Mewsley needed a treat. A big knitted treat…
What I haven’t shared with you yet is that Mewsley has been poorly. The day before we got back from honeymoon, she went blind.. We came down from the joy of the honeymoon pretty fast, I can tell you. Thug coped really well with being blind, Mewsley was another story – she’s much older than Thug was when he went blind. She was distraught and depressed – heartbreaking. But don’t fret – there is a happy outcome.
Vets appointments, diagnosis of retinal detachment due to high blood pressure, drugs, cuddles, prayers and a mighty large bill and I’m happy to say her retinas have BOTH reattached and she can see again 😀 She’s still too skinny and a little fragile but very well in herself. We’re mightily relived.
So what do you knit a recovering, vintage cat??
Well, she loves to curl up on the sofa on a cushion with us in the evenings and frankly, my old knitted cushions were well past their best.
I decided on a Debbie Bliss pattern from her Winter 2011 Magazine…
This one..
No, not the tiger’s head! That would scare her! (And I think it would look a bit naff in my house…and I don’t want THAT much intarsia!!)
I’ve made her the one on the left – the giant paw print. It’s supposed to be a tiger paw print but all I saw was Mewsley’s little pink paddy paws – awww.
I chose Mewsley-fur grey for the main colour and pink for the paw.
You want to see it don’t you??
The cushion is in aran weight so it’s nice and quick. The back is two slightly overlapping flaps with buttons to hold it shut and the whole thing is knit in one peice with a reverse stocking stitch row where you fold. Very neat and easy.
This is the edge…
And I found the perfect buttons for a cat cushion in my button box (I think I got them at hobbycraft)…
The intarsia of the paw print was fun. (Yes, I used “intarsia” and “fun” in the same sentance!) They are nice big blobbs of colour but at one point you do have 9 bobbins on the go when you’re working all 4 toe pads… 😯
The nice part about this intarsia is that you don’t have to be 100% accurate – paws vary! That was actually quite fortunate as the chart in the magazine was pretty poorly printed – you couldn’t count the squares. Fortunately, I found a PDF of the chart on the Debbie Bliss Facebook page – Here if you need a copy –> Paw Chart
So did Mewsley like it? She is a cat and it’s cat-law to ignore anything special made or bought for you…..
But my lovely Mewsley ignored that 🙂 She was on it the second I finished….you can see that from the pin tin and the trimmings in the photo!!
Ten minutes later I had inserted the cushion pad and a certain grey cat was very happily curled up….. Awwww 😀
| Completed Knit Report | ||
| Name: | Tiger Paw Print Cushion | |
| Pattern: | from Debbie Bliss Winter 2011 magazine | |
| Yarn: | Grey – Patons wool blend aran, Pink – Debbie Bliss luxury donegal tweed aran | |
| Pattern Problems: | Could have done with a bit more overlap for the flaps… | |
| Pattern Modifications: | None – except changed to Mewsley colours | |
| Washing and Wearing: | We’ll see about the washing ! Mewie likes it though… | |
| Knit It Again???: | Very possibly with stash yarn | |
| Difficulty: | Medium – intarsia is always a bit tricky for me. | |
| Rating: | 4/5 | |
| Other Postings Relating To This One: | None | |
So sorry to hear that Mewsley is ill (great great name for a cat). I love that she is pleased with her wonderful new cushion.
Sooo cute! What a perfect pillow for her. I’ll definitely have to keep this cushion in mind for my sister, who’s just adopted a new cat (he’s black and white, which would also be cute!). I was so glad to keep reading and hear the happy outcome for Mewsley. What a relief that must have been. I know she’ll get extra treats to fatten her up a bit :o)
Glad she can see again!! What a thing to come back to, poor little Mewsley! (adorable name btw) Love the cushion, you’ve given me ideas what I could knit for my dog now…
I am NOT letting Florence see that cushion, or I know she’ll want one too! It looks great, and I’m so pleased that Mewsley is on the mend. You must have been so worried.
Oh, poor Mewsley, I’m so glad she can see again! And what a lucky cat, to have a special cushion just for her (mine just steal anything they fancy…)
That is great…and such a nice thing to do for Mewsley….
..and she chose your cushion over the comforter!! She must be pleased with it!!!
Hi I hae just come across your blog looking for knitting!! I love this cushion and my little 2 year old cat Tilly would be very much at home on that!! Will be following your blog as recently just started knitting again after a gap of about 20 yrs!! All basic stuff but becoming obsessed……..Love your wool stash too…..you could open your own wool shop with that lot! 🙂
That is so sweet and I’m glad she’s doing better. Isn’t it wonderful to be able to make your animals happy? She is definitely looking happy in that last picture; happy and contented.
Oh yeah, great job on that pillow by the way. 😉
Mewsley is so pretty. Wonderful that she has recovered so well and can enjoy her lovely warm comfortable cushion.
‘Paw’ Mewsley! Glad to hear she can see again and is on the mend, the coushion is great just right for a special cat. and thanks for all the knit report it is good to know the details.
By the way I just skiped over from Daffys blog
Susan
PS Susanba on Rav