Somehow I created this little patchy kitty last night!
I’ve always wanted to try tapestry crochet, but I never quite found the inspiration to start. I also thought it would be very difficult, with all the different colours of yarn being carried along. Recently, though, I wanted a distraction from something that had been on my mind, so I picked up my hook and gave it a go.
To my surprise, it was actually very doable and even more enjoyable than regular single-colour crochet!
> Photo by u/sweetimaginasian Source: r/streetcatsoftheworld created by @x-rain
After seeing this beautiful kitty in r/StreetCatsOfTheWorld, I decided it would be the perfect model for my first tapestry crochet practice piece. This cat has such beautiful patches, unlike any other patchy cats, and I find it very unique. At first glance, I thought it would be far too difficult, but I decided to try anyway.
I didn't have a pattern. I simply looked at the photo and copied the colours and markings as I crocheted, changing colours whenever needed.
I used leftover yarns that matched my model cat colours.
Using single crochet stitches, I started as usual with a magic ring, then worked increases until I reached the size I wanted.
When changing colours, I made sure to complete the stitch with the new colour by pulling it through the final two loops.
With tapestry crochet, you can carry the yarn colours along instead of cutting them.
My method was quite simple: I just dropped the yarn when it wasn't needed, picked up the colour I wanted, and then dropped it again when changing colours.
Then tuck all the yarn ends inside.
And added the filling.
I crocheted:
Head
Body
Front Legs
Hind Legs
Ears
Then I assembled the ears and attached them.
Once everything was finished, it was time for assembly. And oh, I made the tail too!
The trickiest part was positioning everything correctly.
Since I didn't use any wire, I added a few tension stitches to help the kitty hold its pose.
My googly eyes wouldn't have looked right, but luckily I had a lovely shade of green that matched my model cat's eyes better.
I embroidered the eyes
I finished it off with a little black nose and a pink mouth.
Here she is, Pachy Kitty. Ahh! Playing on the grass. ;) Haha!
I'm really pleased with my first attempt at tapestry crochet. Now that I've tried it, I think it's going to be very tempting to add multiple colours to all my future crochet projects! It was much easier than I expected.
What do you think? Not too bad for a first try, I thought! 😂
This was really fun to do, and I didn’t realise the time had passed until the birds started singing. When I looked outside, it was already bright, perfect timing for these photos.
Have a lovely day,
Mariah 🧵
