Monday, February 1, 2010

If spoiling my cats is wrong... I don't want to be right

Is it wrong to want to buy a couple of skeins of Madeline Tosh Merino to make your cat a blankie?
Every time I pull out the Tea Leaves cardigan a leave it unattended - I find Peno on it. Last night was no exception. I finished blogging, turned around and there she was (with Mr. Rocky trying to figure out if she might share). What is odd is that Peno is the kind of cat who will run and hide if you look at her the wrong way. But she absolutely refused to get off my cardi. I had to pull it out from under her. She really loves that yarn.

Under the heading of spoiling your cats - Tux has been thoroughly enjoying his couch. But it's been pretty cold and there is a really strong draft that comes across the floor, right by it - so I wanted to make sure he was warm enough...
... he's a cat that just loves to be tucked in! (Mom says I need to have a baby - I say why? I have a furbaby!)

On the knitting front I've just been working on the Frost Leaves shawl. I have the pattern memorized now (it's only a 31 row repeat - that's not weird is it?) and I can work on it without referring to the chart. That will change when I get to the border but for now I'm trucking. I've completed four repeats and I'm working on the fifth...Sorry about the crappy picture - there are days when I really miss my SLR camera.

I think I only have two or three more repeats until I do the border, but it's hard to say because:
1) the pattern doesn't give any measurements (at least not in the English version)
2) The pattern is written for lace on 3.5 mm needles. I'm using fingering on 4 mm.
3) I only have 400 yards of this lovely yarn and very little chance of dying more to match (this was what I call a "happy accident" skein) so it's going to have to be a shawlette and I'm going to have to be very careful on my guesstimating repeats so I don't run out. The pattern gives a very unhelpful 383-437 yard guideline.

I thought this yarn was nice for knitting socks (its our Top Cat - Merino/Cashmere/Nylon) but man - is it ever fun to knit a shawl with. It's unfortunate I don't have more, because I'd love to turn this into a full size shawl. I think Mom and I are going to have to start dying some "matched" skeins in case anyone wants to knit shawls with it - what do you think? Would you like to see multiple skeins of one colourway in the shop for shawls? If so, are there any particular colourways that are your favourite?

16 comments:

zoom said...

I love the picture of Tux tucked in on his couch!

Rhonda said...

Just because we got the yarn on sale, doesn't mean the cats can sleep on it.

Kas said...

I just love the pic of your cat on its own lounge just the best.

pendie said...

There's no such thing as "spoiling" your cat; you're simply tending to their basic needs! I drive my husband nuts with my pampering of the cats but it makes me happy, so I just tell him "whatever"!

Lee said...

I totally understand. I am terrible about spoiling our cats. They pretty much get things their way.

TheBlackSheep said...

If your cats are anything like mine, they'll only lay on what your knitting at the time. As soon as I made a cat blanket, the cat lay on it and loved it. When I gave it to her and she figured out that it wasn't my current knitting project, she never looked at it again.

Cats, worshipped as gods in ancient Egypt, and they're never going to let us forget it.

Finding Joy said...

When I got my new kitten I bought her all sorts of warm things to sleep on/in - where did she decide to sleep - on top of the washing basket, behind a photo frame (on hard timber) or on the carpet. Perhaps when winter arrives she might moved into something warmer. The older cat loves soft blankets.

lexa said...

Cats are too funny, mine do the same thing. My Siamese cat we had when I was in my teens, he slept with me every night and had to be under the covers with his head on my pillow, even in the summer.

I think it's a good idea to dye up multiple skeins the same. :)

Bricklyrknitter said...

Love the picture of Tux! I need one of those couches!

RobinH said...

Aw! Cute picture! Our cat loves wool, and will hop up onto my husband and knead blissfully whenever he's wearing one of his handknit sweaters. (To be sure, she kneads him other times, too, but she does seem really attached to the sweaters-she'll sometimes knead them even when he isn't wearing them, which she definitely doesn't do with his other clothes.)

Lost City Denise said...

There is absolutely nothing wrong with making the cats a blankie. Not a dadgum thing and don't let anyone tell you different.

Okay now I'm off to Rav the shawl and check it out - like I need to queue another shawl...

Monika said...

Tux tucked in, how sweet!
I still wished I had more of Pink Purl, not just the single skein, because it's a fabulous color for a shawl.

Knitting Linguist said...

Spoiling cats is good fun, and generally has less disastrous results than spoiling children, so have at it! :)

Jeanne said...

I believe in spoiling cats - but I think making a blankie with Madeline Tosh is really spoiling! :-)

Love the cat pictures - so cute!

Amy & the house of cats said...

I think spoiling cats is a great idea - and they really do seem to enjoy sleeping on anything knitted. And Tux on his couch is great - my cats don't like to be "tucked in" most of the time (believe me I try) - they want to be on top.

Susan said...

Our cat is 20 pounds and I still give him treats, so I guess I'm with you on spoiling them.