what a 'hoot'!

Hoot

This little gal was a custom order requested from an Etsy customer of mine. She loves Jane Hissey's books about Hoot the adventuresome owl. The owl above still needs her blue-star apron to finish her off. It is being sewn by the customer for her as we speak.

I used my basic Woolly Owls pattern with a few changes. The yarn I used was Cascade 220 worsted cream (#8010) and Frog Tree sport alpaca cream (#000) knit together. After felting it created a thick fuzzy surface that was then rigorously brushed with my nap riser brush. I added ears and some fun button eyes.

I wanted to show you this little owl because I tried a new idea with these eyes. The 1-inch round brown buttons came from Hobby Lobby with 4 holes for sewing. My husband drilled a 5th hole through the center of each button. This hole would be used for inserting the glass eye into. Using a fine chenille needle and fishing line, I sewed each button onto the owl, sewing into the four holes one all the way around creating a square of thread, not crisscrossing over as you would traditionally do. This created a flatter surface for the glass eye to lie on afterwards.

The glass eyes are sold in a pair connected by a long wire. If you are looking for glass eyes for your little woollies, check out Glass Eyes Online, a great resource for eyes in all colors and sizes. I poked the wire through the center of the button (drilled hole) and into the owl's head. At that point I glued the wire's stem with E-6000 glue, adding a little on the back of each glass eye. Once the glue was completely dried, I squeezed the head of the owl, front to back, causing the wires to poke out from the back of the head. I then trimmed off the excess with a wire cutters.

I was so pleased with the end result that I wanted to share my little gal with you. She is now on her way, flying through the mail to her new home.

If you have any further questions, don't hesitate to ask.

Happy knitting!