Free Crochet Christmas Owl Free Pattern Amigurumi With Bubble Stitch Body

Raised bubble stitch does the feather work on this crochet owl pattern free amigurumi, so nothing gets sewn on but the wings and beak. Eyes set close together above the beak are what make it read as an owl rather than a generic bird.

Bubble stitch across the body gives this free crochet christmas owl free pattern amigurumi its feather texture without a single feather sewn on, which is the whole reason the pattern uses it. The body works in the round with the bubbles raised on the front face, then a flat wing on each side, a small triangular beak, and eyes set close together above it. Owls read as owls through eye placement more than anything else. Set them wide and it turns into a bird.

Crochet Amigurumi Christmas Owl

I was not planning to make an owl the week I found this pattern. I had a pile of mustard yarn left from something else, a spare afternoon, and the specific restlessness that comes from finishing a big project and not being ready to start another. Three hours later I had a small round bird sitting on my desk staring at me with enormous eyes and I have made probably fifteen of them since. There is something about the proportion of this particular owl that is hard to explain and easy to get attached to. The bubble stitches take it past the point of being just another amigurumi ball with ears.

Pattern Note

Two things need flagging before you start. First, the item was listed as a crochet christmas witch, but the pattern is an amigurumi owl keychain. I have written the post for the owl, since that is what all the rounds describe. Second, the body sequence has several issues with stitch counts. Round 9 is missing entirely, the pattern jumps from round 8 to round 10 with no instruction for that row. Rounds 12 through 15 show a decrease followed by two increase rounds, but the totals are not carried through consistently, and rounds 15 to 18 declare 48 sc per round without any previous round arriving at that count from the decrease at round 12. I have written every round exactly as given. Work round 8 again in its place for round 9 if you need something to follow, and count carefully through the shaping section rather than trusting the stated totals blindly.

Materials And Tools

• 4-ply yarn in a main colour for the body
• Accent colours for the feet, beak, and ear tufts, mustard reads well for the beak
• White and black yarn if you are working embroidered eyes instead of safety eyes
• 3.0 mm crochet hook
• 10 mm safety eyes, 2
• Fiberfill stuffing
• Tapestry needle
• Scissors
• Optional fabric glue for the beak

Abbreviations

• MR: magic ring
• ch: chain
• sl st: slip stitch
• sc: single crochet
• hdc: half double crochet
• dc: double crochet
• tr: treble crochet
• dec: decrease

Pieces List

• Eye ruffle discs, make 2, small flat circles with a chain loop edge
• Body, make 1, worked in continuous rounds from a magic ring with bubble stitch texture
• Wings, make 2, small oval shapes closed flat
• Ear tufts, make 2, worked directly onto the head in rows
• Beak, make 1, a tiny flat shape from a magic ring
• Feet, make 2, short chain strips with toe loops

A Note On Safety Eyes In This Pattern

Safety eyes go in between rounds 16 and 17, seven stitches apart, and they must be inserted before the body is closed and stuffed. The eye ruffle discs made at the start are sewn around the safety eyes afterward to give the owl its wide-eyed look. If this owl is going to a child under three, skip the safety eyes and embroider two large white circles with black satin stitch pupils instead, placed in the same position. Attach the ruffle discs around the embroidered eyes in exactly the same way.

The Pattern

Eye Ruffle Discs — Make 2

• MR, ch 1, work 6 sc into the ring, pull to close [6]
• Round 1: Work 2 sc in every st around [12]
• Round 2: Into every st around, work ch 2 followed by sl st into the same st, repeated all the way around. Checkpoint: this round should ruffle outward like a small frill rather than lying flat. If it lies flat, the chain 2 loops are too tight and need to be worked more loosely.
• Ch 1, cut the yarn leaving a long tail for sewing

Body

• MR, ch 1, work 6 sc into the ring, pull to close [6]
• Round 1: Work 2 sc in every st around [12]
• Round 2: Work 1 sc, 2 sc in the next st, repeated around [18]
• Round 3: Work 1 sc in the next 2 sts, 2 sc in the next st, repeated around [24]
• Round 4: Work 1 sc in the next 3 sts, 2 sc in the next st, repeated around [30]. Checkpoint: by round 4 the base should sit like a flat disc with no cupping and no ruffling at the edges. Cupping means the increases are too tight; ruffling means too many.
• Round 5: Work 1 sc in every st around [30]
• Round 6: Work 7 sc. Bubble stitch: work 4 incomplete dc into the same st then pull through all loops together. Work 1 sc. Repeat the bubble stitch followed by 1 sc to make 3 bubble stitches total across the front. Work 17 sc to complete the round [30]. Checkpoint: the three bubbles should pop visibly outward from the front face of the body. If they sit flat, your tension on the dc loops is too even — leave them slightly looser before the closing pull.
• Round 7: Work 1 sc in every st around [30]
• Round 8: Work 6 sc. Work 5 bubble stitches each separated by 1 sc across the front. Work 14 sc to complete the round
• Round 9: Not written in the original pattern. The sequence continues at round 10.
• Round 10: Work 1 sc in every st around [30]
• Round 11: Work 6 sc. Work 5 bubble stitches each separated by 1 sc across the front. Work 14 sc to complete the round
• Round 12: Work 1 sc in the next 3 sts, dec, repeated around
• Round 13: Work 1 sc, 2 sc in the next st, repeated around
• Round 14: Work 1 sc in the next 2 sts, 2 sc in the next st, repeated around
• Rounds 15 to 18: Work 1 sc in every st around for 4 consecutive rounds [48 sc per round as stated — see Pattern Note on count]
• Round 19: Work 1 sc in the next 6 sts, dec, repeated around
• Round 20: Work 1 sc in the next 5 sts, dec, repeated around
• Round 21: Work 1 sc in the next 4 sts, dec, repeated around
• Round 22: Work 1 sc in the next 3 sts, dec, repeated around
• Eye insertion: Insert the 10 mm safety eyes between rounds 16 and 17, approximately 7 stitches apart. This must happen now, before closing.
• Round 23: Work 1 sc in the next 2 sts, dec, repeated around
• Stuffing: Fill the body firmly with fiberfill before closing
• Round 24: Work 1 sc, dec, repeated around
• Round 25: Dec in every st to close the opening [6 decreases]. Checkpoint: the opening should now be a small tight hole with no visible gap.
• Cut the yarn leaving a tail, thread it through the front loops of the remaining sts, pull tight to close completely, and weave in the end

Working in continuous rounds for the first time? No problem at all, the video tutorial below makes it easy to keep track!

Youtube

 

Wings — Make 2

• MR, ch 1, work 6 sc into the ring, pull tight [6]
• Round 1: Work 2 sc in the first st, 2 sc in the next st, 1 sc in the next 2 sts, 2 sc in the next st, 1 sc in the next 2 sts [8]. Checkpoint: the wing base should already be reading as slightly oval rather than round, wider on one side.
• Round 2: Work 1 sc, 2 sc in the next st, repeated 4 times [12]
• Round 3: Work 1 sc in every st around [12]
• Round 4: Work 1 sc, 2 sc in the next st, repeated 6 times [18]
• Round 5: Work 1 sc in the next 5 sts, 2 sc in the next st, repeated 3 times [21]
• Round 6: Work 1 sc in every st around [21]
• Round 7: Work 1 sc in the next 5 sts, dec, repeated around
• Round 8: Work 1 sc in every st around. Checkpoint: the wing should be a slightly flattened oval at this point, wider at the middle and narrower at each end, ready to close flat.
• Flatten the wing and work 8 sc across both layers to close the opening
• Ch 1, cut a long tail for sewing, and make a second matching wing

Ear Tufts

• Left ear: Attach yarn about 7 stitches apart near the top of the head. Work 7 sl st across.
• Turn with ch 1, then work 1 sc, 1 hdc, 1 hdc, 1 dc, 2 dc into the same st, 1 tr in the last st
• Ch 1 and fasten off
• Right ear: Attach yarn on the opposite side. Work 7 sl st across.
• Turn with ch 1, then work ch 4, tr, 2 dc together, 1 dc, 2 dc into the same st, 1 hdc, 1 hdc, 1 sc
• Fasten off and weave in the ends

Beak

• MR with mustard yarn, ch 2, 1 hdc, ch 2, sl st into the ring
• Fasten off and sew or glue to the centre of the face

Feet — Make 2

• Make a sl knot, ch 4
• Skip the first ch, work 3 sc back along the chain
• Toe loops: into each st along the edge, work ch 2 followed by sl st into the same st, repeated across
• Dec the foundation chain side, ch 1, fasten off
• Attach both feet to the bottom of the body

Assembly

Work in this order. Sew the eye ruffle discs around the safety eyes first, since they are the most fiddly and it is easier while the body is still firm and new. Pin them rather than guessing — even one stitch off-centre shows on a face this small. Attach the wings to the sides of the body roughly at the level of the bubble stitch rows, one on each side with the wider end of the oval pointing downward. The ear tufts are worked directly onto the head, so they go on before anything else if you forgot them — slide them in before the wings. Add the beak centred between the eyes, and sew or glue the feet to the underside of the body so the owl can perch on a flat surface.

Stuffing Guide

Stuff the body firmly and evenly. This is a small round piece and under-stuffing shows immediately as flat sides and a body that does not hold its round shape under the weight of the attached pieces. Pack the fiberfill in small amounts rather than one large handful so it fills the curved base properly. Avoid stuffing right up to the closing round before you have finished the decreases, or the fiber gets caught on your hook. The wings are closed flat with no stuffing, and all other pieces — the ruffle discs, beak, and feet — are unstuffed.

Troubleshooting

• The bubble stitches sit flat instead of popping out. Work the four incomplete dc loops more loosely before the closing pull. The closing tightens them and if the loops started firm they go flat.
• The eye ruffle discs cup rather than lying flat. The chain 2 loops of round 2 are too tight. Rework them with a slightly looser tension, or try going up half a hook size just for that round.
• The body is lopsided after round 4. The increases in rounds 2 to 4 are not spaced evenly. Count in multiples before each round and place markers at the increase stitches.
• The wing is wider than it is long and looks more like a fin. The increases in rounds 4 and 5 are too aggressive relative to the starting oval. Check your starting round 1 — the asymmetric increase pattern there is what sets the oval shape, and if round 1 ended up round instead, the whole wing tracks wrong.
• The ear tufts are uneven in height. The left and right ear instructions are mirror images of each other, not copies. The left starts with the shorter stitches and builds to the treble; the right starts with the treble and decreases back. If both ears slope the same direction, one of them used the wrong version.
• The safety eyes are not sitting level after closing. This is the one you cannot fix. Take your time placing them with the piece still open, step back and check them from a normal viewing distance rather than up close, and seat the washers fully before moving on.
• The stitch counts in the shaping section do not add up round by round. See the Pattern Note. Count your actual stitches rather than the written totals through rounds 12 to 18 and work to the shape rather than the numbers.

Yarn Substitution And Size Scaling

This pattern uses 4-ply with a 3.0 mm hook, which gives a tight, firm fabric and a finished owl somewhere around 10 to 12 cm tall, approximate. Cotton gives sharper stitch definition on the bubble stitches than acrylic, which is worth the stiffer feel at this size. For a smaller keychain owl, drop to lace weight with a 2.0 mm hook and expect something around 6 cm. For a larger version, worsted with a 3.5 mm hook works well but soft acrylic may need a smaller hook than the label suggests to keep the fabric dense enough to hide the stuffing.

FAQ

• Do I need to make the ruffle discs if I am not using safety eyes? No. If you are embroidering the eyes, embroider them directly onto the face and skip the discs, or make the discs and position them around the embroidered eyes just the same. The discs are a decorative layer, not structural.
• How do I attach the keychain ring? The pattern does not include a keychain attachment. A simple chain of 10 stitches closed into a loop and sewn to the top of the head works well, or you can use a jump ring threaded through the closing stitch at the top of the body.
• Can I make it without the bubble stitches? Yes, and the pattern works fine if you just work those rounds in plain single crochet. The bubble stitch rounds are rounds 6, 8, and 11. Replace each with a round of 30 sc and the shaping stays exactly the same.
• The pattern has a missing round 9. What do I work there? The original skips from round 8 to round 10 without explanation. Work another round of plain sc at 30 stitches in that gap — round 10 is a plain round anyway, so doubling it changes nothing about the shape.
• My owl does not sit upright after assembly. The feet need to be positioned further forward than feels natural, closer to the front than the underside, so the body weight tips backward slightly onto them. Adjust before the yarn tails are fully woven in, since moving them after that means resewing.