Owl Doorstop in Rowan Pure Wool DK - Downloadable PDF

Owl Doorstop Knitting Pattern by Sara Thornett – Rowan Pure Wool DK

This delightful Owl Doorstop pattern by designer Sara Thornett, published by Rowan, is a charming and functional knitted project that creates a decorative owl-shaped doorstop. Available as a free downloadable PDF, this intermediate-level knitting pattern combines colourwork striping with simple shaping to produce a three-dimensional stuffed owl figure sturdy enough to hold a door in place. The finished piece is weighted with heavy pebbles and sand, making it a practical home accessory as well as a creative knitting project.

What Is Being Made

The pattern produces a freestanding owl doorstop, knitted in the round and in flat panels using a cheerful striped colourwork sequence. The owl is constructed with a back and corresponding front or body sections that are seamed together and stuffed with washable toy filling, then weighted internally. A piece of fabric measuring approximately 22 cm by 45 cm is incorporated into the construction, likely as a base lining to contain the heavy pebbles and sand that give the doorstop its functional weight.

Yarn and Materials

The pattern calls for two Rowan yarn ranges used together across four colours:

• Rowan Pure Wool DK – used in three colourways:
  • Yarn A: Pure Wool DK in Anthracite 003 – 1 x 50g ball
  • Yarn B: Pure Wool DK in Clay 048 – 1 x 50g ball
  • Yarn C: Pure Wool DK in Snow 012 – 1 x 50g ball
• Rowan Baby Merino Silk DK – used in one colourway:
  • Yarn D: Baby Merino Silk DK in Cantaloupe 686 – 1 x 50g ball

The combination of Pure Wool DK and Baby Merino Silk DK brings together a robust, washable wool base with a softer, slightly lustrous yarn, adding subtle textural contrast to the finished owl. The use of four distinct colours — a deep charcoal, a warm clay tone, a crisp white, and a soft orange — creates the owl's characteristic plumage and facial markings.

Needles and Hook

• 1 pair of 3¾mm (no 9) (US 5) knitting needles for the main knitted sections
• 3.50mm (no 9) (US E4) crochet hook – used for finishing details or edging elements of the owl design

Tension

The stated tension is 24 stitches and 32 rows to 10 cm, measured over stocking stitch (plain or striped) using 3¾mm needles. Achieving the correct tension is important for this project to ensure the doorstop pieces seam together neatly and the finished owl reaches the intended size and proportions.

Techniques and Construction

The owl doorstop is worked in flat knitting using a combination of shaping and a structured stripe sequence. Key techniques include:

• Stocking stitch (stockinette stitch) – the primary stitch used throughout the knitted panels, worked by alternating knit and purl rows
• Stripe colourwork – a repeating 8-row stripe sequence worked across the body using yarns A, B, and C in a set order, creating the owl's distinctive banded feather effect
• Increasing and decreasing – shaping is worked by increasing one stitch at each end of specified rows to create the rounded body form, then decreasing to taper the shape; for example, on the back panel, stitches are increased from a cast-on of 49 stitches to 55 stitches over a series of 6th and 8th rows