Catnip crazyness! Crochet cat toys explosion! Pic heavy. Now with TUT!

[cmarion3]

I make these catnip toys to donate to a craft fair for charity. They are quick and easy and really use up my scraps of yarn as well as a lot of catnip. I stuff them with left over yarn and/or stuffing with generous pinches of catnip inside. Since Oskar the cat is always a big help, being very, very interested in the process. I made him a special bird. (He likes birds, in fact so much he now wears a bell and only can go outside with supervised visits....bad kitty likes to bring home the birds and cover the house with feathers.)



Can yo believe that all these mice live in the cheese mouse house!

Lion mice, a cross between miniature lions and your common house mouse.


Little balls of fun

[alwaysinmyroom]

Those little balls and fuzzy birds are such a nice way to use up the tiny bits leftover from other projects!

What a great thing to do to offer them for charity...I am finding that so many of our members are generous like you are...makes my heart melt...

And, craftsters seem to have the best fur babies!!! awwww...

[cmarion3]

Doing things for charity has an added bonus. You not only raise money, but I don't have to have all these things I make sitting around the house! I knit and crochet during meetings and somebody has to take the stuff off my hands! 

Oskar is our young cat. He's a bit crazy, very sweet and is a rescue kitty. Boy, did he land in catnip heaven.

[MoKaPottery]

I just recently taught myself to crochet.  I'm off to find a tute for a ball that I saw yesterday and make someof these.  I have so e really fluffy wool that would be perfect for the lion mane

[omouse]

What a great idea!  I foster for the SPCA and this would be a great thing to just keep by the couch and work on while watching TV.

[cmarion3]

It's funny, the round balls sold way before the little mice. We sold them all and every now and then someone at church asks me for a few more since "It's the only toy my kitty plays with". Smart cats! My cats like small stuffed cloth toys...stuffed really hard. Silly cats.

Yep, it's a great sit and crochet while watching tv activity. Just watch out for the catnip....the cats will steal it!

[krystleld88]

I'm in the navy and I'm just now able to be home long enough to actually have a pet. I've always had dogs growing up but since this will be my 1st time living alone and I plan on starting school soon as well I was afraid of having enough time to walk a dog regularly and make sure they get plenty of exercise so I decided to get a cat. She is too little to take home now but I will get baby Beatrice on the 21st of oct!! This is great and it gives me an opportunity to make something for her with love!! Thanks for the wonderful idea!!

[cmarion3]

Kitties don't really react to the catnip until they get bigger...but boy do they love the balls anyway! You are going to have such fun with a little kitten around and have such fun making little things for her to hide, play with, tear apart and love.

Have fun with your new friend.

Now I want a kitten. Our youngest is now 3 and he's settled down a bit. Miss that kitten craziness.

[rosesquilts]

I volunteer at our shelter working with the cats.  We need toys for them and I wanted to make some but couldn't find the pattern.  Toys shown in the pictures are just what we need so am wondering if you can tell me where to get the patterns.  Thanks for your help.

[cmarion3]

I don't use a pattern. Any ball pattern should work. But this is what I do. The mice are not as popular and really, the cats do not care. So I now just make balls and they are easier as well. I sell them at a charity craft fair, sold 6 dozen last year at 2 for 3 dollars. Every bit helps.

I use acrylic yarn, since people keep donating it to me, two strands. But any yarn will do as I use double strands to give more sturdiness to the ball. And it is all single crochet simply going round and round. Change yarn as you feel like it. It's a great way to use up short ends of yarn.
Yarn - any will do. Poly fill. Catnip. I use a H or I hook. Very forgiving pattern. The balls vary in size depending on the yarn. Use a smaller hook for lighter yarn or add an additional row of increase (every 4th stitch) and decrease (every 4th stitch).

Start with a Magic circle and 6 sc.
R1 - increase 2 sc in each stitch
R2 - increase in every other stitch
R3 - increase in every third stitch
R4 and 5 - sc
R6 - decrease in every third stitch
R7 - decrease in every other stitch
R8 - decrease in every stitch. I stuff the ball at this time. I use poly fill or left over yarn, adding catnip in the middle. No need to stuff the whole thing with catnip, just a good healthy pinch (approximately a half to full teaspoon. My cats still play with balls I made 3 years ago...when they can find them.
R9 - finish off.