I have printed up 3 different versions of this as a paper pattern and will have them at the meeting on Saturday, April 26. If you are interested in participating in this challenge, then come prepared with sharpies and material to draw off the patterns.Hopefully Quink will bring a bolt of linen and some red-dot to the meeting. If you already have backing, then depending on the size pattern you choose you will need the following:
14"x14" square pillow pattern. . . . . .so your backing needs to be 20" x 20"
12" X 23" mini rug pattern. . . . so your backing needs to be 18" x 29"
15" X 30" rug. . . . so your backing needs to be 21" x 36"

The question above started way back before our time in 1847 in The Knickerbocker, a New York City monthly magazine. Isn't it funny how long things stick around and children yet to this day repeat the same question over and over again year after year? Here are some other interesting facts about chickens and this will all come together.... just give me a chance. Groups of chickens are called broods, flocks, clutches, peeps and just plain old hens and roosters. Chickens can run up to 9 miles per hour. There are more chickens in the world than there are people. A hen can lay up to 300 eggs a year and last, but not least, it is illegal to eat chicken with a fork in Gainesville, Georgia!
So, this is a non-stressful, unlimited time offer, with a no strings attached project to increase the number of chickens in our rughooking world. Several years ago, I and a couple of friends came upon an antique chicken rug and we had our own challenge to hook this rug. It is a very easy pattern to hook and a person can use their own specialized creativity to make this the chicken rug of your dreams! I am working on my second chicken rug as a challenge with some friends from the plains of Nebraska and Texas, and the hills of Colorado.
This is the thought behind the chicken rug. First of all, have fun with it. Don't worry about a schedule or time to get it done, it doesn't matter. Use any colors, wild embellishments, or any fabrics. Make this a rug all your own and use whatever your little heart desires. When you have completed your rug, email a photo with your name and where you live and we will have a page just for the Journey of the Chicken Rug because, you see, send this pattern to everyone that hooks, your friends near and far here and across the big ponds of water, to your groups, and to your fellow chicken farmers!
The photos that follow are of the pattern which you can print and enlarge. My finished chicken rug is 15" x 30". (There are additional photos of the chicken rug on our website page "Members in the Spotlight".)
So why did the chicken cross the road? How many roads, path, bridges, and bodies of water can this chicken cross? Will this chicken rug end up in the hills and mountains in the western United States, on the shores of South Carolina, in Ozarks in Missouri, in a village in the United Kingdom, or on the slopes of French Alps? Let's see how many connections we can make around the world with this one silly chicken rug! Are you ready to increase the broods or flocks of chickens in this hen house? I hear them clucking away and I can't wait to see them! For more photos of The Chicken Rug Challenge and our website go to www.woolwrights.com under "More" and "The Chicken Rug Challenge". Be sure to click on the photos for the complete view. Please join on the fun! -
Deb Burcin, webmaster of The Woolwrights website, Lancaster County, PA.