The pattern has been updated! Errata fixed, extra Glossary items added, prettier format enabled. Enjoy!

These little Squish Owls are perfect for squeezing and scrunching, for hanging and flying, or even for sitting calmly on a shelf enjoying some books.

They’re knit in the round from the bottom up, with very minimal grafting at the top. The bodies are stocking stitch, with seed stitch wings. They take only an evening or two to finish!

All their embellishments are knitted, so there’s no need to hunt for buttons or ribbons (unless you want to). The pattern even shows you how I sewed everything on, in case you want to do what I did.

There are four charts included, so you can play with the patterns on their bellies (which I like to call “sweaters,” even though they don’t come off).

You don’t even have to use DK-weight yarn if you don’t want to. Just grab whatever colours you have in your stash, and get busting! The greatest quantity you’ll need is for the body, which only takes about 1/3 to 1/2 of a 50g ball. The amounts of yarn you’ll need for the wings and eyes are so small, you can use up the little tiny leftover balls that seem like they’re good for nothing. The beak is even tinier and needs less than a yard.

You’ll also need about a grapefruit-sized amount of fibre fill stuffing, to make it nice and squishy. I wrote tips on stuffing the Owls here.

I really want to give credit where credit is due, and say that the eyes for the owls were inspired by Hansi Singh’s Kraken eyes. I knit up a Kraken for my son a couple Christmases ago, and haven’t looked at the pattern since, so I really have no idea what it says. But I loved the way her eyes were knit from the centre out, giving them a bit of a starry-eyed look, which is perfect for little owls with night sight, I think. :)

Have fun knitting, and be sure to post your own colour combinations so I can ooh and ahh over them. :) As always, feel free to ask me any questions that come up; I really appreciate feedback.