Sitting pretty

Not too long ago, I came across this picture on Facebook.

I shared with with the Wandering Cat Facebook group, because I thought it was such a cool idea.

And naturally, being a crafty person... I thought... I can do that! And didn't I have just the sweater. It's a beautiful cabled sweater mom knit ages ago - but, as gorgeous as it was, it was just too darn itchy to wear. Neither of us had the heart to just toss it, so it sat in my closet for years... until tonight...

Yup - it's now a super comfy cat bed! Want to know how I did it? Of course you do!

1) Sew the collar closed. (You don't have to be particularily tidy - I just used a large, quick backstitch with some leftover white sock yarn)

2) Back stitch from armpit to armpit, creating a tunnel from the sleeves and top of the sweater that you can stuff.

3) Stuff this tunnel. I used some otherwise useless leftover strips of quilt batting and some fibrefill, though as the Facebook pic suggests, you can use rags or towels too. I stuffed it lightly enough that the arms were bendable, but firmly enough to make a nice soft pillow for kitty heads.

4) Sew the cuffs to each other. I tucked one inside the other and just did a quick backstitch. (Again, not very tidily)

5) The last step is to attach the body to the sleeves, so the bed become one piece - just a quick whip stitch will do here.

And voila! Instant cat bed! Here's a quick anatomy shot for those who need a better visual....

 Naturally - anything knit with real wool is a hit with my team...

.... and the sweater is the perfect size for a petite princess like Peno...

Or a rotund Rocky.

I better go dig out some more sweaters, or we're going to have a cat fight on our hands....

ETA: Okay... no more cat fights... Rocky got a bed to call his own.

This one is a sweater I made for Dave that is too small. Polwarth/Silk blend... my cats are spoiled!