Beware Of Cat

Day 88: Once I had the idea in my head, I simply had to make a blue-point Siamese version of the pussy hat for myself, freeing up the grey one to be given to another marcher who may share my dislike of pink. A small amount (the ear linings) is tolerable in the name of the cause.

When I was young, we had a Siamese who was my constant companion, a smart and very personable cat, not at all yowly as some people claim Siamese to be. As an adult, I shared my home with another member of the breed, and a dearer little soul you'd never find. If I'd been out, as soon as I opened the door, he would leap into my arms and stick like glue for the rest of the day. I've had a number of cats in my life, but some left more enduring memories than others. My two Siamese were "special people."

Three Little Kittens

Day 86: The Three Little Kittens are done. The base hat is a slightly longer variation of an original cloche pattern, and the ears went through several phases of development before I was satisfied. The first ones (modelled by Tippy on January 1) were too small. I widened them by four stitches without making them any taller for the results you see here. I'm thinking this would translate well into a fox if I used rust-orange yarn and white ear liners, maybe even adding a white-tipped tail on the back. Unless I make a "blue-point Siamese" version before the Women's March, the grey one will be mine. The other two will be given to friends who march on January 20.

Got Your Ears On?

Day 81: Last year, I attended the big Women's March in Seattle and was bemoaning the fact that I hadn't heard about "pussy hats" until the day of the event. A woman standing next to Kevin and me reached in her bag and pulled out a hat and a felt headband and offered them to us. I couldn't bring myself to put all that pink on my head, so I passed the hat to Kevin and I took the headband, resolving that if there was ever another march, I'd make a hat in a different colour with a tolerable amount of pink to represent solidarity with the movement.

A week or so ago, a reprise of the march was announced for January 20. I was in the middle of making hats for the Joppa Flats Education Center, so I bought some appropriate yarn, shifted gears and made a kitty-grey cloche, intending to make pink liners for the interior of the ears. Tippy obligingly modelled an ear for me.