Book Review: Knits for Kitties

The image of a cat playing with a ball of yarn is cute, but it’s not actually safe for cats to play with yarn because they could eat some of it. Better to use that yarn to make toys that are a little harder to tear apart than a single strand of yarn (though it’s still probably a good idea to supervise play with knit cat toys, just in case).

Sara Elizabeth Kellner has made a fun collection of cat toys (or tiny toys for humans) in her book Knits for Kitties: 25 Knit Patterns for Making Cat Toys.

Many of the patterns are inspired by creatures her cat likes to chase, including mice, birds, snakes and grasshoppers. There are also more whimsical designs, such as doughnuts, mittens and petit fours stuffed with catnip for special occasions.

There are ladybugs, lizards, shrimp, flowers and more. You can see all the patterns on Ravelry. A roundup of finishing and embroidery techniques at the back of the book will help make your projects a success.

These projects are really cute and fun to knit, whether you’re new to knitting toys or love this whimsical genre. And the adorable photography, featuring cats interacting with the toys, is sure to delight any cat lover.

About the book: 112 pages, paperback with interior flaps, 25 patterns (7 rated for beginners, 10 intermediate and 8 advanced). Published by Baron’s Educational Series, August 2016, retail price $16.99.

Next Pattern:

Once you get past the rush of the holidays, it’s time to focus on yourself and your home and what’s going to make you feel good for the rest of winter. For me, that’s having a homemade blanket in every room. I’m currently working on a granny stitch crochet blanket, but I wanted to share some cozy knit blanket patterns with you in case you’re on the lookout for something great to knit yourself or someone you love.

I have really been enjoying log cabin projects lately because they’re a great way to use stash and I love the connections between knitting and quilting. This log cabin scrap blanket pattern is free from Very Pink, and it includes a video tutorial if you haven’t done log cabin knitting before. It’s worked in garter stitch and has blocks that are connected by borders in a single color.

Speaking of scrap busting (since that’s on my mind all the time, but particularly when New Year’s resolution time rolls around), the Hue Shift Afghan by Kerin Dimeler-Laurence is worked in a huge array of colors in garter stitch mitered squares. The pattern has options for working with sport weight or worsted weight yarn, and the blanket is worked in quarters and then sewn together, but the individual squares in each section are worked off each other for minimal finishing. Get the pattern from Knit Picks.

If you’re looking for an easy pattern that has a lot of texture, this quilted knit throw from Mama in a Stitch is a great choice. It uses chunky yarn in a single color to make a simple knit and purl pattern that looks like diamonds. The designer notes that a lighter colored yarn is helpful for making the stitch pattern stand out, but you can try whatever color you like.

Or go even simpler with the Bella Vita blanket from Christaco Design. This one uses super bulky yarn (or make it a stash buster by holding two strands of worsted weight yarn together). The pattern has a seed stitch border and allover knit and purl pattern, and includes sizes from baby blanket to California king.

If instead you want a project that will challenge you and occupy your mind as well as your needles, try the Aran texture cable afghan knitting pattern from Pattern Professionals. This gorgeous design features panels of cables and other textured stitches, and the pattern is originally form the 1970s. It uses worsted weight yarn and each pattern strip is worked individually and sewn together (though you could combine them into one big panel if you’d rather).

Next Pattern:

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