If you follow me on social media, you know that we’ve recently added a very unlikely member to our family. And when I say “unlikely”, I mean that never in my life did I ever think I would own a cat. My older sister was allergic to them, so I never had one growing up; and, I have always been a big dog person. Like, literally, big dogs. Not cats. While I love animals of all kinds, I just never had an interest in owning a cat. So a month ago, if you’d told me I was going to be publishing a pattern for a cat bed, I would have given you a very strange look.
But, here we are!
And that’s all thanks to Simba, the little orange cat that coughed and sneezed his way into a permanent place in our family.
He came to us with a bad upper respiratory infection, ear mites, and eyes so red and gunky he couldn’t hardly open them after a nap. And I tried really hard to stay unattached. But this kitty is impossible not to love. When I was crocheting on the couch one morning not long after we brought him home, he came over, wrapped his paws around my arm, laid his head on me, and fell asleep; and that’s pretty much how he is all the time — cuddly and sweet, and just wanting to be with people. When we didn’t receive any leads on our “lost kitty” posts for a week, I finally admitted to myself that even though I’ve never been a cat person, I really wanted to be his person. And we decided to keep him.
A few days after that decision, I hosted our church’s Women’s Life Group at my home as I do every week. One of the women who attends owns a large horse farm a few miles from our church (where my husband found Simba), and the moment she saw him, she immediately recognized him as one of her barn kitties that had been missing for a while. My heart sank. But when I told her we’d give him back (after all, my children had known from the beginning that his owners might show up), this wonderful woman didn’t even hesitate to say “No, he’s yours. I think he chose your family. God meant him for you.”
And that’s the story of how Simba chose our family!
Of course, I decided pretty early on that I needed to make him something. I thought a bed would be the perfect thing, and I wanted it to have a rustic look to it, so I headed to Michaels to find a thick, rustic yarn, and Loops & Threads Chunky was the perfect fit. I also designed a cute little tag for it and ordered the finished item from MemorableLand on Etsy. Dmitry did a wonderful job putting my vision on these wooden tags!
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About the Rescued Tag
Now, I guess Simba isn’t technically a rescue pet. We now know where he came from, and had we not wanted him, he would have been welcomed back to his farm with open arms. But I had ordered these wooden tags from MemorableLand before we had that information… and given the fact that I was in a bit of a rough patch when this little kitty came into our lives, it’s safe to say that Simba sort of “rescued” me out of the funk that I was in. Anyone who has a pet knows how healing they can be for the soul, and Simba has most definitely been that for me over the past few weeks!
The word “Rescued” holds a lot of meaning for me, in more ways than one; it’s also a meaningful reminder of how Christ rescued me, and that’s a wonderful thing to be reminded of, especially as we celebrate Easter this weekend!
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TABBY CHIC CAT BED
Level: Easyish
Size: 17″ wide x 5″ tall
Materials:
- S hook (19.00mm) – and YES, I really did use an S hook, and that really is an S hook in the photos. I have a very tight tension. If you don’t, you should use a smaller hook.
- Yarn needle
- Approximately 140 yards of Loops & Threads Chunky (<6 skeins). Sample shown in “Oatmeal” (currently sold out online, but my store had plenty). Loops & Threads Chunky is a #6 super bulky yarn, HOWEVER, if you are substituting, I would strongly recommend using a #7 Jumbo yarn. (The yarn I used really should be classified as a #7, as it’s significantly thicker than any #6 yarn I’ve ever used.)
- Stitch marker or bobby pin
Gauge:
Your first 4 rounds should measure 7″ across.
Abbreviations Used:
MC (magic circle) – view my tutorial here
CH (chain)
ST/STS (stitch/stitches)
SL ST (slip stitch)
SC (single crochet)
HDC (half double crochet)
Special Terminology:
3rd Loop – Some rows call for the stitches to be completed in the “3rd loop”. Instead of putting your HDC in the top loops, reach your hook past the back loop where you’ll find a 3rd loop on the side of the stitch. Insert your hook there to create your HDC. This forces both of the top loops to rest on the front of your project, creating a ribbing effect. In other patterns it is also referred to as a Camel Stitch or RibHDC.
Notes:
(1) This pattern is written in American Standard terms.
(2) This pattern is worked mostly in a seamless round. At Round 10, you will chain and turn, and then continue on in a seamless round in the opposite direction. This is all noted in the pattern.
(3) Starting CHs do not count as stitches.
How To Make It Larger:
It’s relatively simple, so hopefully my explanation won’t sound toocomplicated. What you’ll want to do is continue increasing your base until it’s about 1-2 inches smaller than the size you want the bed to be. On the very last repeat of the last round you did, use SC instead of HDC for all but the last two stitches; use slip stitches for the final two stitches. (This is the equivalent of Round 9 in the pattern.) So for instance, if you did 10 increase rounds, your 10th round would be:
(2 HDC in next, 1 HDC in each of the next 8 STS) 7 times. 2 SC in next, 1 SC in each of the next 6 STS, 1 SL ST in each of the next 2 STS. (80)
Then, CH1 and turn, and do a final increase round in HDC (this is the equivalent of Round 10 in the pattern). Continue on with Round 11 and follow the pattern as written (your stitch counts will be different).
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To begin:
Using S Hook, make a magic circle.
Round 1: CH1. 8 HDC in MC. (8)
Round 2: 2 HDC in each ST around. (16)
Round 3: (2 HDC in next, 1 HDC in next) around. (24)
Round 4: (2 HDC in next, 1 HDC in each of the next 2 STS) around. (32)
Round 5: (2 HDC in next, 1 HDC in each of the next 3 STS) around. (40)
Round 6: (2 HDC in next, 1 HDC in each of the next 4 STS) around. (48)
Round 7: (2 HDC in next, 1 HDC in each of the next 5 STS) around. (56)
Round 8: (2 HDC in next, 1 HDC in each of the next 6 STS) around. (64)
Round 9: (2 HDC in next, 1 HDC in each of the next 7 STS) 7 times. 2 SC in next, 1 SC in each of the next 5 STS, 1 SL ST in each of the next 2 STS. (72)
Note: The end of round 9 should smooth down your round to blend in, instead of ending with the jagged edge that working a seamless round causes. This will enable us to chain up in the next round, turn our work, and begin working seamlessly in the other direction.
Round 10: CH1, turn your work. (2 HDC in next, 1 HDC in each of the next 8 STS) around. Do not join. (80)
Rounds 11-14: In 3rd loops, HDC in each ST around. (80)
Round 15: In 3rd loops, SC in each of the next 75 STS. SL ST in 3rd loops of each of the next 5 STS. (80)
Fasten off and weave in all ends.
I have 77 year old eyes and can barely read the light grey and light aqua type on this web page. Would LOVE to crochet this for my daughters cat but cannot. What ever happened to back and white? I “fussed” at AOL once for using yellow on white and that has since changed. Otherwise I love the pictures.
I love this! I wanna substitute yarns, what is the stitch gauge?
Your first 4 rounds should measure 7″ across (it’s up in the pattern info). Also up in the pattern info are instructions on how to make the bed larger, and that info would also help you to be able to adjust with whatever yarn you choose. Instead of trying to find the perfect hook size, you can simply increase until the bed is the size you want it to be, and then follow those instructions to complete it. 🙂
Dear Rebecca,
I love your patterns and I have crocheted many of them! Your story about Simba is so touching. I have 5 “rescue” kitties… 2 rescued from under my back porch!! I too know the healing power of God’s little creatures. I also know I am the rescued one! Thank-you for sharing your story!
Hi Rebecca,
I was just wondering… in your instructions, you said we should use a 19mm crochet hook, but the recommended hook size for this particular yarn is 11.5mm. Isn’t a 19mm hook too big as compared to an 11.5mm one? I hate it when my crochet work has “gaps.” I crochet VERY tightly (if it’s got holes, I unravel my work and start all over). So if I use the recommended hook size, will the cat bed turn out smaller — or at least, significantly smaller?
I won’t be able to order Loops & Threads Chunky since we don’t have this particular brand in the UK. I’ll have to choose a different brand, such as Sirdar Hayfield or Robin Super Chunky… The recommended hook size for most brands I’m currently looking at is 10mm, so I’ll probably need more than 140 yards (around 130 meters) of yarn. I’ll also need to tweak the pattern a little bit.
I’ve been rescuing kitties my entire life. Last summer my fiance and I saved a tabby. We already have a cat, Lucrezia van Necker Bouville (short version: Lucrezia :D), who doesn’t tolerate other cats, so we couldn’t keep him. He was adopted in September. Last year he has rescued 3 kittens from a cemetery (those 3 kittens were the cutest, most adorable I’ve ever seen), and I myself rescued 2 kittens in the summer of 2014. They all got adopted. My entire family has been rescuing kitties and cats as well. My dad saved a fluffy little one who got bitten by dogs; my sister saved 3 kitties from a local park. I also saved some kitties when I was a kid (most got adopted; I kept one, who died a few months later…). My boyfriend tried to rescue a few newborn kitties. They were just one week old or so. I tried to feed them, keep them warm, and make them pee, but they eventually died. My fiance and I cried a lot, but I guess those poor little ones couldn’t survive without their momma cat.
I’m glad you’ve rescued Simba. He looks just like one of my old cats, who was stolen from me about two years ago. He was the most loving cat ever — he would wake me up in the middle of the night with his wet muzzle, wanting to be caressed. So did his sister.
One more reason to read your blog. I hope you’ll post LOTS of cat patterns!
Yes, it will turn out smaller. I don’t know if you can tell from the photos, but when I used the S hook, there were no holes in the work. Everyone’s tension is different though. There are instructions for resizing up in the Notes section if you wish to use a different hook and are concerned about it coming up the right size.
Between my two grown daughters and myself we have 4 rescue cats! We’re all living together right now, so they have needed to adjust to their kitty cousins.
We have a ginger-haired boy named Toulouse that looked a lot like your Simba when he was a baby. He and his litter mates were found abandoned by a landlord when his tenants moved out and took the mother cat. They were fostered by a local cat shelter and all found good homes. We have Toulouse and his sister Marie, who are just as cute as there Aristocat (Disney) namesakes.
My baby Katie came from a farm 11 years ago and is my constant companion. The last member of out kitty family was adopted from Miami when my daughter was a student there.
Both of my daughters feel they were “rescued”, as their cats came into their lives during rough patches. They’re all spoiled rotten, so I see some of these cute lounging spots in their future!
We rescued a kitty from the animal shelter and this will make the perfect bed for her. Thank you so much for sharing. Off to Michael’s I go!!
This is so sweet!! We have had our rescue kitty for 4 years. She is the sweetest cat ever, loves to cuddle and purr :). We recently also rescued a Dalmatian bully mix. We went to the adoption fair not expecting to adopt, but when I put my hand in that pen and Zoey licked and loved on me that was it. Something happened that I can’t explain but it was instant and I had to have her!! She’s definitely my baby, she follows me everywhere, I can’t even take a shower without her right beside the tub with her head peeking around the curtain keeping watch over me :).
I would consider all of our pets “rescue” pets, in that we’ve gotten all 3 dogs and 2 cats from our local shelter… They are all special in their own way and really adopted us, more than we adopted them! I still remember us going to the shelter to look for our first dog, and all of them were barking and going crazy…all except for Charlie (a yellow lab). My daughter (she was 3 at the time) and I walked over to his cage where he was laying down; as we approached, he rolled over on his back for us to scratch his belly. We knew then, he just had to come home with us! He was 2yrs old at the time, and he will be celebrating his 10th birthday this June!
What a beautiful story and such a nice bed. I will be making 4 of them, as I have 4 rescues of my own. They are all so loving and I think they are awesome.
Oopss..I commented on your Facebook page…sorry. My rescue is a cute little boy dog named “Captain Riley”.
We have several cats and they are all rescue kitties. I love cat children with all my heat and cherish for their own individual nature. I am a confirmed cat holder.
Felix is our ‘foster fail’. Someone at my last church came and got me right before church one Wednesday night. He took me & showed me a small kitten, about 5 weeks old that he had ‘rescued’ from the brush near the church (he clearly was a feral, and probably should have been left where he was. His momma was probably nearby). I took him home with the intent of giving him away. We already had 2 adult cats. It turns out the person I was going to give him to was going to let him be an outdoor kitty. As small as he was, he wouldn’t have lasted. Now, at 4 years of age, he has turned into a beautiful black kitty, with velvety fur. Sadly, he seems intellectually challenged, and is pathologically afraid of almost everything. He spends most of the day hiding under the couch or our bed, but does occasionally come out at night, and loves to be brushed.
Love your Simba. Two Bassett hound puppies rescued my husband and me last year, Lucy & Ethel. Our girls keep us on our toes.
I have 6 recued cats ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,but have had so many ,,,,,,,,,, love them all !
Your “rescue” is adorable! I have five rescues, and love them all dearly! Bottle fed three of them. Love the bed and can’t wait to make some for my furbabies!
I’m so pleased you said that Simba rescued you! I have 3 rescued dogs & through them I found the answer to the question ‘ what do you want to do when you grow up?’ I now volunteer for a dog rescue charity, run fundraising auctions & get to make loads of gorgeous things to help raise funds with. We occasionally help cats too & lots of our supporters have both cats & dogs, so I’ll definitely be giving this bed a go. Thank you for sharing. Xx
/Love the orange kitties (well all of them, truth be told). Have one called Beau and not strictly a rescue, since he was one of 3 litters that my son’s barn cats had. He is not a cuddly as your Simba, so enjoy! I will have to make one or two of these beds. I have another cat called Baby who is a furry tortoiseshell. I guess she would be called a rescue. I adopted her from a shelter. She and her littermates were left w/o a mother and was were found by some people who brought them to the shelter. I would only ever adopt and not buy a pet.
I rescued a cat that looks exactly like the cat you rescued, mine is named Oliver. I am not a big cat person, but since he has been raised with my Maltese mix he thinks he is a dog. I am happy that I adopted him.
Starting one now. My grey tabby rescue needs this, as we have just bought a new lounge suite and he’s feeling left out( he slept on the old one).
After many years of buying puppies, my present furbaby is a rescue. She has been a joy to my family and me.