I’m doing the A to Z Challenge for the month of April with the theme “Learn to Crochet A to Z.” For more details, and to view previous posts, click here!

The crochet world is obsessed with owls.

No, really.

Do a Google search for “crochet owl” and you’ll find over 8 million results. On Ravelry, one of the most comprehensive pattern databases, there are over 700 crochet owl patterns. It’s clearly a phenomenon. I have two guesses as to why this may be: One, because it’s a pretty simple shape to crochet (at least in the typical stylized amigurumi way), and there aren’t too many parts to make. And two, just because owls are ridiculously cute. (Also, Harry Potter references.)

One of my very favorite owl patterns is this one from Bunny Mummy, because it’s so creative and unlike any of the other hundreds of owl patterns. :} I’ve made this pattern before, and it’s so much fun to play around with the different colors. I also think this Baby Owl Ornaments pattern is the cutest thing ever, and is totally worth a look! And the Owl Family Amigurumi from Repeat Crafter Me are just precious. The first owl I ever made, because I am certainly not immune to this trend, was from a pattern in Amigurumi World by Ana Paula Rimoli. She also has a super cute free pattern on her blog, and in her latest book, Crochet On the Go, there’s the most adorable owl book bag. I have to stop adding links now because I could go on forever, there are simply too many adorable patterns out there!

I use owls as one of the first crochet projects when I’m teaching for the reasons I’ve listed above: simple and quick. Although there are hundreds of patterns out there already, I designed one specially for my crochet classes so I could incorporate some different techniques. We’re going to talk about amigurumi (stuffed toys) later in the month, but my goal here was to make the simplest pattern possible. 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. My beginning crochet students usually finish it in 2-3 classes, which is very exciting for them because they can have a finished stuffed animal in just a couple weeks! It makes a great jumping-off point to progress to more complicated amigurumi.

This owl has already made an appearance on my blog, but I thought I would republish the pattern for today’s post. :} Because I think it has a place in this crochet series, being a very simple pattern, and also because I’m taking four college classes this term and don’t have the energy to come up with original content every day. 😛

We’re going to talk about reading patterns later this month, and I’ll be using this pattern as an example! So don’t worry if you don’t understand the abbreviations, as we’ll be going over all of this.

First up, here’s the video tutorial I made for this pattern…nothing spectacular, as it was filmed on my iPhone, but maybe better than nothing, haha.

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

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.

BODY

With desired color (mint green for me):

Rnd 1: Ch 2, 6 sc in 2nd 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.

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 2nd ch from hook.

Rnd 2: 2 sc in each st around.

Fasten off, leaving long tail for sewing.

BEAK

Ch 3. Sc in 2nd 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! 

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We’ll be using this pattern tomorrow to learn how to read crochet patterns, so stay tuned for that if you’re new to the Greek-sounding world of crochet terminology! Until then, I hope owl of you have a wonderful day. ;P