How do I keep the cats out of my knitting?

[spinbaby]

I decided that I want to learn how to knit. I've got instructions, needles, and yarn. And I've got five cats that think this is just the most entertaining thing ever. So while I'm sitting there squinting at my yarn and trying to figure out if it looks like the picture, I've usually also got a cat making a grab for the yarn or the ends of the needles. Then I throw a fit and they go away for a few minutes before returning to assault the yarn again.

[billyskank]

1. Forget it

that's impossible.

[MissMillie]

2. work in a room you can close them out of

:shrug:

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

3. HAHAHAHAHA! Keep cats out of your knitting? HAHAHAHAHA!

HAHAHAHA! :rofl: :rofl: HAHAHAHA! *snort* :rofl: *gasp*

But seriously. I used to do needlepoint. Got a cat. Got another hobby.

You could go into another room with your knitting and close the door, making sure no cats have managed to get in. But you know how cats react to that sort of insult....

[spinbaby]

5. I was afraid that was the answer

I'd really like to knit in front of the TV in the living room. I was hoping that there was some combination of spray bottle and cat-proof bag for the roll of yarn that would keep the critters of. But what am I saying, I can't even sit down without at least two of them trying to lay on me. Scratch that hobby.

[China_cat]

24. I've got 4 cats

down from a high of 13. Not a one of them has ever bothered my knitting but once. A squirt in the face with a water bottle has stopped every one of them.

[calico1]

4. Hand them some needles and yarn.

Maybe they'll knit a sweater for you. :)

[zanne]

6. First, get a stool about eight feet tall...

Then, put it in the center of an empty room. Climb the stool. Knit.

[Missy Vixen]

7. Here are a few suggestions

I used to own a yarn shop and have three cats at home.

Put your yarn ball in a Ziploc. It'll at least slow them down a bit.

They'll chase the needles, but will eventually give up when they realize they can't get them. Circulars also work great for keeping intrepid kitties away from the knitting.

Julie

[spinbaby]

9. ziplock

great idea

[Bridget Burke]

10. Question for a yarn expert....

I've got a white kitty with fairly long hair. I try to keep him brushed to limit hairballs & shedding. (He loves it, of course.)

So--can all that fur be made into yarn?

[spinbaby]

11. I knew someone once who knitted a collie sweater

I can't imagine, though, that even a very fluffy cat would yield enough fur to do anything with.

[Missy Vixen]

15. It's possible to spin pet yarn

but most people don't. When it gets wet, it can smell...interesting.

I'm so glad to hear Kitty loves being brushed! Our big Maine Coon boys would rather be cuddled and petted than brushed.

Julie

[Le Taz Hot]

8. They're helping!

It's a cat thing. Roll with it. B-)

[LiberalHeart]

12. Getting my new cat has been like bringing a kid into the house...

I kept cats for many years, then hit several years where I was cat-free. During that time I decorated in ways I never would have, had I lived with a cat. About a month or so ago I adopted a swell cat from the Humane Society and have been cat-proofing the house ever since. Some of my favorite things are now put away, out of reach. Not much left sitting on table tops, many plants eliminated, cords covered up, some things even velcroed (is that a word?) in place.

But there's one problem that continues, and it can't be solved by going to another room and closing the door. Specifically, windows.

Is there any kind of window treatment (not blinds) that cats can't destroy or circumvent in an effort to get the window uncovered? I'm trying to maintain some privacy at night but the cat thinks I should let all the neighbors look in.

[spinbaby]

13. We don't have that problem

We only use curtains, not blinds, and the cats just duck behind them when they want to look out. A bigger problem is chewing and knocking over the orchids in the bay window.

[LiberalHeart]

14. Mine slips behind them, too, but...

...he pulls them askew, opening the view. Also, where I have cafe curtains, he now manages to jump to the halfway part of the sash window and them claws at the valance, which has a lot of open work ideal for latching onto claws. Aside from worrying about the curtains, I'm also concerned he might get injured in one of these escapdes. My house is from the 1800s and the glass in the windows is extremely brittle. Hate to think of his jumping a bit too hard against one of them.

[Jo March]

21. Use vertical blinds instead of horizontal

The cats just push the blinds aside but they fall back into place. My two cats tore my horizontal blinds to pieces but the vertical ones work just fine for them.

They cost more but you'll save money in the long run by not having to replace the horizontal ones constantly. ;)

[China_cat]

25. sorry, dupe.

[China_cat]

26. Shutters. On the outside of the house.

Oh, and those new windows that are double paned and have the blinds in between the 2 panes.

[noonwitch]

16. I don't knit, but I do have a cat

I only play my violin upstairs, in the room she's not allowed in. Otherwise, she jumps on my bow arm when I'm trying to play. I also keep all my glass knicknacks up there.

[LiberalHeart]

18. Mine likes to lie on my forearms as I type on the laptop.

And I let him. It's nuts.

[zanne]

22. One of mine sits on my mouse.

She won't be moved. I'm sure it looks pretty strange, when I reach under my cat to click. I don't want to remove her all the time because she's a stray and still very nervous; she's not quite sure what she thinks of me and I'm trying to bribe her into relaxing.

[VeggieTart]

17. Whatever you do, your cats will be involved

And that includes my occasional grabbing a snack while on the sofa. I posted a picture where my cat actually grabs a cracker from a box my boyfriend is eating from.

[Nicole]

19. A soda bottle makes a great yarn holder

It keeps the yarn clean & kitty proof.

Cut off the black bottom of a 2 liter bottle. Insert the yarn into the bottle with the tail end coming out of the uncapped top. Tape the bottom back on with shipping or duct tape. Recap the bottle, leaving a small tail out, when you're not knitting.

Supposedly you can pry the black bottom off, instead of cutting it, but I've never been able to.

[Haole Girl]

20. In a word...

Catnip! :)

[spinbaby]

23. Not a distraction

They have their own private patch and get stoned as often as they like.