Insomnia Strikes

It's 4:42 am. Bah. I can't sleep tonight, so I figured turning to some knitting isn't a bad idea.

Everyone needs one of those projects that yields finished results almost immediately. You know, something you can start and finish in the same day, something that doesn't really take a time commitment like sweaters and shawls and afghans do. Well, for me lately, that project has been cat toys. Now, if your cats are anything like my cats, they love the knitted things they are not supposed to have. They want to sleep on them, knead their claws in them, bat around balls of yarn, you name it. So I like to make them knitted things they can have. The mouse is a Catnip Friend from Oddball Knitting by Barbara Albright. The ball is actually a Knitted Kick Sack from the same source. But the fish, the fish is my design, and you all may have it.

Note: this pattern is worked from tail to head.

Needles: US size 6 dpns
Yarn: Knit Picks Wool of the Andes in carrot
Scrap of black yarn or embroidery floss
Notions: tapestry needle

CO 21 st
Join to knit in round, being careful not to twist.
Arrange sts so that there are 7 on each of three needles.
Knit 5 rounds.
Begin first set of decreases:
Round 1: *K5, K2tog*
Round 2: K
Round 3: *K4, K2tog*
Round 4: K
Continue in this fashion until there are 3 sts on each needle.
Begin increase:
Kf&b into the first st of each needle until there are 8 sts on each needle.
Knit 7 rounds.
Begin second set of decreases:
Round 1: *K6, K2tog*
Round 2 *K5, K2tog*
Continue in this fashion until only one st remains on each needle.
Cut yarn, lace through live sts, pull tight, tie off, pull yarn through to inside.
Stuff with polyfil, catnip, and/or a plastic shopping bag (they make a great crinkling noise my cats love), close tail with a whipstitch and embed any lose ends inside the toy. Embroider two eyes in the appropriate places with scrap yarn or embroidery floss.