Knit a Stack of Nesting Cats

I know I just shared a bunch of cat knitting patterns not all that long ago, but I saw these the other day and, in the spirit of whimsy, just had to share them.

The Matryoshkats pattern from Mochimochi Land is an adorable set of nesting cats. The smallest cat is worked in one piece, while the other three are worked as a top half and bottom half that are kept separate to allow the kitties to nest. The ears on the larger cats and tail on the big cat are stitched separately from picked up stitches.

The models are worked in worsted weight yarn but you can size up or down as you like. I think these would be cute in a jumbo version worked in blanket yarn, too!

Anna Hrachovec originally designed these cats to use in the illustrations for her children’s book, Catside Up, Catside Down, but has released the pattern so we can all have a little bit of feline fun.

The smallest cat is 1.25 inches, or 3 cm, tall, while the biggest one is 4.25 inches, or 11 cm, when using worsted weight yarn. The whole set only takes about 30-60 yards (27-55 m) and of course it’s extra cute if each cat is a different color so you can use up little odd balls from other projects here.

It is noted in the pattern but if you’re making these for little ones, the smallest cats in the set are a potential choking hazard. All the more reason to experiment with using larger yarn if giving to a kiddo is the plan.

I would totally keep these on my desk to play with, though, no kids needed. They’d be great to gift to a cat-loving friend of any age. (One project on Ravelry shows them posing with a live cat, but I don’t think they’d make good cat toys.)

You can find this pattern at Mochimochi Land or on Ravelry.

Christmas Gifts For Knitters

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You probably know by now if you’re a regular reader (and if you’re not, welcome!) that I love a knitting pattern that’s a little silly or a little different from the usual. Classic patterns are great, too, but sometimes you just want to make something with a bit of whimsy. And when it’s super functional, too, that’s even better.

That’s the case with the Bananen-Socken pattern from Susanne Shahin. These banana socks are one of those patterns no one seems to be totally sure where it came from, and this free pattern on Ravelry explains how she makes them based on how she learned it.

It’s a sock that’s curved and when not on a foot it looks rather like a banana. There’s no heel, and you can use whatever number of stitches you need to make it fit your foot. If you’ve knit enough socks to know how many stitches you like you can just use that number, or the pattern notes include sizing charts to help. (It needs to be multiples of 2 for the ribbing.)

After working a traditional cuff, the body is made with ribbing on the back and welts (or what the pattern calls horizontal ribbing) on the front, which is what gives it the curved shape. There’s no heel, but there is toe shaping, but for the leg and the foot you just keep working the same pattern as long as you like.

I’m a little skeptical about how these socks will feel with ribbing on the bottom of the foot, but I’m definitely intrigued and will probably give them a try.

The pattern notes are available on Ravelry in English, German, French, Italian and Spanish. If you head to the pattern page you can see a photo of what it looks like on a foot, and it just looks like a normal sock.

Have you ever knit banana socks or do you want to now? I’d love to hear your thoughts!

[Photo: Susanne Shahin]

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