On the Ball: Make Cat Toys From Your Extra Yarn

PetSugar — Mon, 31 Mar 2008 07:00:51 -0700

It seems that cats can be entertained by the simplest of things! If you're a knitter and have cats, this DIY Cat Toy project is perfect for you, since you won't be wasting an inch of that expensive yarn from your last handmade scarf. These simple and easy-to-make kitty toys that a pal of mine caught on The Thrifty Knitter (Thanks, Yum!), are just bunches of yarn wrapped inside a stocking or a pair of nylons, then tossed in the washing machine. Pretty simple for an easy toy that this cat in particular seems to love. To find out how to make your own, read more.

Gather up your yarn and fiber bits. You can include the odd superwash or non-animal fiber scrap, as long as you’re working with about 70 percent feltable fiber. Curly locks look especially cool.
Wad them into balls. Little balls or big, it doesn't matter. Densely-felted balls have a lot of bounce, great for fetchers. You can make really big balls (or oblongs or snakes) simply by using more fiber. For the densest large balls, start small and build up with additional layers in additional wash loads.
Stuff them into a stocking, tights, or pantyhose and tie off sections with cotton yarn.
Toss in with a load of laundry using a hot wash with a cold rinse (I like towels or rags). Both the hot and cold are important. The hot encourages felting and the cold shocks the wool and further felts it.
Untie and peek inside. If necessary, run them through additional cycles. Toss in the dryer then unwrap, or unwrap and air dry.

That's it! Simple, right?

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