Welcome back to another episode of The Knitting Nerdcast! In Episode 3, we’re talking BIRDS.
This whole conversation started with my roommate, Erin (a real-life ornithologist), after she told me that she has used crochet hooks in the field to attach tracking devices to birds she is studying. It’s a delicate process, and thus requires a hand-held tool that is easy to use and won’t disrupt the bird. After the device is attached, the bird wears it like a little tiny backpack!
Erin works for the Bird Conservancy of the Rockies, whose mission statement is:
“. . . the conservation of birds and their habitats through an integrated approach of science, education and land stewardship. We envision a future where birds are forever abundant, contributing to healthy landscapes and inspiring human curiosity and love of nature. Our work radiates from the Rockies to the Great Plains, Mexico and beyond. Our efforts are advanced by sound science, achieved through empowering people, realized through stewardship and sustained through partnerships. Together, we are improving native bird populations, the land and the lives of people.”
Bird Conservancy of the Rockies
Erin’s job is science-based, methodical, analytical, and demanding. So naturally, I wanted to talk about chicken sweaters! I recalled a time awhile back when images of chickens in sweaters were circulating on the internet, and everyone was like, “Aw, how cute!” I did a little digging and found this article advising against having chickens wear sweaters. Erin corroborated these hard, cold facts. So, if you are thinking about putting your chicken in a sweater, you can do it for the photo, but then take it off so your chicken doesn’t get cold and dirty. Nature has given them everything they need to survive!
Penguins, on the other hand, have very different feathers. Several years ago, news stories surfaced about folks knitting sweaters for penguins after an oil spill. Erin approved these bird sweaters, and we looked on Ravelry to see what patterns for penguins are available.
You’ll see that the pattern created by the Phillip Island Penguin Foundation is the first result (if you sort by “Best Match”), with a call to action for knitters to create these little jumpers and send them to the foundation. So, if you are itching to knit a sweater for a bird, this would be the way to go.
While there are a handful of patterns for sweaters for penguins, most of the results are sweaters with penguins on them. They mostly look cartoonish and cute, but a few look more anatomically correct, according to Erin. This just goes to show that if you can dream it up, it probably already exists!
Broadening our Ravelry search, I wanted to see how many results we’d get for bird projects in general. There are 107 PAGES of results, and the patterns vary widely. Shawls inspired by bird wings, intarsia and stranded colorwork motifs of different bird species, and actual 3D birds, including a Hedwig! Erin’s eye went right to a few specific patterns, including these North American Birds by Viv’s Knits and this Curlew Hat by Linda Shearer.
Erin doesn’t knit, but it was pretty fun to go through Ravelry with her and hear her reactions to the realness of some of these patterns. She recalled that volunteers have knit these 3D birds and donated them to the Bird Conservancy to use in educational demonstrations. She showed me this article (coincidentally written by Interweave contributor Erika Zambello!)
If you are a bird lover and want to contribute to the mission of the Bird Conservancy of the Rockies or a bird conservancy or sanctuary in your area, this is a great way to use your knitting skills to do that! I found the patterns by Nicky Fijalkowska that are mentioned in that article, but she has many more, as well!
I never thought the overlap of birds and knitting would have so much depth and so many rabbit holes. But it makes sense, considering knitters and crafters usually have a slew of additional interests that they bring to the craft. Knitting and bird watching are both wonderful activities to partake in right now (and always), as they can help you practice mindfulness and stillness. Erin mentioned several outlets for bird watchers to use, including the Macauley wildlife media archive, Xeno-Canto bird-sound library, and the Merlin app for identifying birds. Lastly, if you’re interested in doing some virtual bird watching, check out this live web cam!
Bonus: Check out Erin’s list of birds at the end of this blog that she has spotted in the yard over her seven years living in this house!
Do you love birds? Tell us about it! Do you hate birds? What animals do you love and incorporate into your knitting and crafting projects?
Happy nerding out,
Hannah
