Tuesday, July 24, 2007

The Knitted Farmyard

Last winter I fell in love with a splendid book titled “The Knitted Farmyard”. Commander in Chief, a.k.a. Sandy, had an old out of print copy and she graciously shared it with me. Inside were recipes for knitted chickens, farmers, and crops. There were pigs, horses, cows, a virtual plethora of ungulates. It was the best of both worlds: knitting book and toys. I vowed to find a copy to call my own.

Rumor has it the book was originally written eons ago by a German woman named Hannelore Wernhard. It was eventually translated into English and became a book available in England. Sometime in the mid-eighties the book was again reprinted and sold here in the US. It just became available again.

Management, a.k.a. Commander in Chief, suggested I make a knitted farmyard for our store window display. Now, I may love toys and yarn but an entire farm seemed a bit daunting. However, I consider myself “management material” and quickly delegated out all the different projects to staff, class instructors, virtual strangers… frankly any warm body that walked through the door.

We thought it might make an ideal summer project for a knit-along. The projects are small and utilize all those scraps of yarn moldering in stash. Plus each farm is so personalized. There is no end to the creative process.

I think all of the projects use fingering weight yarn but I’ve found the need to purchase some Hifa, Jamieson's Shetland Spindrift, and Sea Silk for special colors. I’m also excited to use up some of my scrap Koigu for clothing.

So I invite everyone to join in on the fun and knit a chicken, a farmer, some crops, an ungulate or two. Take a picture and post it on Flickr. Then send me a note so all can see your lovely pretties.


6 comments:

Tiggywinkle Knits said...

Oh, I thought these were so cute in the store; especially the anatomically incorrect cow! What a great way to use little bits of leftover sock yarn! Note to self: get thee to Knit-Purl and buy this book!

Helene said...

I've had this book for years....and then I had a granddaughter....I'm working on the base...one thing at a time.... I'm planning to make the whole farmyard. I have one friend who's promised to make chickens and cabbages. I'm looking for more friends to start knitting. My granddaughter turned two in Sept. I'd like to have a play set by the time she's turned three. I can't believe I found this website! What fun.

Anna said...

I'm making this farm at the moment and I'm really enjoying it. I would love to see photos of yours. :)

Helene said...

Anna, I'd love to send you photos. E-mail me at helene.babbit@gmail.com and I'll send them to your email. How far along are you?

I'm half-way through the mat. I've tried a few pigs and ducks but haven't sewn them or stuffed them yet.

Helene said...

I will take a picture of my progress and post it on Flickr in the next few days. It will be fun to share. :)

Donna said...

I have had this book for years, but I have always been intimidated about how to start because the directions seemed a little sketchy for a novice knitter like me. Is there anyone who'd be willing to email me step by step through the animals so that I can learn how to make them? Here is my email address: donnavn@nemont.net

Thank you for this blog!