Kitty Pi

Kitty Pi, free pattern designed by Wendy
Knit with 3 skeins (115 yards/skein) of Yarns Brunswick Icelandic Wool (100% Icelandic Wool) in Denim Heather, Walnut Heather, and Natural Heather on my US10 Clover Bamboo Circulars and US10 Bethany Birch DPNs.

Pattern Notes:
I basically followed the pattern, but added a few rows here and there for height, thinking that my cats would prefer a high-walled nest. In actuality, they don't! What I ended up doing was folding the edge down inside for a double-thick cozy Pi. The edge doesn't need to be stitched in place, because the felting makes it rigid. The cats love it. They are really happy to have a place to hang out next to mommy's computer in the mornings. The only problem is that I need a second one!

Impressions of Icelandic Wool:
This is yarn that you will probably never find on the shelves, because I bought it over ten years ago at a Ben Franklin. It's an old-school wool with lots of body that isn't the softest thing, but isn't the scratchiest, either. It's perfect for felting or for outerwear garments. Probably the most comparable stuff available on the market is Reynolds Lopi. You could easily use Brown Sheep Lamb's Pride to make one of these Kitty beds (a nicer yarn, with some mohair in it), and people have also used Noro Big Kureyon - it makes a gorgeous, luxurious bed, for the high end puss. My cats are cool with their bargain basement version, and for a yarn that was so cheap, I think it's rather nice. I may make a big sweater or vest from the 7 skeins I have left.

Possible substitute yarns:
See above. Reynold's Lopi, Brown Sheep Lamb's Pride, Noro Big Kureyon, Cascade 220 doubled.

Tips for Others Making Kitty Pi:
If you make the sides high, make sure that they are high enough to fold over. Cats like to breathe! Other than that it's very simple.

Click here to see a gallery of Kitty Pi's on Wendy's site.