Rattie Houses from Upcycled Bedsheets

 
Good afternoon everyone!

Boy do I have some cute overload for you today! I would like to introduce to you Ozzie and Kinza, my dove hooded ratties, who are sisters and a bit over a year old now.

Recently I've been on a quest to find new things for their cage, and also to use up old stuff in the house. Up-cycling AND crochet, does it get any better?

Aside from adding a rat right? SQUEE!

So! To make your "yarn" take a bed sheet and just start ripping. I ripped mine in one continual piece by cutting into the sheet about an inch thick, and ripping along the side until I had about an inch left, then turned the sheet, cut into it a little along the next side and ripped along that. Just keep going like that until the entire sheet is done. I wish Id thought to get a photo but it was late last night so here is a little.. visual I guess, of what I mean.

Yup, amazing visual there, but you get the jist :) Roll into a ball as you go or it'll get tangled. For those of you who are not inclined to rip up a sheet, some super chunky yarn will work just as well or you can buy t-shirt yarn precut which I would love to try but given its pricetag, probably not anytime soon. You could possibly even use fleece if the strips are thin enough.

You will need:
Fabric Yarn. I rolled up a double bed sized sheet and only used maybe 1/4 of it.
11.5mm hook
10mm hook
stitch marker

Starting with your 11.5mm hook
1: ch2, sc 8 times into the 1st ch, place marker

2: *2sc in the first st, sc in the next*, repeat around

3: *2sc in the first st, sc in the next 2 stitches*, repeat around

4: *2sc in the first stitch, sc in the next 3 stitches*, repeat around

change to the 10mm hook

5: sc back loop only in each stitch around

6: ch1, turn, sc in the first 15 stitches

7: repeat round 6

8: ch1, turn, 2sc in the 1st stitch, sc in the next 13 stitches, 2sc in the last stitch

9: ch1, turn, 2sc in the 1st stitch, sc in the next 15 stitches, 2sc in the last stitch

ch1, join to the other side

10: sc in each stitch around (20)

11: *sc2tg, sc in the next 3 stitches*, repeat around

12: *sc2tg, sc in the next 2 stitches*, repeat around

13: sc2tg the whole way around

14: sc in each stitch around

15: sc2tg twice, chain 8, sk one sc, sl st to the next. End off and tuck in end.

The best part about this is when it gets smelly, and we all know eventually it will, you can just chuck it in the washing machine, heck you could even pop it in a clothes dryer if you wanted to!
The loop at the end is to hook the bed to the cage, otherwise it might topple over, not that my girls seemed to mind too much!