Hoot!

In January, Lucy said she was going to be invited to a classmate's bowling party. She wanted me to make something as a gift. The girl had an owl hat and really liked owls, so Lucy thought some owl mittens would be good. I wasn't actually going to start until I got a 'real' invitation, but I did the research and got ready, just in case. I knew the owl 'cable' was really popular so I figured I could figure something out, but a search on Ravelry revealed "Have a Hoot Mittens". They used slightly larger yarn, so it was fairly easy to get them the right size, considering how much I have used Patons Decor to make kid's mittens. Nonetheless, I still had plenty of issues making these. Won't bore you with those though. Used 4mm needles and 33sts for the start of the hand--one extra on the palm (not in the thumb increases), and one on either side of the back of the hand. Made them two at a time on one circular. That's both a bonus and a pain.

They need some strong blocking, and a 'better' wool would work better, but at the time, I couldn't find a superwash 100% wool (I've always wondered if superwash wool holds the blocking like non-superwash wool). I wish the Patons Decor had a higher wool content.

We spent a long time at Michaels' looking for owl eyes. I thought we'd find eyes for making stuffed animals there, but no. We were too tired to bother with FabricLand, so while watching the Olympic opening ceremony, I stitched the eyes with floss. Oh, I hate doing that! As we were driving home, Lucy saw "Hooter's" and the owls on the signs. She suggested we go there to find owl eyes! LOL!!!!!

The little girl and her mother love them and the mom says she has all kinds of yarn around the house but doesn't know how to knit or crochet and they might like to learn. Maybe the school needs a knitting club?