Cage Cozies

I spent the weekend looking for crochet patterns on the internet. I found one for "cage cozies". It's a really thick pet bed/rug that goes in the bottom of cages or crates. Their main purpose is for donating to rescue shelters. A lot of pets spend time laying in cages after surgery and the kitties mainly stay in the cages. These give them a nice comfortable bed/rug to lay on. Since Pugley sleeps in a crate at night, I'm currently making one for him. He has baby blankets that I put down in the bottom of his...but these looked really comfortable. I can't describe how thick and "cushiony" these are. I'll post a picture of mine when I'm finished. I love to crochet because it's "theraputic"...but there's only so much that you can make before it starts to take over your house and your friends and families! There's only so many pot holders, coasters, afghans (I don't much care for afghans...they take too long & I'm impatient), socks, booties, hats, gloves, magnets, etc. before your house starts to look like the worlds largest ball of yarn! And I'm not overly fond of the look of yarn...so I don't keep any of the above items in my house. Afghans are the exception...they are awesome...but I HATE making them. The dog is another story too. I know he'll love this crate/cage cozy. And it's not technically a part of my household decor! But after I make this one for Pugley...I'm going to start making them and donating them to my local animal shelter. If any of you crochet, you might consider doing the same for your local shelters. Or Pug rescues. (Or whatever rescue group you feel strongly about) By the way...I also found a website that has nothing but pet crochet patterns. I'll put the link to it below.

This is exactly the way it's worded on the website...[source]

Cage Cozies
for
Animal Rescue Organizations

One of our local animal rescue organizations are in need of cage cozies. They need animal beds/rugs approximately 18 x 28 inches. The cage cozies need to be washable so acrylic yarns are fine.

Even quicker would be to make them out of polar fleece or fabric with a low loft batting.
Here is the double thick pattern that Jean, one of our volunteers, has created:
Finished size: Approx. 18" wide by 27" longJ hookUsing 2 strands of 4 ply worsted weight yarn, chain 44.Sc (Single Chain) in 2nd ch from hook and ch across. Do not turn - put 1 sc in end andthen sc on underside until you reach the end. Do not turn - put 1 sc inend. In next sc, hdc (half double crochet) around piece until finished size is reached. This will look like a long tube as it gets larger. When it is approx. 27" long, scthe open end shut. Whenever joining yarn, please leave long strands of yarnto weave back in so the animals can't get your cozie undone when they "nest"in their beds! I leave 5"-6" and backstitch after each stitch forward.Notes:The beginning chain may be too long for some people - I tend to crochet tootightly, but the 44 chains work for me. You may have to experiment to getthe right length. Also you will go through quite a bit of yarn because thiscozy is thick for warmth. I have also made quite a few of these for friendsto be used for "boot mats" - you can make them any size and they really soakup the snow.

Here's the link for the website that is all pet patterns~VERY CUTE: http://www.crochetpatterncentral.com/directory/pet_items.php

That's all for today (sorry). But today's my day off and I'm going to spend it parked on the couch infront of the tv. Watching the SoapNetwork and crocheting! (With a Pug in my lap) Have a Pug-Rific day!

::PawsOut::