You all know that the owl sweater means something to me, and now I know that it means something to you too. Over the past few day, via email, blog comment, or on Instagram, you’ve shared your owl-y stories. I received more than 700 responses across the different platforms and it has been inspiring, moving,…
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In November it will be ten years since I knitted my owl sweater. A lot can happen in a decade, and that’s particularly so for me. In November 2008 I was an academic lecturer at Newcastle University, researching and teaching literary history. Knitting was one of several hobbies I enjoyed, and I’d begun documenting my…
Read MoreHooray! Hooray! Wowligan is here today! Apparently owl cardigans are much easier to dress a wee one in than owl jumpers and I’ve been asked about the possibility of such a pattern many times. . . one can never have too many owls, so I decided to make it. The Wowligan is basically a mini…
Read MoreI’m pleased to say that after several hundred complaints and a few days of negotiation, an agreement has been reached between myself and Debenhams. Though Debenhams do not consider that they have any legal liability in the matter, after discussion with me, they were willing to donate £5,000 to Chest, Heart, and Stroke Scotland. As…
Read Morenew, purple o w l s . . . This was my first design, and it was in need of a little freshening up. The pattern now looks more professional and includes a few changes, the main one being the addition of extra sizes (the range now runs from a 30″to a 50″bust). And there…
Read Morethe owlet pattern is now available on the designs page and through ravelry. Included in the download are two separate patterns for the baby and kid owlet, covering 10 sizes from 6 months to 12 years. I’ve written the baby pattern in an aran weight, and the kids pattern in chunky weight yarn. When test…
Read MoreDoris is one year old tomorrow. She has really made my day. Thankyou, Doris, for providing these lovely, sunny pictures which will illustrate the imminent owlet pattern. And hearty thanks, too, to Abi and Alby who were kind enough to pop out and meet me this lunchtime. These photographs were taken in the small pavilion…
Read MoreThe model I was going to use is now unavailable, and all the other bairns I know at the moment are very young. Are you, or do you know, a kid of 12-14 months that would like to try on this golden owlet? Are you in Edinburgh? If so, please stop me from approaching random…
Read MoreWell, you know Spring is here when the clocks go forward. And last night, my subconscious decided to mark the occasion with a series of strange dreams. In the most disturbing one, peculiar birds pecked holes in my knitting. Pecking beaks! Ruined knitting! Horrors! Then one particularly evil birdie flew off with this: I’ve been…
Read MoreYes, its time to announce the parliamentary victors, and give away some owlish prizes! There are 57 owls in the parliament. I excluded myself and my knitting comrades (Hannah, Kate B and Melanie) from the fun; put the remaining 53 names in a ‘hat’, and selected one at random. Congratulations, Elizabeth! You are officially the…
Read MoreI promise this will be the last owl-related post . . at least for a while . . . but I just had to show you this version of the sweater, made and worn with great style and aplomb by my friend Kate B, who, along with Hannah, was one of the pattern’s original test…
Read MoreHannah just sent me some great pictures of her o w l s enjoying themselves stateside. Here they are cavorting by the banks of the Mississippi . . . . . .and getting into the spirit of things in Memphis, Tennessee. o w l s have also been seen this week in New Zealand and…
Read MoreYes, the o w l s pattern is ready. You can now download it as a PDF under ‘designs’ (see tabs at top of page). Later today I hope to be able to contact all of you who requested the pattern by email. I’ve encountered several wrongly-typed or rejected addresses on the list, so if…
Read MoreIt is curious what mist can do to one’s sense of place. A little cloud descends, and familiar hills one has climbed many times before are transformed into strange, alien moonscapes. The whole narrative of the landscape suddenly becomes lost in its details. Having missed our Highland walking with Felix because of seasonal colds (bah!…
Read MoreThanks for your well wishes, everyone, which I really have found most cheering. I am starting to feel better (O, the wonder of evil antibiotics) and my OWLS are almost making up for the disappointment of missing Harrogate. Here they come! (note: I do actually have a head. But it looks pretty rotten right now.)…
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KDD & Co 