Friday, August 1, 2014

Super Fast and Easy Crocheted Rainbow Mice

   Super Fast and Easy Crocheted Rainbow Mice
            with or without bell and with or without curly tail!




Materials Needed

A small amount of worsted scrap yarn. I used Craft Smart Fiesta worsted weight acrylic yarn for the rainbow mice. A 3.5 mm/E crochet hook *, yarn needle, poly-fill stuffing, catnip, black embroidery thread and needle.

* Note on hook- I used an E hook because it gave me a tight crochet as I am a loose crocheter. Feel free to experiment on what hook will give you good tight crochet so that the filling is not seen.

Optional a Jingle bell, plastic wrapper or bag scraps that makes that crinkly sound cats love. Stitch Marker or piece of yarn to mark your stitches. Dental floss to help with bell.



Skill Level Easy

Stitches used

Single Crochet (SC)
Half Double Crochet (HDC)
Double Crochet (DC)
Slipped Stitch (SLST)
Single Crochet Two Together (sc2tog)
Finish Off (FO)


If you want a bell on the tail

Chain 2 add bell using dental floss or waxed cord makes it easy to pull yarn through bell hole.



Chain 7 more. Move on to round one.

Without a bell

Chain 9 move on to round one.




Curly Q tail

Chain 12*, DC in 2nd chain from the hook 2 SC repeat until second to last chain from hook. Move to round one.
  • Note on chain you can make your curly tail as long or as short as you like, although too short will be like a pigs curly tail! Below is a picture of a mouse
  • with a short curly q tail.



Round 1

6 SC in the last chain, join together add stitch marker and turn so tail is facing you.


Round 2

Working in spiral 2 SC in the 6 stitches -12

Round 3-8

Work in a spiral for 5 more rounds. You can go further is you want a longer mouse.

Round 9

Easy Peasy Ears!


I like to find the top of my tail and have it perfectly in the middle before I add my ears.


Crochet around stopping to slightly to right of top of your mouse


In front loop only*

1 SC 1 HDC 1 DC 1 HC 1 SC then 1 SC in the next front loop stitch, in the front loop of the next stitch 1 SC 1HDC 1 DC 1 HDC 1 SC, continue SC all around stopping when you get to first ear and do 1 SC in the back loop of the ear stitch, then 1 SC in the next back loop, then 1 Sc in the next ears back loop.




You just made ears!!




Round 10

Okay you should still have 12 stitches in the round, (don't freak out if you don't just keep going) this is where we will start decreasing and stuffing this baby mouse!


2 SC, sc2tog, repeat all around – 8 stitches

This is a good place to stuff your mouse. I add a little poly-fill, a pinch of catnip ( optional bell or crinkly plastic) then more poly-fill.



Round 11

1 SC , SC2TOG, repeat around -5 stitches

Round 12

5 SC around, this should close it up, finish off leaving a long enough tail so that you can sew up if there is a slight hole and then weave in your yarn with your yarn needle.

Use your embroidery thread and needle to sew on eyes. TA DA! Your cat now has a new play toy! Now make more!!