Thor the kitten is about four and a half months old. Here he is stretched out on a large dog bed, which he has appropriated.
I can no longer hold him with one arm. I’ve been loosening his collar a couple times a week, so I think he is currently in growth spurt. It will be interesting to see when and where the growth stops.
Years ago I crocheted the mermaid tail blankets that were all the rage for my girls. The idea was cool, but they never used them. Getting in and out of a leg hugging device is a pain.
With my girl’s great room switch this summer, I found the blankets tucked in the back of their closets. One got sent to recycling, but Izzy the cat gave me an idea for the second.
Rather than sending the blanket for someone else to recycle, I could frog it (rip it, rip it out) and reuse the yarn. Bernat makes a wonderful blanket yarn that doesn’t shed and holds up well after years. So I found the end (by the way, weaving in the ends really does secure them well, it took forever to free the yarn!), and rather than undo all the stitches and wind a ball, I’m crocheting from one project to another. I frog a bit, crochet a bit, repeat. It skips the ball winding part and deprives the kitten of an opportunity to unwind the ball of yarn. What am I making? Cat mats. I use a smaller hook, and a single crochet stitch and make a rectangular mat. The blanket yarn and stitch make it thick and sturdy, and Izzy completely approves of the finished project.
In the background of the picture is an amigurumi bunny, also made of blanket yarn. I’m developing a mix and match pattern and will be teaching an upcoming class. The yarn from the blanket it too dark for critters, but I can take the mats to our local no-kill shelter.
Trying to spin while the kitten is awake is a dangerous undertaking. Trying to knit, crochet, sew, or do much of anything else with squirmy tempting yarn or thread is also prone to attract unwanted kitten curiosity. Luckily he does eventually sleep.
Yes, I’m posting a picture of my sleeping kitten. Yes, he is on his back in a cute pose. Yes, he is on a pile of fuzzy blankets. Yes, he is on the floor. What? Yes, the floor. He likes it there. The funny part is Missy the dog sleeps on a couch.
We’ve moved Sophie the cat into a new room with her human. To provide her all she needs, without having to deal with the kitten, she has a litter box as well as food, water, and a climbing tree. The litter box was a little too open for her though, so my eldest suggested we make a box to go over it to give her some privacy.
We started by taking measurements, then making a PVC frame. We already had the 1/2” PVC pipe and the socket tees, so it was just a matter of cutting to size. Thor the kitten was particularly found of sitting inside the “box” even if it was only an outline. We purchased 2 yards of household fabric, which is thicker than calico fabric or quilting fabric. To keep the cover in place, I made button tabs that wrap around the bottom pipe.
To make the opening, I cut an “X” into the corners of a rectangle, folded back the flaps and sewed double fold seam binding around the edges of the hole.
To test the fit and hold, I put Thor on the top. He thought the hammock was so comfy he settled down for an hour nap. While he was cuddled up, Izzy the cat and Missy the dog also explored the new object.
We had to remove Thor from the top of the box to install it in the final location. My eldest reported the next morning that the offering was appreciated; Sophie went in to do her business. Success.
Critters and Craft 