I also spent time doing some much needed home improvements. I had to tear down the tile in my shower, walls and all, and put up new. Let me tell you, that was NOT fun, and took way more time than I had anticipated. I hope I did a good job so I never have to do that again. I then had to paint one side of my house, which was more fun than the tiling job, but it was time consuming. I still can't believe I didn't know the house's exterior was wood when I bought it - I thought it had siding. I guess the previous owner did a better job of keeping up with the painting than I do.
And, on top of all that, I got a kitten. So, no yarn for me unless she is sleeping. I may think she is happily distracted rolling a ball around or playing with a paper bag, but as soon as I get started on something, she comes running. I swear she can hear me pull the yarn out of the skein. But I did manage to make her a nice squishy bed, and use up some unpleasant yarn from my stash as well.
I shouldn't say "unpleasant" - I actually LOVE this yarn. It is beautifully colored, soft, thick, and squishy. The problem is that it is so hard to work with (for me). The yarn I am speaking of is Lion Brand Homespun. Crocheting with it is darn near impossible. It is so hard to see the stitches because the yarn is bumpy, but the bumpiness is what makes it such a beautiful yarn.
I bought alot of Homespun yarn thinking I would make a nice bulky sweater-type coat with it (still have yet to make myself a sweater). And then I found some on sale and bought more. And THEN I worked with it. Never buy alot of yarn without knowing how you like working with it. I have crocheted a few things with it - a set of coasters, an infinity scarf, and some mug cozies. It works up really quick, and is a great yarn if missing a few stitches here or there doesn't matter. Don't try to pull back to fix them - odds are the yarn will be knotted up. But, because of the bumpiness of the yarn, you can't see the mistakes anyway:)
So I decided to try to knit with it. It is much easier than crocheting, but I knit tightly so it is tricky for me to not split the yarn with the needle. And there is no stretch to this yarn. I really had to concentrate on loosening up. But I managed to use up a couple of skeins out of my stash and give my little kitty a super cozy bed.
This cat bed is so squishy, I thought about making one for myself! I made it extra think because the floors will get very cold here this winter. It is so easy to make, too. I didn't want to use any stuffing because I want to put it in the washing machine without getting all lumpy. So, I just knitted in garter stitch to make what looks like a big rectangle with the corners cut out. Fold in half and roll the sides up together to make a bed with 3 rolled sides.
I made this a few months ago, and I seem to have forgotten to make a note of how much yarn I used. But, I think it was about 2-1/2 skeins. Here is the pattern.
SQUISHY CAT BED
Finished size is 18" x 10".
Materials:
Lion Brand Homespun - 2-1/2 skeins
Size 11 (8.0 mm) circular knitting needles (used like straight needles)
Sewing needle
Holding 2 strands of yarn together, cast on 60
Rows 1-20: Knit each stitch.
Row 21: Add 12 new stitches to beginning of row. Knit to the end of row. (here's how)
Row 22: Add 12 new stitches to beginning of row. Knit to the end of row.
Rows 23-90: Knit each stitch.
Row 91: Cast off 12 stitches. Knit remaining stitches to end of row.
Row 92: Cast off 12 stitches. Knit remaining stitches to end of row.
Rows 93-113: Knit each stitch.
Cast off
This is what you should have (except made out of yarn and not paper). Fold in half and sew together.
Now, roll up the 3 sides that stick out and sew to the bottom of the bed.
Sew along the corners to hold together. Weave in ends. Done!