Since little miss snuffle-for-snacks likes to, well, snuffle, I decided to make her a snuffle mat. I looked at some online tutorials, consulted my sister who has made one, and purchased two yards of fleece fabric and an anti-fatigue mat.

One of the things I didn’t see in the tutorials I read was that the direction the fleece strips are cut matters. If you cut strips in the direction of the greatest stretch, the strip will curl up when you pull on it. If you cut it perpendicular to the direction of the greatest stretch, the strips will not curl. I chose the no curl method.

I used unconventional measurements for the fleece strips; the length of my thumb to the first joint (about 1.25”) for the width, and the width of my outstretched hand (about 7.75”) for the length, mainly because I couldn’t find a ruler (I know I have at least 15 in the house, where do they all go?). I read articles recommending double knotting the strips in the mat, and some saying a single knot is enough. I tend toward the double knotted club, but Missy “helped” me test the single knot on the first strip, and it held just fine.

I was able to start knotting the strips while Missy slept, but each time she woke, I had to take a break because she was obsessed with the mat! Since I couldn’t knot, I took the four selvedges I cut off and made a four strand round braid with knotted ends: she likes it.

My cat Izzy also delayed knotting by deciding it was time for a nap on my lap. On the mat.

Because I wasn’t sure how much fabric I would need, I cut the long strips, but didn’t cut short strips until I was ready to tie. I figured that if I had left over fabric, I could make more pull toys. Missy thought the fabric strip pile by my chair was exciting too.

After a couple of days tying in fits and starts, I hear my eldest yell “She just peed on the rug!” Yup. On the unfinished hand-tied snuffle mat. I had left it beside my chair, and while potty training is progressing, she is obviously not at 100%. It was time to wash the rug!

This actually worked out OK. I realized that if I made it much bigger it wouldn’t fit in the washer. I cut off the rubber mat so that finished (and unfinished) mat would fit in the washer. I washed it in deep water with a vinegar presoak (I put the vinegar in the bleach dispenser) and an extra rinse. I dried it on low, which worked well.

After the mat dried, I tied on the remaining strips. I started with four per large hole, but felt it was thin, so added a couple to each small hole. Because my mat has small holes and large holes, I could have done more, but I didn’t have enough fleece! As it was, I used up all two yards on a 16 inch by 16 inch mat. Missy likes it! But it only goes on the floor strictly supervised.

Yup. I couldn’t get pictures without the puppy. She makes the pictures cuter anyway.