How To Make Your Cat Look Ridiculous for the 4th of July

The "Freedom Cape" is the simplest and fastest way to make your cat (or small dog) look ridiculous for the holiday (or any day, really). It's also fairly easy to get on your pet, and just difficult enough for them to get off that it should last long enough to get a picture!

The shape is just a rectangle, so you can easily add fewer or more stitches/rows to yours to fit your pet.

You Will Need:
Any worsted weight yarn in red, white and blue. You don't need much, about 30 yards of each color to be safe.





I used Lion Brand Yarn's Vanna's Choice (170yd/156m per ball)
#113 Scarlet
#100 White
#107 Sapphire

You will also need a size J/10 hook (6mm hook).

Final Measurements:
11.5"/29cm wide and 8"/20cm tall.

Gauge:
12 sts and 10 rows over 4"/10cm in hdc (half double crochet). Gauge isn't super important, just know that if your gauge differs from the one I listed, the final measurements of your freedom cape will be different from mine.

Note about changing colors: During the red/white stripe section, I didn't cut my yarn between stripes, I left the yarn attached and carried it up to the next stripe to reduce ends. Just watch how tight you're pulling the yarn when carrying up.

Cape:
Starting at bottom of cape, using red yarn and size J/10 hook, ch 36.

Row 1: Hdc in 3rd ch from hook, and in each subsequent ch across - 34 hdc.
Row 2: Ch 2, turn. Hdc in each st across.

Switch to white.
Rows 3 and 4: Work as Row 2

Switch to red.
Rows 5 and 6: Work as Row 2

Switch to white.
Rows 7 and 8: Work as Row 2

Switch to red.
Rows 9 and 10: Work as Row 2

Switch to white.
Rows 11 and 12: Work as Row 2

Switch to red.
Rows 13 and 14: Work as Row 2

Phew!

Now that we're done with that, switch to blue.
Rows 15-20: Work as Row 2

Fasten off.

Stars:
Embroider stars on 2nd, 4th and 6th rows of blue, or, wherever the hell you want to. I ended up with 8 stars per row that I embroidered on, 24 total, because that's just how it looked best. I embroidered mine like little asterisks, although you could be fancier and tapestry crochet them into the blue section, or cut little stars out of felt and sew/glue them on.

Ties:
Attach yarn to edge of top right side of cape. Ch 45 stars, fasten off. Repeat on middle and bottom of right side, and then on top, middle and bottom of left side (or as many/few times as needed to trap your pet inside the cape).



Bonus Pom Pom:
Using all 3 colors, make a pom about 3" across with which to make your other cat look ridiculous.

Happy 4th of July!

Happy Street Shawl Progress

Over Christmas I started Veera Valimaki's Happy Street shawl using TML, and I'm almost done! Love the colors, I need to acquire more in this color scheme to do a colorful (and blinding) cardi later!

Madelinetosh Tosh Merino Light in Dirty Panther as the MC, with Oceana and Edison Blub as the CC's.

TML is hands down my favorite yarn. It's thin but still squishy and soft, and it always seems to be around when you need it!

Weiner Truck

This has nothing to do with knitting, but since I haven't been posting, here is Anthony Weiner's Weiner Truck for your viewing pleasure.

Only in New York City would this happen!
Hotdog: "I have something for you"
Cell phone: "You are a walking fantasy."

I'll be counting down the hours until lunch when I can finally get my hands on Weiner's Weiner!

Blocking Shame

Where project making for me usually ends... just after the knitting part and just before the blocking part.  Hunter the cat questions my entire life.

Including-but-probably-not-limited-to:

Ysolda's Damson Shawl
The Gingko Shawl
Lion Brand's South Bay Shawlette in self hand dyed yarn none the less...
Omelet from Knitty
Age of Steam and Brass

Ravelry links included...  So that you too, can make your own unblocked shawl! Yet another cool season passing by - completely shawl-less. Hunter won't let me forget that.  And you call yourself a lace knitter!

People Who Don't Knit... GO AWAY.

Via Slipped Stitch Studio's Facebook

What a Handsome Little Man

Speaking of project bag needs... this bow tie kitty tote is perfect!

By Joseph Aaron Segal (Project Runway, bitches) at PrettySnake

Oh Look, It's Just What I Needed!

IN MY WORST NIGHTMARE.

An automated knitting cat made by Roullet & Decamps, in the early 1900s, found on The Automata Blog. Direct link to post here.

Rest easy, from what I've read about Roullet & Decamps, they cover their cats in leather and rabbit fur. Not... cat.

For added distress enjoyment, a video of an automated cat! And a somehow more disturbing demon from hell cat here.