Sara Thomas - Cats in Hats: 30 Knit and Crochet Hat Patterns for Your Kitty

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

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.

Saras cat Dorothy is always first in line to try out the new hats. 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

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