Mice are either adorable or terrifying. Ours is knitted and therefore adorable. The word ‘mouse’ means thief; anyone who has had a mouse infestation will understand why. Fried mice or mouse pie used to be used as a cure for bedwetting. Female mice can produce more than 120 babies a year, and their tails are the same length as their bodies. The best known mouse is Mickey, closely followed by Jerry.
The mouse is very quick and easy to knit.
Length: 11cm (4¼in)
Height: 4cm (1¼in)
Pair of 3¼mm (US 3) knitting needles
10g (¼oz) of Rowan Creative Focus Worsted in Natural 100 (na)
Tiny amount of Rowan Wool Cotton in Tender 951 (te) for nose and paws
2 tiny pink beads for eyes and sewing needle and pink thread for sewing on Fishing line for whiskers
See here.
With na, cast on 16 sts.
Beg with a k row, work 2 rows st st.
Row 3: K5, inc, k4, inc, k5. (18 sts)
Row 4: Purl.
Row 5: K6, inc, k4, inc, k6. (20 sts)
Row 6: Purl.
Row 7: K7, inc, k4, inc, k7. (22 sts)
Row 8: Purl.
Row 9: K9, inc, k2, inc, k9. (24 sts)
Row 10: Purl.
Row 11: K10, inc, k2, inc, k10. (26 sts)
Row 12: Purl.
Work 4 rows st st.
Row 17: K9, k2tog, k4, k2tog, k9. (24 sts)
Row 18: Purl.
Row 19: K8, k2tog, k4, k2tog, k8. (22 sts)
Row 20: Purl.
Row 21: K7, k2tog, k4, k2tog, k7. (20 sts)
Row 22: Purl.
Work 2 rows st st.
Row 25: [K2tog, k2] 5 times. (15 sts)
Row 26: P2tog, p2, p2tog, p3, p2tog, p2, p2tog. (11 sts)
Row 27: K4, inc, k1, inc, k4. (13 sts)
Work 3 rows st st.
Row 31: [K1, k2tog] 4 times, k1. (9 sts)
Row 32: Purl.
Row 33: [K2tog, k1] 3 times. (6 sts)
Row 34: [P2tog] 3 times. (3 sts)
Row 35: K3tog and fasten off.
(make 2 the same)
With na, cast on 5 sts.
Row 1: K1, k2tog, k2. (4 sts)
Row 2: Purl.
Row 3: K1, k2tog k1. (3 sts)
Row 4: P3tog and fasten off.
FEET
The mouse’s feet are embroidered on with pink yarn.
SEWING IN ENDS Sew in ends, leaving ends from cast on and cast (bound) off rows for sewing up.
BODY, STUFFING AND TAIL With RS facing and starting at nose, sew up body leaving a 2.5cm (1in gap) gap, stuff, sew up gap, and at bottom leave approx 14cm (5½in) of sewing-up yarn for tail.
EARS Sew cast (bound) off row of ears to top of mouse, with WS facing forward, with 3 sts between ears and approx 8 rows back from nose.
PAWS With te, make 5 parallel rows of 5mm (¼in) satin stitches 1 st either side of centre seam, 6 and 17 rows from bottom seam.
NOSE With te, embroider 5 parallel satin sts, as in photograph.
EYES Sew on 2 pink beads for eyes, approximately 3 rows in front of ears, with 4 sts between them.
WHISKERS Cut 3 x 8cm (3in) lengths of fishing line and thread through cheeks. Trim.
