With their wise round eyes and the know-all look, the owls are a gem of a subject to be crafted. So when it was decided to make a bunch of key-rings with critters/fruits as a gift idea, I looked up and searched, but did not get a suitable owl to hang on to a key-ring, so I decided to create one of my own. And so came the Hootie-rings.

It should be good as a quick small gift idea.

Let me admit and acknowledge that  I was highly impressed and influenced by Owlets
By Brigitte Read.

http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/owlets

Materials
-Some length of DK acrylic yarn from your stash
(I was about to add, in suitable owl-colours!! Then just stopped myself. Look at my colourful Hooties! What stops us from making them colourful!! I know the green owls are the most handsome ones, the orange ones most intelligent, we have a great dancer in the blue one, and of course the pink one is a beauty……and so on! You may ask,” how do you know?” I know!! Because, I made them)
-So go as colourful as you want in selecting from your stash, but just keep some serious colour handy for the top, as all owls are very serious thinkers! I chose brown.
-Some length of white DK acrylic yarn
-Small length of laceweight acrylic in white/ white sewing thread.
-2.5 mm crochet hook. To get a tight and pore-less fabric, so that the innards do not show.
- Fibrefill small quantity, to stuff it tight, to make them look healthy and well-fed.
- Two black beads of appropriate size. (You can use safety eyes too).
-Darning needle
- Stitch marker/safety pin.
- A key ring
- A jump ring to attach the Hootie with the keyring.

Stitches/ Abbreviations used (US terms)

Ch – Chain

SC – Single crochet

Sl St – Slip Stitch

St/Sts – Stitch/Stitches

FO – Fasten Off

Pattern

Body
You will be working in continuous circles without joining at the end of the round. Please mark your first st of each round from Round 2 onwards with a St. Marker/ safety pin.

With your chosen colour of DK weight yarn and 2.5 mm crochet hook,

Rnd 1 – Make 6 SCs in a magic ring. Tighten the loop.

Rnd 2 – 2 SC in each st around (12 sts)

Rnd 3 – *SC 1, 2 SC in next st* rep 6 times (18 sts)

Rnd 4 – *SC 2, 2 SC in next st* rep 6 times (24 sts)

Rnd 5 and 6 – SC in each st (24 sts)

On the last SC of Rnd 6 when two loops are still on the hook, join in the brown/sober/serious colour. Cut off the brighter colour yarn keeping a 2” tail and tie a knot at the back with the brown yarn. The knot will ensure that ends do not slip out and it can not be seen once the body is stuffed with fibrefill.
For changing colour in crochet the following tutorials may be helpful.

http://www.crochetspot.com/how-to-change-colors-in-crochet/

Rnds 7 to 8 – SC in each st with brown. ( 24 sts)

Rnd 9 – SC in first 6 stitches, ch 7, SC in rest of the 18 stitches. ( the Ch 7 will become the ring, which will be attached to the key-ring).

FO keeping a long tail for sewing.

With white DK acrylic yarn and 2.5 mm crochet hook.

Eyes (make 2)

Rnd 1 – Make 7 SCs in a magic ring. Tighten the loop. Sl st into the first SC. FO with a short tail.

Weave in the ends with the help of darning needle, so that you get two flat disc-lets.

Flatten the body with your fingers in a way so that you have the yarn tail left for joining, at right top corner.

Place one of the eye discs covering the 2nd to 4th sitcht from right, in a way that the central line of the disc gets aligned with the line of change of colour in the body. Basically the eye is to be placed half on the coloured part and half on the brown part of the body.
With the darning needle and the white lace-weight/sewing thread, fix/position the disc to the body with a small stitch. Attach the black bead at the centre of the white disc. Now fix the edge of the disc to the body with small invisible stitches around.
Repeat the same with the left eye, placing the disc covering the 2nd to 4th sitcht from the left.

Fill the body with fibrefill tightly. Start joining the top with the long tail left for the purpose. Stitch the corner in a triangle a couple of times using small running sts to create the right ear. Join across the top of the head ensuring the 7 Ch ring remains outside. At the end repeat the process as done for the right ear to create the left ear.

Look at the Hootie giving you the wise look!!
Attach Hootie with a jump ring to the key-ring through the 7 ch loop.
He’s going to ensure you keys are safe!!!

In case some error is noticed or any part of the pattern is not clear or difficult to understand, please let me know.

This pattern is free for non-profitable/personal use and gifting purposes only. And not for commercial use. Please do give credit for this pattern, whenever you use it – linking it  to my post and/or blog.

Spike Stitch looks lovely and there are a number of lovely patterns using the stitch.

The shape of my bag is not unique and there are tons of lovely bags in this shape.

I just put the two together and created my own projects bag.

This bag is basically a concept or a recipe and you can customise the yarn, the size, the colours as per your wish and make the spikes strike in your own way.

The top edging of the bag is tubular to make the top sturdier.

Materials

You can use any DK/WW yarn.

And to strengthen the bottom, crochet thread in cotton has been used along with the yarn.

I used unbranded acrylic yarn in DK weight in seven colours viz. red, pink, light green, leaf green, light yellow, light blue, dark blue.

However here I’ll describe the colours as B, G Y, R, P for ease of understanding.

And Anchor knitting cotton thread in red, which is light fingering (#3 or #5 in thread thickness).

You can use any leftover yarn from your stash and make it more colourful.

The finished bag weighs exactly 150 gms.

Finished Size

13” X 13”

The straps are 14” long. This again can be as per your requirement.

Hook

I wanted the base to be firm and strong, so used a 4 mm hook.

For the body a 4.5 mm hook was used.

Again the hooks will be as per your choice of yarn.

Two st markers in two different colours.

Spike stitch is sc done in the rows below.

It has been explained beautifully in the following link.

Pattern

Base

It is done in the round, not joining with the first sc of the previous round. The end sts at both ends will be marked with st markers, which moves up the rounds as you crochet on, marking the end sts for you.

Taking the red yarn and red thread together with 4 mm hook

Ch 31

Round 1

-Sc in the second ch from the hook, sc in every ch till end. (30 sc). Mark the last sc with st marker A.

-Do not turn.

Move to the other side of the initial ch string and sc in each of the ch. (60sc). Mark the last sc with st marker B.

Remove St marker A, sc in the sc, place marker, 2 sc in next st, sc in all sc till the st before st marker B. 2 sc in sc before st marker B, remove marker, sc in sc, place marker. 2 sc in next sc. Sc in all sc till the st before st marker A, 2 sc in the sc.

Basically you are doing 2 scs in the scs on both sides of the st markers and sc in the rest of the stitches.

Repeat Round 2 till you have 114 scs.

Last Round – Remove St marker A, 2 sc in the marked sc, 2 sc in next sc, sc in each st till one st before st marker B, 2 sc in the st before the marked st, 2 sc in the marked st, 2 sc in next st, sc in all sc till the st before st marker A. 2 sc in last sc. (120 sc)

In the last round, in addition to doing the 2 scs as in previous rounds in sts on either side of the st markers, you have made 2 sc in the marked sts as well.

The idea is to get the final number of sts divisible by 6. So if you want to make the base bigger or smaller, go ahead, it will work fine as long as the sts at the end of the base rounds is divisible by 6.

Body

Body is also crocheted in the round, without joining at the end of the round, but first st in the beginning of the round is needed to be marked with a st marker, moving it up with each round.

Change to 5 mm hook.

Attach colour B (next colour of your choice).

Round 1 to Round 6 – With B sc into each sc.

Change to B (next colour of your choice).

Round 7 – *sc in the first sc. Spike st 2 into next sc, Spike st 3 into next sc, Spike st 4 into next sc, Spike st 5 into next sc, Spike st 6 into next sc* repeat * to * 19 times more.

Round 8 to Round 12 – sc into each sc.

Rounds 7 to 12 done with Y, form the basic pattern for the body.

Change to the colours in sequence of your choice after every 6 rounds and continue in pattern till the bag is one inch short of desired length.

Attach the last colour of your choice and do the Spike st round followed but 3 rounds of sc.

Top tubular edge

Round 5 – sc into back loop only in every sc .

Round 6 – sc with the front loop of previous row and front loop of the present row.

Round 7 – Remove st marker. sc with back loop of present row and back loop of the previous row.

These three rows will give a tubular edging to the top edge of the bag making it stronger.

Straps

Make a ch string of the desired length of the strap.

I did 131 chs with R.

Row 1 – Sc into second ch from the hook. Sc in each ch till end. Fasten off.

Row 2 – Attach next colour at the beginning of the strap, sc into each till end. Fasten off.

Keep adding new colours in the sequence you prefer and repeat Row 2. till you get the desired width of the strap. I did seven rows.

Make another identical strap.

Mark the places on the bag where you want to attach the straps. Join the straps at the marked places with whip stitch, ensuring that the stitches do not show on the outside.

You may line the bag if you wish.

And your Spikes Strike is ready to be filled with yarn and notions and ready to be used.

In case some error is noticed or any part of the pattern is not clear or difficult to understand, please let me know.

This pattern is free for non-profitable/personal use and gifting purposes only. And not for commercial use. Please do give credit for this pattern - link to my post and/or blog.