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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I’ve shared a lot of Christmas stocking knitting patterns over the years (see posts 1, 2, 3 for example) but what if you want to knit a stocking for a non-human member of your family. If you’re looking for Christmas stocking knitting patterns for your cats or dogs, this is the post for you.

These large paw print stockings are perfect for either dogs or cats, so they’re great to knit if you have both. They are worked in the round using DK weight yarn, and the stocking measures about 17 inches/43 cm from the top to the heel. You can get the pattern from nicolaluke.

The K4 Project has a super cute Kitty Christmas stocking pattern, which is worked in worsted weight yarn. They also have a dog version, or you can buy both and get a discount if you have both dogs and cats to knit for. Both projects have two patterns, showing how to work the stockings flat or in the round.

Put your dog into a Christmas scene with this stocking pattern from ifanhourChild. It shows a dog in a dog house in the snow, and has room for the dog’s name at the top. It’s worked flat using worsted weight yarn and the pattern includes charts for many small and medium dog breeds (there’s a separate listing for bigger dogs) so you can stitch a dog that looks like yours.

Annie’s Woolens has both dog and cat stocking knitting patterns that are worked in worsted weight yarn in the round. You can change up the colors to suit your pet if you want, and they come with an alphabet chart for personalization. Or you can stick with holiday colors and buy a kit to make the dog or cat stocking.

Waiting for Santa Paws is a pattern from Kate Agner on Ravelry that would be cute for a dog or a cat. It looks like a leg with a paw print on the bottom part of the foot and more paw prints running around the top of the leg. This is a great option if you don’t want to mess with a heel turn because it doesn’t have a heel, because dogs and cats don’t have heels so why would their stockings?

Book Review – 20 to Knit: Tiny Christmas Toys to Knit

Book Review – Knit Christmas Stockings

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