These little mice are very naughty; they love to nibble on your favourite treats. They will happily eat your last cookie or slice of cake, and will even munch on the mouldy bits of cheese found down the side of your favourite armchair – yuck!

Mice are the perfect stash busters. You can enjoy creating lots of lovely mice using a mixture of different yarns left over from other projects, so this is a great chance to experiment.

To make a stripy mouse, work two rows in stocking stitch in one colour and the next two rows in another colour. Continue this four-row stripe sequence throughout the mouse body. To save yarn, carry the yarn not in use up the side of your work rather than cutting and rejoining for each colour change.

YOU NEED:
Yarn: any small amounts of lightweight (DK) yarn from your stash
Knitting needles: 3.5mm, 4mm
Crochet hook: 3.5mm

SIZE
Length (nose-tail): approx 10cm

MOUSE

BODY
Using 4mm needles and chosen yarn cast on seven sts, using the long-tail technique
Rows 1-2: starting with a k row work in st st
Row 3: k2, (kfb) twice, k3. Nine sts
Row 4 and every even-numbered row: p
Row 5: k3, (kfb) twice, k4. 11 sts
Row 7: k4, (kfb) twice, k5. 13 sts
Cont in this way until there are 31 sts
Rows 26-28: starting with a p row work in st st
Row 29: k1, (skpo) seven times, k1, (k2tog) to last st, k1. 17 sts
Row 30: p
Row 31: k1, (skpo) three times, k3, (k2tog) to last st, k1. 11 sts
Row 32: p
Slip thread through all 11 sts to close. Pull to form mouse’s bottom

EAR
Make two
Using 3.5mm needles and chosen yarn cast on three sts
Row 1: kfb, k to end. Four sts
Row 2: kfb, p to end. Five sts
Row 3: kfb, k to end. Six sts
Row 4: kfb, p to end. Seven sts
Row 5: k
Slip thread through all seven sts to close. Pull to form base of ear, leaving a long tail

TAIL
Using 3.5mm hook make 24ch, leaving 10cm tail before first st
Thread yarn through last st and sew through all chain sts until you join to initial 10cm at beginning of tail. These two yarns are used to sew Tail onto Body

ALTERNATE TAIL
Alternatively, plait three lengths of yarn together for approx 10cm, leaving some yarn at end to sew Tail onto Body

TO MAKE UP
Fold mouse Body in half with RS tog. Sew up from each end, leaving a 2.5cm gap in middle. Turn mouse out so RS is on outside. Stuff. Sew up gap. Sew on Ears and Tail as pictured. Wrap a different coloured yarn around nose several times, until completely covered. Knot a small length of yarn above nose and unravel to create whiskers. Embroider small sts for eyes

SEND your knitted mouse or mice to Battersea Dogs & Cats Home, 4 Battersea Park Road, London, SW8 4AA

You can find out more information on the home’s monthly knitting group here.