This spooky chuck is an adaptation of the Basic Chicken pattern, but is not stuffed, so that it has a light, hollow feel to it, like a tiny spirit… I imagine, anyway. They make cute bag charms, key chains and bookshelf guardians. They keep their shape well due to the many cluster stitches in the final round.

They work up super fast, so you can make them in plenty of time for Halloween.

Find the pattern, written and with lots of pictures, over at Ko-Fi, Lovecrafts, and Ravelry for £1.00, about $1.35. Below are some notes on hook sizes, yarn weights, colour recommendations, techniques and stitches used. This pattern is suitable for confident/advanced beginners, or beginners looking to try some new techniques.

Yarn Colours

• Body; WHITE
• Eyes; BLACK
• Beak; GREY
• Comb and Wattle; GREY or DARK GREY

Notes

• 1) Hook and yarn weight; For a small, key chain size bird, I use DK weight cotton, specifically Sirdar Happy Cotton DK 43m/20g/47yds, and a 2.5mm hook.
  
• 2) This pattern is worked in joined rounds, rather than continuous rounds. At the end of each round, slip stitch into the first stitch of that round, chain 1, and work the first stitch of the next round into the same stitch you just worked the slip stitch into. Pull the slip stitch as tight as you can to draw the two ends of the round together. Working in continuous rounds will result in a slightly different appearance but can be done. Stitch counts do not include the “slst, ch1” join.
  
• 4) The pattern scales well using heavier yarn, or two or three strands held together, and larger hooks. There is a slight adjustment, described in the pattern, on the beak for heavier yarns.
  
• 5) Surface crochet: using the posts of stitches, or where the bottom and top of two rounds meet, as if they were the loops of stitches to crochet into.
  
• 6) Securing tails the main body tails can be woven through the backs of stitches on the inside. The tails of the eyes, beak, etc can woven in or be tied together by turning the piece inside out and snipped short.
  
• 7) Pattern written using US terminology:
  BLO = BACK LOOP ONLY. Working into the loop furthest from you.
  ch = CHAIN.
  dc = DOUBLE CROCHET (UK treble crochet).
  dec = DECREASE, also called sc2tog, SINGLE CROCHET TWO TOGETHER. Insert hook into next stitch, yarn over and pull up a loop, insert hook into next stitch, yarn over and pull up a loop, yarn over, pull through all three loops on the hook (UK dc2tog).
  FLO = FRONT LOOP ONLY. Working into the loop closest to you only.
  hdc = HALF DOUBLE CROCHET (UK HALF TREBLE CROCHET).
  inc = INCREASE two single crochet in the same stitch.
  MR = MAGIC RING (or chain 2 and work the first round of stitches into the second
  chain from the hook).
  picot 3 = PICOT STITCH made from 3 chains and a slip stitch in the 3rd chain from the hook.
  picot 4 = PICOT STITCH made from 4 chains and a single crochet in the 4th chain from the hook.
  sc = SINGLE CROCHET (UK double crochet).
  sk = SKIP. Skip the number of stitches indicated, and crochet into the next one after the skip.
  slst = SLIP STITCH.
  tr = TREBLE CROCHET (UK double treble crochet).
  tr inc = TREBLE CROCHET INCREASE (UK 2 double treble crochet in the same stitch).
  YO = YARN OVER.