Knitch Magazine

Some things just naturally go together. Wine and cheese. Chocolate and ice cream. Balls of yarn and pussycats.

Photo left: Hannibal Lecter, a ferocious ginger pussycat, considers his fangs among his most attractive features.

The most recent study conducted by The National Needle Arts Association (TNNA), reported that 63% of knitters have pets. The researchers didn’t request information about what type of pets, but we’re pretty certain that a high percentage are cats.

Yes, those furry, tuna-breathed creatures that demand our attention whenever they want it, but will completely ignore us the other 80% of the time. I’ve seen documentaries proving that a farm cat can hear the footsteps of a mouse scurrying beneath a bale of hay. But when I’d be outside yelling for my cat at the top of my lungs, he’d pretend he didn’t hear me. I knew he could; and he was probably laughing his fluffy orange head off as I grew more frantic in my search.

I will not deny it. I love cats. I really, really love them. As Emo Philips says, “I have a love for animals that is… almost illegal.” Currently, I am catless after 15 years of spoiling Kim and Hannibal, but I look forward to the day when I can re-fill the vacuum in my heart -- and the litter in my cat box. My husband insists it won’t be until he dies because he developed very serious allergies that I blamed on pollen, dust, mould, ragweed, and every other form of air pollution that occurs in the Ohio Valley. Unfortunately, his immunologist blamed my cats.

Alex says that when he dies, I’ll become the crazy little old lady with 47 cats. I say he’s wrong. There’ll be 49 of ‘em.

Because I love cats, and I know knitters love cats, we decided to create a line of yarns to match the wonderful varied colors of cat fur. When I say, “we decided” what I really mean is that I nagged Alex until he agreed. I proved to him that cats were adored by knitters by showing him all the cat photos on Ravelry.

As any member of Ravelry knows, a lot of knitters use pictures of their pussycats instead of their own likenesses to identify themselves in the forums. These knitters are proud of their pussycats because each one knows that her cat is undoubtedly the most beautiful, the smartest, and the most talented cat in the world. And they’re all correct!

Over the past few months, Yarnmarket worked with the brilliant hand-dyer, Iris Schreier of Artyarns, to develop our Fabulous Felines line of yarns. She selected the most gorgeously soft and wonderful merino yarn and developed a color palette for nine new yarns that we wanted to name after pussycats owned by knitters. We asked for entries from knitters throughout the world, and were inundated with photographs that very often made me choke with laughter. Why is it that cats want to sit in boxes, lie spread eagle with their belly fully exposed, or stand on the computer keyboard while their handmaidens are trying to work? Why is it that they all acquire the same expression of supreme disgust when forced to wear a perfectly lovely Hallowe'en costume? And why, oh why, do they spread out to take up more room in the bed than the human who is lying next to them? Each morning when I arrived in my office, I couldn't wait to see the photographs that awaited me in my e-mail.

From the sweet little faces of frisky six-week old kitties to the jaded expressions of 16-year old Toms, I received shots of pussycats from all over the planet. And we had stories about these critters that often brought tears to my eyes: stories of how people rescued cats, and stories of how cats rescued people -- by offering their affection, providing endless hours of entertainment and by letting their human companions know that they truly are loved and needed.

Photo left: Fabulous Felines Baby Blue yarn is based on this pussycat, Baby, who has such pretty eyes.

Selecting these pussycats to represent our new line of yarns was an excruciatingly difficult process. We had hundreds of photos (many of which you can see on our Fabulous Felines contest site), and several skeins of prototype colors we needed to match. For hours we held up skeins of yarn to our computer monitors to determine the most closely colored cat. Some had a little more gray than the yarn, some had a little more orange, and in one case we decided that a pussycat's eyes -- not his fur -- were the perfect match to our color.

Now, we're very proud to offer Fabulous Felines yarns in the colors Reggae, Fidgesaurus Rex, Valentino's Eyes, Fred, Sage, Katrinka, Ira, Rajah and Baby Blue. These are just the first installment of a series of yarns that will continue to grow over time as we experiment with new color combinations.

While we were busily examining the yarns and cats, pattern designers were feverishly knitting their creations so we could offer free patterns. We're delighted to offer The Rajah Blanket, in memory of a pussycat who passed away shortly after being selected, and the Valentino Blanket free on KnitchMagazine.com.

We hope that you enjoy these yarns and projects as much as we do. And we hope to continue receiving entries at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it so we can give new colors the names of actual pussycats.

Some of the entrants mention situations where their cats have helped them overcome adversity. One knitter wrote, “I could write a novel about my cat and how he’s really saved me…he found me when I really needed him.” I was so moved by that note that I contacted British Biologist, Rupert Sheldrake, who is renowned for his studies of humans and their pets. I wanted him to know about the letters I'm receiving -- just in case he could use them in his research.

Photo right: Kim Basinger, in a pretty white and ginger coat, stretches out demurely for a not-so-candid photo.

For those of you who aren’t familiar with Sheldrake’s work, he is the author of “ Dogs That Know When Their Owners Are Coming Home And Other Unexplained Powers of Animals: An Investigation.” He believes that many pets and their owners develop connections that cause them to communicate telepathically. The book is terrific, as are the television documentaries about Sheldrake’s studies, and the interviews you can find on YouTube. If you have any stories relating to feline ESP (for example, your cat knows when you'll be home from work) please send them to Mr. Sheldrake because they'd be valuable to him in his work.

It occurred to me as I read through the notes I've been receiving that there’s something very special about humans – that we can form such deep emotional attachments to furry little creatures who can give only their own love in return. We don’t become famous because of our cats. We don’t get rich on our cats. But our lives are immeasurably enriched.

We are entirely responsible for our pets’ well-being. In the US over 38 million households include almost 94 million cats. Billions of dollars are spent each year on their care. (Source: American Pet Products Association.) We feed our cats the foods they want us to serve, we buy them toys and catnip, and when we go away we hire cat-sitters to care for them, we are careful not to roll over and disturb them when they’re sleeping on the pillow beside us. For many of us, there is nothing we won’t do to ensure the comfort and safety of our cats.

Is this because the world has become so industrialized and de-humanized that we reach out to other species to provide warmth, love and affection we might not otherwise enjoy? Or is it simply because we are human and it’s part of our humanity to want to take care of other creatures? I know that in my own situation, my love for my cats was deepened each time they became ill and needed me. That was the motivating force: they needed me. And because they needed me, I loved them.

Photo left: Baby was not only photogenic, but knew how and where to pose to best show off his snowy white coat.

I gave them love in the form of endless cans of tuna fish, home grown catnip, half-and-half cream, belly rubs, back massages and ear skritches. The neighbors would laugh when they’d see me out in my garden, hunched over on all fours as I planted my bulbs, with one of my pussycats, Kim or Hannibal, sitting on top of my back. I used to tell my boys that I was never going to make in the corporate world when my will was so weak it bent to the demands of a cat.

Now, my boys are gone, and my affection for them is expressed only in the presence of two stones in my garden, each one bearing the name of a creature I once loved.

And I know that they loved me, too.

To those of you who care for your cats and other helpless creatures with whom we share our planet and our lives, I offer the words of St. Thomas Aquinas. “The things that we love tell us what we are.”

We are human. And, most importantly, we are humane.

You can buy Fabulous Felines yarn at: Yarnmarket.com