How to knit a cat and kitten – knitting pattern and expert tips
I have been totally blown away by the amount of love for the How to knit a bunny rabbit post we shared in collaboration with wonderful Claire Garland of Dot Pebbles Knits. So… we decided to do it again and this time share Claire’s utterly adorable cat and kitten knitting patterns with you. As well as a few expert tips from Claire herself for creating the cutest feline you’ll ever make! If you’re a beginner, there are some easy patterns to get you started. This blog post here has lots of info to help you get to grips with simple terms such as stocking stitch, how to knit into the back of the stitch and what mm needles to set your knitting bag up with.
There’s an adorable FREE kitten pattern (that you can download here: Knit a kitten – easy free pattern plus another 10 heart-melting cat and kitten patterns by Claire to choose from – all the details you need to get hold of them are at the bottom of the post. Knitted cats are possibly my favourite animal patterns. I’ve shared lots of adorable images by Claire to help you choose which ones to make first! There are also links at the end of the post to other adorable free patterns by Claire, so keep reading so you don’t miss out! X
How to knit a cat or kitten: 10 Claire Garland patterns
Pattern number 1 – The Cat
Love that languid fore leg and facial expression. Choosing the eye colours is part of getting this right.
BUY THE CAT PATTERN ON ETSY HERE
Pattern number 2 – The Kitten
BUY KITTEN KNITTING PATTERN ON ETSY HERE
Pattern number 3 – Itty Bitty Kitten
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BUY ITTY BITTY KITTEN PATTERN ON ETSY HERE
Pattern number 4 – Pretty Sitting Kitten
BUY PRETTY SITTING KITTEN PATTERN HERE
Pattern number 5 – New Kitten
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BUY THE NEW KITTEN KNITTING PATTERN HERE >>
Pattern number 6 – Calico Kitten
BUY CALICO KITTEN KNITTING PATTERN ON ETSY HERE
Pattern number 7 Black Kitten
How adorable is this little black and white kitten pattern by Claire? Again, it’s available to buy on Etsy as a PDF download now.
BUY BLACK & WHITE KITTEN PATTERN ON ETSY HERE
Pattern number 8: Siamese Cat
BUY SIAMESE CAT KNITTING PATTERN ON ETSY HERE
Pattern number 9 Cat Doll
How adorable is this Cat Doll knitting pattern, also by Claire? Included in the pattern are three different size dolls, with yarn and needle recommendations for each:
Larger Cat Doll – 31cm/ 12in tall
Medium – 26cm/ 10in tall
Small – 20cm/ 8in tallIt’s available to buy on Etsy here.
Pattern number 10 New little kitten
This new addition to Claire’s pattern collection is the sweetest little kitten. Buy the pattern on Etsy here.
Claire’s expert tips
– If you are substituting yarn (using a different yarn to the ones that I recommend) then make sure the yarn you use for the muzzle is of a lighter weight than the rest of the cat, for example if the cat is knitted in a DK yarn then knit the muzzle in a 4-ply.
– Why not try a self-striping yarn especially for the legs – Or try some duplicate stitch for cat’s facial markings!
– If your cat is not intended for a ‘cuddly’ toy cat then use broom bristles for whiskers (someone from the Facebook page #imadethisrabbit did this to great effect!)
– It’s up to you whether you choose toy cat eyes (with a slit pupil) or regular round pupil toy eyes – both work equally as well as each other – selection available to buy on Etsy here)
And:
– If you end up with a ‘grumpy’ looking cat it’s probably because you haven’t shaped the eyebrows enough – try sewing a stitch at the end of the eyebrow short-row-shaping to pull it more into a curve around the outer edge of the eye instead of having it run straight across the top of the eye.
Video Tutorial
Claire has made a super-helpful video tutorial of making up her cat, which you can watch here: How to Knit a Cat video tutorial
WHERE TO BUY CLAIRE GARLAND’S CAT & KITTEN PATTERNS
1 The cat knitting pattern
2 The kitten knitting pattern
3 Itty Bitty kitten knitting pattern
4 Pretty Sitting Kitten knitting pattern
5 New kitten pattern
7 Black and white kitten knitting pattern
8 Siamese Cat pattern
9 Cat Doll
10 New little Kitten
FIVE free knitting patterns by Claire
Don’t miss your free kitten pattern. Also, if you’ve loved Claire’s bunny and kitten patterns, it’s worth knowing that subscribers to Claire’s mailing list can claim their free bi-monthly #freebeefridayknits knitting patterns. Four free patterns that Claire is happy to share with you here too: polar bear knitting pattern sweet Jemima Puddleduck pattern, adorable Baby bunny and bright-eyed Squirrel.
The #freebeefridayknits patterns change each time, but remember they are usually only available for a day, so my advice is to download them as soon as you get them and keep for when you’re ready to get knitting. There was a free kitten pattern at the time of writing (which is no longer available right now), but sign up to #freebeefridayknits and you never know what adorable knitted loveliness might find its way into your inbox!
Other cat and kitten patterns
Cats knitting pattern by Sachiyo Ishii
Little sleeping kitten pattern
Kitten pattern
Tiny kittens pattern
INFORMATION
Always check the terms of use for the patterns you buy or make. Buying patterns through Etsy can be a useful way of keeping track – if you buy elsewhere as a guest user it can be hard to remember what you bought where. I use my Etsy account as a kind of purchase finder.
Claire Garland’s Dot Pebbles Knits is listed in the Knitting Classes section of our Directory
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A PIN TO SAVE TO PINTEREST
It would be great if you could share the love. All you have to do is hover over the image below until you see the Pinterest button appear. Then share it to your boards. Thank you! X
Would love to knit a kitty. My little Minea crossed over the rainbow and I would love to knit a Minea.
Thank you so much 😊
hallo, im from switzerland and i just love your animals knitting they are so excellent and cute,
So glad you like them and hello in Switzerland! 😊
I would really love the cat pattern please
Hi! This looks lovely!
I wanted to ask you how this pattern looks. My grandma would LOVE to make this but unfortenately she can’t read or understand English that well… So I was wondering how hard it would be to translate it for her. My English is quite alright, but I don’t know if this may be too hard for me. I need to translate it to Dutch. Maybe you could send me little parts of the pattern, just to see if I can translate? I would really appreciate that, or maybe you have some ideas that could make this work! Looking forward to hearing from you,
Vivian
Adorable! Also adorable are those socks (or tights?) — any chance you can share where you got them? Or if you made them then a tutorial please!
I just want you to know that with your animal patterns which I have most of and made all and gave away as gifts to children who do not have a home as we know one has bought such smiling eyes and hugs to those who do not have much. I am a nurse and making your wonderful animals is such a good way to share you and your love with many who will never meet or know you but can understand giving and sharing is what life is all about JUST WANTED TO SAY THANK YOU SO MUCH if ever you want to come to US you have a place to stay on the Eastern Coast of the USA I am Irish and live alone as my husband passed in 2006. God bless you and your family Sincerely Carol White
Hi Carol, I haven’t tried any of the patterns yet, but hope to do the same as you. Could we be friends? Maybe you can guide me through, since you have made them. No pattern intimidates me ( maybe a bad thing! Ha) since I have lots of knitting experience. I am from PA but have lived in AZ since 1985. 70 years young. I admire your sharing spirit. (pooroldbabs@yahoo.com) Barbara
Hello!
I am trying to see the kitten pattern but the link is not working. Is there any way I could get it? I would love to try this patter!
Manu thanks
Hi
Not sure why the link isn’t working – does this work okay for you? https://www.frombritainwithlove.com/how-to-knit-a-cat-or-kitten-knitting-pattern-and-expert-tips/
So, where is the pattern?
Hi
The links are in the blog post but also here: https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/cat-48 and here https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/kitten-17
hope that helps!
Hi! This looks lovely!
I wanted to ask you how this pattern looks. My grandma would LOVE to make this but unfortenately she can’t read or understand English that well… So I was wondering how hard it would be to translate it for her. My English is quite alright, but I don’t know if this may be too hard for me. I need to translate it to Dutch. Maybe you could send me little parts of the pattern, just to see if I can translate? I would really appreciate that, or maybe you have some ideas that could make this work! Looking forward to hearing from you,
Vivian
Would love to be able to knit a kitty …I bought your pattern but it would be in so big help to see a tutorial especially that English is not my native language…do you have any tutorial on YouTube for instance which is possible to see or buy? Would be so happy
Thanks in advanced
Greetings from Norway
D
Hello Dolly – lovey to hear from you. There’s a video tutorial of making up the knitted cat that you can watch here https://www.frombritainwithlove.com/how-to-knit-a-cat-video-tutorial/ or link through to youtube
Hope that helps!
I would really love a cat knitting pattern please,to makecfor my granddaughter.
Kind regards Yvonne.
Hi Yvonne – all the cat and kitten patterns are available to download in Claire’s Etsy or Ravelry shops – all the links are clickable from the blog post. If you’re having problems finding the one you want, just let me know which one it is and I’ll add the specific link here… hope that helps! 😊
Hi Laura, The cat pattern on Etsy is sold out. My granddaughter has lost her old cat and I would love to knit her a cat. Your pattern looks wonderful, the kind you can cuddle with. How do I get hold of the pattern? Is there somewhere else I can buy it? I’m in Canada. Thanks.
Hi Lis Just clicked the link for the first cat pattern (is this the one you mean?) and it’s available to buy on Etsy. Let me know if it’s not that one and I’ll see if I can help. Laura
What level of knitting ability would these cats require?
Hi Claire, I trust you are well. I just love your cat patterns and I am seriously cat crazy! Our exchange rate is scary compared to the pound and or the euro. Are the patterns individually only for one cat? Do you have a pattern book with all your patterns? Regards, Helmein. RSA
Здравствуйте, Клэр!
Страничка не открывается, очень жаль. Я вяжу всех ваших зверей: диких и домашних. Спасибо за ваш труд!
I would love a free knitting pattern. I want to knit one for my great grand daughter please.