Hi. I’m Hannah.
The Mother of Cats has been completely out of control for a few weeks now. She spends all her time working outside and hunting for lavender plants to put in the garden. I mean, there is a lot of lavender now, and it kind of smells funny. What is up with that?
See. Lavender. She now has five different types of lavender growing in pots on the deck along with the baby roses that get way too much attention. Why does the Mother of Cats play with plants when I need her to play with the CoalBear so he doesn’t bother me?
When she isn’t outside working in her gardens or hunting for more lavender, she is knitting CHICKENS. Lots and lots of chickens. I really don’t mind that she is knitting, because I really like to hang out with her while she is working, but this is getting ridiculous. The chickens are starting to take over all of the room on the back of the loveseat where I like to sleep.
To make things worse, she saw some photos of LITTLE chickens on Facebook that made her go crazy in the yarn stash pulling out yarn for chicken construction. Then she had some people ask for chickens. Then the people who got the chickens had friends who DESPERATELY needed a chicken for themselves. I think that the Mother of Cats should charge people for the chickens (TUNA FUND!!) but so far, she gives the money to her community knitting group, Frayed Knots. Why is she doing this? Now I’m getting pushed all around by the chickens, and I’m not getting any tuna out of the deal, either.
The three chickens in the individual chicken photos (did you notice the big lavender plant behind the chickens?) were mailed out this week. The blue one with the little shawl went to a lady whose husband is battling cancer, and the other two flew to members of the Mother of Cat’s family. Good riddance!!!
Sigh. Is the chickenitis getting better now that some are gone? No. No, it is not. She’s determined to make even more for some people she met on Facebook. Then she went away in the car for an afternoon a week ago and returned with EVEN MORE YARN for more chickens. She says the place where she went for the afternoon needs the chickens.
I guess they asked for the chickens. She showed them pictures, and they got really excited when they saw how cute they were. I’d be happy to send them Mateo to keep patients entertained, but they weren’t interested in a cat. Just chickens.
So, that’s all I have to report for the last three weeks. Gardening, knitting, and chickens.
This is Hannah, signing off.
Happy Caturday, everyone!
>^..^<
Notes from the Mother of Cats:
- The chickens are knitted from the Emotional Support Chicken pattern on Ravelry. I’ve lately joined a KAL group on Facebook, which is feeding me lots of ideas for more combinations. Today people started posting little hats and shawls that can go on the chickens…
- I visited the Kaiser Infusion Center last week to get Reclast to treat my osteoporosis. This is the infusion center that I knit PICC line covers for, and when I told them I was one of their knitters a whole party broke out! There was cheering and general excitement all around, and when I mentioned emotional support chickens, they insisted on seeing the pictures. Yep. They want chickens.
- One of my Facebook friends with systemic sclerosis has been accepted into a CAR T-cell therapy clinical trial. She will be receiving chemo and I’m going to send her a chemo hat and, (wait for it), a chicken!
- What is CAR T-cell therapy, you ask? It is new technology that is now being adapted to address some autoimmune conditions, including systemic sclerosis. The video in the link above explains how it is used with cancer.
Yarn, Books & Roses 
I’m fairly amazed that you managed to take time out for the lavender, Marilyn !! [grin]
But dem boids is something special, and that’s a fact. Lucky indeed is anyone who gets one of your ESCs: they are undoubtedly vastly superior. How delightful that it gives you so much pleasure to make them while it gives the recipients even more !! 😀
They really are squishy, huggable pillows. They are compelling to knit because there isn’t much sewing, and there are lots of ways you can play with the color. I’m now thinking about how to add beads to the chickens!
If you figure that out I have a BOAT LOAD of beads of all sizes and would be willing to let them go for postage costs. If you ever start making chickens for other reasons I would love one for chronic pain. I have fibromyalgia and chronic Regional Pain Syndrome and am in the throws of the worst pain I had for several years. Been on full disability since 2007 which isn’t easy to qualify Maybe I will find a stuffed toy of some kind either a chicken or something else and try using that LOL! I am serious about beads though if you can pay postage I would happily donate them. my email is Wtrankle At comcast dot net
I just came out of the most horrible fibromyalgia flare! It is amazing how much can hurt all at once, isn’t it. Hugs. I absolutely understand how crushing it can be. Ironically, I popped out when I got my latest Covid booster, which was a just unbelievable since the flare started as a consequence of a viral infection last fall that acted like Covid, but never tested positive. Before the booster my doctors were doing everything that they could think of and nothing was working. Hang in there, I understand how this just wears away at your spirit.
Beads. That is really tempting, but I need to not let this get completely out of control as my hands may not be up to it. I have been seeing chickens posted wearing little bead necklaces that have their name stamped on a metal heart or circle. I have been trying to figure out how to get those name tags without sending someone on Etsy a ton of money. Maybe I should just get hearts that say Emotional Support Chicken, but the actual named chickens are soooo cute.
My scleroderma support group met today, and I have four more chicken orders, but I will keep you in mind. I don’t see myself selling these (my yarn stash is epic), but I have accepted a couple of donations for the community group that I knit for as these ladies are spending their own money making little bags containing health and hygiene items to hand out to members of the unhoused community in Denver. That’s a cause that I do want to support!
I’ll contact you by email so we can stay in touch. It does sound like you need a chicken!
Hannah, you must be so relieved some of the chickens are heading out the door to new homes! Sounds like they haven’t been emotionally supporting you, but I’m sure they will to their new owners. You have to admit they are very handsome chickens, especially that purple one.
I kept the plum-colored chicken, and my sister took the raspberry/purple bird. Most of them were made with handspun yarn (what a good use!) and I’m really motivated to make more since these turned out so nice. Poor Hannah. More chickens on the way.
Hannah, you should be pleased that your Mother is able to do so much – and type all your witty thoughts for you.
Marilyn, it is good to see you doing better.
Hannah: I would be more pleased if she gave me tuna twice a day, instead of only in the morning…
I am getting outside and doing better this week. Yay!!
Those chickens are absolutely adorable. No wonder everybody wants one!
Five kinds of lavender? I had no idea. I thought lavender was just lavender.
Now I have to do a post about lavender. Seriously, who knew there was so many kinds, but there is a whole section in the garden center with all the lavender selections.
Those chickens are taking over the internet – so beware, Hannah, they’re everywhere! (Yours look mighty fine and I am really trying not to cast one on but there are chicken KALs in pretty much all the groups I’m in right now!) I hope you continue to have some lovely weather for time in the garden. I really don’t think you can ever have too much lavender.
They really are taking over the internet. It is kind of like the Alpine Bloom hat where people became endlessly creative with different colors, types of yarn, modifications to the pattern, etc. They are kind of like potato chips in that you can’t just have one. I saw a mohair chicken today, and I was like… MOHAIR!!! I have some blue/green hand spun mohair that I could put to use.
Seriously, it is impossible to have too much lavender!
How wonderful that you are able to support so many requests for chickens. Sounds wonderful while receiving an infusion. You knew it was coming – items for the chickens to wear. How fun!
Luckily I have the stash to fill the chicken void in other people’s hearts. I think that I need to make really nice and soft ones for the infusion center. I think that I’ll make some little ones too that can go home with people.
I love the collection of chickens! It is crazy how popular those silly birds are!
I saw a picture of a chicken getting ready to take a trip. I bet that those chickens start summer travel soon and we’ll see the pictures from all over the world!
Like Flat Stanley only plumper!!
I love lavender! I will be putting some in my garden when I decide it’s time to make the time (and energy) for yard work.
I just put most of them into pots for now, and they are doing great. I’m not completely sure that they will winter in the garden okay, so I’m going to try to overwinter some of them in the garage or inside the house.
That makes sense! I will be putting mine in pots as well because I don’t like the soil in my small yard (and it’s not worth it to me to try to re-balance the soil).
Hannah, you look like you are having fun in spite of all your travails!
MoC, you are making so many beautiful Emotional Support Chickens! And they are all so beautiful 🙂 Your lavender is lovely too! That trial sounds very promising – I hope it leads to good things for your friend and for everyone with similar diseases!
Hannah: she has made three more chickens!!!
I hope that the trial goes well for my sclero-sister who was accepted into the program. I think that this is really expensive treatment, but if it goes well hopefully the cost will come down and be more accessible for autoimmune disease patients with other conditions.
Here’s hoping!
Poor Coal Bear, all cooped up with the chickens on the couch’s chicken rest.
Mateo: That’s right!! I’m getting overrun with chickens!