EASY KNITTING PATTERNS: Mosbey's Dairy Farm

When I was in the sixth grade, I took a beginning knitting class.  We learned to make a hat and mine turned out to be a total disaster.  I just recently decided to try knitting again and had to refresh my memory by reading every How To Instructable I could find. 

For many pieces of the farm, I have documented the pattern I created.  The patterns are very, very basic.  I know that I will make every vetran knitter cringe and I offer an apology at the get-go, but like I said, I am just learning.  All you will need to know for these patterns is how to do the knit stitch, the purl stitch, cast on and cast off.  Also, I can make a crochet chain, which is the extent of my abilities there.  Some of the flowers have a crochet chain included. 

Mosbey's Farm is in honor of my new home state, Wisconsin.  Mosbey is a dairy cow from a local farm.  I should add, a rather amazing dairy cow.  Check out his story on the last step.

Thank you for looking.

For all of the farm buildings, I created the structures from boxes and items that I repurposed or recycled.  Then I made a knitting example or knitting gauge with the yarn I was using to determine how many of my stitches equaled an inch.  Then I cast on the required stitches.   I broke the pieces down into squares and rectangles and stitched them together.

The barn was made with the box from bottled beer.  I liked that it already had the barn shape to it and only needed a little modification.  The roof is from box cardboard and the rooster's nest is a butter box.   I added windows and a hayloft to finish the barn.

The yarn I used is cranberry from Vanna's Choice, which is perfect for the typical Wisconsin Farm.

The chicken coop started as a Kleenex box.  I really like the chicken wire, which is made with metalic thread strung through the box.

I used a 40 oz peanut butter jar to make the corn crib.  The knitting pattern for the body is a knit 2, purl 2 pattern.  The top is rounded by knitting 2 stitches together.  

Haylage silos hold a fiber feed for the farm animals and are typically taller silos.

This one is made with an old piece of PVC pipe from a home renovation project.  Some newspaper to make a curved top and duct tape to secure. 

I am so happy with how the pigs turned out.  I used Vanna's Choice Pink from the Lion Brand and it was definitely the right choice.

YARN:  Pink, gray and black

Size 7 knitting needle

For the pig you will have 9 pieces to knit:  the body, 2 ears, 1 snout, 4 legs and the head. 

Once you have all your pieces knitted, you will want to form the tail on the body.  Take the yarn tail and thread it into the yarn needle.  Poke it through the pig body so that it is centered on the back and in the place where you want the tail to be.  Next string another piece of yarn through the same area so that you have three strands of yarn to braid.  There is a picture of this.  Braid the tail and secure with a knot.  Stitch the body up, leaving the head hole open for the stuffing.

Add the snout lines with black on the snout circle.  Fold the face in half and stitch up the sides.  Secure the snout on.  Again, there is a picture of this.  Sew the head to the body.  Add the ears and eyes.  Secure all knots with a little glue.

The back legs are stitched together, but the top part is left open so that when attached it has a haunches look to it.  Stitch up the front legs and secure.

PIG BODY:
Cast on 18
K row
P row
Repeat until you have 16 rows complete
K 2 stitches together for the entirety of this row
P 2 stitches together for the entirety of this row
K off

PIG FACE:
Cast on 8
K row
P row
Repeat until you have 12 rows complete - you will end on a purl
K off

HIND LEGS:
Cast on 8 with gray
K row
Change to pink
K row
P row
Repeat until you have 7 rows complete of the pink - you will end on a knit
P off

FRONT LEGS:
Cast on 8 with gray
K row
Change to pink
K row
P row
K row
P row
K off

EARS:
Cast on 4
K row
P 2 stitches together - you will have 2 stitches left on the needle
K off

SNOUT:
Cast on 4
K row
P row
K row
P row
Knit off

The reason the sheep work so well is that yarn used.  I chose Homespun from Lion Brand and the color is Hepplewhite.  It gave them a wooly look.

The construction of the sheep is basically the same as all the animals.  The sheep have 8 pieces:  1 head, 4 legs, 1 body, 2 ears.

After all pieces are made, stitch up the body, leaving the head open for stuffing.  The head is stitched up the sides and sewn into the body.  The legs are basically rolled up and stitched together.  Stitch the legs up and secure.  Add the ears and the eyes.

SHEEP BODY:
Cast on 16
The body is all knitting.  Knit 14 rows.
For the 15th and 16th rows, knit 2 stitches together all the way across.
17th row is Knit off

SHEEP HEAD:
Cast on 10
K row
P row
Continue with this pattern until you have completed 14 rows
15th row is Knit off

EARS are the same as the pig, horse and cow

LEGS:
Cast on 8
K row
P row
Continue with this pattern until you have completed 5 rows
6th row is Purl off

The horse and cow have very similar patterns.   The horse has nine parts, 4 legs, body, neck, head, and 2 ears.  The tail and mane are made using the Homespun yarn from Lion Brand.

Sewing the head is the most difficult part.  Check out the pictures that are attached.  With the right sides facing, fold your knitted yarn in the middle of the nose area and stitch up both sides.  Turn the head to the right side and stitch up the sides of the top of the head.
The only tricky part to the horse and the cow are the hind legs.  They are rolled from both sides.  Check out the picture.  Then sew them up half way and attach.

HEAD:
Cast on 10 with the primary color you will be using
K row
P row
K row
P row
Change color for nose area by tying on new color
K row
P row
Continue until you have completed 8 rows
Change color back to primary color
K row
P row
Contiune until you have completed 12 rows of the new color - you will end on a purl row
K off

NECK:
Cast on 12 of your primary color
K row
P row
Continue until you have completed 8 rows - you will end on a purl row
K off

BODY:
Cast on 22
K row
P row
Continue until you have completed 20 rows- you will end on a purl row
K off

FRONT LEG:
Cast on 12 with the hoof color
K row
P row
Change to your primary color
K row
P row
Continue until you have completed 6 rows with the primary color - you will end on a purl row
K off

BACK LEG:
This is the same pattern as the front leg, but complete 10 rows with primary color.

EARS:
Use the same pattern as the Pig

The cow is the same pattern as the horse, minus the neck.  Just add a crochet chain of 5 links for the horns.    I am not skilled enough to be able to knit spots into a pattern, so I added the Holstein spots with white and black felt.  I hope he has a mischievous look about him.   I also think he could have used a gold medal for his jumping abilities =)

Every farm needs a duck pond.

The duck pond and the pig sty are made are made in the same way.  Cut out a piece of cardboard.  If it is flimsy, you can add some strength with duct tape.  One side has felt and the other is covered with knitted yarn.  Using a hammer and nail, punch holes into the pond and string through some wire to create the cattails.


DUCK PATTERN:
Medium yarn with size 7 knitting needles
Cast on 12
K row, P row, repeat until you have completed 8 rows
K off 1 on each side.
P off 1 on each side.
K off 1 on each side.  You will have 6 stitches on the needle
P off 1 stitch in middle of row.  5 stitches on needle.
K row, P row, repeat until you have completed 10 rows.
Cast off

CATTAILS PATTERN:
Medium yarn with size 7 knitting needles
Cast on 8
K row, P row, K row, Cast off with the Purl

Stitch them up in a little tube.  The cattail stems are yarn covered wire and the leaves are a crochet chain.

 

I love the garden.  I think it's my favorite of all the pieces.  Well, I am also quite fond of the little chicks.  The garden has corn, carrots, green beans, parsnips, cauliflower, lettuce, red cabbage, onions, squash, turnip and tomatoes.  The cauliflower, lettuce, corn  and cabbage have magnets inside so they can be picked from the garden.  I also used hooks and eyes to attach the tomatoes, green beans, and squash.

Medium yarn with size 7 needles

RED CABBAGE, LETTUCE & CAULIFLOWER
Cast on 5 for the center
K row
P row
K row
P row
K off

Cast on 5 for the leaves - make 4
K row
P row
K off

CORN:
Cast on 9 with yellow yarn
K row
P row
K row
P row
K row
P row
K off

Cast on 5 for the leaves
K row
P row - continue with this pattern until you have 9 rows
Start to reduce by one stitch on the same side until you are off

Top of the corn is Lion Brand Fun Fur

GREEN BEANS:
Crochet chain of 6 stitches

TOMATOES:
Cast on 6 with read yarn.
K row
P row
K row
P row
K off

Leaves:
Cast on 3
K row
P 2 stitches together and P the last stitch
K off

TURNIP & ONIONS:
Cast on 4
K row
P row
K row
P row
K row
P row
K off
Decorate the bottom of onions with Fun Fur.  The bottom of the turnip is beige yarn.  There is a picture of it.  The tops are a crochet chain.

CARROTS, PARSNIPS & SQUASH
Cast on 8
K row
P row
K row
P row
K off
Stitch up the sides to make a tube.  The carrot is left slightly open at the top.

To make the sunflower you first need the perfect color yellow and I found it with Vanna's Choice Mustard.

YARN:  Two yellows, brown and green

Sew the petals together in a wreath formation and then sew the brown center on.  Make little loops around the center of the flower being careful not to pull the stitches all the way through.  Sew a leaf to the back of the sunflower. 

Drill a hole into the soda cap and secure the skewer with hot glue.  Add a piece of green felt to the bottom of the soda cap.  Wrap the bamboo skewer with the green yarn.  Sew the soda cap cover around the bottom of the sunflower to cover the cap.  Stitch the bottom up nice and tight.

PETAL PATTERN: 
You will need 5
Cast on 6
K row
P row
K 1 stitch off each side - 4 stitches on needle
P 1 stitch off each side - 2 stitches on needle
K off

CENTER OF SUNFLOWER:
Cast on 4
K row
P row
K row
P off

LEAVES:
Cast on 6
K row
P row
K row
P row
K row
P 1 stitch off each side - 4 stitches left on needle
K 1 stitch off each side - 2 stitches left on needle
P off

SODA CAP COVER:
Cast on 20
K row
P row
K 2 stitches together all the way across
P 2 stitches together all the way across
K 2 stitches together all the way across
P off
 

The Blue Bird is made by casting on 6 stitches.  K row, P row, K row, P 2 together on each end, k row, p row, k off. 
The  bottom is stitched together and the top forms the head.  I added some loops to one of the birds.

The chicken eggs are made by using a bulky white yarn.  I knotted four strands together and used some white glue on the ends.

CHICKEN:
Cast on 12
K row
P row - continue until you have 10 complete
K 2 together on each side
P 2 together on each side
K 2 together on each side
P row
K row
P row
K off

Using the tail of yarn, you will need to stitch up the chicken.  There is a picture of this with the rooster.  Also, the chicken, rooster and the ducks are similar.  Once you have the chicken stitched up, stuff it.  You will need to use the yarn to flatten the bottom.  Stitch in and out and pull tight.  Little loops for tail feathers and the head feathers.  Glue on eyes and add the beak.  The beak is just yellow yarn strung through the face and 4 or 5 knots made.  Use some glue to secure the ends.

For the chicks, I used a yellow yarn that I had laying around.  It is the type of yarn used for a baby blanket, soft and fluffy. 

CHICKS:
Cast on 6
K row
P row
Continue with this pattern until you have 5 complete rows
6th row is purl off

Using a yarn needle and orange yarn, string the orange through one stitch where you want the beak to be.  I just made 4 or 5 knots until it looked like a beak.  A little white glue to secure the ends.  Little bead eyes are glued on.

The nest and the hay bales are made with Lion Brand Fun Fur knitted together with tan yarn.

The rooster is the same pattern as the chicken.   I used Lion Brand ribbon yarn to make the tail feathers.  He needed something extravagant.  Also, the rooster has a magnet sewn into his bottom so that he can perch in three places, the top of the rooster's nest, the edge of Mosbey's fence and in the hayloft window.

Mosbey's fence is made using popcicle sticks covered in yarn.  I used a gauge to determine how many stitches I would need.  The fence posts are made in the same was as the sunflowers.  The tops of the posts are white beads.

The leaves of the flowers are either crochet chains or the same pattern used for the tomato leaves.  The coneflowers and the lilies are crochet chains and knotted tops.  There is a picture of the daisy with the chicken coop. 

My career took a dramatic turn the summer of 2004. One day I was working in Chicago on LaSalle and Monroe. The next day I was offered a job that I couldn't refuse. A month later I was employeed in Wisconsin assigned to a small county courthouse.

I "met" Mosbey my very first day. Mosbey is a cow, a dairy cow. He is a black and white holstein to be exact and his job on the farm is to do his part to make more dairy cows.

A local farmer had come into court to answer to a charge of cows running loose on a highway. As it turns out, this was the third time the farmer was in court for this charge.

From the collective memories of my co-workers, this is Mosbey's story.

On a warm summer day, a deputy from the local sheriff's department was called to an incident on the highway. Turns out one of the cows had somehow escaped from the pasture, Mosbey. Mosbey was taking a stroll and was causing quite a commotion.  The means of escape could not be determined by either the deputy or the farmer, so only a warning was issued to the farmer and the deputy went about his business.

The next day, Mosbey had once again escaped and was trying to hitch a ride on the highway. The fence wasn't broken and the gate was still shut. Quite a mystery, but this time the farmer was issued a citation for "cow on highway."

The farmer later testified at his forfiture trial that he had decided to keep an eye on Mosbey to determine how he was getting out of the fence. One morning after waking, the farmer went to the window and took a look. He was just in time to see Mosbey jump the fence. Cows really can jump and it appears that Mosbey was quite good at it. An additional foot was added to the fence and the Judge determined that the farmer had done all that was required to reasonably control the cow, and the citation was dismissed.

About three months later a flurry of calls came in to the 911 center to complain about cows blocking traffic on Highway 26. This time Mosbey decided he was going to take his women with him. It took four deputies, the farmer and his wife, two neighbors and three motorists to get all the cows back into the field. Citations were written, fines imposed, and Mosbey found himself fenced in once again.

At the trial, the farmer explained how his good for nothing cow Mosbey had been hanging by the gate for a few days, and he didn't think anything much about it. After the ruckus and when all the cows were safely returned to the barn, the farmer realized that the wood latch on the gate had been chewed clean through resulting in the Mosbey Gang going on a great adventure.

The farmer had already taken corrective action by installing a metal locking mechanism that required a two part maneuver. You had to lift the latch up to the perfect spot on the fence and then push out. If you went too high, it wouldn't open and if you went too low, it wouldn't open. The farmer assured the Judge that this would be the end of Mosbey the Escape Artist. The Judge wasn't so sure.

So, here we are in Court for the third time and I'm watching this farmer describe to the judge how he installed this difficult lock and how it is so hard to use that the farmer's wife has difficulty with it. Well, Mosbey figured it out and sprung the cows. The entire courtroom struggled to remain composed as this farmer acted out the manner in which Mosbey used his nose and tounge to lift the latch.  Lots of giggles that day.

The farmer had to install a lock with a key and I must admit that I was sorry to hear it. Poor Mosbey hasn't been able to escape again, but I still hold out hope.

As a side note, I also found out that down the road there was another cow escaping by jumping the fence.  Her name is Petunia.  Makes you wonder =)