Hils på familien Nøkkelpus

For en stund siden spurte en god venninne om jeg kanskje ville bidra med noe som Dyrebeskyttelsen Drammen og Omland kunne få til utlodding eller salg. Jeg funderte litt på hva jeg kunne finne på, og endte til slutt opp med å prøve meg på noen heklete puser til nøkkelhanker. Jeg laget min egen oppskrift, og siden det tar litt prøving og feiling før man finner det "riktige" ble resultatet en fargerik familie på 4:

A while ago a very good friend of mine asked me if I wanted to donate something handmade for the animal care organisation in her hometown, Dyrebeskyttelsen Drammen og Omland. After thinking a bit while finishing some other projects, I decided to try out some crocheted cats for keyrings. I made my own pattern, and as it takes some trial and error to get things "just right", the result was a colourful family of 4.

Beautiful Cat-cards

As I have nothing new to presents of my own, I'll this time show some greeting cards I've just bought.
Or... I've just ordered my second bundle... The cards are just so beautiful that I'd struggle to use any of them to give away...
They are just absolutely beautiful - even more so "in real" than on the photo!

The drawings are made by a very very talented lady, Hilde Bjørsvik, - and the prints are very clear and high-quality, in size A6. I really hope there will be more collections to come!

At the moment she sells this collection as a bundle of all 4 cards for 150kr + postage.
If you're interested, she can be contacted at noffine@hotmail.com. 
There's only a limited number of prints available, so you better be quick...Happy shopping!

KattensSOS gryteunderlag (heat proof mat)

KattensSOS er en veldedig dyrevelferdsorganisasjon basert på Helgeland, som i hovedsak jobber hardt for å gi hjemløse katter nye hjem. De er relativt nyoppstartet, men har allerede fått samlet en liten bunke suksesshistorier. Mer om KattensSOS og deres arbeid finner dere på nettsidene deres.

Når anledningen byr seg har de stand med salg av ulike håndlagde ting og puseleker til inntekt for organisasjonen. Jeg vil gjerne bidra litt også, men har fundert litt på hva jeg kunne lage... Jeg endte opp med at jeg ville prøve å strikke grytelapper med logoen på, og nå er første testversjon ferdig. Konklusjonen er klar - jeg kan IKKE lage de andre på denne måten - det tar altfor lang tid! Her er motivet sydd på med maskesting, så neste - og forhåpentligvis enklere - versjon blir å strikke mønsteret rett inn... fortsettelse følger!
Denne ble også i største laget for en grytelapp - så denne ble ekstra foret så det ble et solid gryteunderlag istedet, ca 25cm x 25cm .

This heat proof mat is a test product for some gifts for a sales-boot for the charity KattensSOS, who works with homeless cats. I wanted to make a potholder, but I  thought the size (25cm x 25cm)  was better for a heat proof mat. The technique I tried out now turned out to be far too timeconsuming, as the cats are sewn on after knitting the base, so next time I'll try a slightly smaller version, with the pattern in the knitting instead. 

To be continued...

Knitted and feltet cat-basket, part II

Some weeks ago I finished the second cat basket - matching the first one , but slightly larger - around 30cm in diameter (the first one was around 25 cm in diameter).

Apparently the new owners like this one too, and today I received some more photos of these beautiful cats in their new baskets. Two of them have apparently made their property of one each - but just as people they have their clear preferences... the smallest cat wants the largest basket, and the largest cat prefers to squeeze herself into the smallest one  ;) 

I present ...

... the most adorable, soft, cuddly creature in my world:

Her name is Felicity, and she'll turn 2 years in June. I've had her for a bit over a year and a half, and I just love this small, soft furball. She's got a very "soft" nature - she's calm without being lazy, she's social, but never in the way, and I can hardly remember any "bad" things she's done since she moved in with me! Okey, so she has played a bit with my yarn, but for a kitten that's pretty natural... not her fault I didn't hide it properly, is it??

We had a lovely cat when I grew up, and I always wanted to have my own cat one day - and when a colleague had kittens needing new homes - that "one day" came along... and I've never regretted it!
There's something very soothing about cats - they can be so calm and relaxed that their simple presence is enough to make people relax too. Sometimes I can just watch her sleeping - it looks so peaceful and free of worries...

 

Those saying cats only act on instinct, have no intelligence or no "thoughts", can never have had cats themselves... I have no doubt that she in one way or another understands what I'm saying or thinking, and that she has very clear opinions on what she likes or doesn't like...

She also has a rather alternative way of enjoying or playing moments... When I start waving with one of those feather-on-a-stick-toys she usually finds the closest piece of furniture to hide behind, and then she spies on the feather and watch me wave it on my own... she seems to enjoy it that way, but I have to admit that waving a feather-stick on my own is not the most rewarding activity I can think of...

But it's just all these small things that makes every cat special!

And I mean ... who wouldn't melt when this is what's waiting when you come home from work?
Definately the most beautiful window decorations I can think of!

Knitted and felted cat basket

About a year ago I knitted and felted a bed or basket for my cat. She's been using it a lot in periods, but only if I place it in a place that suits her highness... Placed on the floor she's not interested at all, but now that I've placed it on the top platform of her scratching/climbing post she spends hour after hour sleeping, resting or enjoying the view out the window.

Recently I was asked to make two similar catbeds for a friend of mine, and this is the first one:

The new bed was well received by its new owner(s)
- just look at this beautiful little missis enjoying her "sister"'s new bed:

This little miss here is supposed to share the second, slightly larger, bed with her "sister" -

as you can see - they already try to fit two into one tiny basket:

These beautiful cats are of the breed Egyptian Mau, and belong the NO*Gooseberry Egyptian Mau cattery.