Free Pattern: Knitted Owl Holiday Ornament

A couple of weeks ago there was a boutique show where I live, in which lots of small crafty companies showed off their wares in the hope that people would buy them for holiday gifts. I didn’t get to go because it was just days before my book deadline (it’s done! woohoo!) but a friend who was there told me it was all “chevrons, owls and Razorbacks.” (Now if someone could just create the chevron owl Razorback we’d hit the crafty trifecta.)

So it’s clear that owls are still big, at least where I live. And in the world of Jenni at the Vintage Umbrella, too, though her owls are actually quite small.

Check out her free pattern for a wee owl ornament you can hang from your tree, add to a package or use to decorate just about anything you want. It’s made holiday with the addition of a Santa hat, but you could work the hat in a different color if you wanted to make these cuties for any occasion.

The pattern does not say what weight of yarn or size of needles was used, though it looks like a light worsted. I’ll bet they’d also be cute — and even smaller! — worked in sock yarn. So sweet!

[Photo via the Vintage Umbrella.]

I rarely understand why something becomes a trend in crafting. Gnomes and geese are both cute I guess, but I never thought we’d be making them for all seasons. (See, for example, this collection of gnome knitting patterns, or these knit geese.)

Another one I don’t totally understand is sardines or little fish more generally. Sure, they’re cute, and the shape is fun, but I had no idea when I was sharing this pattern for a fish-shaped pouch last year that it would become a hugely popular pattern that people are still searching for on the site. It is pretty cute, though, so if you weren’t around then or don’t remember you should got check it out.

Recently another fishy knitting pattern crossed my monitor: the little knit fish from Classical Songbird Designs.

Just as the name suggests, these fish are little, about 4.5 inches or 11 cm from end to end. They look like little sardines and take about 12 yards of sock yarn to make.

You can even make a two-tone fish and use just 6 yards of each color.

This sounds to me like just about the perfect use for the yarn that’s left over after knitting a pair of socks, or a mini skein or several that have been sitting around unused in your stash.

The fish are knit flat in one piece, which makes it easy to stitch on the eyes with more yarn or embroidery floss before stuffing, and you can stitch up the sides while you stuff (though it’s not a very big piece so you could probably stitch and then stuff, finishing with the end of the tail).

Because I’m pretty sure I’m not the only one wondering, I measured an Altoids box and as the pattern is written the fish are a little too big to fit in it (the box is about 4 inches/10 cm long). But you could make the fish a little smaller if you want to make a box of them. Or just make a fishy bag to put them in!

You can grab the free pattern for the little knit fish at Classical Songbird Designs.

[Photo: Classical Songbird Designs.]

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