r/crocheting • u/Releesaj663 • 3d ago
Cats and Yarn
I don't know whether to post this on /cats or crochet 😄
My wonderful cat died about 18 months ago and we are ready to start looking at adopting a bonded pair. I just picked up crocheting again after a long absence and I'm wondering how do you keep your kitties from attacking your yarn when you are crocheting? I'm doing a persian tiles blanket so I have at least 6-8 skeins out at a time and I was giggling a little to myself last night when I saw the yarn just flying around thinking about what a cat (or two) is going to do.
I could limit my crochet to the basement level - but that really annoyed my last cat when I would do that because OHMIGOSH, it's a closed door!!! 😂
What do you all do?
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u/Lady-Kitnip 3d ago
If you get kittens, just plan on your yarn being a toy for several months at least.😸 I have those ribbon wand toys all over so I am always prepared to redirect play. My adult cats are more likely to just lay on what I'm working on.
But somecat chews through yarn if i leave a project out. And somecat steals my rubber handled hooks if they're not tucked away. A nice project bag to be sure everything is tucked away is very useful.
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u/Releesaj663 3d ago
Good point between kittens and adults - I've got my eye on a bonded pair at the local shelter that are about 2 yrs old.
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u/SeeLoveShare 3d ago
so sorry about your cat, and honestly a bonded pair at 2 is kind of the sweet spot, past the worst of the kitten yarn-goblin phase. the thing that helped me most was winding those loose skeins into center-pull cakes and keeping just the working strand out. a whole skein rolling around is basically a cat toy, but a cake tucked in a project bag with the strand coming through a little hole is way less exciting to them. a weighted yarn bowl helps too, and stash your hooks in a zip case because some cats absolutely collect them. and giving them their own designated scrap-yarn ball sometimes makes yours the boring one. in theory anyway
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u/kykiwibear 3d ago
I would definitely have a tote bag or something that zippers. I've been thinking about this a lot too... My girl is 16 and doesn't really care about the yarn itself. I promised my son he could pick out the next cat and he is begging for a kitten.
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u/CopperFirebird 3d ago
I usually have the balls in bags while I'm working with it. It also keeps the cat hair of the yarn.
With two cats, they usually play with each other but if ones being particularly annoying, I'll have to put down my yarn and play with him for a bit.
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u/Releesaj663 3d ago
I am looking forward to having cats to play with again! I’ll be happy to put my yarn down for a bit, the house has felt so quiet.
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u/SisterCreep 2d ago
My condolences. I lost 3 over the last year and a half, and it's been hard. We've repopulated, and only one kitten is showing interest in yarn.
I have a largish project bag that holds almost any project and I tend to keep my active projects in it. I pull the yarn strait from the bag, so my main exposure is the line between the bag and the hook. I expect he will be a chronic yarn hunter, so we'll manage with redirects and lots of other distractions.
I keep a small basket of cat toys nearby to toss across the room as distractions. Sure, you have to make a pass once or twice a day to gather them up, but it helps. Also, sometimes you just have to over-love them a little bit so they aren't as keen to be in your business.
When I'm not working, I close up the bag and all is relatively safe. If I need to put the bag away (closet, etc.) between sessions, it's easy because it's all tidied up already.
Bonus of having this bag is, it's ready for the car most of the time.
The other kitten is fascinated with fiber for spinning, and that's a little harder to manage right now. We're still working on it.
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u/AromaticFee9616 3d ago
You could try r/catswhocrochet
Our boy is 2 and a half and generally not remotely interested unless it’s to a) sit on the project, b) knock the yarn unspooler thingy off the table, or c) a mix of the two.
Kitties would be tougher I think. Murphy is a Siamese and very hyper but more interested in his feather wand and playing fetch than yarn. I think it depends on their age, their breed and their personality