A customer popped into Ribbon Circus the other day and asked if I would help encourage people to knit jumpers for ex battery hens in the area. How could I refuse? When battery hens are first released from thier terrible prison-like conditions they are featherless and it takes a few weeks for them to grow back. The little bald chucks feel the cold, particularly in winter, and a little help is required to keep them warm.
I got on the magical internet, found a pattern and started to knit. It's a brilliant little project to do as a breather between more difficult patterns, or if you lack the confidence in your knitting it's a great practice piece. You can let your creativity run wild and get really inventive (if you want to).
To help get everyone into the spirit, I'm organising a knit in to make jumpers for chickens on Sunday 23rd May 2010 at Ribbon Circus, 8 Albert Street, Hebden Bridge. Drop in any time between noon - 5pm. And there's no excuse if you can't knit, because we will teach you. If you can't make the knit in, pop into the shop and pick up a free pattern for you and your friends to do in your own time.
And finally, if you have any spare yarn you'd like to donate, please bring it along to Ribbon Circus. Even the smallest oddments of wool can be incorporated into a chicken jumper, so we'll happily accept your fairy sized end balls of wool.
Happy knitting.
