Kitty Knits!

Welcome visitors! It's awesome to be part of the Kitty Knits Blog Tour - Donna Druchanas has created a book with some adorable projects. Since Greedo and Somerset are the feline stars of this blog, I'm turning the interview over to them: hjlkkkkkklllllkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkklllllllllkkkkkreeeeeeeerrrrrrrrrrioppppppppppp lkkkkkklllllkkkkkkkkkkhjkvcxxcvvvvvvvxxxxxxxxxxxxxcvvvvvvvvvv Hmm...maybe it would be best for me to do the transcription. The cats decided to play a variation of "Would you rather...?" with Donna. Thanks to Peggy and Soosan for the inspiration. Somerset: Would you rather be referred to as a cat owner who knits, or a knitter who has cats? Donna: I'm definitely a cat owner who knits. Although I've been totally obsessed with knitting for the past several years, I don't know if that will last forever. But I'll always want to live with cats!. Ha ha, we cats kick knitting's butt! Greedo: Would you rather untangle yarn or clean out the litter box? Donna: Litter box. I've been known to give away tangled yarn because I didn't have the patience to untangle it! Cleaning a litter box only takes 5 minutes. Untangling yarn can take days. Hey,if it takes 5 minutes, how come our boxes aren't cleaned daily? Somerset: Would you rather bring home new yarn or take an afternoon nap with your cats? Donna: Nap! I don't have a big stash. I only buy yarn when I know exactly what I'm going to make with it -- or if something I've been wanting for a long time goes on sale. Otherwise, it just makes me nervous to have a bunch of yarn that I don't know what I'm going to do with. We like to nap with the stash... Greedo: Would you rather knit 6 swatches for a project and still not get gauge or take your cats to the vet? Donna: Both! I love swatching. But you can do that in the waiting room at the vet, can't you? You like going to the VET?!?!? Greedo: Would you rather knit with scratchy yarn, or babysit an unfriendly cat? Donna: Knit with scratchy yarn. I actually like some scratchy yarns a lot and I know they'll get softer when I wash them. I don't mind babysitting unfriendly cats, but it's much more fun to take care of a cat who loves to cuddle. Well, of course they're going to be unfriendly if you keep talking about trips to the vet... Somerset: Would you rather be shed on by a cat or by yarn? Donna: Cat! I'm not fond of shedding yarn. I might, on occasion, put up with it from angora. But I can't think of any other shedding yarn that I'd enjoy. I don't shed much...well,not as much as Greedo...OK, maybe just a different colour than Greedo... Somerset: Would you rather see someone knitting one of your patterns, or see your cats running to greet you when you come home? Donna: My cats. It's fun to see people knitting projects from my books, but there's nothing like being welcomed home by your loving feline friends. How about being greeted by a cat on top of one of your projects? Back to the book: it has a nice variety of patterns - they are grouped into knits for cats, knits for people, and knits for the home. Each category has projects of varying skill levels. The projects utilize several different techniques (fair isle, lace, intarsia, felting), with a brief, yet succinct explanation of each at the end of the book. I decided to knit the Felted Goldfish Cat Place Mat using Ella Rae Classic and 6.5 mm needles. It's a nice introduction to colourwork - the chart is easy to follow, and since it's felted, minor mistakes can be corrected with duplicate stitch. It knits up quickly, and used less than a full 100g skein of the main colour. Instead of following the pattern exactly, I knit it all in one piece (turning the chart upside down to knit the second border) In retrospect, I should have trimmed those loose ends a bit shorter before felting, because they grabbed onto some of the floats on the back. (Of course, I was felting in a front loader, and ended up putting it through 2 cycles by accident, so if I could have checked it intermittently, the ends might not have been a problem) I also put it through the dryer. The final fabric was pretty dense, and my crochet skillz are rudimentary at best, so I did a simple blanket stitch border: Voila! It's the perfect size - no more stepping on stray kibbles! I also couldn't resist the Felted Catnip Mice: A superfast knit! Kitty Approved The bobble ears make me smile. This would be a perfect last minute gift for a cat lover. Greedo and Somerset highly endorse Kitty Knits. Thanks for stopping by!