Birds of a Feather

In a quest to find the perfect knitted stuffed animal pattern to make for a friend's newborn baby, I settled on the owl, the most endearing design of the litter. Yet, I soon discovered the animal is so much more! The owl was Athena's emblem, Greek goddess of wisdom, war, and the liberal arts (pretty much the coolest gal ever) and that symbolism has carried all the way to today where we still like to get just a little bit closer to nature. While some cultures considered them to be evil omens, the modern depiction is anything but - plus, have you seen baby owls?! Dignified and instantly recognizable, owls are popping up across the design spectrum. It can be hard to get right however. I find the necklace trend of late to be too kitschy. I prefer a less obvious, more graphic design, something that has been done so successfully in home decor. How gladly I would paper my walls in those motifs! Below is also my knitted owl which turned out just dandy. I followed the pattern kindly provided here but chose to use felt for the eyes for a cleaner look. With luck she'll bring the baby a lifetime of wit and wisdom!

 

PS: An honorable mention goes to owls in architecture - Amsterdam's Art Nouveau style owl facade (as if I needed another reason to talk about Art Nouveau!) and the Rotulos Roura Company building in Barcelona.

1) calendar, wall paper
2)wind chime 
3) wall paper, lamp
4) ceramic, wall paper
5) building, tower