What Not to Knit

Today's stop on Donna Druchunas' Kitty Knits Blog Book Tour.

When Donna asked me to blog about cats and knitting, the first thing that came to mind was the saga of Pussywillow and the Sweater.

Pussywillow was a tiny Oriental Shorthair, named after her toes, which looked and felt exactly like pussywillow catkins. Willow was an affectionate cat, usually good-tempered and only a little shy with strangers. Typical Siamese/Oriental personality. She had a brief show career, earning a name longer than she was: Champion Tombar’s Pussywillow of Mrp.

She often got cold in the show halls, and I decided to knit her a sweater. This was in the Olden Days, when I had no money. Most of my yarn was from Harriet's, the local “dime store,” and from its sale bin at that. I had some cheap acrylic sport weight in a harvest gold color with multicolor tweedy flecks in it. Nice contrast with the lavender/cream tortie colors of her fur. So I measured her, and designed a little sweater in a moss stitch pattern, and knit it up.

She endured this thing for exactly minus two seconds. This tiny mellow cat bit me in her frenzy to get the thing off before I'd finished putting it on her. I unraveled it.

I do not know what became of the yarn, but I do know that it is no longer a part of my collection. If it were, I would take a picture of it just to show you how hideous it was.