A great way to use up excess yarn, especially the ugly stuff you might not like. Some mats might be pretty, some might be ugly, but all will be surprisingly spongy and a perfect cat magnet.


CAT MAT #3




I am making a granny square using a 2 half-double crochet cluster (HDC) instead of 3 double crochet. The shell stich is also made with HDC instead of DC.

The finished mat is around 19" x 13"

Supplies needed are: 5mm/I/9 hook

Any worsted weight yarn

Stitches used are half-double crochet, standing HDC, standing single crochet, single crochet and chain stitch. 

There are many tutorials on how to make the HDC and the Standing Stitch, so I won't describe it here.

Make the pad 20 rounds if using a thin yarn like Caron Simply Soft, or 18 rounds using a thicker yarn. Make 2 pads. Finish off the loose ends before joining them together.

To start the mat, chain 18, then do 1 hdc in 3rd chain from hook, 2 ch (starting HDC cluster) and 2 HDC (HDC cluster) in same stitch. (This is the start of a corner). 

Start round 1: Skip 2 ch and do 2 hdc in next stitch. Continue to the end. In the end stitch do 2 hdc, ch 2, 2hdc, ch 2, 2hdc. Continue with 2 hdc on other side of chain to match the ones you have already completed. When you get to the start, make 2 hdc, ch 1. Join by making 1 sc in first 2 hdc cluster There should be 9 2-hdc clusters on each side and 1 hdc at each end of the 1st round. 

Round 2: SC in space made by previous round ch 1 and sc, ch 4, 2hdc in same space, 2 hdc cluster in space between hdc cluster from previous row. In each corner do 2hdc cluster, ch 2, 2 hdc cluster. Repeat until the round is finished. Do 1 hdc in starting corner and join to ch 3 of starting ch 4. ss to ch 2 space.

Repeat round 2 to continue.

If you are going to alternate the rounds with 2 colours, you can carry the yarn up to the next round by doing the starting sc over top of the last colour used and then dropping it behind your work to pick up later. If you are going to do more than 1 round with different colours, then finish of the colour and join the new colour in any corner using a standing hdc.

When you have finished 2 mats - connecting and Shell Stitch border

Line up the corner of the 2 mats. Join yarn using a hanging single crochet in the last stitch before the corner, and do 3 sc total in the corner. Then do SC in each stitch along any side, ending on an even number before the next corner.

Then 3 SC in corner, SC in each stitch along the next side, ending on an even number before the next corner. Continue until you have stitches all sides together. Attach with an SS in starting hanging single crochet. Finish off yarn.

In SC before the 3 SC in the corner, connect yarn with a SS. Skip one SC and do 8 HDC stitches in middle stitch of corner 3 SC. (I find this step easier to start at a different corner.)

Skip next stich and ss in next stitch. Skip next  SC and do 5HDC in next stitch. Skip next SC and ss in next stitch, skip next stitch and do 5 HDC in the next stitch. Continue to next corner. If you have to squeeze a stitch in to make the last shell fit properly it doesn't really matter, just so long as there is 1 space before the centre stitch of the corner 3 SC to make your 8 HDC corner shell.

Finish off.

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