• Home
  • Suggest A Craft
  • DIY Newsletter

Knitting

Patterns, projects and techniques

  • About CraftGossip
  • Our Network
    • Bath & Body Crafts
    • Candle Making Ideas
    • Crochet Ideas
    • Cross Stitch
    • Edible Crafts
    • Felting Patterns
    • Glass Art
    • Home & Garden Ideas
    • Indie Crafts
    • Jewelry Making
    • Kids Crafts
    • Knitting Patterns
    • Lesson Plans
    • Needlework
    • Party Ideas
    • Polymer Clay
    • Quilting Ideas
    • Recycled Crafts
    • Scrapbooking
    • Sewing Patterns
    • Card Making
    • DIY Weddings
    • Not Craft Ideas
  • Giveaways
  • Roundups
  • Store
  • Search

Fellow Knitter Needs Our Help

August 23, 2012 by Sarah White

madame defarge knitIt’s funny how small the knitting community can seem sometimes. We all interact in different ways online and it feels like we know each other even though we’ve never met.

So I feel like typing here “my friend and fellow knitwear designer Heather Ordover is in trouble.” She’s probably not really my friend, but in this case I think she’ll take all the friends she can get.

To make what could turn into a long story short, you might know of Heather for her CraftLit podcast, which involves literature and crafts, or from her book What Would Madame Defarge Knit? or from her other designs. What you probably don’t know, what I didn’t know, is that she has a son with a condition called microtia, which means he was born with one ear that’s much smaller than the other and had no ear canal.

He had surgery in 2008 that involved skin grafts on a plastic frame that make it possible for him to have a normally functioning ear. The problem is the plastic is poking out and he has to have surgery, possibly a very long and complicated (read: expensive) surgery to re-form his ear. And they have to travel to get the surgery, and though airfare and accommodations have been covered, there are still a lot of expenses involved.

Being a professional knitwear designer does not pay the bills very well or consistently, so Heather is asking for help. She’s having a sale on her patterns at her Ravelry store through Sunday, and she has lots of other ways to give support in the form of taking classes, getting her to speak at a shop near you, or just making a donation. I know the crafty community is very generous and hope you will help if you feel moved to and can.

Next Pattern:

  • Who Needs to Knit an Owl?
  • Invitation To Join Our Facebook Group
  • Check Out Our Knitting for Babies Ebook!
«
»

Comments

  1. Heather Ordover says

    August 23, 2012 at 11:33 am

    Thank you so much for posting this. My family and I deeply appreciate it. It reinforces my belief that the fiber community is just made up of the best people.
    Again, many thanks,
    Heather

  2. Sarah White says

    August 23, 2012 at 12:18 pm

    Of course!

Have you read?

Knit a Hat with a Flock of Chickens

It’s well known (among knitters, anyway) that knitters seem to love chickens as a motif and a subject of our knitting projects. The Emotional Support Chicken and all the other chicken knitting patterns are just the beginning of our devotion to farmyard friends. 

For example, there’s Farmer Dennis’ Chicken Hat. This free pattern from Stacy Black is a simple worsted weight beanie sized for adults and decorate with a couple of little rounds of colorwork fences and a flock of chickens strutting around the body of the hat. 

You don’t need a lot of any of the colors for the chickens, their facial features or the fences, so this is a great project for using little leftover bits from other projects. The main color for the body of the hat is less than a skein using the yarn suggested, so you might just have everything you need in your house to start stitching up this hat right away. 

The colorwork is presented as a chart, with a 16 stitch section that repeats around the body of the hat. All the color changes are shown on the chart but I think it would be easier to knit the whole chicken in the chicken color and add the eye, beak and other features using duplicate stitch when the knitting is done. That way you don’t have to carry those yarns around the whole hat for just a few stitches. 

As the name suggests, the original hat was given to a farmer who shared their eggs, but anyone who raises chickens or just has a thing for the fowl is sure to love this cute hat. It wouldn’t be too difficult for someone new to stranded knitting or reading charts to make, either, so if that’s you, give it a try. 

The pattern is available for free on Ravelry. 

[Photo: Stacy Black]

Knitting Patterns for Little Chicks

Tiny Hens to Knit

Categories

baby hat Baby Patterns Beginner Book Reviews cardigan Christmas CraftGossip Giveaways Craft News and Events Free Kntting Patterns Giveaways! Hats Knitting Articles Of Interest Knitting Patterns Knitting Technique & Ideas mittens Quick scarf shawl patterns socks Sweaters

RSS More Articles

  • Cozy Up Your Holidays with This Stunning Christmas Blanket!
  • 5 Must-Know Secrets to Turning Your Suburban Home into a Profitable, Sustainable Homestead
  • Recycled Paper Cylinder Face Art – A Colorful Win for All Ages
  • 12 FREE Summer Digital Stamps to Download
  • Today Only: 50% Off When You Spend $50 at Crochet.com!
  • Today only 50% OFF When You Spend $50 at KnitPicks.com
  • Kids and Adults Will Love this Paper Version of Tetris
  • Knit a Hat with a Flock of Chickens
  • That Time a Thrift Store Employee Shamed Me – And Your Honest Responses
  • DMC American Camping Embroidery Pattern – A Nostalgic Outdoor Stitch for Summer Lovers

Copyright © 2025 · CraftGossip | Start Here | Contact Us | Link to Us | Your Editors | Privacy and affiliate policy