Seamus the Owl Knitting Pattern and Tutorial

I am writing today from an incredibly icy Johannesburg. Our temperatures have plummeted below 0 C and it’s been freezing cold here over the last few days. I must tell you, I cannot wait for Spring! Today I was inspired to knit up a little owl pattern, I have been thinking of him ever since I made Beans the Cat so here he is…

I would like you to meet Seamus the Owl. He is quite similar to Beans the Cat, but I have changed the body by making him a little larger and adding a sweet little moss stitch to the front of his body to try and give him a slightly speckled / feathered chest.

Materials:

4mm circular needles

I used hand spun for Seamus but DK wool would be perfect

Sewing up needle

Black fleece and a felting needle to needle felt his eyes and beak

Fleece for stuffing

Abbreviations:
kfb: knit into the front and back of the stitch to increase
dpns: double pointed needles
knit 2 tog: knit 2 stitches together

You can knit this pattern with the magic loop or just use dpns for knitting him in the round.

Pattern:

Cast on 12 stitches and join for knitting in the round with the magic loop or on dpns
Round 1: Knit
Round 2: kfb into each stitch (24 stitches)
Round 3: kfb into each stitch (48 stitches)

Round 4: Knit

Round 5: Knit 12, (purl 1, knit 1) for 24 stitches, then knit to the end.

Round 6: Knit 12, (knit 1, purl 1) for 24 stitches, knit to the end.

Continue alternating rounds 5 and 6 of the moss stitch, finishing on round 18.
Round 19: (Knit 1, knit 2 tog) across the round (32 stitches)
Rounds 20-31: Knit
Cast off

Finishing Off:
Hold both edges together flat at the cast off edge and sew in and out, closing the top of your owl’s head.

 

Stuff Seamus, make sure the stuffing is nice and firm. Sew the opening closed at the base of his body.

Take a needle and wool, sew into the base of Seamus, secure the wool and push the needle up through his body and pull it out the top of his head, sew back down again and pull. This is going to make a nice big concave depression that will form his two ears.

Once you have sewn back down, pull the needle and wool out the base of the body, pull tight and sew the wool securely onto the knitting, ensuring the depression remains at the top of the head so that two ears appear on each side.

Wing Pattern: Knit 2

With 4mm needles knit your wings in garter stitch:

Cast on 5 stitches.

Knit first and second row.

Row 3: Cast on 2 stitches at the beginning of the row and 1 stitch at the end of the row.

Row 4: Knit.

Row 5: Cast on 1 stitch at the beginning and knit 2 together at the end of the row.

Row 6: Knit.

Row 7: Cast on 2 stitches at the beginning of the row, knit to the end of the row.

Row 8: Knit.

Cast off.

Sew the wings onto the sides of the body.

Sew a few strands of wool onto the points of the ears and then rub them with your fingers and pull apart the fibres to create the tufts on the owl’s pointed ears.

Eyes and Beak:

Needle felt on the eyes and beak with black fleece and a felting needle, two large circles for the eyes and a triangle for the nose.

Happy knitting.

Please do share you projects on Ravelry if you are a member, I have loved seeing all the different Beans the Cat projects there! I have a little Ravelry group called Mamma4earth where you can share your knitted treasures.

PS If you haven’t entered my giveaway you can enter here.

Have a lovely day,

Linda

Joining in with Ginny today for the Yarn Along.

Seamus Owl Pattern Copyright Linda Dawkins, Mamma4earth

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69 Responses to Seamus the Owl Knitting Pattern and Tutorial

  1. Sarah July 17, 2012 at 6:11 pm #

    He’s cute. I think my daughter would like to make him!

    • Linda July 18, 2012 at 11:55 am #

      Thank you Sarah:)

      • kathleen July 7, 2015 at 6:06 pm #

        Hi Linda I have made four of your owls and the patern is easy to follow

  2. Jenn July 17, 2012 at 6:51 pm #

    Oh that you so much for sharring this pattern. It’s perfect because I just had a baby two months ago and I wanted to make a owl mobile because it matches a blanket she has!! Thank you so much I pinned this post so I wont forget about it:)

    • Linda July 18, 2012 at 1:50 pm #

      You are welcome Jenn, congratulations on the birth of your little one:)

  3. Terri Sue July 17, 2012 at 9:31 pm #

    What an adorable, huggable precious little owl. I think I will have to knit one up very soon. My grandson turns one at the end of the week. I think he needs one for his birthday for two very good reasons:
    1, The owl is just plain adorable.
    2. My grandson’s name is also Seamus!

    Don’t you agree that Seamus has to have a Seamus?

    • Linda July 18, 2012 at 1:56 pm #

      Thank you Terri Sue, how sweet:)

  4. Emma July 17, 2012 at 9:52 pm #

    Oh he’s so lovely! great idea to put the moss stitch on his front to give the illusion of a feathery
    chest, but my favorite bit are his little hairy tufts sticking out the top of his ears!!!

    • Linda July 18, 2012 at 1:58 pm #

      Thanks Emma! xo

  5. Jaquelyn July 17, 2012 at 9:53 pm #

    Hello Linda,
    Just wanted to ask you if you thought this would be good to begin learning knitting in the round? If not, can the pattern be adapted to being made in 2 pieces?
    Blessngs
    Jaquelyn

    • Linda July 18, 2012 at 2:02 pm #

      Hi Jaquelyn,

      I think this would be a good learning to knit in the round pattern, it is quite simple, it can be knitted in the round with dpns or magic loop. If you would prefer to knit him flat you can do that too with 2 straight needles. You would just knit him in stocking stitch, excpet where the moss stitch is, cast off and sew up the back.
      Let me know how it goes and happy knitting:)

      Take care

      Linda

  6. Ginny July 17, 2012 at 10:17 pm #

    Your owl is really sweet. I like the wool you have used, and his little ears.

  7. I Trigonis July 17, 2012 at 10:57 pm #

    Very very cute owl. Thank you so much for sharing Seamus with us.

  8. Ellouise Hartnell July 17, 2012 at 11:28 pm #

    What a lovely pattern, especially his tufty ears!

  9. W-S Wanderings July 17, 2012 at 11:37 pm #

    WooHoot! (I know, I know – I always say that with any wonderful owl craft.) Seamus is ADORABLE. I love, love, love him. A wee owlet shall come live here too.

    • Linda July 18, 2012 at 2:04 pm #

      Thank you W-S Wanderings:) xo

  10. Barbara Szatkiewicz July 18, 2012 at 1:10 am #

    Seamus is way too cute. Thank you for sharing.

  11. Tracey July 18, 2012 at 1:42 am #

    Ha, you’re looking for spring and I can’t wait until winter!
    Another amazing pattern Linda, you are amazing!

  12. MaryJo July 18, 2012 at 3:48 am #

    Such a cutie! I will have fun knitting him for my dad, James, who is called Seamus by his brothers.

  13. Carly July 18, 2012 at 12:27 pm #

    Oh, he is so cute Linda! x

  14. Mosaic Magpie July 18, 2012 at 12:38 pm #

    What a cute pattern. Thank you for sharing with us. I found you from you being featured on Craft Gossip.
    Deb

  15. Sylvia - artsy ants July 18, 2012 at 12:41 pm #

    what a cute little owl! i might have to add it to my collection one day!

  16. Heather July 18, 2012 at 12:42 pm #

    This is absolutely adorable! I love owls, and think this would make a great addition for my kiddos toys 🙂 Thanks for the pattern!

  17. Victoria @ Mommy Marginalia July 18, 2012 at 1:05 pm #

    Seamus is so darling! And we’re big owl fans in our house – I think I’ll see if I have any unclaimed DK lying around. Thank you so much for sharing!

  18. steph July 18, 2012 at 1:26 pm #

    He’s adorable!!! Thanks for much for sharing the pattern!!!!

  19. meghann July 18, 2012 at 1:41 pm #

    Oh my goodness, that owl is darling! Thank you for sharing the pattern; I think my children would love one. Or six. 🙂 xo

  20. a soulful life July 18, 2012 at 2:01 pm #

    He is simply perfect 🙂

  21. Tina July 18, 2012 at 2:31 pm #

    Thank you so much for sharing such an adorable pattern!

  22. Anke July 18, 2012 at 3:35 pm #

    Oh my goodness, the owl is just adorable! A friend of mine has a thing for owl’s, I think I might just have to make her one. Thank you for sharing the pattern!

  23. Kristen July 18, 2012 at 3:53 pm #

    Oh, he’s so cute! Thanks for the pattern!

  24. Hannah@HomeBaked July 18, 2012 at 4:03 pm #

    Aww cute owl!!
    I hope Spring arrives soon for you x

  25. Tonya - Plain and Joyful Living July 18, 2012 at 4:31 pm #

    Linda,
    This is adorable!
    Thank you so much for sharing.

    • Linda July 18, 2012 at 4:57 pm #

      Thanks Tonya:)

  26. Ellen July 18, 2012 at 5:04 pm #

    Oh Seamus is very sweet – I love the moss stitch and the little tufts at his ears. Thank you!

  27. Camilla July 18, 2012 at 6:36 pm #

    Ah- dorable.
    – Just too cute.

  28. lori July 19, 2012 at 6:34 am #

    hi linda! love your new avatar photo! and your owl!! i’ll be making one or two or more! seamus is adorable and perfect. he reminds me of the owl we met in namibia and his name was seamore. hee hee, so cute. thank you for the pattern dear.

    p.s. your book is on the way this morning!

    • Linda July 19, 2012 at 4:00 pm #

      Thank you so much dear Lori.

      I am looking forward to receiving your book, can’t wait!

      Love
      Linda

  29. Mama Goose July 19, 2012 at 8:04 am #

    How cute! I had to reply because we have a story the kids always beg me to tell more of – and Seamus is the main character, although he is a dog!

  30. Niki July 19, 2012 at 11:18 am #

    He’s positively gorgeous, my eight year old son spotted me looking at your site. and all i’ve heard about since is how much he wants to make the owl. I’ll have to brush up on my knitting skills to help him with it. Good thing it’s winter here , I don’t mind being inside knitting when it’s cold outside. Thanks for sharing the idea.

  31. Svenna July 19, 2012 at 9:04 pm #

    Oh my goodness, what a sweetie. And his name is Seamus. What a perfect name for this little guy. Thank you for sharing the pattern!

  32. K July 20, 2012 at 2:25 am #

    And now I’m satisfied.

    He’s perfect.

    • Linda July 20, 2012 at 7:51 am #

      Thanks dear friend:)

      Hugs

      Linda

  33. Stitchy Mc Floss July 23, 2012 at 6:32 pm #

    Thank you for this adorable pattern. He’s a cutie! 🙂

  34. Mel July 25, 2012 at 6:51 am #

    Just gorgeous!

  35. Sarah July 28, 2012 at 2:22 am #

    lovely!

  36. Debi Potts October 28, 2012 at 4:50 am #

    This owl is adorable! Thank you for the pattern. This will be adorable Christmas gifts for my family!

    • Linda October 29, 2012 at 7:18 am #

      You are welcome Debi:)

  37. Becky October 28, 2012 at 11:48 pm #

    Absolutely love your owl.

    Thanks for sharing the wonderful pattern and picture tutorial.

    Had to make one for my grandbabies, and it turned out soooooo cute!

    Kindest Regards,
    OM girl/Becky
    http://i245.photobucket.com/albums/gg59/OMgirls/Needlework/10-28-2012-Seamus.jpg

    • Linda October 29, 2012 at 7:21 am #

      Ooooh he is so gorgeous Becky!!! Thanks for sharing his photo with us!
      I would love for you to join my Mamma4earth Ravelry group and share your projects in the Completed Projects thread, here is the link:
      http://www.ravelry.com/groups/mamma4earth
      Warmly
      Linda

  38. Saara November 2, 2012 at 6:04 am #

    I love this!! I made one, just made it a bit smaller and in white so it could be Hedwig from Harry Potter 🙂 this is the link to a pic of it: http://oohramsamsam.deviantart.com/art/Harry-Potter-and-Hedwig-335589207

  39. Missy November 6, 2012 at 1:45 am #

    I really enjoyed this pattern and reviewed it on my blog with pictures! http://knittingpatternreview.blogspot.com/2012/11/natural-suburbias-seamus-owl.html

  40. diane November 1, 2013 at 1:10 am #

    this is so darn cute!!! thank you – what a sweet little owl!

  41. Lineke February 2, 2014 at 9:52 pm #

    What a cute owl!
    Thank you for the pattern
    Warm regards,
    Lineke

  42. Krista July 25, 2015 at 12:27 am #

    Thanks for the pattern. Mermaid Knitting (on Easy and Revelry) used this for one of her mini skein sets. I can’t wait to see it knit up.

  43. Barbara December 18, 2015 at 7:24 pm #

    What a lovely quick knit for a last minute Christmas gift. I am making one for my next door neighbour who also loves to knit. She is also very gifted at flower arranging, and has not only given us a Christmas porch arrangement, but also a table decoration. If my lavender still has it’s fragrance, I might put some in with the owl’s stuffing. Thank you for the pattern.

  44. Dorothy Macdonald June 16, 2016 at 6:02 am #

    Love this owl. i have three granddaughters who are owl mad. i am making the first owl now.

  45. elenor February 27, 2017 at 6:45 pm #

    Such a cute pattern. Thank you for sharing.
    Kind greetings from the EU (A).
    elenor

  46. Corinne Farmer April 17, 2019 at 3:19 am #

    Can you give me the size of Seamus the owl? Or how much yarn is needed for this project.

    • Linda April 17, 2019 at 1:16 pm #

      Hi! He’s about 3,5 inches tall and you can use yarn scraps to knit him, 20 grams should be enough 🙂
      Happy knitting
      Linda

  47. Abby Palmer October 23, 2019 at 3:35 pm #

    I have been trying to send you a picture of my flock of owls but can’t figure out how to do it! I’m making them for Christmas presents for my family and they are great. Thx for the pattern.

  48. Anastasia June 8, 2022 at 8:39 pm #

    I made a bunch of this little guy. I changed the pattern a bit. Hope you like it. https://www.instagram.com/p/CejAG-cuDfU/

Trackbacks/Pingbacks

  1. Free Pattern: Seamus the Owl · Knitting | CraftGossip.com - July 18, 2012

    […] Seamus the Owl was worked in homespun on size 4 mm (that would be 6 US) knitting needles, so if you didn’t have any homespun lying around you could use a lightish medium weight yarn and it would work out just fine. […]

  2. Free Pattern: Seamus the Owl | Crafts - July 18, 2012

    […] Seamus the Owl was worked in homespun on size 4 mm (that would be 6 US) knitting needles, so if you didn’t have any homespun lying around you could use a lightish medium weight yarn and it would work out just fine. […]

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