You need to know how to make the following knots: Lark's Head Square Knot Half hitch Alternating Square Knot Square Knot Sinnet Supplies needed: 10 yards of size 10 crochet cotton (owl-colored) Two beads for eyes. (Make from Fimo) Two round toothpicks or sticks Paintbrush and Branch-colored paint for toothpicks Tacky or other white glue Masking tape to hold project to work table.
Assembly:
Step 1 Cut the crochet cotton into 10 pieces, each one-yard long. Tie each cord to one of the toothpicks, using Lark's Head knots. Tape the ends of the toothpick to your worksurface. Step 2 Skipping the first and last pair of cords, tie Alternating Square Knots, dropping a pair of cords from each side as you work.
Step 3 Using the first two cords as carriers, tie Half Hitch Knots, using each of the next 8 cords. Work the knots so that the 'bump' of each Half Hitch knot is towards the front of the owl.
Step 4 Repeat Step 3 for the right-hand side of the owl, paying attention to the way the Half Hitch Knots are formed. The Half Hitch knots should be mirror-images of those on the left.
Step 5: Beak and eyes Using the center 4 cords, tie 4 Square Knots to form a Square Knot Sinnet. This will be the owl's beak. Smear glue on the ends of the 4th cord from each side of the owl. When the glue is dry, cut the two cords at slight angles to make 'needles' for your beads. Slide one bead onto each of these two cords. Step 6 Fold the Square Knot Sinnet up so that it bumps out towards you. The next steps are the trickiest part of the owl, so pay attention to the tension of your cords, or the owl could easily become lop-sided. Step 7 Starting at the center, using cords #9 and #10 (The ones used for the beak) as carriers, work Half Hitch Knots with each of the cords to the left. Work the Half Hitch Knots so that the 'bump' is towards the back of the owl. Repeat this step for the other side of the owl, using cords #11 and #12 as the carriers. Adjust the tension of the cords as you work, so that the owl's head is a pleasing shape. Step 8 Starting with the 4 center cords, tie Alternating Square Knots, joining in two cords on each side with each row worked. Step 9: Body Using the first 4 cords, tie 6 Square Knots, to make a Square Knot Sinnet. Repeat this step, using the last 4 cords. These will form the owl's wings. Using the 12 center cords, tie Alternating Square Knots. Repeat each pair of rows 3 times, for a total of 6 rows. Step 10 The Square Knot Sinnets will be naturally longer than the rows of Alternating Square Knots. This will make the wings curve outwards when the wings are joined with the body. Join the wings by tying a row of Square Knots, joining in the a pair of cords from the two wing Sinnets. Work one more row of Alternating Square Knots. Step 11: Feet Tie two Square knots in the center of the owl, using cords #7-10 and cords #11-14. Step 12 Using cords #6, #5, #4, and #3, tie Half Hitch knots around the second toothpick. Repeat this step, using cords #15, #16, #17, and #18. These Half Hitch Knots will form the owl's toes, and the toothpick will be his perch. Step 13 Tie a row of Square Knots, using all 20 cords. Step 14: Tail Create the owl's tail by tying Alternating Square Knots, dropping one pair from each end of each row as you work.
Step 15: Finishing Block your owl with a steam iron. If desired, paint the toothpicks. (Slide the owl carefully to one side, and paint the exposed toothpicks. When dry, slide the owl to the painted side and paint the the other side of the toothpicks.) Cut off the points of the toothpicks. Trim the cords at an angle.