Labby the Angry Cat

Another pattern that I just had to make as soon as I saw it! And since we were hosting a giveaway on Instagram for KitKat’s 7th birthday, I decided this would be the perfect opportunity.

Project Details

PATTERN: The Angry Cat Labby by Ngoc Vu (links to Ravelry and Instagram)

NEEDLES: 3mm fixed circulars (40cm)
GAUGE: 30×36 (10cm)

MATERIALS:

Cygnet Pure Wool Superwash DK in 208 White (dye lot 625416)
Cygnet Pure Wool Superwash DK in 217 Black (dye lot (56683)
B&M Chunky Twist in Turquoise (dye lot 899)
Embroidery thread in DMC 3799 Grey and DMC 301 Brown
Safety eyes (approx. 14mm?)

STARTED: 9th June, 2020
FINISHED: 16th June, 2020

9th June, 2020:

I’m using my KnitPro Basix 16”/40cm needles for this. I might need to get something else, though, because these are quite short and my hands are cramping pretty badly.

I feel like I’m knitting a ghost! Or a Cylon raider…

I just passed the eyes and I’m… a bit confused about how they’ll work and not at all looking forward to the seaming, but it’s too dang cute not to try it!

Not sure if Labby looks more or less like a ghost now…

I’m going to use the Twist for the hat and vest, but I’ll need to do some maths because it’s not DK…

Labby holding all his bits, ready to become my monster… Uh, I mean, kitty.

15th June, 2020:

Labby is going naked. I tried knitting a vest for him with black Cygnet (to match the hat) and the B&M Twist, but I messed up the last line of the colour work and, honestly, it looked awful anyway. Plus, my hands really really don’t like these 16” needles.

Definitely looking grumpy! Probably because he has no arms…

16th June, 2020:

I finished sewing up what bits of Labby I’ve finished knitting, and I’m probably going to knit him a vest (all in black, though) once my wrist stops aching enough to get started.

I otherwise consider him complete.

However. I hate to say it, but the pattern gets pretty dang confusing when it comes to the seaming. I had to basically make up my own instructions for finishing the hat and ears. (The ears don’t look great, though. I just couldn’t figure out how sewing them in half gave the curved effect in the pattern pictures.) Maybe if Labby here wasn’t my first knitted softie, I’d understand the process better? I dunno.

To vest, or not to vest, that is the question, for it is nobler in the mind and blah blah blah.

The braid’s a bit too long. I’m reluctant to snip it in case I can’t knot it fast enough to stop it unravelling. And I wish I’d gone a size smaller for the pompom, it looks a bit ricky-doodlus. Ah well. He’s still dang cute!

Later the same day:

Okay, yes, Labby looks better with a vest. It was a bit plain so I used some brown embroidery thread to stitch around the edge.

Thoughts

Labby is freaking adorable. Just look at him with that grumpy frown and pink little cheeks!

I kind of want to make another one, but I’d want to figure out how to knit him in the round (at least for his body, if not the rest). I do not enjoy seaming.