The Saga of the Snuffle Mat

On September 8, 2020September 4, 2020 By CarynIn Craft, dog

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.

Two pieces of fleece, demonstrating what happens if you pull in the direction of the greatest stretch

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.

Missy helping test the strength of a single knot

I had to take a break from knotting because the rubber mat was too stimulating

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.

Princess Pup

On August 23, 2020August 22, 2020 By CarynIn Craft, dog

Little Miss Mystery Pup likes to snuggle under feet to sleep. She also likes to snuggle under blankets and stick her nose out. A snooze on toes is cute, but dangerous with rocking chairs and recliners, so I made her a little country princess bed (princess because of the canopy, country because the canopy is made of undyed cotton drop cloth). The bed keeps her out from under feet when she is sleeping, and is just so stinking cute.

The whole thing was made with scraps from my craft room. The fake fur top is scrap from a Halloween costume. The bottom of the pad cover and the canopy are from a heavy duty cotton drop cloth. The zipper (the cover needs a zipper so it can be removed and washed in case of accident) is from my stash of old zippers. The pad itself is egg crate foam left over from the crate pad I made for my old dog. I used lucet cord to gather and bind the canopy, then tied it to my end table to make the tent. She likes it, but still prefers to sleep on my feet. Training continues.

“Canopy” bed rigged up on the end of the side table

Whelp

On August 19, 2020August 17, 2020 By CarynIn dog, Life Hack

Y’all are going to get a fair few puppy posts. Needless to say, I’m not getting much crafting done. Missy the mystery pup sleeps quite a bit, but when she is awake we have to stay wary! Even when she is sleeping we have to have one eye out for when she wakes up. Potty training is still going OK, but if her little feet hit grass or carpet after a nap she will do her business. So we’ve taken to carrying her out when she wakes.

She is also chewing everything, as puppies do. I didn’t realize how many cords are in our living room for charging various devices! To help keep the little miss from getting into trouble, I put a sheet of poster board between the chairs to keep her from the cords. (Hey, I managed to squeeze something crafty into the post!)

Poster board rolled between two chairs to keep the puppy out

Guess what?!?

On August 19, 2020August 18, 2020 By CarynIn dog, Life Hack

Another puppy post! But I managed to squeeze in another life hack/craft project.

Missy’s favorite place to nap is under feet.

I don’t know how big little miss is going to end up. She has a vet appointment soon, but I don’t want to put her in a cat carrier. I don’t want to buy a soft carrier that only holds 10 pounds if she ends up being 17. So I drew on my baby days and sling wearing. I don’t have much time to craft, so I took an old t-shirt with no side seams from the recycle box, and cut it off under the armpits to make a wide tube of fabric.

Sad little app sketch because I couldn’t reach my sketch pad with the puppy asleep on my feet

I put this on cross body, and tucked little miss in. She likes it! I’m using it periodically at home to get her used to it. It also helps when I need to do something and can’t watch her. It isn’t hands free, but it does free up one hand to do things like make tea. I tried one of my husband’s old shirts first, but that held her too low. She actually prefers the sling a little snug.

Missy in a sling made from an old t-shirt

Oh, puppy

On August 18, 2020August 16, 2020 By CarynIn dog

We’ve been looking for another dog for while now, both as a companion for our current dog, Griffin, and as a potential family lap dog. We are an adopt kind of family, not a buying kind. We applied for some adoptions but were not selected, visited some other adoptables that were afraid of Griffin, then stumbled upon a litter of Chihuahua (maybe) mixes at a rescue where I had previously applied. Somehow, we ended up at the top of the list and so we went to meet a puppy at the foster home. So much sweetness and cuteness in a such a little package! And the puppy was enamored with Griffin.

So this is Missy the (maybe) 2 month old, 3.6 pound puppy. Oh, puppy. It has been a long time since we’ve had a puppy, and never one this young! We’ve been puppy proofing the house, and watching carefully. When she wakes from a nap (I forgot how much puppies nap), we take her outside and she does her business! The only accident in the house was totally my fault. She whimpered at night and I thought she was lonely. Nope. Watching a 3 pound puppy play with our 50 pound dog is hilarious, and he is so careful around her.

We are crate training, and taking turns with the cuddles with the hope she will bond to the whole family rather than one person. The humans are all enamored. Griffin was much happier when he realized she was a dog (she did the play position). Sophie the cat was wary, and Izzy the cat is hiding either in the catio or the craft room. She is an 11 pound, very long calico, absolutely scared of a 3 pound puppy. Oh my.

Critters and Craft

Tag: puppy