Description
The Cutest Little Cat Hiding in a Crochet Square is a calming crochet project featuring a sweet little cat shape in the center of a square. Suitable for a confident beginner, this project uses double crochet and simple color changes to create a charming piece for your home.
Ingredients
- About 340 yards of worsted weight yarn (weight 4, medium): about 230 yards for the background, 80 yards for the cat, and 30 yards for the details (equals two 100 g skeins plus one 50 g skein)
- H-8 (5.0 mm) crochet hook
- Yarn needle
- Sharp scissors
- Tape measure
- Optional stitch marker
- Small amount of polyester fiberfill for a raised cat nose (optional)
- One scrap of contrasting yarn for marking the cat’s center line (optional)
Instructions
- Check the difficulty and stitch multiple. This is a confident beginner project using a stitch multiple of 2 stitches plus 2 for the turning chain. Make a small gauge swatch before beginning, and measure 14 double crochet across 4 inches (10 cm) and 8 rows across 4 inches (10 cm).
- Make the foundation chain. With the background color, chain 44.
- Work the first row. Make 1 double crochet in the third chain from the hook and in each chain across.
- Build the plain base. Chain 2, which counts as the turning chain, then make 1 double crochet in each stitch across. Repeat this row until you have 5 rows total.
- Begin the cat motif. On row 6, chain 2 and make 12 double crochet with the background color. Join the cat color by completing the next double crochet with the new color. Make 18 double crochet in the cat color, then complete the final 12 double crochet in the background color.
- Carry the unused color neatly along the wrong side of the row and crochet over it for short sections.
- Shape the cat’s head with color blocks over rows 7 through 12 using specific counts of background and cat color stitches.
- Add the ears and face details on rows 13 and 14 using the same stitch pattern.
- Finish the cat shape with additional rows working in the cat color and background color, ensuring 42 double crochet for each row.
- Return to the background for rows 25 through 42.
- Make the border by joining the background yarn and creating single crochet around the square, placing 3 single crochets in each corner.
- Finish the edge with one more round of single crochet if desired.
- Weave in all ends and block the square to the correct size.
Notes
This project suits a confident beginner who knows how to chain and make double crochet. Adjust for different yarn thickness and add personal touches as desired.