Free Pattern Friday! Austin Owl Amigurumi

Last year I participated in the Renegade Craft Fair here in Austin. It was so much fun and I hope I have time to do it again next year. (This year is definitely OUT–ahem…book….!) I wanted to design something with an owl since everything Renegade is represented by an owl. I put together about 150 kits each containing materials and tools to make a tiny Austin Owl amigurumi. I designed the pattern to be accessible to beginners and seasoned crocheters. They are fun and customizable since they can be made in any color imaginable and with teeny tiny fabric scraps. When I’m not crocheting I also like to sew (mostly Halloween costumes and the like) so I’m no stranger to leftover bits of fabric that I hate to throw away. It’s fun to put colors together in unexpected ways to make these cute little guys. I’ve had this pattern in my Ravelry shop for a while now but I wanted to set the owls free! Get it?

Austin Owl Amigurumi

Here’s what you’ll need:

Materials:
Worsted weight yarn (any color)
Polyester fiberfill
Fabric
Felt
Two small (~ 3/8″) buttons

Tools:
Crochet hook (I used size E, 3.5mm)
Yarn needle
Craft glue OR matching thread

Body:

Rnd 1: Starting at bottom of body, with yarn and Hook, make an adjustable ring, ch 1, and sc 6 into the ring.  Pull closed.

Rnd 2: Work 2 sc into each st (12)

Rnd 3:  Working in back loops of each stitch only (BLO), sc into each st (12)

Rnds 4-7: Sc into each st (12)

Rnd 8: (2 Sc into next st, sc into next 5 st)* rep to end of round (14)

Fasten off and leave a long tail for sewing. Stuff the owl. Thread the yarn needle with the yarn tail. Flatten the top edge so that you have one long seam of 7 st to sew through. Whipstitch the seam closed, knot the yarn tail and hide within the body of the owl, clipping the tail close to the surface.

Finishing:

Cut a small egg shape from the fabric for the owl’s tummy. Glue or sew the patch onto the owl. Cut a small triangle from felt and glue to owl for the beak. Glue or sew two button eyes to the owl’s face.

Pick your colors!

Whooooo is making a whole nest full of these?

These would be cute little Valentine’s day gifts! Once you get going on them, they are quick and fun to make. If you’re not ready to commit to Valentine’s, how adorable would these be in your Easter basket?
Hope you enjoy these little guys!

>Renegade Recap and What’s Next?

>Renegade Craft Fair was amazing! I am so grateful I was chosen to be a part of it. I met lots of people, saw some really awesome handmade goodness and had a lot of fun! I owe a huge debt of gratitude to my sweet sister, Jennifer Stewart, who not only helped me set up my booth and let me borrow almost everything I used, but she sat all day with me on Saturday and talked about amigurumi with people! Also, I’m so thankful for my husband Paul for sitting all day on Sunday and getting a good dose of my crafty promoting. He’s a fan. 🙂  Here’s some booth photos…

 Fun, huh? I had free stickers, a TON of business cards, a nifty Square device to take credit cards (which was awesome and made this so easy!), and lots and lots of amigurumi! My owl kits were really popular and I sold out of almost all of them! I think next time I’ll definitely do some more kits. I also had a big rack of patterns for sale (thank you Borders near me for going out of business!) with some super good deals.

So it was a busy few months leading up to Renegade, especially since I wasn’t sure what to expect (I hadn’t done Renegade before) and I didn’t know what was going to be the most in demand. Since I didn’t know, I just made a lot of everything! Now that its behind me, I am having a blast working on some new things!

I just finished designing a custom doll for a special someone’s birthday. Working from pictures, I created a doll complete with a hat, apron, glasses, and a pie! The recipient hasn’t gotten his gift yet so I can’t show you a side by side comparison yet! If you recognize him, please don’t spoil the surprise! I’ve blurred out the name on his cap so –ssshhhhhhhh! Soon I’ll post a photo of the man himself holding his mini-me.

I absolutely LOVE making these custom dolls! So fun!

Now what? I’m working on several things. First, there’s this hot new yarn you’ve heard about, Sheep(ish), by Vickie Howell for Caron. Thursday I’m a stop on her blog tour, and I’ll be doing a giveaway of an amigurumi and a skein of yarn. I designed a new pattern (amigurumi of course!) for Sheep(ish) that will be released in June on her website. Come back Thursday!

Next I’m finishing up a design for Lion Brand Yarn, which will be coming out some time this fall. It’s going to be really cute! It is being made with some fabulous, amazing, magical yarn. Really, you will LOVE it.

Last but not least, I’m going to have my work featured in two gallery shows this summer! I cannot WAIT for this.

I designed a few pieces for the iam8bit show coming up this summer in LA. So of course my husband and I will be there for the show! If you haven’t heard of it, iam8bit is a production company that has an annual art show featuring work that celebrates retro video games. I really love the stuff I made for it and I will post pictures here just as soon as I get the OK. To the left is a picture of some of the work that has been in the show in the past.

The second show will be the Bear and Bird Gallery’s “Stitch Wars Strikes Back” — that’s right! Star Wars themed! I can’t wait for this one either. Again, photos will be up as soon as possible!

Please check out my new tabs up top—there’s a Gallery, an About Me, and a Custom Order page. I’ve added a few finished amigurumi and when they’re gone, that will be it for a while! Thanks everyone for visiting!

>Countdown to Renegade!

>In one week I’ll be wrapping up my first Renegade Craft Fair, and Austin’s second. I’m really excited to be a part of it, although its been dominating my life for the past three months since I found out I was accepted into it! I’m going to have some of the most popular designs in my shop, lots of patterns, and some new stuff, like keychains and little owl kits that I made just for RCF! The owl kits will have a special discount code inside for my shop, as well as everything you need to make a little amigurumi owl. Here’s the “flyer” for the show!



You want to see the tiny owls you can make with the Austin Owl Kit?

Each kit includes yarn, fabric, felt, buttons, stuffing, and even a yarn needle and a crochet hook! The pattern is super quick and simple, especially for beginners that want to learn.

Please come by and say HI! I’ll be in booth 29. When I got that assignment, by the way, I was floored. The number 29 seems to be recurring in my life. My children have birthdays on the 2nd, the 9th, and the 29th. My husband even has a tattoo with the number 29 in it. It was fate, I tell ya! I would have picked that number if they gave me the option!