The Felted Mousie by Cailyn Meyer is a clever little knitted mouse designed especially for cats.
Unlike a traditional stuffed knitted mouse, this one is made from wool and then felted to create a dense, fuzzy fabric. It can even be filled with catnip, turning a small knitting project into a handmade toy for your favourite feline.
The pattern includes both a small and a larger mouse, making it easy to choose a size to suit your cat.
Quick Pattern Information
- Pattern: Felted Mousie
- Designer: Cailyn Meyer
- Project: Knitted mouse cat toy
- Yarn: Feltable wool
- Yarn Weight: Worsted
- Construction: Knitted in the round
- Sizes: Small and large
- Special Technique: Felting
- Optional: Add catnip when stuffing
- Get the free pattern: Felted Mousie free knitting pattern at The Daily Skein
What Makes This Knitted Mouse Different?
This mouse was actually designed for cats to play with.
The designer originally created two versions after noticing that her own cats preferred different types of toys: one liked larger catnip-filled toys, while the other preferred something small enough to carry easily.
That practical origin makes Felted Mousie quite different from the decorative mice and dressed character toys in our collection.
Why Felt the Mouse?
Felting changes both the appearance and feel of knitted fabric.
Once felted, the individual knitted stitches become much less visible and the fabric becomes denser and fuzzier. For this particular project, that gives the little mouse a wonderfully woolly appearance.
It also means yarn choice matters.
You’ll need a yarn suitable for felting rather than simply choosing any worsted-weight yarn from your stash. Check the designer’s original pattern and felting information before deciding what to use.
Two Mouse Sizes
The original pattern provides a small and a large mouse, which is particularly useful when you’re making the toy for a cat.
A smaller mouse may be easier for a petite cat to pick up and carry, while a larger toy gives a bigger cat something more substantial to grab and kick.
It’s a small detail, but one that makes sense for a toy that was designed with real cats in mind.
Who Would I Recommend This Pattern To?
I’d recommend Felted Mousie to a knitter who is comfortable knitting small projects in the round and would like to experiment with felting.
It’s also an excellent choice if you’re tired of making purely decorative knitted toys and want something your cat can actually interact with.
If you’ve never felted knitting before, the small scale of the project makes this an interesting place to try the technique without committing to something large such as a bag or pair of slippers.
Knitting Bee Pattern Notes
Best feature: It’s a genuine knitted cat toy rather than simply a mouse-shaped ornament.
Best for: Cat owners and knitters interested in trying felting.
Style: Simple, woolly and intentionally mouse-like rather than a dressed character.
Sizes: Two options make it easier to match the toy to your cat.
Catnip: The finished mouse can be stuffed with catnip if your cat enjoys it.
Consider before choosing it: This pattern requires feltable wool and is worked in the round. If you’re looking for a mouse knitted flat on straight needles, choose another design from our collection.
Felted Mousie vs a Traditional Knitted Mouse
This is a good pattern to choose based on purpose rather than appearance.
If you’re making a mouse as a child’s cuddly toy or decorative character, one of the stuffed mice in our collection is probably a better fit.
If you’re making something specifically for a cat, Felted Mousie has the advantage. Its compact shape, felted wool construction and optional catnip filling were all conceived with feline play in mind.
That makes it one of the more practical mouse patterns in the collection.
Before You Start
Read the original pattern and the designer’s notes before beginning.
The original post contains the complete yarn information, sizing, needle requirements, knitting instructions, felting directions and finishing information.
The designer also published corrections to the pattern shortly after its original release, another good reason to work directly from the current version on The Daily Skein.
More Free Mouse & Toy Knitting Patterns
Find more little mice in our collection of free mouse knitting patterns, including mice knitted flat, character mice and larger stuffed toys.
For hundreds more animals, dolls and characters, explore our free toy knitting patterns.
You can also browse our top free knitting pattern roundups for more curated collections and ideas for your next project.