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Bubo

by Corinne Fourcade

» photos: Brandy Fortune

When I designed Bubo, I really wanted a cuddly, friendly and funny looking owl, rather than a realistic one. For me, the most striking features of an owl are its eyes, so I focused on big, googly eyes and just added some shaping to suggest the animal. Children can use their imagination to "fill the gaps".

Bubo has a dual personality; Bubo the Great, a big pillow ideal to cuddle with, and Bubo the Small, perfect for playtime.

Size

Bubo the Small [Bubo the Great]

Finished Measurements

Bubo the Small: 8½ inches h x 6½ inches w
Bubo the Great: 16¾ inches h x 11 inches w

Materials

Spud & Chloë™ Sweater [55% wool, 45% organic cotton; 160 yards/146 meters per 3.5 ounce/100 gram skein];

#7516 Grape Jelly; 4 [200] yards or 1 [2] skeins
#7500 Ice Cream; 12 [26] yards or 1 [1] skein
#7515 Cider; 68 [8] yards or 1 [1] skein
#7505 Firefly; 0 [10] yards or 0 [1] skein
#7511 Chipmunk; 4 [0] yards or 1 [0] skein

Recommended needle sizes

US #8/5 mm circular needle, 30 inches (80 cm) or longer for magic loop or size needed for gauge
US #8/5 mm dpns (optional) for Bubo the Small (set of 5)

Notions

Stitch markers
Yarn needle
2 buttons (optional)
Toy stuffing

Gauge

18 sts and 26 rows = 4 inches 10 cm in St st

Pattern Notes

Bubo's body is knit in the round, from one side to the other. The pattern calls for Turkish cast on or toe-up magic cast on. As an alternative, you could use a provisional cast on and Kitchener stitch to close or, if all fails, you can always use a standard cast on and sew it shut. I use magic loop with one circular needle but you can use two circular needles if that is your method of choice. Also, when knitting Bubo the Great, you will be able to switch to a shorter circular needle and knit in the round (without loop) after a little while if you wish.
Start by knitting the eyes and the beak, so that you can sew them on the body once it is finished and be ready for stuffing and grafting.
If the toy is meant for a child under 3 ages of age, be sure to knit the eye centers instead of using buttons as they would be a choking hazard.

Color-coding
Bubo the Small: Color A - Ice Cream, Color B - Grape Jelly, Color C - Cider, Color D - Chipmunk
Bubo the Great: Color A - Ice Cream, Color B - Cider, Color C - Grape Jelly, Color D - Firefly

Skills Required

Knitting in the rnd, Kitchener stitch, Turkish cast on or toe-up magic cast on (optional).

INSTRUCTIONS

Eyes (Make 2)

Using Color A and Turkish cast on or toe-up magic cast on, cast on 8 sts.
Rnd 1: Pm, Knit around.
Rnd 2: Kfb around: 16 sts.
Rnds 3-5: Knit around.
Rnd 6: Kfb around: 32 sts.

Bubo the Small

Rnds 7 and 8: Knit around.
Bind off all sts loosely.

Bubo the Great

Rnds 7-9: Knit around.
Rnd 10: Kfb across (64 sts)
Rnds 11 and 12: Knit around.
Bind off all sts loosely.

If Bubo is to be given to a child under 3 years of age you should not use buttons for the center of the eyes for safety reasons.

Instead, use a dark color and knit 2 centers as follows:

Using Turkish cast on or toe-up magic cast on, cast on 8 sts.
Rnd 1: Pm, Knit around.
Rnd 2: Kfb around: 16 sts.
Rnds 3-5: Knit around.

Bubo the Small

Bind off all sts loosely.

Bubo the Great

Rnd 6: Kfb around: 32 sts.
Rnds 7-9: Knit around.
Bind off all sts loosely.

Sew 1 button or 1 eye center onto each eye.

Beak

With Color B, cast on 8 [15] sts.
Row 1: Purl across.
Row 2: K1, ssk, k2[9], k2tog, k1: 6 [13] sts.
Row 3: Purl across.
Row 4: Knit across.
Row 5: Purl across.
Row 6: K1, ssk, k0[7], k2tog, k1: 4 [11] sts.
Row 7: Purl across.

Bubo the Small

Row 8: SSK, k2tog: 2 sts.
Row 9: Purl across.
Row 10: K2tog, cut yarn leaving a tail long enough to sew the beak onto the body and pull through loop.

Bubo the Great

Row 8: Knit across.
Row 9: Purl across.
Row 10: K1, ssk, k5, k2tog, k1: 9 sts.
Row 11: Purl across.
Row 12: Knit across.
Row 13: Purl across.
Row 14: K1, ssk, k3, k2tog, k1: 7 sts.
Row 15: Purl across.
Row 16: Knit across.
Row 17: Purl across.
Row 18: K1, ssk, k1, k2tog, k1: 5 sts.
Row 19: Purl across.
Row 20: SSK, k1, k2tog: 3 sts.
Row 21: P3tog, cut yarn, leaving a tail long enough to sew the beak onto the body and pull through loop.

Body

With Color C, cast on 76 [150] sts using Turkish cast on or toe-up magic cast on, pm and knit 1 round. Make sure you have 38 [75] sts on each needle (for magic loop with circular needle) or 19 sts on each dpn (Bubo the Small only).

Decreases

Rnd 1: K1, k2tog, knit to last 4 sts of first needle (or second dpn), k3tog, k2, k3tog, knit to last 3 sts of rnd, k2tog, k1: 70 [144] sts.
Rnd 2: Knit around.
Rnd 3: Knit to last 4 sts of first needle (or second dpn), k3tog, k2, k3tog, knit to end of rnd: 66 [140] sts.
Rnd 4: Knit around.
Rnds 5-8 [12]: Repeat Rnds 1-4, 1 [2] times: 56 [120] sts.
Rnd 9 [13]: K1, k2tog, knit to last 3 sts of first needle (or second dpn), k2tog, k2, k2tog, knit to last 3 sts of rnd, k2tog, k1: 52 [116] sts.
Rnd 10 [14]: Knit around.
Rnd 11 [15]: Knit to last 3 sts of first needle (or second dpn), k2tog, k2, k2tog, knit to end: 50 [114] sts.
Rnd 12 [16]: Knit around.
Repeat Rnds 9-12 [13-16], 1 [3] times.

Bubo the Small only: Repeat Rnds 9-10 once more.

You should now have 40 [96] sts.

Knit 2 [8] rnds.

Bubo Eye Detail

Increases

Bubo the Small only

Rnd 1: K1, M1, knit to last st of first needle (or second dpn), M1, k2, M1, knit to last st of rnd, M1, k1: 44 sts.
Rnd 2: Knit around.

Both versions

Rnd 3 [1]: Knit to last st of first needle (or second dpn), M1, k2, M1, knit to end of rnd: 46 [98] sts.
Rnd 4 [2]: Knit around.
Rnd 5 [3]: K1, M1, knit to last st of first needle (or second dpn), M1, k2, M1, knit to last st of rnd, M1, k1: 50 [102] sts.
Rnd 6 [4]: Knit around.
Rnds 7-10 [5-16]: Repeat Rnds 3-6 [1-4], 1 [3] times: 56 [120] sts.
Rnd 11 [17]: Knit to last st of first needle (or second dpn), M1, kfb twice, M1, knit to end of rnd: 60 [124] sts.
Rnd 12 [18]: Knit around.
Rnd 13 [19]: K1, M1, knit to last st of first needle (or second dpn), M1, kfb twice, M1, knit to last st of rnd, M1, k1: 66 [130] sts.
Rnd 14 [20]: Knit across
Rnds 15-18 [21-28]: Repeat Rnds 11-14 [17-20], 1 [2] times: 76 [150] sts.
Rnd 19 [29]: K 38 [75] (that's one side).

You are done knitting the body. Cut the yarn, leaving a tail about ½ yard [1½ yard] long to graft later.

Bubo Eye Detail

FINISHING

First, sew the eyes and the beak onto the body. Using the photo as a guide for placement. Start by sewing the eyes using a single [double] thread of color D. Use a cross-stitch apparent on the outside for a nice contrast, as pictured here.

Bubo Eye Detail

When you have sewn the eyes, sew the beak using the tail. It should be centered between the eyes but I like to set it at a jaunty angle to give it a fun character.

You are now ready to close the body. This is done using the Kitchener stitch. Make sure you stuff the body as you go along, as it will be easier than waiting until you are almost done and will allow you to place it more evenly.

Corinne's passion for yarn started around age 8 when she started to knit. Today, she especially loves to design with sock yarn. Although French, she lives in Germany with her English partner and their two boys, where she can fully put her second passion, languages, to the test. Her patterns can be found on Ravelry on the Corinne's Knits designer page or on her blog.