Knitting Turkeys

I was going to title it, Knitting for Turkeys, but I'm not going to try to tie scarves around the skinny necks of those roving descendants of dinosaurs. In my self-appointed task to try to be inspired by the natural world around me, it is a bit more like knitting the turkeys. We have been seeing a lot of wild turkeys in recent years. I've gotten to observe them quite a bit this year. It's interesting to see the different family units break up at dusk and fly into the trees to roost for the night. In the morning, they regroup and troll the neighborhood for things to eat. (Ever see a turkey toss an apple?) They attract the neighborhood cats who hide under cars to watch the turkey chicks. No doubt, the cats are drooling but they're smart enough not to tackle a baby bird that's taller than they are. The adult turkeys, of course, won't let anything get near their babies. We motorists have to be on the look out for turkeys loitering in the street or strolling across the roads. Those bad birds seem to know to get out of the way unlike squirrels.

The delight this year was the big white turkey and his/her chick. They must be wily and hardy because they're both doing well despite the fact that they stand out. I've noticed other white turkeys in some of the other flocks that border my neighborhood. One group has two white chicks. Their territory is along a major street, so I hope for the best for them. I have seen drivers brake so that the flock can cross 4 lanes of traffic, but not everyone is so respectful.

Anyway, my poor imitation turkey scarf is a combination of Moda Dea's Burst and Sullivan's baby yarn in white (pictured here). It seemed a bit too staid in garter stitch, so I tried another one with Bernat's eyelash ribbon which always reminded me of feathers and Moda Dea's Burst. It's knitted up in a drop stitch pattern that is not very noticeable because the eyelash fills in the openwork. Truth be told, the scarves probably resemble the dried grass more than the turkeys. Both scarves feel soft. The turkeys (and grass) probably don't.