Hello lovely followers! Welcome to another free crochet pattern!

There are thousands of free crochet patterns for owls out there, so you may be wondering why I designed my own. (Just search Ravelry for ‘crochet owl’ and you’ll be drowning in a sea of blankets, amigurumi, hats, and whatever else you might find out there.) In my experience teaching people to crochet, I’m always looking for cute, easy patterns that don’t take a millennium* to complete.

I wanted a pattern that didn’t involve decreasing, because increasing is confusing enough when you’re just learning. I needed something that used a larger crochet hook than normal, because I like to start people off with larger hooks so it’s less frustrating. And it had to be a quick project, just a few hours’ work. The result is this mint green owl (the color was my sister’s suggestion). I think it turned out pretty cute, and it’s been a hit in my classes so far, so I’ll count that as a success. 🙂

Anyway, today I’m sharing the free crochet pattern with y’all! There will be some step-by-step pictures; I have a new camera so it’s a lot easier to take pictures, since I don’t have to borrow anyone else’s. I hope you enjoy it.

Edit 3/15/16: I made my first ever video tutorial for this owl pattern! I’m still working out the kinks with my video set-up. I filmed with my iPhone, so the screen is pretty small, and I talked much too quietly so you’ll need to turn up the volume. But here it is anyway! Keep scrolling to get the written pattern. 🙂

Also, an announcement: I have a Facebook page for Once Upon a Yarn! I’m still getting it up and running, but I’d appreciate it if you liked the page. Because follows, likes, and comments always make my day. <3

*Surely I’m not the only person to think of this whenever I hear that word…

Materials

• Worsted weight yarn in desired colors:
  – Owl body color (I used Red Heart Soft in the pictured mint color, I don’t know the exact name though – this yarn is so lovely and soft, as you can tell by the name)
  – Owl wings color (dark green for me)
  – White for eyeballs
  – Small amount of orange for beak
• I (5.50 MM) crochet hook. Normally I use a G (4.00 MM) hook for amigurumi, but like I said, it’s easier to use a bigger hook when you start out. That being said, you could use a smaller hook if you don’t want holes in your finished owl, but naturally that will make the owl smaller. My owl is about 2.5″ tall and wide.
• Polyfill stuffing (or yarn scraps to stuff your owl)
• Something to use for the pupils:
  – You could sew two small black buttons on
  – Or you could embroider the pupils with thread
  – I went the quick and easy route and just did a dot with a marker
• Yarn needle to weave in ends (if you’re a beginner, this is just a needle with a larger eye so a tail of yarn can fit through it, also known as a tapestry or darning needle. I never keep track of mine so I always end up buying extra packs. #crochetconfessions)
• Stitch marker to mark the beginning of your round. You could use a typical one that you buy at the yarn store, but if you lose them like I do or you don’t have any, you could do a bobby pin, paper clip, or scrap of yarn.

Notes & Abbreviations

This pattern is worked in unjoined rounds, so use a stitch marker to mark the first stitch of each round.

US terms are used throughout. Here’s a table with the abbreviations I use in this pattern, as well as the UK equivalent for each stitch.

[table id=1 /]

Body

With desired color (mint green for me):

Rnd 1: Ch 2, 6 sc in 2^nd ch from hook.

Rnd 2: 2 sc in each st around.

Rnd 3: *Sc 1, 2 sc in next st* around.

Rnd 4: *Sc 2, 2 sc in next st* around.

Rnd 5-12: Sc in each st around.

Stuff the owl. Fold the opening closed and sc across it, stitching through both layers. Fasten off, weave in ends.

Here are some pictures to clarify crocheting the opening closed:

 

 

Wings (make 2)

With desired color (dark green for me):

Ch 5. Sc in 2nd ch from hk and in next 2 chains. Make 3 sc in the last stitch. Turn to work across the other side of the chain. Sc across. Fasten off, leaving tail for sewing.

Eyes (make 2)

With white:

Rnd 1: Ch 2, 6 sc in 2^nd ch from hook.

Rnd 2: 2 sc in each st around.

Fasten off, leaving long tail for sewing.

Beak

Ch 3. Sc in 2^nd ch from hk and in last ch. Fasten off, leaving long tail for sewing.

Assembly

First of all, here are all the owl appendages before you sew them together:

Sew the eyes to the owl base. Attach buttons for pupils if desired, either with needle and thread (recommended) or glue.

Sew the wings to the sides of the owl.

Attach the beak by threading the long ends through to the top of the owl, tying a knot, and sewing the rest of the beak down.

In this picture you can see how I pulled the orange ends up through the owl’s head (body?) and tied a knot. I’m going to take each orange end separately and use it to sew the beak down so it doesn’t flap around like in this picture. Then I’ll weave them in. If you have a different method, feel free to use that.

And you’re done! Congratulations! 😀

***

I hope you enjoy this pattern! It’s nothing revolutionary in the world of crochet, but I hope you like it anyway, and maybe someone will find it helpful. I’d love to hear your thoughts!

I’ll see you tomorrow for another chapter of Unraveled. I hope you’re all having a fantastic week…am I the only one who’s really happy it’s Friday? 😉