Kitty Keeper

 

A soft, warm, hidey space for kitty to get away from it all.  Or a small dog who just needs a break from the big world.  I don’t have a cat OR a small dog, so Thumper had to stand in as my model.  His heads a bit bigger than a cat,his body is smaller, but you get the idea.  It’s a gift for my daughter, so I’ll add photos of actual kitties playing with it when she gets them.

I used double strands of yarn to make this extra thick.  It does collapse flat when you want to put it away.  When you have it out for kitty, just open it up and kitty has a nice hiding space.  The colors I used and the shape made me think of some kind of chocolate puff pastry.  I almost named it “Puff Pastry with Kitty Filling” but that didn’t seem to be a search engine friendly name - so Kitty Keeper it became.

Materials

Crochet Hooks sizes I & J

Yarn is whatever you want. Just  make sure to make it extra bulky.  Either by using a size 6 yarn or by holding two strands together like I did.  Ideally you want the yarn to  need at least a K hook, and by using a J it’s much tighter.

I used

1 skein Homespun  (body)

1 skein Carisma      (top)

1 skein medium weight (4) acrylic that I found at a thrift shop - this one I used throughout, in both the body and the top.   I wanted the top to be a different color, so I switched.  If you choose to make it all one color, be sure to have 2 skeins of that yarn.

stitch marker

large yarn needle

ch- chain

sc - single crochet

hdc - half double crochet

ss - slip stitch

fphdc - front post half double crochet  - (check out this page if you need help) http://crochetparfait.blogspot.com/p/fphdc-front-post-half-double-crochet.html

hdc decrease - half double decrease  ( check out this page if you need help)  Ihttp://www.crochetguru.com/half-double-crochet-decrease.html

With the larger hook.  

R1)

make a magic/sliding ring

10 hdc in ring - pull ring until stitches touch, ss to first hdc

R2)

ch 1

2 hdc in same stitch and every stitch around

join with ss to first hdc

R3)

Ch 1

2 hdc in same stitch

1 hdc next stitch

*2 hdc next stitch

1 hdc next stitch

repeat from * around

join with ss to first hdc

R4)

Ch 1

2 hdc in same stitch

1 hdc each next 2 stitches

*2 hdc next stitch

1 hdc each next 2 stitches

repeat from * around

join with ss to first hdc

R5)

Ch 1

2 hdc in same stitch

1 hdc each next 3 stitches

*2 hdc next stitch

1 hdc each next 3 stitches

repeat from * around

join with ss to first hdc

R6)

Ch 1

2 hdc in same stitch

1 hdc each next 4 stitches

*2 hdc next stitch

1 hdc each next 4 stitches

repeat from * around

join with ss to first hdc

R7)

Ch 1

2 hdc in same stitch

1 hdc each next 5 stitches

*2 hdc next stitch

1 hdc each next 5 stitches

repeat from * around

join with ss to first hdc

R8)

Ch 1

2 hdc in same stitch

1 hdc each next 6 stitches

*2 hdc next stitch

1 hdc each next 6 stitches

repeat from * around

join with ss to first hdc

R9, 10, 11)  

Ch 2 - counts as first hdc

hdc around

join with ss to first hdc

R12)

Switching to rows.  Before starting this one, count backwards 17 stitches from the hook. Place stitch  marker here.  This is where you will end the first row

Ch 2 - counts as first hdc

hdc across to stitch marker

R13)

ch 2 - counts as first hdc

hdc across

R14)

Ch 2 - counts as first hdc

hdc across

R15)

Ch 2 - counts as first hdc

hdc across

R16-18)

For the next 4 rows you will increase two stitches - one on each end

Ch 2 - counts as first hdc

hdc same stitch

hdc across to last stitch

2 hdc last stitch

R19)

same as previous 3 rows except that after working 2 hdc you will go back to working rounds by

ch 1

join with ss to first starting ch2 of row

R20)

ch 2 - counts as first hdc

hdc around, being sure to hdc the ch1 right before the join

join with ss to first hdc

R21)

ch 2 - counts as first hdc

hdc around

join with ss to first hdc

R22)

This is where I switched colors

ch 2 - counts as first hdc

hdc next 4 stitches     (5 in between)

fphdc  next stitch

*hdc next 5 stitches

fphdc next stitch

repeat from * around

join with ss to beginning hdc

R23)

ch 2 - counts as first hdc

hdc decrease

hdc next 2 stitches   (4 in between)

fphdc  next stitch

*hdc next 4 stitches

fphdc next stitch

repeat from * around

join with ss to beginning hdc

R24)

ch 2 - counts as first hdc

hdc decrease

hdc next stitch  (3 in between)

fphdc next stitch

*hdc next 3 stitches

fphdc next stitch

repeat from * around

join with ss to beginning hdc

R25)

ch 2 - counts as first hdc

hdc decrease (2 in between)

fphdc next stitch

*hdc next 2 stitches

fphdc next stitch

repeat from * around

join with ss to beginning hdc

R26)

On this one you start with a hdc decrease.  I do it by skipping the ch 2 and pulling up a tall loop (which I pretend doesn’t exist) and starting the stitch in the first stitch

*hdc decrease (1 in between)

fphdc next stitch

repeat from * around

join with ss to beginning hdc

R27 - 28)

hdc decrease around.  You should have 12 stitches remaining after these two rounds.  I leave it open, but you can also use a yarn needle to gather it and pull it tight, closing off the top.

Now you have a floppy bag with an odd shaped opening.

with smaller hook attach the yarn to one side of the opening

sc around, picking up 1 stitch per row on the sides

join with ss to first sc

then add a row of ss along the top of your sc round.  

Optional trim along top

If you changed colors like I did, you might want to add a bit of trim at the join.  Don’t have to, it’s just decorative, but I like the finish it gives.

I just did a surface chain along the edge by holding the working yarn to the back of the fabric - inside the Kitty Keeper in this case - which was a pain btw...just a warning.

then pulling the yarn through the fabric with each stitch, first, pull up a loop at the location you want the first stitch to be, then moving over a stitch (where you want the second stitch to start) pull up a loop and through the loop on the hook.  Keep working this around and you’ll have a flat chain stitch on the surface of your fabric.  (it’s great for writing names etc. too)