How to make: Knitted Catnip Toy

Hey everyone!  Happy New Year!  Time for resolutions.  One of my resolutions is to take all the projects I've got around the house that I never finished, and finish them!  So, if you're like me, and start project and never finish them, you probably have quite a few things around the house waiting to be worked on.  Me, I have these random "samples" of different knitted and crocheted squares.  I do these to try out different stitches, to learn new techniques, or to just get rid of old yarn.  I feel bad about just throwing them away, so there they stay, in a box for perpetuity.  Well, have I got an idea for you!  Let's turn one into a catnip toy for Oliver!

Here's a nice chevron crochet job that I've had in a box for SERIOUSLY about 4 or 5 years.  I never finished it, and it was too cool to throw away! But guess what.  I'm not making it out of this one.

I'm using this one!  This was a knit stitch that I was trying out.  I have no idea what the knit stitch was, so I can't clue you in to what I did here.  Perhaps I'll make a fresh one in the future for you guys!

This project has a special appearance by Oliver, who was VERY interested in all the goings ons.  I'm just going to fold my little knit sample in half now...

Or try to...  Oliver, cut it out!

Whoops, forgot to lengthen the yarn, I'm gonna need more than what I left on there originally.

Ok, now I've folded it in half.

Take your crochet hook and thread it through both sides of the knit sample.  Grab the long yarn we just tied to the side and pull it through:

Continue on the same side with the next stitch so the yarn makes a looping pattern.  You won't be able to see it.  Here's one finished side:

Go ahead and do another side like this:

Now you've got a nice little pocket.  Oliver is bored already, WHEN WILL IT BE DONE?

Ok, no go to your gigantic catnip plant you've been growing.  What?  You don't have massive amounts of fresh catnip like I do?  NO worries, dried catnip from the store will work fine.  I just happened to put this catnip plant in a vessel too large for it and it decided it loved life and exploded.

Take a couple stalks and remove the leaves.  Give the leaves a light chop to begin releasing the oils and smells from the leaves.

Now take some batting you had leftover from that ugly pillow you made in high school.

Mix the catnip a bit with the batting:

And stuff!

Finish off the last side with the yarn, and tie off the end like this:

Finished Product:

Hmm, let's see.   Does Oliver like it?