Giant Wool Kitty Bed

Giant Wool Kitty Bed by Louisa Noble

What is Being Made

The Giant Wool Kitty Bed is an original knitted cat basket designed by Louisa Noble. This is a spacious pet bedding project that provides a cozy resting space for cats. The basket is constructed using oversized yarn and needles to create a substantial, tactile piece that appeals to feline preferences. The generous proportions make it an eye-catching home accessory while serving a practical purpose as comfortable cat furniture.

Knitting Techniques

This pattern employs the Magic Loop method, a modern circular knitting technique that allows knitters to work even small circumferences using circular needles without requiring double-pointed needles. This approach provides flexibility and ease of use for crafters who prefer working with circular needles throughout their project.

The basket offers construction flexibility with two directional options:

• Bottom-up construction: Knitting from the centre outwards, creating V-shaped stitch patterns on the basket sides
• Top-down construction: Knitting from the outer rim downwards, resulting in inverted V-shaped stitch patterns on the sides

The choice between these methods affects only the visual direction of the prominent knit stitches, allowing knitters to select their preferred aesthetic outcome.

Stitches Used

The pattern features big knit stitches that form the distinctive textured sides of the basket. These large, visible stitches create the characteristic dimensional appearance and contribute to the basket's structural integrity and visual appeal.

Materials

This intermediate-level project is designed for super chunky yarn weight, which creates the oversized proportions essential to the design. The pattern recommends giant wool or merino yarn, as cats are naturally attracted to the scent of wool fibers. For crafters preferring alternative materials, acrylic or vegan yarn options are viable substitutes, offering an expanded color palette. Knitters can enhance synthetic yarn options by applying catnip spray to encourage feline interest.

The pattern is written for use with large circular needles, which are now readily available in the market, making this previously challenging project accessible to contemporary knitters.

Difficulty Level

Classified as an intermediate knitting project, this pattern assumes basic knitting competency while introducing the Magic Loop technique and working with substantial yarn weights and needle sizes.