Snoozing for them!

The personification of warm fuzzies is perhaps this little kitty bed.

It was made with some desperately unsubtle "tickle me" novelty yarn that my mother purchased a few years ago with the intent of making a scarf for my brother. Before you ask, no my brother is not gay; he's was just the unfortunate victim in a bad yarn choice. Though in my mother's defense, Ray does not like scratchy things (and who does, really?), and so wool wasn't quite an option. Bless my mother's heart.

At this time society tends to not judge pet fashion trends so harshly... though perhaps a few more years with Paris Hilton's animate fashion accessory, Tinkerbell, and this may change. Anyway, armed with some of my trusty Red Heart yarn (which Kevin had gotten for me in a grab bag auction on Ebay), and about five skeins of the soft but silly tickle me yarn, I crafted the pattern for the "Princess Snowball Cat Bed" found in Debbie Stoller's Stitch n' Bitch.

As you can see, Ryan's cats, Shadow and Aeris love the thing. In fact they were lying on the knit pieces, effectively keeping me from sewing them together to create the finished product. Again, it was rather kind of them.

Mr. Mouse

Encouraged by the reception that the knitted bee received, I put my needles to work on another treat for the feisty felines. This little mouse pattern came from Debbie Stoller's Stitch n' Bitch Nation, as part of a "Catwarming Set". Some left over acrylic yarn, a few cotton balls, with about a teaspoon of catnip tucked in, and you too can enjoy watching your cat trip out. It was again a compliment that though Aeris had some toy mice, which he didn't play with, he went out of his way to wrestle and bunny kick the one I made. Good kitty!

Bumble Cat Toy

Cats don't like sweaters. Understandable, especially considering how warm things get here in August, not to mention most felines wear fur coats year round. So, when knitting an item for a cat, toys seem to be a better decision. That being said, I never knit anything expecting the recipient to love it. The best I hope for is an, "oh, isn't that nice! You made it? Gee, thanks (insert muttering about having to wear it since it was hand-made)". Still, that's with loved ones. People who desperately don't want to hurt your feelings and will smile and nod at the hideous scarf you made and pretend that they will someday find a use for it. Who knows? It could be very useful if you ever run out of toilet paper.

Anyway, cats, unbound by our social code, could not care less if they hurt your delicate feelings. All of that hard work put into something like a cat sweater, and they will not hesitate to let you know how loathsome a creature you are to make them wear such a monstrosity. Did you spend hours making a cat toy? They could care less. Honestly. Much more efficient to roll up a sheet of paper into a ball, less cost and takes approximately three seconds while providing hours of fun.

All of this being said, there is something amazing about a cat trying desperately to chew the head off a knitted bee that you made. This ferocious display can only be given by a cat that sincerely appreciates having and outlet for their pent up killer instincts. I made a bee a few months ago for Laverne and Shirley, which they enjoyed, briefly. Recently I took some scraps and crafted another one for my boyfriend Ryan's two cats, Shadow and Aris. Aris, at five months old, has taken to tugging, chewing, pulling, clawing, nom-ing, and bunny-kicking this plaything. Truly, the most sincere and honest compliment comes from a cat.

Cool Head

So, this is my version of the "Hot Head" pattern found in Debbie Stoller's "Stitch 'N Bitch". Since I didn't want to make something with reds, oranges and yellows; I figured this color combination would work just as well. Acutally, I like it quite a bit more than what the original pattern calls for. My brother was so kind as to model this beanie for me. Thank you Ray! You look Marvelous!

Navy Twist

This little hat has a bit of a story. Originally I made it for my father, who seemed to desperately need it. While late October in Southern California is relatively mild, it’s also not the ideal temperature for sitting outside in the middle of the night playing with your ham radio set trying to get some rare DX contact. The Ham Shack, called such because it’s the hobby room that my father has for Ham (or Amateur Radio), was undergoing major construction. Well, it’s always been under construction, but at this time, a wall was missing. Needless to say, it got pretty chilly in there.

Finally, I could finally take an interest in Ham Radio, at least so much as I could knit something to keep the pops a little less like a popsicle while he scanned the airwaves. So, within an evening or two I whipped up this hat with some navy colored Red Heart yarn and the Basic Cable Hat pattern from Debbie Stoller’s Stitch ‘n Bitch Nation. I gave it to my dad, who seem pleased enough with it.

However, fairly shortly after this hat reached my father, my mother decided to visit my Aunt Randi. In something akin to crayon pictures stuck on a refrigerator, my mom took some of my completed projects with her. Scarves and hats returned with her, with the exception of two beanies. My dad’s Navy Twist and another one, Cool Head (more on that project later), ended up being borrowed by my uncle Eddie and cousin Moosa for a trip back East to look at perspective college campuses.

Can I say there is little more that feels better than having someone look at something you made and go, “Hey! That’s cool! Can I borrow that?”. Perhaps the only thing more flattering is them flat out stealing it. Anyway, my heart was warmed more than their heads, I’m sure. Anyway, this hat was borrowed by my cousin Moosa, who ended up taking it not only to the East coast, but also to Europe. Warm fuzzy. Though I am slightly jealous of this well traveled hat.