I can’t believe it’s taken me this long to knit an official cat lady sweater, but, here we are.
The sweater in question was actually knit much earlier this year – I finished it way back in April – but barely had time to wear it, let alone photograph it, before the weather warmed up too much. I’ve really enjoyed rotating it back into my regular wardrobe now that the temperatures have cooled down a bit, so here it is! Never too late for a blog post!
Also, if my surroundings look different – well, they are! I’m currently on the other side of the US, a little more than halfway through my 10 day stint in Berkeley, CA while I teach some workshops at Hello Stitch! This adorable AirBNB is probably the cutest place I’ve ever “lived” (other than my own house, OBVIOUSLY) and I couldn’t pass up an opportunity to take some photos while I’m here!
So what is this magical garment of Peak Cat Lady, you ask? The pattern is Professor Meow from KnitPicks. I found this pattern entirely by chance – I wasn’t necessarily looking to make a cat sweater (although, clearly, I think I should have been), but once I saw it I knew that was going to be my next project. I stuck with the suggested yarn, Knit Picks Wonderfluff, which really is pretty wonderful and fluffy. I don’t typically knit with acrylic blends, but this one has some additional alpaca and merino which makes it super soft with a nice fuzzy halo. Since it’s a bulky yarn, it knits up really quickly. A quick swatch had me go down a needle size to a #10 , which is typical for me.
The sweater is knit flat in 2 pieces, with the cat design achieved by some basic intarsia. This actually isn’t my first intarsia project – I have another sweater that I finished right before this one that that I’ve yet to actually photograph/share (in my defense… it’s even warmer than this one, so the weather hasn’t really cooperated YET haha) – but it was good for practice! After the front and back are knit, the pieces are seamed, then the little sleeve ribbing is knit in the round, as well as the neckline. I did change how the neckline was knit, as I didn’t like the way it was written in the pattern (a basic ribbing with a bind off at the end). Since knitting my last couple of sweaters, I’ve really come to love and appreciate a nice knit neckband that is folded over with the live stitches secured down, like with my Martine Sweater. So that’s what I did with this one, and I think it looks much nicer. I *generally* try to follow knitting instructions as they are written, but sometimes a girl’s gotta go her own way!
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After blocking the sweater (which, even if you normally skip blocking I do HIGHLY recommend blocking this yarn, as it really softens and relaxes with a good block!), I used yarn to stitch the whiskers on as directed by the pattern. I left off the kitty pupils because I like the way the cat looks without them.
Hmmm what else? I knit a size 37, so that the sweater would have a little bit of relaxed ease but not be quite as loose as it is on the pattern images. I went boring with the yarn colorway and just got grey on grey, which OF COURSE goes with everything in my closet so I’m pretty pleased with that. Full Ravelry notes are here!
I always love the sweaters that I knit, but this one may be my favorite! It’s pretty silly and quirky, but not so much that I feel ridiculous wearing it in public. Despite being short sleeved, it is quite warm, and the yarn is super soft and fuzzy. It’s definitely pretty attention-getting, and in all honesty I typically prefer to wear this bad boy on first dates. What is it they say – if you can’t handle me in my cat sweater… ? I don’t know.
As a side note – my jeans in this photo deserve a shout out! These are, of course, jeans made by me. But wait, there’s more! These are my ORIGINAL Ginger jeans, the first pair I ever made! I can’t believe they still fit (I’ve gained weight since I made them, but I guess the fabric has stretched along with me, ha!); they’ve been going strong since 2014! If you look closely at the butt, you can see where I have patched them a few times – the fabric is getting thin, and there was one unfortunate incident where I actually tore a hole in the butt immediately at the end of a jeans workshop (hm good thing I had access to a sewing machine to patch it, yet?), but amazingly they are still holding up! Yeah for handmade jeans!
LLADYBIRD 
Wow, this is really cute and looks easy to make as well. I have been ordering from Knit Picks for years. Nice to see something from a familiar source.
It was my first time ordering from them and I really could not have asked for a better experience! I had a small issue with my order, which was immediately fixed with their awesome customer service. And the shipping was so fast!
This is so cute! I think I have to make one too!
Do it! We can be cat sweater twins 🙂
Your airbnb makes a nice backdrop for your sweater 🙂 Yup, knitting and REMEMBERING how to do it, is next on my things to learn list….(Because I got Jeans crossed off now)!!!!!! But after I get reacquainted with my fiddle. And after that, me and my band mates can all wear Cat sweaters, since the name of our band is “Who Stepped on the Kitty’s Tail” 🙂
Yeah for jeans! When you do get into knitting, you’ll have even more layers to add to your awesome me-made outfits!! 😀
It looks awesome! I agree, much better with no pupils.
Yah, pupils were a little too creepy for me! ha!
This could not be more perfect.
Thank you! I’m pretty tickled with it 🙂
Love the sweater! Back on your Martine sweater post I commented that I had just learned to knit and couldn’t wait to know enough to start sweaters and you gave me an awesome pep talk to just jump in and try it! I just wanted to say thank you! After only knitting 3 months I knit my first sweater. I learned so much in the process and am currently working on sweater number two. I’m glad I didn’t wait! Thanks again!
Dude that makes me so happy to hear! Yay for jumping in and knitting your first sweater, and double yay for going straight to number two! I am super proud of you and wish you all the knitting happiness in the world 😀
Very cute sweater. And thanks for the tip about the neckline finish. It looks great.
Thank you!
Love this! Just queued (sp?) it up on Ravelry page and hope to get it going when I finish up a few other projects (finish something before starting on another? me? ha….). Considering my own black cat, Enrico Caruso, is often asleep someplace cushy, I vote for no pupils as well. And the photos on your Ravelry page for this top are wonderful — gorgeous quilt backdrop!
Thank you so much! I wish I could take credit for that quilt, but I didn’t make it – my great grandmother did! And it’s entirely hand-quilted! I love it so much 🙂
great sweater! Cute Air BnB too, I used to live in that neighborhood!
Very cute! I also like it without pupils.
I love Knit Picks, they do have good customer service and I’ve been buying from them for years. I even listen to their podcast and they have talked about this pattern a few times! I am thinking I ought to try knitting a sweater vest or two, see if they work out with my wardrobe.