Cat Knits

By Marna Gilligan of An Caitin Beag

16 pawsome knitting patterns for yarn and cat lovers 

This is the ultimate cat lover's collection of knitting patterns for garments and accessories. If you love cats and yarn you will want this collection of 16 quirky designs all based around the theme of cats. It includes four garments graded for 16 different sizes, as well as cat-themed accessories including a wrap, shawl, scarf, cowl, capelet, mittens and hats. The patterns are divided up into four chapters, each with a different style of cat-themed design similar to Marna's Sinister Catdigan pattern.

About the book

Cat Knits has sixteen patterns, all featuring sinister cats. I've tried to make it as inclusive and accessible as I can, so the sweaters and cardigans come in lots of sizes, and the projects vary in size and complexity. There are big, complicated patterns if you're up for a bit of a challenge, quick knits for instant gratification, and gentle patterns perfect for learning new techniques.

Chapter one: Fat Cats.

These patterns are knit in chunky yarn, for some seriously squishable catties. There's a sweater, hat, cowl and lovely warm shawl. I use increases and decreases to make the subtle catties, and if you're nervous about any of the techniques the cowl is the purrfect starting point.

Chapter two: Dainty Cats.

This is the 4-ply lace chapter. There's a shawl and a cardigan as well as a cowl and little catty cuffs. The lace is lovely and simple and catty (I am particularly pleased with the lacy toebeans) and there's just a smidge of catty colourwork as well.

Chapter three: Big Cats.

Intarsia is a little bit like leaving your knitting out for a cat party; those tangled yarns are almost inevitable. But these big cats are absolutely worth the tangle! They're knit in an aran-weight yarn, and there's a hat, a set of flippymitts, a capelet and a cardigan all covered in cats!

Chapter four: Cool Cats.

This is the colourwork chapter, with stripes and stripes of ... cats! You can knit up a slouchy hat, a pair of mittens, a cowl - a great starting-colourwork pattern - and a cropped, boxy sweater.

Marna Gilligan is an up-and-coming designer and a regular at yarn shows in the UK and beyond. Her business name, An Caitin Beag (pronounced On Cat-een BeUG), is Irish for The Tiny Little Cat. Marna launched her cat-themed company a few years ago and sells knitting-related products such as project bags printed with cat motifs, stitch markers and shawl pins. She also sells a small number of patterns on Ravelry where she is growing a loyal following.

ISBN: 978-1446307540