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:

Using your yarn stash is important to me throughout the year, but as I start to feel the end of the year coming on I get more excited about using things I already have in the house. Maybe that’s because I don’t want to go to a store in the thick of holiday shopping times, or I like the idea of having a little space in my stash when the new year rolls around.

It’s super satisfying to use up all the little odd balls you’ve made over the year (or years), and I have several stash busting blankets I work on when it’s cold and will maybe finish someday.

If you’d like to start a stash busting project that’s perfect for using up odd balls, check out the Soukish pattern from Neisha Abdulla. This pattern is made for fingering weight/sock yarn, and it’s worked in a tube with allover color work.

This is great for a couple of reasons. You don’t really have to weave in your ends when you can hide them in a tube (this is one time you might even get by just tying a knot when you change colors!) and you can change colors whenever you run out of yarn and it will look good.

Of course the pattern is made with blocks where the designer changed colors, but you can change yours more or less often as you need to make it work for your stash. You can use blank charts to design your own color combinations, or even your own stitch patterns if you like. You can also adjust the length of the scarf as needed or turn it into a cowl based on the amount of yarn you have.

This project looks like a lot of fun and would be a great thing to have on hand to stitch up and then to wear during the cold, gloomy months.

You can get a copy of the pattern on Ravelry.

[Photo: Neisha Abdulla]

Another Way to Use Up All Your Sock Yarn Scraps

Gather Your Scraps for a Fun Wrap

A Scrappy Shawl Knitting Pattern to Use All Your Odd Balls

Use All Your Yarn Scraps on This Great Cardigan Knitting Pattern

Next Pattern:

Have you read?

Leave a Reply