by Doreen Martel

Created on: December 30, 2008   Last Updated: January 03, 2009

If you're a pet owner you know that one of the most frustrating things that can happen when your trying to crochet is that your pet is in your yarn. Now many of you who own cats are familiar with this - but I'm a dog owner. Yes, my dog gets in my crochet work as well! So, I decided that since he loves the feel of the yarn that the solution for him was to make him a toy of his very own from the yarn that he loved so well! Below this you'll find a nice and easy blanket that you can make for your favorite pet to cuddle in as well!

I'm not a great crocheter, I'm average but I manage to muddle by. So, here's what I decided on.

A) The toy had to be sturdy - he loves to tug, throw, catch and bite everything

B) It had to be quick to make - I had a big project going on at the time!

I had accidentally discovered that my innocent little dog was a cat nip lover. So, my decision to make him a toy gave me the opportunity to stuff it with some catnip and make it even more useful! That also meant however I wanted the toy to be able to be refilled as needed (catnip doesn't last forever let's face it!)

So here's what I did.

Size G Crochet Hook

Build 2 granny squares (you can find patterns for this all over the internet) in 5" size

Then using a single crochet stitch make a border for your granny squares that are 2" deep - make a total of eight of these (one for each side of the granny squares - remember this is going to have to be big enough to let the dog tug on and to throw)!

* Note: it makes no difference if you use the same color or different colors of yarn!

Now simply take all of the borders and securely attach them to your squares and stitch 3 sides closed. Turn the 'bag' so it's right side out. Create a chain stiched 'rope' (one line just very tight chain) to the length you want/need to attach to the top of the last border to tie your 'bag' closed and hand weave it (don't sew) through the single crochet stitches on your border and then create a knot at the ends of your chain so it won't slide through the stitches later.

Filling:

To fill your new toy you're not going to want the catnip to fall out of it so your options are numerous here! You can use almost any type of fabric to create an inside lining. My personal preference is old pieces of nylon stockings for a couple of reasons (a) I have nearly endless supply and (b) it's fairly simple to work with!

What I did was I cut the foot out of a pair of panty hose and I stuffed it with catnip and knotted it closed. I then put it inside

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