Materials for brooch:

• 1 small safety pin
• 4 x 24 in Twilleys super No 3 cotton (brown)
• 2 x 36 in Twilleys super No 3 cotton (yellow)
• 2 small beads
• small twig for perch

Directions:

1. Secure pin to hem of dress or knee of trousers.
2. Using lark's head knot secure middle of threads to the pin, the two yellow to the outsides (as in figs 1 and 2).
3. Place the first thread on the right over the others (fig 3) and starting with the new outside thread work two half hitches (figs 4 and 5). Repeat with next four threads. (This is called cording.) Take care to keep the yellow thread tight and at the angle you want the Owl's eyebrows. Work the second yellow thread on the right into the middle in the same way. No yellow should show through the brown.
4. Take the first yellow thread on the left over the others, and starting at the outside cord into the centre using the half hitch (fig 6). Repeat with the second yellow thread so that you have the four yellow threads in the middle, ready for the beak.
5. Work five flat knots with yellow threads A and D (figs 7 and 8) keeping B and C threads tight.
6. Pull the work slightly apart above the flat knots and slip the centre two yellow threads B and C through from the front and pull down at the back to form the beak. Work a flat knot under the beak with A and D.
7. Thread the beads onto the second brown thread on each side of the beak.
8. Work the body by taking the right centre yellow thread out to the right and cording the five right threads over it.
9. Take the second right yellow thread out to the side cording the four brown over it, finishing with the yellow thread that went first. Now take the first brown out and cord the others over it (three brown and two yellow). Continue till five rows of cording have been worked on either side of the beak.
10. With the two outside threads on the left and the two outside threads on the right, tie a flat knot round all the other threads.
11. Place the twig on the flag knot and tie two half hitches with each pair of yellow threads round the twig and arrange as feet.
12. Using a long end, tie three or four half hitches round the rest of the threads to secure.
13. Cut the tail to the desired length.

Different thicknesses of thread, string and wool can be used to give different sizes of Owls. To make an owl pendant cut two 2x36 in lengths of thread and tie lark's head knots to the centre. Secure to a chair etc. and continue as above to 13. Using alternative threads neatly tie half hitches on either side of the Owl, and join the four ends with a reef knot.

See More Owls.
See Why Knot?
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