Run-by posting... pattern for catnip mice

HOW TO LINKS

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1. If you are looking for how to make a catnip mouse, go to pattern.
2. If you want to make an I-Cord, go to this KnittingHelp movie.

Movies tonight : Word Wars : A documentary about Scrabble... I'm not sure why we are watching this... J said a friend of his reccommended it. We also watched the 1985 version of Wierd Science.

Trying that sweater cast-on again. Dishcloths for Mom 2/4. Also, trying to switch the kittens over to adult food - they are 6 months now. Currently, they stand in front of a full bowl (after a week and half of half kitten food/half adult-food) and meow 'I'm hungry' at me. **shakes head** Its hard to listen to!

**sweater update** : Cast on, did the bottom ribbing.. switched to the larger size needles. Went a few rows, then held it up to J's measurements... I think I'm going to have to go at this geometrically. Maybe I was never meant to read a pattern after all.

OK : This was added later (on 11/07/2005) :

Knit Mice for Cats!
How-to, from someone who made it up as she went along.

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Size 3 DPNS, quantity - 4
Cast on 20 stitches of a yarn your kitten seems to love already.
Knit back and forth with 2 dpns, until length is just about square.

Transfer three just-knitted stitches to another dpn, knit across until you
reach the end of the row, Knit three stitches back onto a third dpn, then knit back and forth in the middle section for 2 rows (with the 2nd and 4th dpns). Three knitted stitches will be 'hanging' on dpns on either side of this middle section.

Steadily begin to decrease at the end of each row so that the middle section becomes triangular - stop decreasing at 2 or 3 stitches.

Knit back and forth for two rows. Then, steadily increase at the beginning of the next few rows so that the middle section matches what it did before.

Knit the stitches from the dpns back on in way that makes sense (this is hard for me to explain). Decrease from the outside edges after you have all of the stitches back in one row. Decrease to three stitches. Make I-Cord down about 3-5 inches. Video on I-Cord linked from KnittingHelp.com

Cast off your I-Cord. You have a very odd looking shape of yarn now.
Turn the shape inside out, and sew the 'nose' closed at the edges. Draw a piece of yarn from the base of the jaw to the back of the 'ears'(the 3 stitch parts you had done turned out to be the ears). Sew the back of the neck and the back of the mousie closed. Stuff with polyfill or fleece. Stick some catnip inside the fleece if you wish. Sew the mousie closed and toss through the air at cat.

My kittens liked a long string looped around the mousie's neck - by which I made him seem alive scampering across the floor. When one kitten picked up the mouse and ran through the house, the other one chased the string.

Better knit mice toys?
links : Matthews-Bozak catnip mouse toy
Some links at About.com
Wendy Knits mouse toy
Wendy Knits mouse-a-long pattern