Knitted Cats & Kittens

Let me start by saying that this is a wonderful book! The kitty patterns are so cute, and the design and layout are fun, playful and witty. It's enjoyable to look at and read, and for that alone I would give it 5 stars.But I had to knock a star off because it would have been great if, when creating these patterns, the author had thought about how to minimize the sewing and seaming. There's only one pattern knit in the round on DPNs, and I think there should definitely have been more. Also, when knitting flat, were there opportunities to pick up stitches on the body to add the arms and legs? I'll be checking with my more experienced knitter friend (for whom I also bought a copy of this book), but it would have been nice if the author had included a broader variation of patterns from simpler to more fiddly.I also agree that the instructions are not written for beginner knitters; there's a lot of shorthand and gaps that you are expected to figure out (e.g. the body of the one DPN pattern has instructions to repeat the last 3 rounds once more, then says to 'work 6 rounds.' Work in what?? A more experienced knitter who understands the mechanics of knitting in the round will know this means to knit 6 rounds, but a newbie might be tripped up to knit the previous rounds which would add inadvertent increases.)Another reviewer commented that these cats don't look 'real'; I agree but in my opinion that's a plus. These are meant to be cute toys, and that they are. (I also own 'Knit Your Own Cat', and I think the patterns in that book are slightly weird looking.)Nonetheless, though I wish there were more DPN patterns and some that were less fiddly, I think this is an adorable book and would definitely recommend for all cat-loving knitters!

Book was shipped quickly and is in first class shape

So,I'm in the middle of trying to knit "Floppy Moggy" one of the patterns in Knitted Cats and Kittens. The knitting techniques called for with this cat are not terribly difficult; however be aware that some guess work and slight alterations must be made to what is shown in the book. I'm not going to go into great detail about these changes as any capable knitter would see what I mean. One example is that with this particular pattern there is a part which says "Knit from * to * to shape the front legs." (page 80) Unfortunately, there is no first *, only the second * so I had to guess where the first * should be. Thankfully, it was fairly obvious where the first asterisk should have been. I hope there won't be very many similar problems with other patterns in the book. There are other patterns I plan to try because there are some very cute cats! Overall, the cats are cuter, to me anyway, than the patterns in "Knit Your Own Cat" (I have that book also) some of which look quite strange. Anyway, it is a sweet book, just be ready to get creative with some of the directions.

Bought this as a Christmas gift for my sister. She loves knitting and she loves cats so I thought it was a win-win. She indicated she really liked it, and she's not one to go out of her way to mention something specific like that out of all the gifts I got her for Christmas if she doesn't mean it. I can't say if you or your friend or family member will like this book, but if they are a knitter and like cats, or just want something fun to knit, I'd be willing to bet they'd at least get a kick out of it.

KNITTED CATS & KITTENS has patterns for some reasonably cute knitted toys, but most don't look much like cats or kittens to me. My favorites are: "Fluffy Cat" (a fairly realistic kitten, knit in white angora yarn); "Floppy Moggy" (a fairly realistic "longhair" kitten, knit in black fur yarn); "Doorstop Cat" (a brown knitted doorstop); "Monster Cat" (a turquoise alien cat with wide-open red mouth); and "Cosy Toes" (a cat-shaped hot water bottle cover, knit in fur wool yarn).A cute twist is the inclusion of patterns for "accessories" for the cat toys: a scratching post, a cat bed, balls for batting around, and tiny mice. There is also a kitten in a Christmas stocking with a mouse on the toe, to be used as a tree decoration. As knitted toy patterns go, these patterns don't look particularly difficult. However, they do require knitting a lot of small, shaped pieces that must be seamed up, stuffed, and sewn together.Because I don't like any of the designs well enough to want to knit them, I rate KNITTED CATS & KITTENS at 3 stars ("It's okay" on the official Amazon scale). The "Look Inside This Book" feature shows all of the included designs as a gallery in the Table of Contents. Cats seem to be difficult to translate into knitted toys, but if you're looking for patterns for knitted cats, you might want to consider  Knit Your Own Cat: Easy-to-Follow Patterns for 16 Frisky Felines , a book of patterns for small "pedigreed" cats to display.

Its a cute book but there are problems with how the patterns are written. she doesn't write her patterns as row one, row two and it is very difficult to follow them. The cats are knitted flat and then sewn together, which is great if you do not know how to use dpn's but I find making stuffed toys on dpn's much easier and for some of the smaller cats it is much easier to make the legs and tails on them. I am currently working on the grey cat with the flowers on it and its coming out pretty well, and I have made the Siamese cats. all the patterns I have done have been completely marked up with row numbers to make them easier to follow. Also it should be noted that she starts a lot of her patterns in the info paragraphs before the work starts. The cats are very cute and work making, but you will need to read the pattern and make lots of notes to be able to work them. I do not recommend this book for beginning knitters at all, you will also need a fairly good basis in sewing and how to shape things.

I have so far knitted two projects from this book and am very conflicted about it. I think the photos show lovely finished objects. However, the instructions are very poorly written and I'd be surprised if the patterns have been test knit, proofread and tech edited. Kitty Kat's body comes out a lot shorter than shown in the photographs. The suggested materials for Floppy Moggy are 4 x 100g balls of fun fur. I only used a single 50g skein, which is a massive disparity. Furthermore, there are errors in the instructions for Floppy Moggy's toes, making them impossible to make as written.So, this book is good insofar as it has photos that one can copy if one is a competent knitter. But if you are looking for well written, accurate patterns, I suggest buying another book.

Received earlier than expected and in excellent condition. Good value for money from this sellar. Contains a wide range of cat and kitten patterns. All shapes and sizes. One of the cats even has daytime and bedtime clothing to knit and another has superhero outfit. Something for every skill level. Can't wait to get started.

I bought this book as I love knitting and love cats so it was the perfect book for me! I haven't made anything yet from the book but intend to make the siamese cat soon. Buy this book you won't regret it!

This book is so beautiful the cats are adorable a very well presented and beautifully illustrated book worth every penny love it

Love cats and knitting but instructions very hard to follow. In to using markers and double pointed needles which I don't have in most sizes and have no idea what author is talking about. What looks straight forward has been made very difficult. Have bought many knitting books and been able to follow but this is rubbish. Needs to give instructions for normal needles even though she may prefer double ended needles for smaller projects, not everyone knows how to use them. Waste of money as I can't work out how to do any of the patterns.