As Halloween creeps closer and we begin looking for the season's crafts to satisfy our creative itch, here is a simple, spellbinding craft that captures the spirit of the season purr-fectly.
This beaded black cat is a small, mischievous companion crafted from pony beads and cord that is great for trick-or-treat handouts, keychains, decoration ornaments, or just a dash of witchy whimsy. Add them to plain garland to create a festive appeal.
Attach them to your backpack zippers, use them as keychains, or let them dangle from fun places to bring a touch of Halloween wherever you go. At home, they transform into charming decorations: hang them from doorknobs, dangle them from light fixtures, or string them together to create a haunting Halloween garland that will decorate any room. Their lightweight, durable design means they'll bring smiles year after year.
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You will need one connector such as a 
Lanyard hook,
or any type of 
Key Ring.
Cord:
You will need about
2 1/2 yards of cord for your beaded black cat.
There are lots of different types of cords you can use. We prefer a cord that is about 1 1/2mm to 2mm thick because it helps your cat keychain keep it's shape better. Alternatively, you could use a thinner cord and weave a little wire or a pipe cleaner into your keychain to help it keep it's shape that way. Either way works just fine but you can experiment with it to see which method you prefer.
One good choice is
Monofilament Cord
or
2mm metallic cording.
Other great choices would be:
1mm Black Jute or Hemp cord,
1.5mm Leather necklace cord,
1.5mm Satin Rattail Cord,
OR
1/8" Satin Ribbon
For ours, we used the 1.5mm black cotton jute type cord.
Helpful Hint: If your cord end frays easily try dipping it into a little melted wax and smoothing it out with your fingers. This will help prevent fraying and also create a stiffer end for threading into your beads.
Beads needed:
2 - Yellow Pony Beads
Note: these are the colors we used. You can use these colors or you can make your beaded bat in other halloween-y colors like orange, lime green, purple, or whatever colors are perfect for you.
Other Things Needed:
Optional: For a stiffer beaded cat you can include a little wire or a pipe cleaner with your cord to help keep it's shape
Beading Wire
OR
Pipe Cleaners
2. Begin threading the beads onto the cord following the photo.
The illustration below shows you how each cord side is threaded into the beads. 
3. After finishing, your cords should end at the beginning of the cat's tail. Tie your 2 cord ends together with a double knot or surgeon's knot. Add a little glue to each knot to prevent them from unraveling. When the glue is dry clip the cord ends.
(Optional) Weave your wire or pipe cleaner through one of the widest rows near the top of your beaded cat keychain to make it stiffer and hold it's shape.
Would you like to make other Halloween themed beaded critters? How about some cool Beaded Skeletons
OR Beaded Ghosts
OR Beaded Jack O'Lantern 
OR Beaded Bat
OR Beaded Spider 
Make a bunch of them and string them up onto Halloween garland!
Follow the same pattern using seed beads or E beads in place of pony beads to create smaller characters and create a great pair of earrings or a necklace pendant.
53 - Black Pony Beads
Glue
