Wednesday, March 18, 2015

Project Post: Goth-ified Cat Scarf from GLB 27 (English Volume 4)

It's no secret that I adore cats--especially those of the black variety. And, in winter, I also enjoy knitting. There's something that I just find relaxing about knitting a nice, warm, cuddly scarf while sitting down and watching bad horror films (Psycho Gothic Lolita, anyone?) or The Addams Family. Or, in the case of this lovely little beast, while playing Dungeons and Dragons with my equally nerdy friends who don't mind me making fluffy things while playing a half-elf Druid in cahoots with our Dwarven thief to steal ALL the things, who is currently scarred for life due to the werebear Barbarian exploding her mother figure. (Sorry, did I just show my nerdy tendencies and how weird my friends are? Sorry not sorry.)


I started out with the base pattern from the fourth volume of the English Gothic Lolita Bibles. The knitting pattern provided was from Angelic Pretty; and, I have to admit, the pictured kitty is anything but "Gothic". But I saw potential. If I just tweaked a few things, and made this prissy pampered kitty into a back-streets alleycat, how cool would that be?

I began by minimalizing the design from the original. I took out the rhinestones (why does a cat need to be sparkly?), removed the ribbon bows (they'd only get in her way, anyways), and removed the fluffy faux fur around her neck for a sleeker look. And, for good measure, I removed one of her eyes--because what good alleycat doesn't get into a couple scuffles? (I might have taken a bit of inspiration from my friend's one-eyed cat Archer, as well, because he's such a cute little Pirate Baby.) All the was left was to gather my materials!



I used Lion Brand's Homespun yarn (in black and in white), a white button from my sewing stash, size 9 (US) knitting needles, and some fiberfill stuffing from an old, broken pillow to stuff her (recycling is a good thing!). It did take quite a while to make her--approximately 20 hours, but for a hand-knit scarf this cute, I totally think it was worth it, and it's a great way to have something to do with your hands during down time. It was also one of the most complex patterns I've done before.... I've mostly stuck to simple pieces with one stitch type, rather than mixed stitches with lots of shaping. So you have no idea how relieved I was for this to actually turn out well!


And this is how she turned out! I decided last minute that she still needed a little something cute on her, so I made up a quick bow for her ear, a la Hello Kitty style. I really, really love this pattern; I've made about three cat scarves so far--two for friends and to get down the pattern, and then this one for myself.

If people are interested, I think I would be fully willing to post instructions on how to make this adorable little thing, along with some comments on where I had difficulty with the pattern. If you'd rather skip out on the knitting and would prefer to buy one, let me know! I'll probably be making a few extras and tossing them up on Lacemarket or Storenvy, to share the cute with everyone.

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