Leave it to two clever British writers to figure out a way to knit for your goldfish. That’s exactly what Sally Muir and Joanna Osborne have done in their book “Pet Projects: The Animal Knits Bible.” Muir and Osborne live and knit in the United Kingdom and some of their designs reflect the quirky sense of humor Americans have come to expect from the people “across the pond.”
So what does one knit for a pet goldfish? Water lilies made of recycled plastic bags cut into strips. (This idea is much more clever than knitting bread bags into door mats as was the fashion in this country in the 1960s — hard to believe, I know, but true.)
But wait, there’s more, much more. How about a tortoise hibernation tent or a hamster house. Yup, you will find instructions for knitting those edifices in the book. You’ll also find knitted beanbag bedding covers, dog coats (my favorite is the soccer dog coat; the cable coat a la Sean Connery is a close second), cat cushions, horse blankets, a mouse-shaped mat for a cat, party dog collars, a knitted wire bird feeder and an assortment of other fun stuff.
As for the cat cushions, they would perk up any room, even if you don’t have a feline friend in the house.
Some of the simpler items, such as the party dog collars or rosettes for horse bridles, would make great gifts for pet owners who dote on their animals.
Don’t have a pet? Not to worry. The authors include in their book a section with instructions for knitting one of your own — fox terrier, ferret, guinea pig or tortoise, anyone? As the authors write, “An obvious benefit to a knitted ferret is that he has no teeth.” As for the guinea pig, “You’ll never have to clean out his cage.” And the tortoises — “These tortoises are extremely cheap and easy to knit, and if necessary you can remove the shell and wash them. You also won’t have the anxiety about tortoise rustlers.”
The projects in the book range from the simple — the hamster house — to the more challenging, such as the floral dog coat. The level of difficulty is marked with dog bone symbols — one for easy, three for difficult. The cat-related patterns are marked with fish bones — to avoid any hint of bias, I presume.
Eco-dog Coats is one of the best sections of the book (hard to choose, it’s all good) and the projects have nothing to do with knitting. The coats are made from old sweaters culled from closets or thrift shops. The photo of the sleek dog wearing the twin-set-embellished-with-pearls coat made from a blush pink sweater will make you laugh out loud with joy, it’s that good.
Yarns used for the projects are made by Rowan, Jaeger or Twilleys. The book includes basic knitting techniques and various how-tos, including measuring your dog for a coat.
In case you’re curious about the animals that served as models in the book, their names are listed on the last page of the book.
“Pet Projects” is a charming book filled with wonderful ideas for pampering the animal in your life. It is lavishly illustrated with photographs depicting pets wearing, enjoying or using the fiber finery knit for them.
Order the book at your local bookstore or ask your public library to add it to its collection.
Snippets
· Celebrate the International Year of Natural Fibres by attending the Fiber Arts Show 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Sunday, June 28, through Sunday, July 5, at Hammond Hall in Winter Harbor. Admission is free. Demonstrations of fiber art techniques take place 1-4 p.m. as follows: Monday, knitting; Tuesday, quilting; Wednesday, spinning; Thursday, rug hooking; and Friday, weaving. Those who want to exhibit fiber art in the show should call Gail Ruland at 963-7849, or e-mail ruland@myfairpoint.net.
· Knight’s Quilt Shop in Cape Neddick was chosen as one of 10 shops throughout the United States and Canada to be featured in the fall issue of Quilt Sampler magazine, published by Better Homes and Gardens.
· “A Comprehensive Study of the Quilting Marketplace” released in 2003 reported that the total value of the U.S. quilting industry is $2.7 billion.
· Jo Ellen and Jessica Stammen, who design and make hand-hooked rugs and pillows, and owners of Jo Ellen Designs in Camden, are featured in the current issue of Victoria magazine’s section on mother-daughter businesses.