Baby Owl Hat with Earflaps

Materials:

• 30 peg Knifty Knitter loom
• 12 peg Knifty Knitter loom (flower loom)
• Skein of sea green yarn (the color of mine said honeydew) (4 medium worsted)
• Small skein of white yarn (4 medium worsted)
• Skein of aqua yarn (the color of mine said Aruba sea) (4 medium worsted)
• Small skein of orange yarn (4 medium worsted)
• Small skein of dark blue or dark teal yarn (I used dark teal) (4 medium worsted)
• Needle (I like to use the one that came with my Knifty Knitter loom)
• Hook
• Scissors

Notes:

The only wrapping technique used is the regular e-wrap. Though it says to go around the loom twice for one row, you don't have to do this if you really don't want to, it just really helps to make the hat warmer and thicker. The sea green yarn will be referred to as “green.” The aqua colored yarn will be referred to a “blue.” The dark blue or dark teal yarn will be referred to as “teal.” If you ever at any time are completely confused, don't be afraid to ask questions! Who knows, someone else probably has the exact same question.  

Earflaps and Strings:

For the strings start by using the 30 peg loom. Holding one strand of blue yarn and the strand of white yarn together as one, cast on to only one peg (peg 1). Knit that one peg 30 times. Tie off both strings, but DO NOT CAST OFF. Repeat on the opposite side of the loom (peg 16).

CHECK!! Do you have two blue and white strings the same length attached on the opposite sides of the loom? Make it so.

Now, pay attention or it will get tricky. With the green yarn, start on peg 16 and add peg 17 (going back over each peg to make sure there are two loops on each peg. This means wrap the pegs that way --> and then back again <--, counting it as the same row). Knit the string over the two green loops on peg 16. Knit the same two pegs again. Now add peg 15. Knit the row of three pegs again (make sure you're always going over the row twice, wrapping that way--> , then wrapping that way <-- on the same row.) Add peg 18. Knit the four pegs again. Add peg 14. Knit the five pegs again. Add peg 19. Knit the six pegs again. Add peg 13. Knit the seven pegs again. Tie off, DO NOT CAST OFF.

CHECK!! Do you have one green earflap (with a string attached) hanging on pegs 13-19? Make it so.

Remember the other string you have hanging on the opposite side of the loom? Make a slip-knot (still using green here!) and attach it to peg 30, then add peg 1 on the same row. (Remember that once you've wrapped that way --> to wrap the other way <--) Knit the string over peg 1. Knit the two pegs again. Add peg 2. Knit the three pegs again. Add peg 29. Knit the four pegs again. Add peg 3. Knit the five pegs again. Add peg 28. Knit the six pegs again. Add peg 4. Knit the seven pegs again.

CHECK!! Do you now have two green earflaps (both with strings attached) on opposite sides of the loom? Make it so.

From here, you can do one of two things. You can tie off the green yarn and attach it to the real starter peg, OR you can leave the string where it is and just remember which peg the starter is. To be honest, it's not hard to be able to tell which pegs you have wrapped, and which you haven't. It will make no difference in the directions. Whichever you choose, do it now.

Hat:

Wrap around the whole loom using the same green yarn (remember how we went that way--> then back again <--? well we're going to do it a bit differently. Just wrap around the whole loom twice, and count it as one row). Knit the earflaps over the row you've just made. Knit five more rows. Tie off. Knit twelve rows of blue. Tie off by sewing the top together so that it makes a square. Make sure that you put a strand of yarn through all of the loops. 

CHECK!! Do you now have a blue (on top!) and green hat with green earflaps (with strings!)? Make it so.

Eyes:

Using the 12 peg loom, cast on using the white yarn, all the way around the loom. (Remember to wrap twice and count it as 1 row!) Knit 4 more rows. Cast off using the pull string method (string a strand of yarn through all of the loops and pull tight! It should come together nicely, secure it). Repeat!

CHECK!! Do you now have two white circles? Make it so.

Now, you can do one of two things. You can make the eyes have eyelashes or eyes without eyelashes. It doesn’t really matter, whatever you think looks best.

WITHOUT EYELASHES:

Start with a strand a little over 2 feet long of the teal yarn. String it through the needle so that the two ends are equal in length. Now since we’re going to be showing the pearl side of the eyes in the end product, secure the ends of your yarn to the knit side of one of the circles, about the third row from the middle. Sew on a half circle that goes about 1/4 – 1/3 of the way across the bottom of the circle (use your judgment on what looks best). Follow the same third row to help it stay in a perfect half circle. Tie off. Repeat on the other white circle.

WITH EYELASHES:

Follow the directions for eyes without eyelashes but before you tie off, add 3-4 little eyelashes perpendicular to the half circle you’ve just made about 1-1½ rows down (again, use your judgment). Tie off and repeat on the other white circle.

CHECK!! Do you now have two eyes? Make it so.

Beak:

For the beak you can use either the 30 peg loom or the 12 peg loom, it doesn’t matter, I prefer the 12 peg because it is smaller. But as long as you have 5 pegs, it really doesn’t matter. Using the orange yarn, tie a slip-knot and attach to peg 1. Knit peg 1 once. (Remember to go that way --> and this way<--!) Add pegs 12 and 2. Knit the three pegs again. Add pegs 11 and 3. Knit the 5 pegs again. Cast off making sure you secure all of the loops (I like to first put a strand of yarn through all of the loops and then secure however looks best).

CHECK!! Do you now have an orange beak? Make it so.

Pompoms and Tassels:

Here, you can use a pompom maker to make two cute pompoms,  you can just buy a couple of pompoms, or you can make them the way I do and save yourself a bit of money. You can make them blue, white (fair warning, white looks a bit more feminine), green, orange, teal, or do a combination of the colors. Use your judgment, but I like to use green and white together.

IF YOU ARE USING ONE COLOR: wrap the brown (or white) around two fingers 80 times. Then cut the yarn leaving about 8-12 inches of a tail. Wrap the tail around the 80 loops of yarn and make tie off VERY VERY TIGHTLY. As tight at you can get it! Then take the scissors and cut through all of the loops. Do not cut your tail off!! This should leave you with a square looking brown fluff. Trim it to make it a sphere! Then, you have a pompom! Now, simply just attach the pompom to one of the strings, and cut off the tail. Repeat!

IF YOU ARE USING TWO COLORS: Use the same directions from the one color pompom EXCEPT hold the two strands together as one and only wrap around your two fingers 40 times instead of 80. You should have two tails instead of one, so don't stress. Just attach to one of the strings, cut the tails off and repeat!

IF YOU ARE USING MORE THAN TWO COLORS: Follow the directions for using one color, but just make sure that however many times you wrap around your two fingers, all of the loops add up to 80. If you’re using three colors, wrap around 27 times so it will add up to 81. Attach to one of the strings, cut the tails off and repeat!

CHECK!! Do you have two eyes, a beak, and a square hat with earflaps and strings with pompoms attached? Make it so.

To make the tassels, you can still use any color you wish, however many you wish, I used green and white. Like the pompoms, (if you are using 1 color of yarn) start by wrapping it around four fingers 40 times (NOT 80! With the tassels it must add up to 40). Do not leave a tail. You should have a rather thick circle of yarn. Cut an extra strand about 5-6 inches long and put it through the circle of yarn and tie a knot (with just a regular old knot. Don’t tie it too tightly but not too loose, we will cut it off later). Now, you should have two strands that you’ve just tied a knot with and a thick circle of yarn that the knot is tied around. Grab the two knot strands and pull them through one of the top corners of the hat so that the circle of yarn forms a loop. Then, grab the side of loop that has not been pulled through, and put it through the loop that has been pulled through. Pull it tight! Finally cut the end loops off, and the knot off that we tied. You can shorten the tassel if it’s too long. Repeat!

CHECK!! You should now have a hat with earflaps, tassels, strings, and pompoms. Make it so.

Finishing:

Now, attach the beak with the short edge (opposite of the point) lining up with the green to blue transition line. Take the two eyes and attach them to the hat so that they touch, they barely cover up the top of the beak, and the sewn eye part is on the bottom. Weave in all loose ends and voila! You have just successfully made a baby owl hat with earflaps. Congratulations!