Category: Cats

Puff stitch cat mat

On By CarynIn Cats, Craft

Crocheting cat mats is a great stash busting activity. Pairing worsted weight acrylic yarn with a puff stitch results in a cushy mat that seriously dips into the bag of leftovers.

Photo description: Multicolored mat made with crocheted puff stitches in rows of alternating color.

To make the mat use a size G hook with worsted or medium weight yarn in three or more colors.

Chain 43, or multiples of 2 +1 to get the desired size.

Row 1: Starting in the second chain from the hook, single crochet (sc) across.

Row 2: turn, chain (ch) 2, *yarn over, skip first sc and insert hook in the second sc, yarn over, pull up loop to match the height of 2 ch. 3 loops on the hook. In the same sc, yarn over, insert hook, yarn needle over, pull up loop. 5 loops on the hook. Repeat to get 7 loops on the hook. Yarn over and pull through all seven loops. Ch 1. Repeat from * across.

Row 3: Change color. Leave the other color attached if doing a three row repeat. Ch 2, *yarn over, insert hook in the first ch space, yarn over, pull up loop to match the height of 2 ch. 3 loops on the hook. In the same space, yarn over, insert hook, yarn needle over, pull up loop. 5 loops on the hook. Repeat to get 7 loops on the hook. Yarn over and pull through all seven loops. Ch 1. Repeat from * across.

Row 4: Repeat Row 3.

Row 5: Pick up the first color, which should be at the starting side. Continue with puff stitch pattern picking up the yarn color that was left off two rows down. If you want to change color every row and not have a three row repeat, or you run out of yarn, weave in the ends, or crochet over the ends as you go.

Continue making rows of puff stitches until you reach the desired length.

To finish the edge, single crochet along the top and sides for two rows. Pull yarn through last loop. Weave in ends.

Put mat where the cat can find it.

Photo description: Calico cat with a pleased expression sitting on a crocheted mat.

Growing

On By CarynIn Cats

The weather is finally cooling somewhat (we’re still going to see some highs in the 90s, but mostly we’re in the 70s and 80s) and in a fit of optimism I setup the dog crates with the winter gear: fleece pad covers and soft fuzzy blankets. Thor the seven-month-old kitten decided this was done for his benefit and has claimed Missy’s crate. Poor Missy. I do kick the cat out whenever I find him in there.

Photo description: Gray Tabby cat laying in a blue dog crate, filling most of the 2×3 foot pad.

I did weigh him this week and he is 12.2 pounds. Big kitten.

New sling bed

On By CarynIn Cats, Craft, Life Hack

One of the sling beds in the catio gave up under the weight of the kitten and popped its grommet. I removed the rest, it has lasted awhile, and puzzled over a replacement. The two sections of 1 x4” wood that I screwed to the catio supports seemed about the size of a pillow case. It turned out it was a little wider, but with a quick seam and a couple of snipped holes, I converted an old pillow case into a cat sling bed that slides over two parallel boards.

Photo description: Gray tabby sitting in the hammock made with a repurposed green cotton pillowcase suspended by two boards

Cotton does degrade in the sun, but this might be a better design idea than grommets in the corners screwed to the board. I’ll see of the cats use this setup, and if they do, replace the cotton with outdoor resistant fabric.

Pet prints card

On By CarynIn art, Cats, Craft, dog

I’ve periodically been sending cards to my eldest in college so there is mail in the mail box. We all signed a card, and I thought it would be nice if the pets “signed” it too. There are products that have ink on one side of a thin sheet of plastic, so prints of baby’s feet, or dog feet, can be made without getting ink on the foot. I love when people are clever. I made the paw prints on the card stock provided, the animals were mostly cooperative, then I cut out around the prints so I could arrange them the way I wanted. What I didn’t read closely, though, is that the ink doesn’t dry, so is intended to be framed behind glass where the print can’t be smudged. Oops. Thermal laminate sheets to the rescue. Running a lamination sheet through the heat roller without paper makes a nice clear, cuttable sheet of plastic. I trimmed this to my card size, attached the prints with glue dots, then used washi tape for the frame and to hold it all in place.

Photo description: Pre-assambly: Ink pad from Green Pollywog, teal card stock with animal prints on round white paper, clear plastic sheet, black washi tape, roll of glue dots.
Photo description: Finished card with the animals names written beneath each print and the year written at the bottom.

Can we talk about the size of Thor’s feet? Wowza. Griffin’s is understandably the largest print, he is the largest dog at about 50 pounds. Missy’s doggy print is next largest (she is 20 pounds). Thor’s print is near Missy’s in size; I haven’t weighed him lately, but he is an almost seven-month-old kitten. Izzy the cat’s print is definitely smaller than Thor’s and at last weigh she was 11.9 pounds. Sophie the cat has the most petite print, and was the most trouble to get a print, and of course is the print I wanted to send most. I was able to trim away most of the unwanted ink drag.

Toy field trip

On By CarynIn Cats, Craft

Thor the technical kitten (since he is still under a year old), likes to carry around his toys. One of his favorites is a wrist warmer that I nålbound from home spun bison down. Materials alone make it a pricey toy, but if time invested is considered, it vaults into precious territory. Apparently he took it on a field trip to the catio, then back inside, because I found it on the rug covered in dried grass.

Photo description: Brown wrist warmer made from American Bison fiber, covered with bits of dried grass. There is some felting, and a couple pulled loops in the fabric.

Allowing the wrist warmer to become a toy was a calculated event. The one donated to the cat was a tight fit and I wasn’t wearing the pair. Now it becomes a test of how durable I made the spinning and nålbinding. I’m actually quite amazed that it is holding up to kitten attentions as well as it is.