Spinning Recycled Denim Fibers….

While at the Northern Michigan Lamb and Wood Festival this past weekend I wandered into (technically this is correct, as in true tourist fashion I was bumping into all kinds of things and people – just ga ga over all of the yummies all around me!) anyway, I bumped into a gal who was spinning with recycled denim fibers.

Determined to figure out more about this, as soon as I got back to the computer, Googled it. Couldn’t find anything in Google, YouTube or EHow. So, last night at our spinning group, I asked. Seems these “recycled” denim fibers are leftovers from the “makin’ o’ the blue jeans” at the mills.

Clever! The spun fiber was white with a bit of the blue specks in, but just the idea of spinning recycled blue jeans has me thinking. You know those frayed edges when you get a tear in your knees, or when you cut off your jeans because you’re too short to wear a regular size (no, I’m not over it, I’m short!) ? Never mind, it would probably be pretty time intensive, so rather than ravel out my jeans at the meeting, we just concentrated on spinning the usual stuff, you know, like wool, cotton and dog hair!

I don’t often share knitting patterns for pets, mostly because I don’t think of it. I don’t have a dog, and I’ve never knit for my cats except a knit couch and a little cat bed I made on a knitting machine, both of which were pretty much ignored.

I have shared some pet bed knitting patterns, and both hats and sweaters for dogs.

But I don’t think I’ve shared a pattern for a cat sweater, until now.

This one is the Bunny sweater by Sarah Zhou, so named because her cat is named Bunny, of course.

It’s a made to measure pattern because cats come in all shapes and sizes, and you can also use any yarn you like and whatever gauge you are getting with that yarn.

The design is knit from the bottom up, that is, from the tail side up toward the head. Pairs of decreases shape the body as you work toward the armholes, which are made by binding off a few stitches. Then the belly and the back are worked flat, then joined and worked in the round for the chest part.

There are some design options in the pattern, from the look of the photos they include using a contrasting color for the edging, working a scalloped edging, maybe a foldover collar? But of course you can add your own embellishments, stripes, make it in team colors or for a Halloween costume. I’m sure they’re quick to knit so you can make a bunch if you have a cat who is willing to submit to such torture.

Bunny looks like a very good and mostly tolerant girl; I don’t think either of my cats would be willing to wear a sweater. But if you make one (the pattern is available on Ravelry) and successfully get your cat to wear it I would love to hear about it!

[Photo: Sarah Zhou]

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