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Crochet a
Fat Cat Bean Bag

pattern and images by Carole Terwilliger Meyers

To make this sweet kitty bean bag, begin crocheting at the bottom and work your way up to form a little basket that narrows into a kitty cat.  The pattern is long and so appears to be complicated, but it is actually quite simple.  In the images here, I used an unstretchy heather wool yarn from Ireland.  The lack of stretch made it a little harder to work with.  I made this for my delighted 9-year-old granddaughter.  She checked in with me regularly to see how her kitty was coming along.  I asked her to help me fill the kitty’s tummy with beans (we used black-eyed peas), and let her select from my scraps the color that she wanted to use for the whiskers.  When it was finished, she especially enjoyed squeezing it and so far I haven’t seen her throw it. 

Measures approximately 4 inches by 4 inches.

materials
●G crochet hook
●medium weight yarn
●scraps of contrasting yarns
●1 cup beans
●2 buttons for eyes
●needle and thread

directions

     round 1
Chain 3, slip stitch in first chain stitch,  6 single crochets in center.  Slip stitch, place safety pin through slip stitch as end marker.  Use yarn tail and safety pin as marker for start.
     round 2
2 single crochets in each stitch (12 stitches total).  Slip stitch to start of row below.  Chain 2; place safety pin through final slip stitch as end marker. 
     round 3
2 single crochets in each stitch (24 stitches total).  Slip stitch to start of row below.  Chain 2; place safety pin through final slip stitch as end marker. 
     round 4
(1 single crochet in first single crochet, 2 single crochet in next)–continue around (36 stitches total).  Slip stitch to start of row below.  Chain 2; place safety pin through final slip stitch as end marker. 
     round 5
1 single crochet in each stitch (36 stitches total).  Slip stitch to start of row below.  Chain 2; place safety pin through final slip stitch as end marker. 
     round 6
1 single crochet in first single crochet, 2 single crochet in next)–continue around (48 stitches total).  Slip stitch to start of row below.  Chain 2; place safety pin through final slip stitch as end marker. 
     round 7
1 single crochet in each stitch (48 stitches total).  Slip stitch to start of row below.  Chain 2; place safety pin through final slip stitch as end marker. 
     round 8
Repeat round 7.
     round 9
Repeat round 7.
     round 10
(1 single crochet in 4 single crochet, skip next single crochet)–continue around (40 stitches total).  Slip stitch to start of row below.  Chain 2; place safety pin through final slip stitch as end marker. 
     round 11
1 single crochet in each stitch (40 stitches total).  Slip stitch to start of row below.  Chain 2; place safety pin through final slip stitch as end marker. 
     round 12
Repeat round 11.
     round 13
(1 single crochet in 3 single crochet, skip next single crochet)–continue around (32 stitches total).  Slip stitch to start of row below.  Chain 2; place safety pin through final slip stitch as end marker. 
     round 14
1 single crochet in each stitch (32 stitches total).  Slip stitch to start of row below.  Chain 2; place safety pin through final slip stitch as end marker. 
     round 15
Repeat round 14.
     round 16
(1 single crochet in first single crochet, skip next single crochet)–continue around.  1 single crochet in each of last 2 single crochets (22 stitches total).  Slip stitch to start of row below.  Chain 2; place safety pin through final slip stitch as end marker. 
     round 17
1 single crochet in each stitch (22 stitches total).  Slip stitch to start of row below.  Chain 2; place safety pin through final slip stitch as end marker. 
     round 18
Repeat round 17.  Don’t cut.

Fill with dry beans.
Pinch top together and single crochet through both thicknesses (approximately 10 stitches total).  Turn. 

ears
4 single crochets back across.  Turn.  Chain 1, 3 single crochets.  Turn.  Chain 1, single crochet 1.  Turn.  3 single crochets down side of ear, then continue single crochets across to end.  Turn.  Chain 1, 4 single crochets.  Turn.  Chain 1, 3 single crochets.  Turn. Chain 1, 1 single crochet, slip stitch.  Cut thread. 
tail
Cut 6  8-inch lengths of yarn.  Use a crochet hook to pull though bottom back of cat.  Secure by making a loop.  My granddaughter thought it was fun to braid the threads for a few inches. 
whiskers
Cut 3  4-inch lengths of yarn.  Use a crochet hook to pull through either side of cat’s face. 
nose
Use crochet hook to pull yarn through to form a nose.
eyes
Sew on two buttons.