Kitties love to play with yarn mouses - so here’s a free super easy pattern for you to make as many as you want for your own cats and also for cats at your local animal shelter or SPCA.

Here is the free pattern, and you can also download it as a free PDF if you want.

Let’s get started! Here’s what you need:

• Some scraps of furry yarn
• Some scraps of regular yarn (4ply or 8ply, doesn’t really matter)
• Use a hook size appropriate for the yarn weight - I have used a 4mm hook and double knit yarn + furry yarn held together.
  Gauge doesn’t really matter with this project.
• Stuffing and/or catnip

Mouse Body

Using both yarns together, make a magic loop and sc 6 stitches into it. Pull the tail to draw all the stitches together. (If you are unfamiliar with this, look it up on YouTube - but basically you make a circle with your yarn, slip stitch into that circle to start off, then single crochet 6 times into the loop. When you pull the tail, it slides all the stitches together into a circle so that you can begin working in the round).

You do not need to end each round with a sl st or anything, just keep on working.

You’ll probably find that working with fluffy yarn is somewhat challenging in that you can’t see the stitches very easily - but on the other hand, you can’t see any mistakes!  As you begin working, you might notice that the inside is fluffier than the outside - you can either rub your hook all over the surface to draw the fluffy fibres through to the front, OR, simply flip it inside out later on before stuffing.

Round 1: 2sc in each stitch (12)

Round 2: [2sc in next stitch, sc] repeat around. (18)

Next Rounds: Sc around for as many rounds as you want (until the body is approximately twice as long as it is wide)

At this point you need to decide if you want to flip it inside out if that’s fluffier. Then stuff with catnip and/or toy stuffing. It doesn’t have to be firm, lightly stuffing it provides a fun and soft toy that gets thrown around with reckless abandon and captured by a single claw! Make sure you rub the outside of the mouse with catnip first for extra good effect.

Next Rounds: 

1. Decrease in every stitch around 
2. Sc around

Repeat these two rounds until all stitches are used up. Bind off.

Tail

Using both yarns together, chain stitch a tail as long as you want. Bind off and sew in position. 

Show it to your cat and take pictures of it playing with your cute mouse!!