Why is everybody knitting chickens?

Knitted chickens as a craft trend

• Several commenters liken the “emotional support chicken” to canonical beginner-ish projects (like the Blender donut): simple, cute, very shareable, but not quite the first step; scarves and beanies are seen as more appropriate entry projects.
• Ravelry rankings are cited: top patterns currently include a beanie, a simple scarf, and the Emotional Support Chicken, suggesting it’s now a mainstream knitting meme.
• Some point out that chicken-shaped knits have existed for decades; the current wave is more a revival than something wholly new.

Emotional support framing and mental health culture

• A long subthread debates whether calling these “emotional support” or “emergency” chickens is harmless fun, sincere self‑care, or part of a broader cultural trend that medicalizes ordinary comfort.
• One side sees “emotional support X” and “mental health days” language as exaggeration, fashion, or justification-seeking, diluting terms meant for serious conditions.
• Others argue it’s good that mental health is more accepted; people have always had issues but were stigmatized, and language of “mental health” is an accessible way to talk about needs.
• There’s discussion of diagnoses (autism/ADHD) being both empowering (providing vocabulary and tools) and sometimes over‑identified with, potentially worsening symptoms.
• Some stress that stuffed animals and similar objects genuinely reduce stress; thus, the framing isn’t purely a joke.

Social media, monoculture, and why chickens specifically

• Commenters see this as a classic power-law / virality effect: one especially photogenic, zeitgeist‑aligned pattern climbs Ravelry, then dominates attention.
• Others link it to social media–driven homogenization: global communities quickly converge on the same few ideas, potentially crowding out local variation, though micro‑subcultures also flourish.
• A contrasting view is that this is just harmless, communal fun; trends help narrow overwhelming choice and give people shared projects to talk about.

Real chickens, economics, and symbolism

• Several note a broader “chicken moment”: backyard chicken groups are booming, hatcheries selling out of hens, and people (often mistakenly) thinking eggs will be cheaper if produced at home.
• Others emphasize chickens as endearing, individual animals; mass culling from bird flu and backyard pets’ deaths may also fuel affection and memorialization via knitting.

Knitting as a programmer-adjacent hobby

• Multiple comments praise knitting for “software types”: it’s algorithmic, pattern‑driven, and has interesting notation/“language design” challenges.
• One extended subthread treats patterns like programs, discussing loops, readability vs compression, and even dreams of knitting interpreters and visual editors.