Crocheted Owl

Before Christmas my husband bought me a couple crochet books by Vanessa Mooncie a designer who lives in the south of England. A friend had recommended her books as having well written patterns including charts and step-by-step photos. I got both her Crocheted Wild Animals and Crocheted Sea Creatures books.

With so many adorable options, it was difficult to decide where to start. I finally settled on a Crocheted Owl from Mooncie's Crocheted Wild Animals book. My owl looks a little different because I used yarn from my stash. Still I love how this Crocheted Owl turned out. 

Isn't this just the most adorable little owl? 

I am excited to try more of Vanessa Mooncie's patterns once I finish my current crochet project ... a large stripey ripple blanket. This blanket is a perfect distraction from our cold winter weather here in Canada. I love how it keeps me toasty warm while I work stripe upon stripe in cheerful colours evoking images of summers by the sea ... such fun.

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Parliament of Owls

This weekend I crocheted two more owls. With a total of three, you could say I have a parliament of owls. I bet you didn't know a group of owls is called a "parliament of owls". 

I found this explanation online: "Owls are generally solitary, but when seen together the group is called a “parliament” as they have long been considered to be of a wise disposition. In Greek mythology, the owl is the symbol for Athena, the goddess of wisdom." 

I am steadily working through my cotton yarn stash. I would guess I have enough to make at least three more owls. Each owl is unique as I choose colours based on what I have left in my basket. 

Do you have a favourite? I can't decide. I like all the colour combinations. 

My parliament of owls poses on the railing for photos before finding a comfy spot amongst the branches. These owls must rest for their long cross country trip. In just two weeks, they will be driving with us to their new perch in Boulder. It's so exciting, we are counting our sleeps until we leave ... 11 more to go.

 

If you would like to make your own parliament of owls, you can find the pattern link and instructions in my last post titled Fall Crochet.

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Fall Crochet

I continue to crochet using yarn scraps, but I've switched to making owls and pumpkins for fall. 

This owl was made using a 4 mm hook with worsted weight Bernat Handicrafter cotton yarn following this free pattern by blogger Divine Debris with a couple small changes. I omitted the wings and added ear tufts. I still have lots of cotton yarn, so might crochet a couple more. Owls make great gifts for little ones.

These pumpkins were made using a 3.5 mm hook with bulky Bernat Alpaca yarn in natural and tundra following this free pattern by blogger June on PlanetJune. I made some pumpkins last year in this size (3.5" across) and larger by simply doubling the pattern, but gave them all away. Luckily, I still have enough yarn to make a couple more. White pumpkins are great for both fall and winter decorating.

 

I like using yarn scraps. It's practical and fun making each owl unique. I think this owl looks great from both the front and back in this mix of colours. I want to make more.

I am currently working on another owl in slightly different colours as my Fall Crochet continues. I will be sure to share photos when it's done.

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More Crochet Toys

This week I made two more crochet toys; another doll and an owl.

Meet Bobby. I used the same pattern detailed in this post but altered the hair and colours to make a little boy and this time I added bear ears to the hoodie. I was inspired by seeing a photo of our grandson trying on his baby sister's snowsuit with bunny ears.

With three dolls done, I decided to make an owl just for a change of pace. I followed a free pattern by blogger isitatoy found here with a few changes. I embroidered the beak and eyes, added tufts on the ears and did the body in one colour with a few "feathers" embroidered on the tummy. I think it's a pretty purple owl and perfectly safe for little ones.

My three dolls are very happy together. VIolet, Bobby and Izzy smile for the camera but Bobby is distracted by the bike. I think he'd like a turn.

My pretty purple owl tries to hide and blend in with other purple things.

I manage to convince the whole gang to pose nicely for this group shot. They're a colourful bunch of crochet cuties.

It's been a productive week so far at meo my crochet but I think I will take a break and start decorating for Christmas. It'll be fun even if it does take me away from crochet for a bit.

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Still Waiting

Since we’re in Boulder and still waiting for the baby to arrive, I thought I would share a few photos of crochet items I made for this little one. I started way back in July before our daughter announced she was pregnant. Even though I was ready to start a blanket, I had an urge to make a little pink owl hat and announced I thought Natalie was expecting and going to have a girl. Turns out I was right about the pregnancy but we’re still waiting to find out if it’s a girl. Almost everybody else thinks it will be a boy. Luckily, the hat can be used as a prop for my daughter’s new photography business Sweet Maple Photography if she ends up having another boy.

Owl Hat and Tiny Owl

Both the owl hat and little owl patterns were posted by blogger RepeatCrafterMe here and here. The bunny used to model the hat is not for the baby. I’ll post a link to that pattern in a later post covering crochet toys.

Our daughter loves crochet bunting so I got busy and made a long bright colourful bunting. I got a bit carried away making 23 big bunting triangles with colourful buttons sewn on the tips. The pattern was just a single crochet increase at the beginning and end of every second row starting with 2 chains. I also added a single crochet border and joined all the triangles before deciding to add buttons. I blocked the triangles to make them lay flat and had them ready for our daughter when they visited in October.

Bunting Before Adding Buttons

Once our daughter was back home, she decided this bunting was too big for the baby room but was perfect for our grandson’s room.  She sent us a photo of it in place. I must admit it matches perfectly with his name decor our daughter made from buttons and wooden letters. They also hung an Ikea tent with colourful circus bunting around the top which coordinates beautifully.

Mavid's Bunting (photo by Natalie at Sweet Maple Photography)

Ikea Bunting Tent

Our daughter requested I make a smaller bunting for the baby in colours to match the crib set so I set about doing just that. For this bunting, I got my inspiration from a pattern posted by Lucy at Attic 24 here. Since it is much smaller, it is a much better fit for the baby room.

Crib Set

Baby Bunting to Match Crib Set

I've always liked the look of jellyfish so I made a jellyfish mobile in matching colours following a pattern posted here. To hang the jellyfish, I used two black space saver multi-clothes hangers strung together at 90 degrees with a jellyfish hung on each of the four end hooks and one in the middle.

Jellyfish Mobile

Previously I shared a post on the brown bears made for the baby. The bears are currently sitting on the mantle waiting for baby cuddles.  The rest of the crochet items are stored in the baby room.  The baby room will be decorated later as the baby will spend its first few months in Mama and Dada’s room.

Brown Bears on Mantle

Our daughter also selected a baby blue crochet blanket from my stash. I've not taken a picture of it yet but will at some point and share more details including yarn and pattern link in a post specifically about baby blankets. I’ve made a few different baby blankets so I think they deserve special attention.

This afternoon, as I was drafting this post, our daughter was busy cleaning the house - vacuuming, picking up toys, dusting and doing laundry. I offered to help but she insisted on doing everything herself. I wonder if that can be considered ‘nesting’ behaviour? If so, it might not be long before this baby arrives. I'd love it to happen before we leave on Sunday. Time to send a little prayer before bed and keep my fingers crossed.

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