Give a Hoot

This is a very picture-heavy post. This was possibly one of the most photogenic things I’ve made and I simply couldn’t narrow down which photos to use.


A few weeks ago, I was perusing a stack of new magazines at the store while doing some mindless store sample knitting. When I got to the back of the KnitSimple Holiday 2010 issue I knew I had found a Christmas gift for my year-old nephew.


I’ve knit Susan B. Anderson toy patterns before. You may remember last year’s A Hippopotamus for Christmas, and last week’s Snake was also from Itty Bitty Toys.

The Owls hangin’ in their birthplace, the Blue Sky Worsted cubby at Bloomin’ Yarns.

All of her toy patterns are written for four DPNs, so you’re knitting in a triangle. Aside from the rapid increases on the owl-butts, they are simple and quick knits.


I did make one departure from the pattern. You may have noticed that these owls have no feet. I knit all six feet, but the more I looked at them, the more I didn’t like them.


After polling my audience both at Thanksgiving and at the store during our Black Friday sale, I was happy with the decision that the owls did just fine as Weebles. They have poly pellets in their butts (poly pellets are contained in a piece of knee-high stocking, so no choking hazard), so they stand up just fine on their own.

Owls with most of the rest of the store menagerie.

Dealing with some of the other small bits, including the pupils, required some manual dexterity, but all the pieces went on to the owls quickly and easily. No complaints on the construction at all.


This parliament of Owls is currently terrorizing Bloomin’ Yarns until they need to fly south to Little Rock, where they will hopefully be enjoyed by our nephew for years to come. Another A+ project from Susan B. Anderson!

Give a Hoot

Pattern: Little Owls by Susan B. Anderson
Source: KnitSimple Magazine, Holiday 2010 issue
Yarn: Blue Sky Alpacas Dyed Cotton
Colors: Drift, Pumpkin, Aloe, Toffee
Quantity: Scraps of all. I used the most of the Toffee.
Needles: US 6/4.0mm Susan Bates DPNs
Started: 13 November 2010
Finished: 26 November 2010
Mods: Skipped the feet. These dudes do just fine as Weebles. Especially for a 1-yr-old.