Kitty Boo

What You Will Need

Yarn:

• Black (K), for the cat's head, body, paws, ears, and the bucket handle
• Cream (C), for the ghost sheet and the muzzle
• Orange (O), for the pumpkin bucket
• Pink (P), a tiny scrap, for the inner ears and the nose
• White, a tiny scrap, for the whiskers
• Tip: Use a DK weight cotton or cotton blend yarn. Cotton gives crisp stitches that hide the stuffing and keep the sheet's wavy hem neat. Use a smaller hook than usual so your stitches stay tight.

Tools:

• 3.0 mm (D/3) crochet hook
• 8 mm safety eyes (1 pair), brown or amber with a black pupil if you can find them, or plain black
• Poly-fil or fiberfill stuffing
• Yarn needle with a large eye for sewing and embroidering
• Stitch markers
• Sharp scissors
• Straight pins for placing the pieces before sewing

The Basics (US Terms)

• MR = magic ring
• ch = chain
• sc = single crochet
• hdc = half double crochet
• dc = double crochet
• inc = increase (work 2 single crochets into the same stitch)
• dec = decrease (work 2 single crochets together, invisible decrease is best)
• sl st = slip stitch
• BLO = back loop only
• K, C, O, P = black, cream, orange, pink
• Unless stated otherwise, pieces are worked in continuous rounds. Use a stitch marker to mark the first stitch of each round.

Let Us Get Started

The kitten is made of a head, a body, two ears, two paws, and a muzzle. The ghost sheet goes over the top, and the pumpkin bucket goes in the paws.

Part 1: The Head

Worked with black yarn.

1. Round 1: Work 6 sc into a magic ring. (6 stitches)
2. Round 2: Inc in every stitch around. (12 stitches)
3. Round 3: (1 sc, inc) repeat 6 times. (18 stitches)
4. Round 4: (2 sc, inc) repeat 6 times. (24 stitches)
5. Round 5: (3 sc, inc) repeat 6 times. (30 stitches)
6. Round 6: (4 sc, inc) repeat 6 times. (36 stitches)
7. Round 7: (5 sc, inc) repeat 6 times. (42 stitches)
8. Rounds 8 to 13: Work 1 sc in every stitch around. (42 stitches) If you are using safety eyes, place them now between rounds 10 and 11, about 9 stitches apart. Secure them tightly on the inside.
9. Round 14: (5 sc, dec) repeat 6 times. (36 stitches)
10. Round 15: (4 sc, dec) repeat 6 times. (30 stitches)
11. Round 16: (3 sc, dec) repeat 6 times. (24 stitches)
12. Stuff the head firmly so it is nice and round.
13. Round 17: (2 sc, dec) repeat 6 times. (18 stitches)
14. Round 18: (1 sc, dec) repeat 6 times. (12 stitches)
15. Round 19: Dec 6 times. (6 stitches)
16. Cut the yarn, leaving a long tail. Pull the tail through the front loops of the last 6 stitches and pull tight to close. Weave in the end.

Part 2: The Body

Worked with black yarn.

1. Round 1: Work 6 sc into a magic ring. (6 stitches)
2. Round 2: Inc in every stitch around. (12 stitches)
3. Round 3: (1 sc, inc) repeat 6 times. (18 stitches)
4. Round 4: (2 sc, inc) repeat 6 times. (24 stitches)
5. Round 5: (3 sc, inc) repeat 6 times. (30 stitches)
6. Rounds 6 to 9: Work 1 sc in every stitch around. (30 stitches)
7. Round 10: (3 sc, dec) repeat 6 times. (24 stitches)
8. Round 11: (2 sc, dec) repeat 6 times. (18 stitches)
9. Stuff the body firmly, making sure the bottom is nice and flat so the kitten sits upright.
10. Round 12: (1 sc, dec) repeat 6 times. (12 stitches)
11. Round 13: Dec 6 times. (6 stitches)
12. Cut the yarn, leaving a long tail. Pull the tail through the front loops of the last 6 stitches and pull tight to close. Weave in the end.

Part 3: The Muzzle

Worked with cream yarn.

1. Round 1: Work 6 sc into a magic ring. (6 stitches)
2. Round 2: Inc in every stitch around. (12 stitches)
3. Round 3: (1 sc, inc) repeat 6 times. (18 stitches)
4. Join with a sl st to the next stitch and fasten off, leaving a long tail for sewing. Do not stuff. Flatten the little oval.

Part 4: The Ears (Make 2)

Worked with black yarn, plus a pink inner ear.

Outer ear (black):

1. Round 1: Work 6 sc into a magic ring. (6 stitches)
2. Round 2: (1 sc, inc) repeat 3 times. (9 stitches)
3. Round 3: (2 sc, inc) repeat 3 times. (12 stitches)
4. Round 4: Work 1 sc in every stitch around. (12 stitches)
5. Round 5: (2 sc, dec) repeat 3 times. (9 stitches)
6. Round 6: (1 sc, dec) repeat 3 times. (6 stitches)
7. Cut the yarn, leaving a long tail for sewing. Do not stuff. Pinch the ear flat into a triangle, with the tip at the closed end.

Inner ear (pink):

1. Round 1: Work 6 sc into a magic ring. (6 stitches)
2. Round 2: (1 sc, inc) repeat 3 times. (9 stitches)
3. Join with a sl st and fasten off, leaving a tail for sewing. Flatten it, and sew it to the front of each outer ear, near the base.

Part 5: The Paws (Make 2)

Worked with black yarn.

1. Round 1: Work 6 sc into a magic ring. (6 stitches)
2. Round 2: (1 sc, inc) repeat 3 times. (9 stitches)
3. Round 3: Work 1 sc in every stitch around. (9 stitches)
4. Round 4: (1 sc, dec) repeat 3 times. (6 stitches)
5. Rounds 5 to 6: Work 1 sc in every stitch around. (6 stitches)
6. Stuff very lightly.
7. Cut the yarn, leaving a long tail for sewing. Leave the end open.

Part 6: The Ghost Sheet

Worked with cream yarn, from the top down.

The hood:

1. Round 1: Work 6 sc into a magic ring. (6 stitches)
2. Round 2: Inc in every stitch around. (12 stitches)
3. Round 3: (1 sc, inc) repeat 6 times. (18 stitches)
4. Round 4: (2 sc, inc) repeat 6 times. (24 stitches)
5. Round 5: (3 sc, inc) repeat 6 times. (30 stitches)
6. Round 6: (4 sc, inc) repeat 6 times. (36 stitches)
7. Round 7: (5 sc, inc) repeat 6 times. (42 stitches)
8. Round 8: (6 sc, inc) repeat 6 times. (48 stitches)
9. Rounds 9 to 11: Work 1 sc in every stitch around. (48 stitches) Join with a sl st to the first stitch of Round 11.

The face window:

The window is made by working a few rows back and forth over most of the stitches, and leaving the last 14 stitches of the round unworked. This leaves a gap in the front for the face.

1. Row 12: Ch 1. Sc in the next 34 stitches. Leave the last 14 stitches of Round 11 unworked. Turn. (34 stitches)
2. Rows 13 to 16: Ch 1, turn. Sc in each of the 34 stitches across. (34 stitches)
3. After Row 16, do not turn. Ch 14, then join with a sl st to the first stitch of Row 16, closing the ring. Do not fasten off. You now have a window that is 14 stitches wide and about 5 rows tall.

The skirt:

1. Round 17: Ch 1. Sc in each of the 34 stitches, then sc in each of the 14 chains. Join with a sl st. (48 stitches)
2. Round 18: (7 sc, inc) repeat 6 times. (54 stitches)
3. Round 19: Work 1 sc in every stitch around. (54 stitches)
4. Round 20: (8 sc, inc) repeat 6 times. (60 stitches)
5. Round 21: Work 1 sc in every stitch around. (60 stitches)
6. Round 22: (9 sc, inc) repeat 6 times. (66 stitches)
7. Rounds 23 to 24: Work 1 sc in every stitch around. (66 stitches)

The wavy hem:

1. Round 25: Sl st, sc, hdc, dc, hdc, sc, each in the next 6 stitches (one stitch each). Repeat from * 11 times. (66 stitches, 11 waves)
2. Join with a sl st and fasten off. Weave in the ends.

Part 7: The Pumpkin Bucket

Worked with orange yarn, plus a black handle.

1. Round 1: Work 6 sc into a magic ring. (6 stitches)
2. Round 2: Inc in every stitch around. (12 stitches)
3. Round 3: (1 sc, inc) repeat 6 times. (18 stitches)
4. Round 4: (2 sc, inc) repeat 6 times. (24 stitches)
5. Rounds 5 to 7: Work 1 sc in every stitch around. (24 stitches)
6. Round 8: (2 sc, dec) repeat 6 times. (18 stitches)
7. Round 9: Work 1 sc in every stitch around. (18 stitches)
8. Round 10: Sl st in every stitch around. Fasten off and weave in the end. Do not stuff the bucket, so it can hold tiny treats. For a firmer shape, add a thin layer of stuffing around the sides.

The handle (black):

1. Ch 22. Fasten off, leaving a long tail at each end for sewing.

The pumpkin face (black):

1. With black yarn and the yarn needle, embroider two small triangle eyes on the front of the bucket, about 3 stitches apart and a little above the center.
2. Embroider a tiny triangle nose between and just below the eyes.
3. Embroider a wide zigzag smile below, about 5 points across, with small straight stitches.
4. Pull the stitches snug, but not tight enough to pucker. Weave in the ends on the inside.

Assembly and Finishing

This is where your kitten comes to life. Take your time pinning before you sew.

Making the Face:

1. Pin the muzzle on the lower front of the head, centered between the eyes and about 2 rounds below them.
2. Sew it on all the way around with the long tail.
3. With pink yarn, embroider a tiny triangle nose at the top of the muzzle, and a small "w" mouth below it.
4. With white yarn, add 3 whiskers on each side of the muzzle, using straight stitches about 1 inch (2.5 cm) long. Knot them on the inside, and trim to even lengths.

Attaching the Head:

1. Pin the head on top of the body, tilted very slightly forward.
2. Sew all the way around with the long tail, going through the top stitches of the body. Sew firmly, so the head does not wobble.

Adding the Sheet:

1. Slide the sheet over the head and body, so the face peeks out of the window.
2. Adjust it until the eyes and muzzle sit nicely in the window. The sheet should drape loosely and flare out over the table.
3. Using cream yarn, sew around the edge of the window to the head with small stitches, so the sheet stays in place. Take your stitches just below the surface of the sheet, so they do not show.
4. Add a few tiny stitches at the back of the neck to hold the sheet to the body.

Attaching the Ears:

1. Pin the ears on the top of the sheet, about 9 stitches apart, with the tips pointing up and slightly outward.
2. Sew them on along the base, using small stitches. Make sure they are firm, since they stand up on their own.

Holding the Pumpkin:

1. Sew the ends of the handle to the sides of the top rim of the bucket, so it makes a little arch.
2. Pin the paws to the front of the sheet, just below the face and about 3 stitches apart, with the open ends facing the sheet. Sew them on firmly.
3. Slide the handle between the paws, and tack it to the paws with a couple of small stitches, so it looks like the kitten is holding the bucket.
4. Weave in all remaining ends.

A Few Friendly Tips

• Keep it snug: Keep your tension tight and even. Loose stitches let the stuffing show through, and tight stitches make the kitten look neat and chunky.
• Window fit: If the face looks too tight in the window, add 1 row to the window. If it looks too loose, take 1 row away and chain 2 fewer stitches.
• Standing strong: If your kitten tips over, add a little more stuffing to the bottom of the body, and tack the sheet to the table-facing side of the body with a few stitches.
• Eye placement: Pin the eyes in place and look at them from a few angles. Wide-set eyes make a sweet kitten, and closer eyes look more mischievous.
• Make it your own: Try a gray tabby, an orange cat, a white ghost with a black cat, or a purple sheet and a witch hat on the kitten.
• Size up: For a bigger kitten, use chunky yarn and a larger hook, with the same stitch counts.
• Safe for little ones: For babies and toddlers, skip the safety eyes and embroider the eyes with black yarn. Sew the ears and paws on with extra stitches.

I hope you enjoy making this sweet little ghost kitty. She is such a fun project and makes a wonderful handmade gift or Halloween decoration.

If you run into any trouble or just want to share how your kitten turned out, please reach out. I love seeing what you create.

Happy crocheting and happy Halloween!