My cyber-pal, Stella, and I have a bit of an owl thing going.  It is a total mystery to me how collections of things take on a life of their own.  It all starts with someone expressing a liking for a specific animal, bird, flower, etc., and it quickly escalates into an accumulation of things related to that theme.   In my Mother’s case, it was owls.  She had the misfortune to tell somebody that she liked owls and, before she knew it, she was inundated with owl-themed gifts: aprons, tea towels, bibelots, etc.  So, I inherited a fair collection of owls to begin with.  Then Stella and I became friends through Knitter’s Review and Ravelry and discovered that, among other things we had both a liking for, and a collection of, owls of various descriptions in common.

When Kate Davies set up a friendly competition for those wishing to knit her ‘Owls‘ pullover,  Stella and I decided to collaborate on transforming the pattern into a steeked cardigan.  It was fabulous fun!  We discussed every detail of the construction and tried a few new tricks as well.  The finished cardigans are quite different, but it was a collaboration all the same.  (One in which I relied heavily on Stella’s expertise in fashion design)  You can see them raveled here and here.

It did not end there.  Every chance we get, we acquire little owl-themed note cards and trinkets to send each other.  Stella has a real knack for finding really cool ones!  So, it was not really unexpected when I decided that she needed an owl stocking stuffer this year.

Alas, I did not make note of  a name when I downloaded this little tatting pattern from eTatters(?).  So if it belongs to you, give me a shout in the comments, so I can credit the source.  The thread is Olympus 40, color  455.

There is another 3-D snowflake in the works. Expect to see it in a couple of days.

ETA: Little Owl Earrings