Tuesday, January 24, 2017

Miau!

I hope you are well settled into the new year. I did not mean to stay away from the blog quite this long, but somehow the days have just gone by without me doing a whole lot. January does this to me at times, I need to step away and rest. The days are cold, not too cold for walking on most days, snow piles keep getting higher and higher, the amount of light is still sparse and most days I have felt like hibernating. Last week there were two days when the sun came out, made the white surroundings even whiter and reminded me that the sun is slowly returning and the spring is on the way. It is still weeks ahead, but there is more light every day and eventually the sun will bring the warmth as well.

Last time we talked I was going to work on the blue sweater, Short Raglan, with the braided hem. I tried, I even knitted a full skirt to it, but somehow it just does not seem right. It is as if there is too much in the fabric for me to get grip of. There are the cables in the raglan shaping, there are the purls rows at the hem and then the braids and the fact that it is so wide and short. I took it to pieces and worked also on the sleeves but so far nothing has felt right. I had to put it away, I am not sure if I am going to rip it all and knit something else with the yarn at some other time, or if I will yet try to fix it.

While pondering about the blue sweater, I was not paying attention and my knitting enthusiasm got buried in a pile of snow and I was afraid that I had lost it completely, and that I would have to wait for the snow to melt before I saw it again. I was lucky and it did surface but something had happened to it during the days of absence. It seems as if I am not able to do anything else with my needles but to knit… cats.
The yellow one was the first.
And then this brown one that reminds me of the tortoiseshell colorway. I have made little tweaks on the body from the previous one to the next and I still don’t have it quite right, but it is getting there. I am quite happy with this brown body now.
 
The head has been pretty much the same all the time, but the body has given me a lot to think about. The cat is filled with wool, that is sculpted little bit with felting needle. It is not too hard but the cats have some weight and it is as if they have bone structure. I really like the way they feel and like the thought of them being all wool, except for the nose, that is of cotton – you know, the nose should feel little cool, little different from the rest, so cotton fabric was the best option for it ;-)
 
The cardigans need some thought too, everyone is little bit different and once I get the body the way it should be, then I will most likely get the cardigan too. I took lots of pictures for you to see the embroidery on the faces and body.
 
It has been interesting to go through the stash to find an odd ball of yarn and then to see how it works. Some yarns have been better than others. This white gave me a lot of grief, I thought it would work well, being all wool and still having lots of grease in it, but somehow it was way too stiff and stubborn, and I could not mold it the way I wanted.
 
I am not sure where I am going with these cats… nor do I know how many I need make but right now, this feels like the perfect way to knit away these cold and dark January days. It might be freezing outside but these little woolly cats make it all bearable and mellow and - much lighter.
Wool with you,
Lene

31 comments:

  1. I really love the cats, they are absolutely wonderful!

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  2. These are darling and I love the nose made from cotton :-D.

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  3. Anonymous17:26

    Wonderful cats!

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  4. If I had a child or grandchild, I would be begging to buy one of these! The white one has such a lovely halo.

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  5. Oh, Lene, those are adorable! And that's a word I don't throw around casually. Are you going to share the pattern somewhere, maybe on Ravelry?

    After months of not knitting (cross stitch obsession) I started three projects in December and January: a chevron shawl from stash yarn, a pair of toe-up socks in a color called "Route 66" with lots of bright turquoise, and a pink "Pussy Hat." Haven't finished any, but all are "close!"

    Oh, and I re-started a long term project, too. But it's not needlework, and thus off topic. There's just something about the end of the year and the beginning of the new one, and this year in particular with transitions and uncertainty, that just seems to say "Hurry! Hurry! DO something!" to me.

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  6. Anonymous18:34

    These are some of the cutest things I've ever seen. Thank you so much. Being from the US, I desperately needed something to make me smile. (I have some "inauguration blues" going on) These are perfect.
    Thanks!

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  7. Absolutely adorable!

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  8. I love them! My first thought was that my twins (age 5) would be thrilled with cats like this. They carry around their "loveys" and sleep with them and make up games with them, and these cats seem perfect for it..I can just imagine how much fun they would be.

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  9. Hope you release a pattern, as these are the cutest cats I've ever seen!

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  10. Jeannie20:06

    I love these little kitties!! hard to judge the size but perhaps they could be a Christmas ornament? I hope you will make a pattern for these and put it on Ravelry,I will buy it!! Thanks for sharing and Happy New Year.

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  11. These kitties are wonderful! I love them. Each one makes me smile.

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  12. Millie20:45

    Love the kitties.

    But about the sweater, why don't you frog it and use the yarn to make something felted - maybe slippers or a bag?

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  13. So many sweet little cats !!!

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  14. Tricia00:08

    These delightful kitties make me smile. Thank you!

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  15. I love your kitty cats! I have spent all of January making art dolls that are crochet & polymer clay. Why? asks my practical mother. I don't know why! lol

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  16. Those cats are darling. Their faces are a work of art. Thank you for sharing them with us.

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  17. I love your cats. They put a smile on my face as soon as I opened your blog. Your creativity is amazing. Thank you for sharing with us.

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  18. Anonymous11:22

    Love all the creatures you produce while you are hibernating! Your blog is always a delight! Renée

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  19. I love those cats! I do hope you'll share the pattern sometime.

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  20. OMGosh! I love them!

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  21. Anonymous02:10

    These cats are beautiful right down to their sweet faces. Would that my hands and brain could pick up needles and yarn to be this creative. You inspire me!

    annie

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  22. These are wonderful! Now I am wondering how I can recreate these! Thank you for sharing your inspiration.

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  23. Your kitties are adorable. I hope you consider making a sweet kitty with sweater pattern. If not, I truly enjoy seeing them on your blog. They make me smile!

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  24. Anonymous16:34

    So good to see you back. With cat. I love them.

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  25. skeindalous19:00

    O! A smile on a grey day. Thank you!

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  26. Anonymous21:04

    They're all adorable, love them all!

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