My Annual Tradition - Making Homemade Christmas Ornaments

I love making homemade Christmas ornaments to give to my family and friends each year.  The photo below shows just a few of the many ornaments I have made over the course of many years.

Over the years I have used a variety of craft techniques: knitting, felted knitting, cut out painted cardboard (using old gift boxes), cross stitch, and hand stitched felt (this was one of my favorite crafts for many years!).  The little owl ornament in the center of the photo above was made using my free pattern: Ole the Owl.

The first knitting pattern I published was my Mini Sweater Christmas Ornament.  It was only fitting that that one of my favorite traditions led me on a new path to share my knitting ideas.  Last month (November 2016)  I celebrated my third anniversary since publishing that first knitting pattern!

Mini Sweater Christmas Ornament - Knitting Pattern

Last year I made several of these mini sweaters to give to dear friends.  It was a great way to use up a lot of stash yarn!  My favorite yarn for these ornaments is Brown Sheep Lamb's Pride Worsted.  I have used this yarn for many years.  It works up beautifully and lasts very well for heirloom quality gifts.  

Here's a few of the ornaments I made last year.  It was fun to stitch on felt applique decorations for a mixture of textures and a variety of designs!  

I made used my duplicate stitch sailboat design from my Mini Sweater Christmas Ornament pattern to make two more of these nautical themed ornaments.  These were made for dear friends who we have enjoyed sailing with for many years.

Mini Sweater Ornament with Sailboat Duplicate Stitch

I also love making Felt Applique Mitten Christmas Ornaments.  I updated this pattern in January 2016 to include even more ideas for personalizing ornaments with letters or numbers...in addition to hearts, stars, snowman and gingerbread house designs.

Felt Applique Mitten Ornament - Knitting Pattern

I love pulling these ornaments out of the box each year to hang on the tree.  It brings back memories of making special gifts for my family and friends over the years.  

A few of my favorite homemade ornaments.

Now it's just a couple weeks until Christmas 2016!  I need to open my box of ornaments I made last January...these are waiting to be wrapped up and given this year.  And...this weekend I may need to make a few more ornaments!

Thanks for reading!  Wishing you happy holidays! 

Felt Applique Mitten Christmas Ornament - Updated Pattern!

I've completely updated one of my first knitting patterns!  My Felt Applique Mitten Christmas Ornament knitting pattern has received a cosmetic update as well as new ideas.  I made some revisions to the pattern layout and updated some photos.  The best part is...the update includes new felt applique design ideas.  I've added patterns for felt uppercase letters in a cute font style, as well as numbers in two sizes.

My Felt Applique Mitten Christmas Ornament knitting pattern is available on Ravelry, LoveKnitting, Etsy and Craftsy.

Felt Applique Mitten Ornament - Updated Pattern!

Initially, I planned to make some minor updates to my pattern layout so it would more closely match the style of my newer published patterns.  As I was working on the updates and knitting lots of mittens with my stash worsted weight yarn, I came up with the idea to stitch felt letters and numbers on the mittens.

I love how the letters and numbers look stitched on the mittens!  There are so many ways to use the letters and numbers to make special personalized gifts.  Children love receiving gifts with the first letter of their name.  For a family gift I'll make custom mini mitten ornaments with the last name initial.  The number patterns can be used to celebrate a child's age or team number.

My pattern includes two sizes of number patterns.  The larger font size matches the letter patterns in scale and works well for one digit numbers (see #7 mitten above).  I've also included smaller, narrower numbers so you can fit two digit numbers on the front of the mitten (see the #24 mitten above).

Did I mention that all of the felt patterns are easy to print and cut out?  No resizing of patterns is necessary!

I've succeeded in using a good amount of stash yarn by knitting a bunch of mitten ornaments to give as Christmas gifts.  The #7 ornament will be for my nephew who will be seven years old by next Christmas.  The "R" ornament will be for my son.  The red mittens below were knit with Brown Sheep Lamb's Pride in 'Red Hot Passion'.  The light blue gray #24 mitten is the first for a countdown to Christmas mitten garland!  I'm really excited about this project.  I'm going to use as much stash yarn as possible and have the mittens be a variety of colors.

Pattern includes full set of uppercase letter & two sizes of numbers.

It's fun to stitch on a felt letter to make a personalized gift!

This month I also made a few mitten ornaments with felt hearts and another mini mitten ornament with a felt house...which kind of matches our home!  The blue mitten below was knit with Brown Sheep Lamb's Pride Worsted in the color 'Brite Blue'.  I used aqua colored felt for the heart and light aqua DMC embroidery floss to stitch the heart on the mitten.

Mini Mitten with Felt Heart Applique Design

The white mitten below was knit with Berroco Vintage.  I purchased my felt for these projects from SweetEmmaJean on Etsy.  I love their selection of colors and they ship very quickly!

Mini Mitten Ornament with Little House Felt Decoration

My mitten ornament pattern still includes instructions for all of the original designs: heart, house, star and snowman.  These mini mittens can be made with just about any worsted weight yarn.  Each mitten requires about 25 yards of yarn.  You will also need felt in desired colors, DMC embroidery floss or #5 pearl cotton, US size 3 & 5 knitting needles, two stitch holders, two stitch markers, a tapestry needle and a sharp embroidery needle.  And, if you would like, an old button for the heart and star designs.

Pattern includes Heart, Star & House felt applique designs.

This pattern is available on Ravelry, Craftsy, Etsy and LoveKnitting.

Thank you so much for reading!

Mary Lee
Fifty Four Ten Studio

November Wrap Up

In November, I finally joined Instagram!  I've been sharing behind the scenes photos of my designs in process...as well as a few non-knitting pics.  The best part about Instagram is being inspired by the many creative people and their images.

Here's nine pics to sum up my November....home, knitting, reading, family, holidays, being thankful...

Clockwise from the top left corner:
- Home Felt Applique Pillow - pattern was published in November on Ravelry. 

- Felt numbers for new "design your own" felt applique pillow pattern that is in the works.

- Knitting with navy blue Loops & Threads Cozy Wool from Michael's Craft Store.

- My homemade jam and pickles set out for Thanksgiving dinner.  Much to be thankful for!

- My State Line Blanket knitting pattern published in November and available on Ravelry.

- Checking out the knitting section of my neighborhood Johnson County, Kansas library.

- Working on the Love Felt Applique Pillow knitting pattern design.  More details in this blog post.

- Getting out my homemade Christmas ornaments.  These are a few of my favorites!  Patterns available for the Felt Applique Mitten Ornaments and The Little House ornament.

- (Center) I bought this cute handmade USA ornament at Stuff in Brookside (Kansas City, Missouri).  The centrally located heart is placed right over my home state - Kansas.  This will be a great addition to our Christmas tree!

Hope you had a good November!  Lots to look forward to as we wrap up this last month of the year.

Peace : Love : Home - New Pillow Knitting Pattern with Felt Appliqué

I'm so happy to publish my new Peace : Love : Home pillow knitting pattern!

I started this design a year ago but it got sidelined.  A few weeks ago, I pulled the knitting back out and finally got to work on finishing these easy, fun pillows.  I love the combination of the chunky knitting with the felt applique letters!

This pattern is especially meaningful to me...in ways that I can't fully explain.  However, I'm sure most can agree...that these three words sum up the most important things in life.  It all comes back to a desire for Peace in our world...Love in our hearts...and Home with the people who are important to us.

The Peace : Love : Home pillow knitting pattern is knit with super bulky weight yarn and has felt applique letters. The pattern includes directions to knit the pillow cover flat in one piece and detailed instructions for stitching up the seams.  It also includes ready to print patterns for the felt applique letters for all three words.  The finished size is just a little larger than the 12" x 16" pillow form.

The Peace : Love : Home pillow knitting pattern is available on Ravelry and in my Etsy shop.

Peace : Love : Home pillow knitting pattern with felt applique.

Felt applique patterns for three words: Peace : Love : Home

These pillows are knit with super bulky yarn.  They knit up very quickly!  I used Loops & Threads Cozy Wool in the color 'Granite' for the PEACE and HOME designs and 'Claret' for the LOVE design.  Loops & Threads Cozy Wool is sold through Michael's Craft Stores in the U.S.  It is very soft and good quality for a very reasonable price.  This pattern will also work well with other super bulky weight yarns including Lion Brand Wool-Ease Thick & Quick.

Quick & easy knitting pattern.  Makes a great gift!

The felt applique letters are added after knitting.  I like to use wool blend felt.  Sometimes you can find this at quilt shops or some of the craft stores will have a selection of higher quality felt.  I love the selection and quality of felt I have purchased from SweetEmmaJean on Etsy.

This pattern includes easy to print and cut patterns for the PEACE, LOVE and HOME letter designs. No resizing of patterns necessary!  Just pick the page for the word you want to use and print that page.  Carefully cut out the letter patterns, pin them to your felt, cut out the felt letters and you are ready to go.  The pattern includes detailed step by step instructions for finishing the pillow!  Tutorial photos included.

Detailed finishing instructions included in pattern. 

I used a very inexpensive 12"x 16" pillow form from the craft store.  Nothing fancy!  In addition to felt and a pillow form, you will also need DMC embroidery floss, embroidery needle, tapestry needle and good quality scissors for cutting out the felt letters.  Full details in the pattern.

This a fun, easy project!  The Love design is perfect for any time of the year but would be especially appropriate at Valentine's Day....of course!  

The Peace : Love : Home pillow knitting pattern is available on Ravelry and in my Etsy shop.

You might also like my Joy & Believe Pillows or Merry & Cheers Pillows.  These pillow designs also have felt applique letter designs with the same letter style.

Thank you so much for your interest in my knitting patterns!  I love designing new project ideas and can't wait to get started on my next design.

Peace...and happy knitting.

Merry & Cheers Christmas Pillows Knitting Pattern

I'm happy to announce a new Christmas knitting pattern just in time for 2014 gift giving.  You will find the "Merry & Cheers Christmas Pillows" knitting pattern on Ravelry and in my Etsy shop.

"Merry" Christmas Pillow Knitting Pattern

The "Merry & Cheers Christmas Pillows" pattern includes full size felt applique patterns for both the "merry" and "cheers" designs.  I picked a fun, casual font style and modified the letters to suit the 12" x 16" pillow size.  

In the pattern you will find that the letter patterns are full size....all you have to do is print the page and cut out the paper letter patterns.  No resizing of the patterns needed!

This knitted pillow is a quick and easy project.  It is knit flat and seamed on the sides and bottom. 

This pattern uses super bulky weight yarn.  This pattern knits up so quickly you have plenty of time to knit more than one to wrap up before December 25th!

"Cheers" Christmas Pillow Knitting Pattern

I used Loops & Threads Cozy Wool super bulky weight yarn from Michael's Craft Store in the U.S.  This bright, traditional Christmas red is called 'Claret'.  I really like this yarn because it is very reasonably priced and the yarn is very soft.  You can also use many other super bulky weight yarns for this project.

Other supplies needed include an inexpensive pillow form (12" x 16"), nice quality felt, DMC embroidery floss and basic sewing and crafting supplies.  I recommend a good quality pair of scissors for cutting out the felt letters.

I suggest using the best quality felt you can find.  My favorite source for good quality, wool blend felt is Sweet Emma Jean's Etsy Shop where you will find an incredible selection of felt colors.  

This pattern includes detailed, step-by-step instructions for finishing.  As with any knitting project, careful finishing makes all the difference in the outcome of the finished project.  I make every effort to outline each individual step in the pattern and provide close up photos to illustrate the steps.

To find out more about this pattern visit my Etsy shop or see my pattern listing on Ravelry.

Happy Holidays! 

Joy & Believe Pillows - New Knitting Pattern with Felt Appliqué

One of my favorite things to do is design and make Christmas ornaments.  Last year, I designed and published two Christmas ornament patterns.  This year I've been designing and knitting a lot of pillows so it's not surprising that my newest pattern is....a Christmas themed pillow.

I designed and made the "Joy" Pillow for my mom because she has been saying for months that I should design a "Joy" themed pillow.  I can't tell you how many times I would tell her about my latest knitting pattern and she would be interested and supportive as always....but add "are you working on the Joy pillow design?"  Well, I was working on it....it just took a while for it to really come together in my mind.  Like a lot of my patterns, I think about the design for quite a while before I start knitting.  I am so thrilled with how the "Joy" pillow turned out that I could not wait to give it to my mom.  She stopped by the other day to visit and I gave her an early Christmas gift....she loved it, of course!

Joy & Believe Pillows Knitting Pattern - with Felt Applique

I couldn't stop with just the "JOY" design....I also made another pillow with "Believe" felt applique letters.

The "Joy & Believe Pillows" knitting pattern is available on Ravelry and in my Etsy shop.

Pattern includes patterns for both JOY and Believe letter designs.

My new "Joy & Believe Pillows" knitting pattern includes full size patterns for the felt applique designs to make both the "JOY" and the "Believe" designs.  I love this letter style!  I searched around and looked at a lot of different font styles before settling on this letter design.  In the pattern, you'll find that the letter patterns are already full size....all you have to do is print the page and cut out the paper letter patterns and you are ready to go.  No resizing of the patterns needed!  (It drives me crazy when I have to enlarge pattern pieces on the copy machine to get the right size!)

This is a quick and easy knitting project.  It is knit flat and seamed.  With super bulky yarn and big needles it is easy to finish this pillow project in a weekend or just a couple evenings.  (If you need a last minute DIY gift...this could be the one!)

I used Loops & Threads Cozy Wool super bulky yarn in the color 'Claret'.  This is a bright, traditional Christmas red.  I really like this yarn for pillows because it is very soft to the touch.  This yarn is inexpensive but has a very nice appearance.  You can find Loops & Threads Cozy Wool at Michael's Craft Store in the U.S.  This pattern will work will with just about any super bulky weight yarn.  

This pillow would look great in many color combinations.  It would be fun to knit the pillow in white and use red felt for the letters with white stitching.  Or, for a year round look (happy words like "joy" and "believe" never go out of season!) it would look nice in a neutral light tan and white combination.  Or, Loops & Threads Cozy Wool comes in a beautiful dark gray called 'Granite' (reminds me of an old chalkboard).  I'd love to try that color with white letters and use either charcoal gray or red embroidery floss for the applique stitches.   

Other supplies needed include a 12" x 16" pillow form (an inexpensive, basic pillow form is perfect), some nice quality felt, DMC embroidery floss, and basic sewing and crafting supplies.  A good quality pair of scissors (such as sewing shears) is helpful for cutting out the felt letters.

Speaking of felt....I recommend wool blend or good quality polyester felt.  Try to stay away from the inexpensive "craft felt" in the kids crafting section of the craft store.  Most fabric stores carry a nicer quality felt by the yard.  Small quilt shops often carry wool blend felt.  I also like Sweet Emma Jean's Etsy Shop.  They have an incredible selection of felt in many beautiful colors.  You can pick your own colors and get a custom set of 9" x 12" wool blend felt sheets.

Detailed finishing instructions included in the pattern.

This pattern includes detailed, step-by-step finishing instructions.  The finishing is not hard.  But, I put a lot of thought into providing you all the details of how to finish the pillow so that you can obtain the best results possible.  That's why I include every step (such as placing a piece of thin cardboard inside the knitting so it makes it easier to stitch the felt letters in place) and provide lots of close up photos like the one above.

I used some of my ribbon collection and old light bulbs for props.

I had so much fun taking the photos for this new pattern.  I have a box filled with pieces of previously used ribbon...lots of holiday plaids and red and white polka dots.  I also have a set of beautiful ribbons and baker's twine that my mom gave me several years ago.  They are so pretty I've never used an inch of any of the ribbons and twines!  The original set of seven spools are always displayed on a bookshelf at our house.  Look for these in future knitting pattern listing photos.  It was fun to use the spool shapes and texture of the ribbons to add to the holiday theme.  

"Joy & Believe Pillows" Knitting Pattern - available on Etsy

If you have looked at my other knitting pattern listing photos, you have probably noticed a wood cabinet in the background of several photos.  I love being able to use the shelf in the center of the cabinet to change the scene.  The white pedestal candy dish in the photo above was my grandmother's.  The Santa hiding in the shadows is metal and extremely heavy!  Most of my Christmas decorations are hidden away in boxes right now but that heavy Santa was sitting in the "Christmas" closet where I could reach him so he got to be in the photo.

I love combining the textures of knitting with felt applique. My Mini Mitten Christmas Ornament and The Little House knitting patterns both have felt applique. I'm excited to add the Joy & Believe Pillows knitting pattern to my collection.  And...I have a couple more patterns in the works which will add to the felt applique word theme.  Check back soon!

Little Gingerbread Houses Knit & Finished for Christmas Gifts

If you have read my "about me" page you already know that I love to make Christmas ornaments for my friends and family every year.  Shh....don't tell them...but this year most of them will receive a little gingerbread house ornament.  I knit these using The Little House knitting pattern which I published earlier this year.

These little houses are so fun to knit.  Over the course of a few weeks I knit all the pieces to make eleven little gingerbread houses.  I worked on the pieces in between other knitting projects.  The house is knit flat and then seamed at the corners to make a three dimensional house shape.

For the gingerbread house, I used Berroco Vintage Worsted ‘Cork’ #5156 – which I bought in December 2013. Just before publishing the final pattern, I discovered that this color may have been discontinued! You may still find ‘Cork’ online or at your local yarn store. These Berroco Vintage colors might be a good substitute: ‘Caramel’ #5196 or ‘Toast’ #51102. This pattern will work well with many other worsted weight yarns.

For the roof pieces, I used Berroco Vintage in the color 'Mochi'.  Here's all the roof pieces lined up and ready for assembly.

Once I finished all the knitting, I cut out the felt pieces for the doors, windows and little hearts to sew on the back of the gingerbread house.  I like to use wool blend felt.

Then, I used embroidery floss to decorate the front doors and add little door knobs.

Then it was time to sew the front door in place using blanket stitch and white embroidery floss.  I love using blanket stitch. Now the little gingerbread house is starting to come to life!

I stitched felt windows to each side of the little gingerbread houses.  

Then the fun part....sewing the roof to the house and stuffing the inside.  The pattern includes detailed step-by-step instructions and tutorial photos for all of the finishing steps.  There are also detailed instructions for all of the embroidery stitches used in this design.

The little gingerbread house is one of my favorite patterns I've designed because it reminds me of all the good times my kids and I have had baking and decorating gingerbread houses from scratch.  

I stitched a little heart on the back of each house. 

It's so fun to see all the little gingerbread houses lined up like a little village.  

Before I give these as gifts, I'll thread a thin red ribbon through the top of the roof to make a hanging ornament.  

If you would like to make some little gingerbread houses for your family, see more details about this pattern on my "designing the little house" blog post.  You can purchase the pattern on Ravelry or in my Etsy shop.

New Knitting Pattern - The Big Red Barn!

I finished The Big Red Barn knitting pattern last week!  It’s now available in my Etsy shop and on Ravelry.

I’ve been working on this pattern since January.  When I was knitting with my Little House pattern, I decided I wanted to try a larger building and a barn seemed the perfect place to start.  I love how it turned out!

Knitting this barn is fun!  The pattern includes detailed row by row knitting instructions and more than 30 tutorial photos to walk you through every step of constructing the barn.  The barn is knit in one piece and then the corners are sewn together.  The windows and doors are cut from felt and sewn on with embroidery floss. The roof is knit separately and sewn on top. 

This is one of more than 30 tutorial photos included
in The Big Red Barn knitting pattern.

I have assumed that you know how to cast-on stitches, knit & purl confidently, cast off stitches, knit two stitches together, sew up simple seams and have some basic hand sewing experience.  Detailed instructions provided for all other steps which may be new to you.  If you have any questions when using the pattern I am happy to help!  My e-mail is in the pattern.

When I was designing this pattern, these opening lines from Big Red Barn by Margaret Wise Brown played over and over in my head…..

“By the big red barn

In the great green field,

There was a pink pig

Who was learning to squeal.”

The words are ingrained in my memory from the many times I read this little board book to our children when they were little.  The Big Red Barn pattern is a tribute to the many fun farm themed children’s books.  

For a special gift, knit up this cute red barn and give it to a new baby or young child…along with a farm themed book.  (The knitted barn is almost exactly the same height as the Big Red Barn board book.)

This pattern will work with almost any worsted weight wool or wool blend yarn.  I used Brown Sheep Lamb’s Pride Worsted ‘Red Hot Passion’ for barn (about 75 yards) and Berroco Vintage ‘Cracked Pepper’ for roof (about 60 yards).  You will also need:  size 5 knitting needles, felt (black & tan), white DMC embroidery floss, poly-fil for stuffing and basic knitting and sewing supplies.

One more thing….you may have noticed that I am from Kansas in the U.S.  Based on a certain famous movie about Dorothy and the Scarecrow, it might be easy to jump to conclusions and picture me living on the farm with a big red barn.  Well…not quite!  I live in a very suburban area.  For example, there are at least four grocery stores within two miles of my house!  No barns around here anymore!  

Time to Knit Christmas Ornament Presents for 2014!

It looks like knitters are starting to think about Christmas presents for 2014.  Last Saturday, the day after Valentine’s Day, there was a mysterious surge in sales of my Mini Mitten Christmas Ornament knitting pattern.   Love it!

Every year, I try to knit lots of ornaments throughout the year and then I have gifts ready to wrap up in December.  Well, truthfully….I don’t always succeed with planning ahead and I’m scrambling in December to finish knitting ornaments! 

Even when I’m behind on planning, I love making Christmas ornaments for my family and friends!  One size fits all!  Last Christmas, the mini mitten ornaments were wrapped up for my extended family.

If you’ve checked out my knitting patterns, you’ve noticed that I love to layer textures by adding felt appliqué designs.  The mini mitten pattern includes four different felt appliqué design ideas…a heart, a star, a snowman and a gingerbread house. 

The gingerbread house is my favorite!  I knit this mitten with Manos Maxima Worsted Merino Wool in the color “Stratus”.  I love this yarn!  This pale ice blue has gorgeous subtle color variations due to the kettle dye process.  With 219 yards per skein you can make eight beautiful mini mitten ornaments.

I keep a jar of my grandmother’s old buttons in my studio and I picked a couple of buttons to sew to the heart and star appliqué designs.

These red and white mittens with heart appliqué designs were made with Brown Sheep Lamb's Pride Worsted.  I have used this yarn for many projects over the years and it is always dependable.  One skein will make seven ornaments. 

This knitting pattern is easy!  If you’ve never knit a mitten before this would be a great pattern to try.  The mittens are knit flat with straight needles.  I’ve assumed that you know how to cast on stitches, knit and purl confidently, knit two stitches together, sew up simple seams and have basic sewing experience.   

The pattern includes detailed photo tutorial instructions for M1 increase stitch (how to increase stitches to make the thumb of the mitten).  These are just two of the many tutorial photos included in the pattern.

There are patterns for the felt appliqué designs and detailed instructions for embroidery stitches.  If you would like to make a matching pair of mittens, there are instructions for both right and left handed mittens.

If you are looking for a fun gift card holder, these mittens are the perfect size to tuck a little cash or gift card inside.

You can purchase my pattern through my Etsy shop or on Ravelry.  Or, see the Pattern Store tab above.

These little mittens knit up quick and will be a special keepsake ornament for your tree or a memorable gift.  Make lots of these mini mitten Christmas ornaments and wrap them up to give to your mom, sister, aunt, cousins, neighbors, your child’s teacher, and your special friends.  Start knitting now, while you are watching the Olympics, and you be all set for gift giving next Christmas!

Free Little Owl Knitting Pattern!

This project was supposed to be a hat….but somewhere along the way it became a little owl card.

Back in November, the plan was to make my almost teenage daughter a new winter hat to go with her new coat.  We picked out yarn at the craft store.  We talked about a simple design with a very tiny owl on the side because she loves owls.  Well...I never knit the hat.  I got distracted with other projects.   She’s been standing at the bus stop every day in the freezing cold without a hat.  I feel bad about that!

Even though I wasn’t making progress on the hat, I kept thinking about the little owl design.  I sketched out some ideas and cast on a few stitches.  Before I realized what had happened, I had knit a little owl shape, cut out some felt wings, eyes and a beak and stitched them onto the knitting with embroidery floss.   Just like “Frosty the Snowman”, the little owl came to life! 

Martha Stewart Crafts Extra Soft yarn in 'Gray Pearl',
red, ivory, soft blue & gray felt,
black, light gray & ecru DMC floss.

This cute little owl knits up really quick!  In my free knitting pattern, I’ve assumed you have basic knitting and sewing skills.  Tutorial photos are included in the pattern for any techniques which may be new to you.   

You’ll need a few supplies:  size 5 (US) knitting needles, 5-6 yards of worsted weight yarn, felt in desired colors, DMC  embroidery floss, tapestry needle, embroidery needle, & other basic crafting supplies.

Stitch the owl to a blank note card or folded piece of card stock and you have a cute handmade card for a child or grandchild, Valentine’s Day, a new baby or anyone special to you. 

Martha Stewart Crafts Extra Soft yarn in 'Winter Sky',
red, ivory & gray felt,
black, gray & ecru DMC floss.

You could also frame the owl in an inexpensive craft store shadow box for a cute wall decoration. 

Berroco Vintage Worsted 'Fondant' yarn,
gray, white & periwinkle felt, black, pink & light gray DMC floss. 

Or, turn the little owl into a hanging ornament by stitching two pieces of felt together, adding a little stuffing and braid three pieces of yarn for a hanger. 

Berroco Vintage Worsted yarn in 'Cracked Pepper',
gray, white, black & red felt,
black, white & light gray DMC floss.

You get the idea….there’s lots of ways you can use this little knitted owl pattern.

This owl pattern would be fun to do with a youth group (probably ages 12 & up with a little knitting and hand sewing experience).  Girl Scout leaders….this would be a perfect teen Girl Scout “OWLS” project! 

I haven’t forgotten about the hat for my daughter.  It’s on the knitting needles and maybe someday, before winter is over, I’ll finish her hat.

You can download my free owl knitting pattern on my Ravelry 5410Studio Shop.  Or, I’d be happy to e-mail it to you.  Contact me at:  FiftyFourTenStudio@gmail.com.