Hedwig the Owl Crochet Earflap Hat

Miss Lexi recently celebrated her ninth birthday, so I wanted to make her a present to celebrate her special day. 

This year, I crocheted a Hedwig the Owl earflap hat, and I couldn’t be happier with how it turned out. Lexi's a fan of the Harry Potter book series, so I immediately knew that this was the project to make!

I used the Snowy Owl Crochet Hat free pattern in the size 6-10 years.

Modifications to the Pattern

For the most part, I completed this pattern exactly as described with only minor modifications:

• I did an extra round of SC in gray on each eye to make them extra big. 
• I did not include the extra "fluff" between the eyes.
• I did not use a wire brush to fluff the ends of the braided tails or ears. 
• I trimmed the ears to approximately 2 1/2" so that they were a little longer than the 1" ears described in the pattern.

Overall this is just a really fun pattern that I think any Harry Potter fan would be happy to have it. Whoooo wouldn't love to have a Hedwig the Owl hat? (See what I did there?)

Add this pattern to your Ravelry queue here: Snowy Owl Crochet Hat

If you have a kiddo that you'd like to make a fun project for, check out these other crochet patterns:

• Colorful Owl Child's Tote Bag
• Lacy Child's Top
• Strawberry Tote Bag
• Captain America Hat

Rainbow Couscous Salad

It's picnic and BBQ season! And that means you might be on the lookout for some new side dishes to bring along with you to your next event. This one is a real winner. Because couscous is the main pasta featured, it cooks in 5 minutes and you can't beat that! And this recipe makes a big batch (so plenty to share AND plenty to eat yourself).

Rainbow Couscous Salad

3 cups cooked couscous

1 medium zucchini, halved lengthwise and sliced

1 15-oz. can corn, drained and rinsed

1/2 cup plus 2 Tbsp. olive oil, divided

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 cup lemon juice

3 cloves garlic, minced

3 cups baby spinach, chopped

1 15-oz. can chickpeas, drained and rinsed

1 cup grape tomatoes, halved

1/3 cup thinly sliced red onion

6 oz. crumbled feta cheese (optional)

1. Cook couscous according to package directions. Set aside to cool.
2. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a large baking pan, combine the zucchini, corn, and 2 Tbsp. of olive oil. Sprinkle with salt to taste. Roast for 10 minutes, until just tender. Let cool.
3. Meanwhile, make the dressing by whisking together 1/2 cup olive oil, 1/2 cup lemon juice, 3 cloves garlic, and 1/2 tsp salt.
4. In a very large bowl, combine spinach, couscous, chickpeas, tomatoes, red onion, and zucchini mixture. Toss to combine. 
5. Add dressing to desired amount and mix. Refrigerate at least 2 hours before serving.
6. If adding feta cheese, either add and mix in just before serving or serve separately as a topping for each person to add to their serving.

Notes:

If you want 3 cups of cooked couscous, you'll need to start with about 1/2 cup uncooked.

I usually reserve about 1/4 cup of dressing to add the next day if the couscous has absorbed a lot of dressing after being refrigerated - or if you just want more dressing on your salad.

As a side dish, this recipe serves 12.

Make sure to check out these other favorite Harris Sisters side dishes for your next summer cookout:

• Southwest Pasta Salad
• Broccoli Quinoa Salad with Honey Lemon Dressing
• Easy Southern Cole Slaw
• Simple Greek Pasta Salad