Because even kitties deserve a Halloween treat!
The clocks went back in the UK last night.
Yesterday, after dropping DD off at her best friend’s birthday party, I drove home in torrential wind and rain. It was pitch black by 6 pm. With the clocks going back an hour I awoke this morning at my usual time just after 7 am, which means just after 6 am in the morning GMT. It’s just a hop skip and a jump until Shetland has only six hours of daylight, a daylight usually filled with wind and rain.
Daylight forgot to make an appearance today.
And it’s been the longest day in eternity.
Come 9 am I’d drafted a blog post planned for publication in mid-November, and I’d finished a freelance piece I’ve been working on. I did some housework, folding and putting away laundry, cleaning the kitchen, tidying up stray Lego under the coffee table before hoovering, and made a cake (a rather lovely cake using the vegetable pulp from my morning juice). All before noon.
The craft section of my blog has been sorely neglected over the summer months, you might have noticed. There’s something about the long, dark, Shetland winters that makes me want to take out the knitting, the crochet, the sewing machine, and get maakin’. That urge to make has been growing over these last few weeks, and I’ve got some winter projects planned.
This afternoon I designed this Jack Skellington-inspired crochet spider cat toy for our cat, Izzy. I sat there on the couch with my crochet hook and my husband called me an old woman (he was busy playing Minecraft with the children on the computer upstairs – a much more worthwhile pastime on a rainy Sunday, apparently).
Izzy was a feral Cat’s Protection rescue we got when she was a mere 3 weeks old. She had to be fed milk with a syringe. She was adorable (she still is) and we all fell in love with her. She was six years old this summer.
I wanted to name her Luna Lovegood, after the character in Harry Potter, but the husband wasn’t having it. So, we named her Izzy, short for Isadora Le Strange, another character from Harry Potter. Hubby was ok with this name.
Izzy, like many cats the world over, loves catnip. So I made her this little Halloween treat and I belly laughed as she played with it.
It was well worth the effort.
Jack Skellington Crochet Spider Cat Toy
Ingredients
- 50 grams black wool
- 1 x 4.0 mm crochet hook
- 1 6 inch square black gauze
- 2 tbsp dried catnip
- black cotton fabric cut into strips
- thick white thread
- scissors
- needle
- black thread
Instructions
- Using black wool crochet the body of the spider, working the rows in a spiral pattern. Row 1: [0 st] 0 st in a loop Row 2: [5 st] inc, inc, inc, inc, inc2 Row 3: [11 st] inc, 2, inc, 1, inc, 1, ic, 1, inc, 1 Row 4: [16 st] 2, inc, 3, inc, 2, inc, 2, inc, 2, inc Row 5: [21 st] 4, inc, 5, inc, 4, inc, 4, inc Row 6: [25 st] inc, 7, inc, 8, inc, 7 Row 7: [28 st] 22, inc, 5 Row 8: [29 st] 8, inc, 20 Rows 9-10 [30 st] 30 Row 11: [29 st] 22, dec, 6 Row 12: [28 st] 8, dec, 19 Row 13: [25 st] 5, dec, 7, dec, 8, dec, 2 Row 14: [21 st] dec, 4, dec, 4, dec, 4, dec, 5 Row 15: [16 st] 1, dec, 3, dec, 2, dec, 2, dec, 2, dec, 1 Row 16: [11 st] dec, 1, dec, 2, dec, 1, dec, 1, dec, 1
- Place the catnip in the square of black gauze and sew into a little bag. Place the bag into the bottom of the spider 'body' filling the remainder of the cavity with scraps of black fabric.
- Row 17: [11 st] 11 Row 18: [15 st] inc, 2, inc, 1, inc, 2, inc, 1 Row 19: [16 st] 8, inc, 7 Row 20: [15 st] dec, 14 Row 21: [11 st] dec, 1, dec, 2, dec, 1, dec, 2
- Fill the head with scraps of black fabric.
- Row 22: [6 st] dec, dec, dec, dec, dec, 1 Row 23: fasten off
- To make the legs, crochet 15 stitches and single crochet into the second from the end and back to the beginning (13 st). Fasten off and repeat 7 more times.
- Fasten the legs to the body of the spider, and using thick white thread, embroider a smile and eyes onto the face.
- Give to your cat and enjoy the show!
Captions please!
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Mum of three, daydream adventurer, OU Life Sciences graduate, occasional crafter, ex-pat Canadian & quite possibly Britain's most northerly food blogger.
Rachel says
My boys would absolutely love this, they like anything like looks like something they can kill x
sandra ralph says
oh wow i bet my cats would love this
Ingrid W says
I don’t know how long the legs would stay on for if our cats got hold of this!
Natally says
Very cute unfortunately my skills don’t stretch to this
carolynla says
my cat would love this
Vivienne Wilkes says
I love this and I think my black and white rescue cat would too!
Victoria Easton says
This looks great – not sure whether my Jackie Russell would also love it!
Laura Tovey says
Love it!
Rachel Craig says
Izzy is a lovely cat, and seems be be having great fun with the crocheted toy spider. Great looking toy. Could also be great for Halloween , used as a decoration (without the catnip).
Danielle.a says
this is so cute. Perfect to make yourself. Love the pics
Christina A. says
That’s cute! You did a good job! We have two lovely and spoiled indoor cats–Thomas and Violet!
Val Pownall says
I have to make this! My little granddaughter has been so cross with me since I took the Halloween spiders down! 🙂
Kate - gluten free alchemist says
Beautiful cat and very cute spider. And what lovely photos!!!
Elizabeth says
Thank you Kate 😀
Debbie Skerten says
I loved the post and the pic of your beautiful cat on your facebook wall. I just had to come over and see how to make this spider for our 4 beautiful cats too. Many thanks x
Elizabeth says
Aw thanks – let me know if you do make it, I’d love to see a photo of your cats playing with it!
Vohn McGuinness says
Haha – that is wonderful. Lucky Izzy to be getting hand-made toys! Love it.
Elizabeth says
I suppose she is pretty lucky, considering her origins! 🙂
Dominic says
adorable… i’ll never make it but adorable…
Elizabeth says
Thanks Dom 🙂
Claire @foodiequine says
Love this! If only I had a cat and could crochet… Great photography as always.
Elizabeth says
Thanks Claire 🙂 I wasn’t sure the photos would work as these are 100% studio lights. There wasn’t a photon of light breaking through the heavy rain clouds yesterday!
Holly says
I didn’t know you crocheted! It looks amazing. We just rescued a feral kitten, a little black kitten just in time for halloween and I already love him! He is on my knee right now actually!
Elizabeth says
I don’t do crafty things nearly as much as I would like (as my poorly populated crafts section indicates!). When I revamped the website I removed most of the project posts thinking they weren’t good enough. Now I wish I’d left them there! Your new kitten sounds lovely! What did you name her?
Judith says
OMG this is so adorable and what a cute photo of your cat with his tongue sticking out!
Elizabeth says
Thanks Judith – yes, Izzy made some rather interesting faces when playing with her new toy! 🙂
Jess Howliston says
Aww your cat is so cute and the spider looks fab! I dont have any cats but I may have to crochet 1 for my mums cats! Thanks for sharing xx
Elizabeth says
Aw thanks 🙂 It’s really nice when an idea in your head comes alive, I think, and to see Izzy play with toy I made her with such exuberance is fantastic 🙂