Crochet Catnip Mouse

I haven't posted in a while, I've been very busy with other things including making catnip mice for the Cats Protection charity.  They want mice to give to rescue kitties, helping to comfort them and to take to new homes so they have something familiar.  They also want blankets 3' by 3', which I'm working on.    Lauren O’Farrell (www.whodunnknit.com) provided the inspiration with her Captain Cat-Battler knitting pattern (copyright Lauren O’Farrell) which can be found on the Cats Protection charity website at www.cats.org.uk;  as I prefer crochet I worked up this version of my own.


REQUIRES
Yarn -  about 10 - 20 g DK for the body depending whether you are making a single colour or striped; small amount of contrast for ears, nose and tail.  Small amount of black if you wish to embroider the eye and patch
Hook / Needles - 3.5 mm
Sundries - toy stuffing, catnip, black fabric paint (optional)

INSTRUCTIONS (Given in UK notation)

BODY
Make a magic ring and work 6dc into it.  Do not join rounds.  Round 1; increase in every stitch.  12 stitches.  Round 2; (dc 1, inc 1) to end.  18 stitches.  Rd 3; (dc 2, inc 1) to end.  24 stitches.  Rd 4; dc.  Rd 5; (dc 6, decrease 1).  21 stitches.    Rd 6 and each even numbered round to end; dc.  Rd 7; (dc 5, dec 1) to end.  18 stitches.  Rd 9; (dc 4, dec 1) to end.  15 stitches.  Rd 11; (dc3, dec 1) to end.  12 stitches.  Stuff the mouse now, wrapping catnip  in the stuffing so it is less likely to come out (if necessary you can make a tiny bag using a piece cut from a pair of cheap tights or a popsock and glue or sew the catnip inside that, inserting it into the centre of the stuffing).  Rd 13; (dc 2, dec 1) to end.  9 stitches.  Rd 15; (dc 1, dec 1) to end.  6 stitches.  Poke a bit of stuffing inside the last few rows now.  Rd 17; dec in each stitch and fasten off, sewing in ends and ensuring the nose end is closed up.
EARS (make 2)
With a contrast colour, make magic ring and work 6 dc into it.  Work another round of dc on these 6 stitches.  It will curl in, but that is as it should be.  Fasten off leaving a tail and stitch to the mouse’s head.  
TAIL
With the contrast colour and making sure you leave a long end of yarn before your first chain, make 9 - 10 chain, then fasten off leaving a long tail (you should have a long end at each end of your tail).  Thread the tail into a long needle and pass it through the body from the centre of the bottom to the nose tip, drawing the chain up so it is flush against your mouse’s bottom.  Embroider the nose with the end you just pulled through, thus securing the tail as well.  Now use the long starting end and stitch into the second or third chain from the start.  Keep stitching into the little node just formed till you have a little ball.  Fasten off.
EYE AND PATCH
I used non-toxic black fabric paint to add these, as there is less chance of the kitty pulling that loose.  But you may prefer to embroider them using a scrap of black yarn.  If you want to use felt or ribbon for the patch, make sure you secure them well, and don’t go for anything stuck on with glue as the cat will very likely chew this and drool on it, so even the toughest glue will give way.


This pattern is copyright of Melanie Smallman.