A QUARTO BOOK Copyright 2015 Quarto Inc. First published in the United States by Running Press, A Member of the Perseus Books Group All rights reserved under the Pan-American and International Copyright Conventions Printed in China This book may not be reproduced in whole or in part, in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system now known or hereafter invented, without written permission from the publisher. Books published by Running Press are available at special discounts for bulk purchases in the United States by corporations, institutions, and other organizations. For more information, please contact the Special Markets Department at the Perseus Books Group, 2300 Chestnut Street, Suite 200, Philadelphia, PA 19103, or call (800) 810-4145, ext. 5000, or e-mail . Library of Congress Control Number: 2014952838 E-book ISBN 978-0-7624-5670-3 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 Digit on the right indicates the number of this printing Conceived, designed, and produced by Quarto Publishing plc The Old Brewery, 6 Blundell Street London N7 9BH QUAR.KCCA Senior editor: Victoria Lyle Art editor and designer: Jackie Palmer Pattern checker: Rachel Vowles Photographers: Liz Coleman and Phil Wilkins Illustrator: Kuo Kang Chen Design assistant: Martina Calvio Indexer: Helen Snaith Art director: Caroline Guest Creative director: Moira Clinch Publisher: Paul Carslake Color separation in Hong Kong by Cypress Colours (HK) Ltd Printed in China by 1010 Printing Limited Running Press Book Publishers 2300 Chestnut Street Philadelphia, PA 19103-4371 Visit us on the web! www.runningpress.com
CONTENTS
Its very easy for me to pinpoint where my love of cats and knitting came from: my admiration for my grandmother, or Nani, as we called her.
She lived in a two-story craftsman-style house in Nashville, with lots of cats and lots of yarn. Wed visit her regularly, and she would regale us with stories of her childhood growing up in Germany. During those tales shed often be knitting (continental style), and I was fascinated by the fabric and textures she created, sometimes knitting up a sweater in a weekend. She even sold her designs to local shops and celebrities, as one of many ways to provide for her family of eight. Those weekend visits were full of inspiration for meoften alternating between armfuls of kittens and the many craft supplies my father and Nani encouraged. As a young adult, I moved to London to study fashion design.
Through courses at my university, I became interested in fiber arts. I love the magic that can be created with string and two needles, as well as the history behind this craft.
When I started Scooter Knits on Etsy in March of 2009, I was fulfilling a dream six years in the making. My university experience had given me the courage to share things I made with the world. The first cat hat I made was in August of 2009 when I adopted my first kitten, Dorothy.
After sewing her a tiny T-shirt and making her a tiny house, a tiny hat seemed like the natural next step for this self-professed cat lady. I never imagined when I listed my first cat hat on Etsy that it would become the focus of Scooter Knits, but five years later Im so grateful it did. My hope is that you will have as much fun making these hats as Ive had designing them. Ive captured so many great moments of my cats wearing their hats over the years, and I hope you do too! For me, my cats are a special part of my lifenot the aloof pets some think them to be, but intelligent animals with unique personalities. This book is an ode to the many sides of our feline friends. Use the patterns in this book to showcase your cats personality in family photos, on Christmas cards, for Halloween, etc! We lost my Nani in August of 2014, one month before her 92nd birthday.
She was intellectual, articulate, loving, talented, quick to put you in your placean inspiration to me in innumerable ways. This book is dedicated to her. Sara x
BE KIND TO YOUR FELINE FRIENDS Some cats are born to model millinery (Gus, Bluebell, and Luna, you know who Im talking about) and others arent. If your cat doesnt want to wear your yarn creation, dont force it to. WORKING THE CATWALK The models showing off in this book were volunteered because they have exactly the right temperament to wear a hat that looks like a banana, for example. HAT-WEARING ETIQUETTE As Lady Mary Crawley might have said, A cat should never wear a hat outdoors.
Do not let your cat outside in a hat nor leave it to wear a hat unsupervised.
BEHIND THE SCENES! Leeroy reflects on a hard days work. Link cat naps between shots.
METHOD: KNIT SKILL LEVEL: BEGINNER SIZE TO FIT AN AVERAGE ADULT CAT EAR OPENING: 2 IN. (6 CM) WIDTH OF HAT BETWEEN EARS: 2 IN. (64 cm) tail.
Row 1: Knit.
Row 2: Kfb, k to last st, kfb. (5 sts) Rep last 2 rows five more times. (15 sts) FIRST EAR HOLE
Row 13: K3, bind off next 10 sts, k last st.
Row 14: K2, cast on 10 sts, k3. (The 3 st side is the front of the hat.) MIDDLE SECTION Knit 16 rows. (The 3 st side is the front of the hat.) MIDDLE SECTION Knit 16 rows.
SECOND EAR HOLE Row 31: K3, bind off next 10 sts, k last st. Row 32: K2, cast on 10 sts, k3. Row 33: Knit. Row 34: K2tog, k to last 2 sts, k2tog. (13 sts) Rep last 2 rows five more times. (64 cm) tail. (64 cm) tail.
To create ties, use crochet hook and 25 in. (64 cm) tail, pull a loop through each stitch on bind off edge (3 loops), yo, pull one loop through, work 25ch, pull end through loop tightly, and snip extra yarn. Repeat with other 25 in. (64 cm) tail. LEEROY MODELS THE DINOSAUR HAT WHILE PLAYING WITH HIS DINOSAUR MODELS. Rows 13: Knit. Row 4:
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