochet Pattern: Little Striped Hen
By Claire Golden – 2 Comments
I used to have a pet chicken named Harriet who was such a wonderful companion I wanted to make something in her honor. So here is a miniature version of my special bird. Harriet was a Plymouth Barred Rock, which are known for their striking black-and-white stripes. I chose a yarn that was black-and-white variegated to mimic her stripes, and I really like how the result turned out. This chicken is the perfect size to fit in your hand and would make a great keychain or fidget toy. You can use little safety eyes or small black buttons like I did. And you could use different colors of yarn to make different breeds of chickens. Try white yarn for a Plymouth White Rock (the classic chicken), tan yarn for a Buff Orpington, or black yarn for an Australorp. You can make your very own flock!
For those unfamiliar with chicken anatomy, the comb sticks up on the top of the head, and the wattles hang down from the beak. All chickens – both hens and roosters – have combs and wattles, but they look different depending on what breed. They are also bigger on roosters.
| Skill Level: |  |
Finished Size: 2.75″ (8 cm) tall and wide (approximately)
| Materials: Medium weight yarn in feather and beak color DK weight yarn for wattles and comb Crochet hook G (4.00 mm) for body and beak Crochet Hook C (2.75 mm) for wattles and comb |
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Gauge:
Rounds 1-3 of Body measure 1.25″ (3 cm) in diameter.
Need help understanding the abbreviations and symbols? Check out the crochet abbreviation chart.
Crochet Pattern: Little Striped Hen
Leave 12″ (30 cm) tail at the end of each piece to use for sewing together later.
Body
Round 1: make a magic ring, ch 1, 6 sc in ring: 6 sc
Round 2: 2 sc in each sc around: 12 sc
Round 3: (sc in next sc, 2 sc in next sc) around: 18 sc
Round 4: (sc in next 2 sc, 2 sc in next sc) around: 24 sc
Round 5-8: sc in each sc around
Round 9: (sc in next 2 sc, sc2tog) around: 18 sc
Round 10: (sc in next sc, sc2tog) around: 12 sc
Stuff lightly.
Round 11: sc2tog around: 6 sc
Finish off, sew small hole closed.
Head
Round 1: make a magic ring, ch 1, 6 sc in ring: 6 sc
Round 2: 2 sc in each sc around: 12 sc
Round 3-6: sc in each sc around
Finish off.
Tail
Round 1: make a magic ring, ch 1, 6 sc in ring: 6 sc
Round 2: sc in each sc around: 6 sc
Round 3: (sc in next sc, 2 sc in next sc) 3 times: 9 sc
Round 4: (sc in next 2 sc, 2 sc in next sc) 3 times: 12 sc
Round 5: sc in each sc around: 12 sc
Round 6: (sc in next 3 sc, 2 sc in next sc) 3 times: 15 sc
Round 7: sc in next 4 sc, 2 sc in next sc, hdc in next 4 sc, 2 hdc in next sc, hdc in next 4 sc, (hdc, sc) in last sc: 18 sts
Sl st to next st and finish off.
The hdc side goes at the bottom of the tail, closest to the bottom of the chicken.
Beak
Round 1: make a magic ring, ch 1, 6 sc in ring
Round 2-3: sc in each sc around: 6 sc
Finish off, leaving tail for sewing.
Wattles
Row 1: leave a long tail at the beginning, (ch 5, sl st into fifth ch from hook) 2 times.
Finish off, leaving long tail for sewing.
Comb
Row 1: ch 6, sc in second ch from hook and in next 4 ch: 5 sc
Finish off, leaving tail for sewing.
Sew parts together using photos as a guide.
Need help while crocheting? Feel free to leave a comment below and I’ll help you out!
Not too many folks talk about their pet chickens. Will give this pattern a try…my daughter had a pet rooster, HP, who ended up being the ring-bearer at her wedding last year! HP passed two weeks later but was always a great pet, so I know she will appreciate this. Thanks…
I had a bunch of chickens for years (a no-kill flock, so they were like buddies and pets). Anyway,I I kept barred rocks for a few years as well, but of all the different old breeds I’ve raised (Black Australorp for one of many varieties), the barred rocks, strangely, lived shorter lives than all the others. Who knows…
Anyway, that is such a cute crocheted version of Harriet. You are so creative! I have the perfect yarn for that project – Premier Yarn’s “Everyday” marled (not variegated) black & white #4 weight. Indeed, I have so much of that stuff (bought many balls for a project that didn’t work out) that I am looking for reasons to use it up. I will retry the mitts for which I bought the pattern here on crochet spot store. I made one mitt, and it came out so huge that I dropped it. I will try with a smaller hook than what you recommended and see what happens.