Ollie the Owl - Free Crochet Pattern

Who doesn't love owls? I know there are tons of crochet owl patterns out there - but I'd like to take a moment to add my own little hoot to the crochet owl community.

So without further ado, I would like to introduce you to Ollie.

Ollie, meet the Internet. Internet, meet Ollie. 

He's just about 2.5 inches tall and possibly my favorite thing to make. I've been making Ollie's and sending them out into the world since 2008. I used to sell his pattern, but I've decided that the world needs more of these little hoots flying around. So I'm making his pattern free. Lucky you!

This little Ollie above is made of cotton yarn. But I have a soft spot for felted Ollie's. They shrink up to about 2 inches tall and are just the sweetest fuzzy little things.

So soft and fuzzy!

You want to make one, right? Well here you go!

Ollie the Owl - Free Amigurumi Crochet Pattern

Add this pattern to your favorites or queue on Ravelry

Skill Level: Beginner. Requires basic crochet skills.

Finished Size: Felted - 2" tall; Not felted - 2.5" tall

Supplies Needed:

• Small amounts of worsted weight yarn. These little guys don't use a lot of yardage. If you want to felt your Ollie, make sure you use 100% wool. You'll need three colors of yarn for the body, eyes and beak.
• Small amount of stuffing
• Safety eyes (optional)
• 4mm (G) Crochet hook (If you crochet loosely, you may want to go down a hook size. If you can see holes through your work, you'll see stuffing come through your Ollie)
• Stitch Marker
• Yarn Needle

Stitch Abbreviations:

SC – Single Crochet

DEC – Decrease by crocheting 2 stitches together

2SC – Single crochet 2 stitches in the same space

SL ST – Slip Stitch

SC 2 – SC in the next two (or the number indicated in the pattern) stitches

FO – Fasten off

Magic Ring – if you're not familiar with the 'magic ring' there are a lot of great tutorials online. Here is one of my favorites.

Gauge:

Gauge is not important in this pattern; however, you should make sure your stitches are tight enough that the stuffing will not show through your finished product.

This pattern is crocheted in the round.  At the beginning of each round, place your stitch marker in the last stitch.  Move your stitch marker up with each new round.

Eyes

Make Two

Using your choice of eye color, begin by making the ‘magic ring’

Round 1: SC 6 in ring

Round 2: *2SC* around (12 stitches)

SL ST in first stitch, FO

Leave a long tail (6-8 inches) for attaching to body.

Body

Using the brown yarn, make the ‘magic ring’

Round 1: SC 6 in ring

Round 2: *2SC* around (12 stitches)

Round 3: *SC, 2SC* around (18 stitches)

Round 4: *SC 2, 2SC* around (24 stitches)

Round 5: *SC 3, 2SC* around (30 stitches)

Rounds 6-9: SC around (30 stitches)

Round10: *SC 3, DEC* around (24 stitches)

Rounds 11-12: SC around (24 stitches)

Stop here to sew on the face.  

Place your eyes where you want them and attach the safety eyes through the center of the eyes.* You want the edges of the eyes to just be touching each other. Use the safety eyes to keep the eye pieces on the head and sew around the edges of the eyes to attach them to the head. 

*If you don't want to use safety eyes to make a little kid safe toy, you can follow this pattern:

Make 2 using a scrap of black yarn
CH3, SL ST in first chain.
Fasten off.
Sew these chains to the center of the eyes.

Next, sew on your beak. With beak yarn:
Step 1: Make a 'V' between the two eyes.
Step 2: Fill in the 'V' with vertical lines
Step 3: Make two horizontal lines across the top of the 'V'

Wings

Using main yarn, begin with the ‘magic ring’
Round 1: SC 5 in ring
Round 2: 2SC around (10 stitches)
Rounds 3-6: SC around (10 stitches)
SL ST in first stitch, Fasten Off, leave a long tail (6-8 inches) for attaching to body
Attach wings to body.
Weave in all ends from attaching wings, eyes and beak.

If you do not plan on felting your owl, Congratulations! You’re done!

I hope you love your little owl! If you made one - I'd love to see your pictures. Link your project page on Ravelry, or tag @samsqueak in your instagram pics!

If you want to felt your little hoot, keep reading...

Machine Felting Instructions

Felting is the process of binding the wool or other natural fibers of your yarn. During the felting your owl will shrink in size and the stitches will become less visible as the fibers bind together. 

Set your washer to hot wash and cold rinse and use the maximum agitation and length of cycle.

Put your owl in a lingerie bag or a zipped pillow case. Throw in some sturdy clothing or towels to give it something to agitate against.
(Note: felting creates a lot of fuzz in washer that can get on your clothing or towels, so it’s best to use an old towel or a pair of jeans you don’t care about anymore. If you use jeans, turn them inside out to prevent little bits of blue lint from getting mixed into your felting.)

Add a few tablespoons of detergent. Allow the washer to run a full cycle of agitation. Before the spin cycle, take out your bag and check the progress of the felting. If your creation is felted to your satisfaction, put it back in the wash for the rinse cycle. If you would like it to be felted further, put it back for another agitation cycle.

After the rinse cycle, if you want it to felt just a bit more you can throw your creation in the dryer on low with a dry towel for a few minutes. Check on your creation frequently and pull it out when it’s still a little damp.
Fluff your little owl back into shape and let it dry fully on a towel.