What do you need?
3 colours wool, needle thickness 10
knitting needles number 10
a big darning needle
thin wool or embroidery yarn
fiberfill
Optional: coloured buttons
To knit this cozy cat you do not have to be particularly good at knitting. If you can knit a knit stitch and a purl stitch then you know enough already. Decreasing and increasing you will learn while you're knitting from a youtube video by Wool and the gang and The hand knitting association. It's super easy. Actually, the cat consists almost only of straight pieces;) Good luck!
How to knit a cat
Start by knitting the head and body of the cat
Cast on 30 stitches.
Knit 1 needle in knit stitch / 1 needle in pearl stitch.
After 24 needles continue with yellow.
Knit 16 needles in the same way.
Continue with black in the same way.
Knit 18 needles, 1 knit stitch, 1 pearl stitch.
*Start knitting the back in the same way.
*Knit needle 19 and 20 both in knit stitch (so 20 not in pearl stitch as you did before) then you get a thick ridge to fold on, in the middle of your knitting. Continue in reverse order so you begin with black, then yellow and green. Tie off neatly.
Tie the knitting neatly off.
Turn it inside out and pin the long sides.
Close the sides with the attached threads.
Leave the underside open!
How to knit the tail
Tip! Always decrease on the side where you knit stitch, decrease with stitch 2/3 and 28/29.
Cast on 16 stitches in black.
Start decreasing after 20 needles.
Decrease 1 stitch on each side until 2 are left.
We knit the ears...
here we decrease as well, we start with 10 stitches and we decrease always one stitch on each side. But only on the side were we knit stitch, on the purl stitch side you knit the whole needle as normal. Keep decreasing until you have 2 stitches left, then tie off.
Roll a little ball wool from the big one.
Cast on 2x 10 stitches on the same needle.
Knit 4 needles then start to decrease.
Knit the ears again.
Now we knit the cat's paws!
Roll 2 small balls wool from both colours too.
Start with the black wool, cast on 6 stitches.
This film shows you how to increase stitches.
We knit the paws double with 2 paws on 1 needle.
Front paws (yellow)
Knit the first needle in knit stitch, knit the second in pearl stitch.
Needle 3 you increase 1 stitch on both sides, knit in pearl stitch back.
Repeat this twice and you have 12 stitches.
Knit 2 needles with black wool then 16 needles with yellow.
Continue with 2 needles black again.
At the third needle (knit stitch) you decrease 1 stitch on both sides, then you have 10.
Knit back in the pearl stitch.
At the fifth needle you decrease 1 stitch on both sides as well, you have 8.
Knit back in the pearl stitch.
At the seventh needle you decrease 2 again, now you should have 6 stitches left.
Then tie off the six remaining stitches.
Hind paws (green)
Knit the first needle in knit stitch, knit the second in pearl stitch.
At needle 3 you increase 1 stitch on both sides, knit in pearl stitch back.
Repeat this twice and you should have 12 stitches.
Knit 4 needles with black wool and 16 needles with yellow.
Continue with 4 needles black wool again.
At the fifth needle (knit stitch) you decrease 1 stitch on both sides, then you have 10.
Knit back in the pearl stitch.
At the seventh needle you decrease 1 stitch on both sides as well, you have 8 left.
Knit back in the pearl stitch.
At the ninth needle you decrease 2 again, now you should have 6 stitches left.
Then tie off the six remaining stitches.
Fold the paws in half, the pearl side out and pin them.
Close the paws but leave a small opening to fill them later on.
Sew all the loose parts closed and turn them inside out again.
The knitting is done, now we sew the lining
The knitting of the cat is completed!
We make the lining of fleece.
Trace all the parts on paper.
Cut them out and pin them on fleece.
Remove the pattern and pin the fleece.
Close the parts leaving 1 side open to fill.
We close the 'lining' when they're filled.
First fill the cats body with fiberfill.
Then fill all the other fleece parts.
Close them on the sewing machine.
Stuff the filling into the knitted parts.
Pin the green paws between the open side of the body. Lock stitch with a woolen thread the opening closed, fastening the paws at the same time. Remove the pins and tie off.
Stitch the ears on the head and the tail on the back of the cat.
Sew the yellow paws on the yellow sides of the sweater.
The cat is ready, all it needs is a face.
Embroider with thin wool a face on the cat.
Embellish the cat his clothes after your own idea.