I can has will save?

I have two cats. Before I had Gambit and Inara I had many whole, complete sets of dice. I had so many I could frolic through them. I could have filled a kiddie pool with D12s and bathed in them. Since bringing the kittens home two years ago I've had to start hording them like a squirrel protecting her winter stash. A couple weeks ago I sat down to get ready for a game, opened up my very tasteful Vera Bradley dice bag...and discovered that there were absolutely no d20s in it. Over the following 1/2 hour (which I spent rumaging around under the couch and behind the tv trying to figure out where they had stowed my dice) I finally came to terms with the fact that my cats have a problem. It was time to get out the intervention banner and take some action. The prospect of actually reforming them was overwhelmingly daunting, and I figure St. Jude is busy enough without adding my cats to his to-do list of lost causes. So I've gone with the next best thing. I have given them a cat friendly dice alternative. I put catnip in them, and to make them as attractive as possible have told the cats that they aren't allowed to have them.

Dice You Want Your Cat to Have (instead of the ones they steal from you)

© Megan-Anne Forsythe, 2009

Difficulty level: Easy

Yarn: (1 skein each)

Vanna’s Choice™ in Brick Red and White

Needles:

1 pair size US4 needles, tapestry needle

Abbreviations:

CO = cast on

BO = bind off

K = Knit

P = Purl

Sts = stitches

R = Row

K2tog: Knit 2 stitches together (Decrease by 1 stitch)

Instructions:

D20:

(Make 20) CO 10sts with red yarn.

R1: K

R2: P

R3: K2tog, K to last 2 sts, K2tog (8sts)

R4: P

R5: K2tog, K to last 2 sts, K2tog (6sts)

R6: P

R7: K2tog, K to last 2 sts, K2tog (4sts)

R8: P

R9: K2tog, K2tog

R10: P

R11: BO

Using white yarn and tapestry needle backstitch numbers (1-20) onto triangles. Then stitch pieces together. I used an actual D20 as a reference when I put it together so it would be accurate, but whether or not you do that is up to you. Before stitching the final seam stuff the die. You could also put some catnip in when you stuff it.

D4:

(Make 4) CO 20sts with red yarn.

R1: K

R2: P

R3-20: Odd rows: P; Even rows: K2tog, k to last 2 sts, K2tog

BO. Using white yarn and tapestry needle backstitch numbers onto the pieces. (note, for a d4, each triangle will have 3 numbers, one in each corner, not one large number on each) Before finishing the final seam, stuff the die.

D6:

(Make 6) CO20. Work in stockinet stitch (K on right side, P on wrong side) for 22 rows. BO. Using white yarn and tapestry needle backstitch the numbers onto the pieces. Stitch pieces together. Before finishing final seam stuff the die.