Knitted houses for cats - 2 ways to make them yourself

When a pet appears in the house, and even one as cute as a cat, it becomes more comfortable and warm, cozy. Why does a furry pet need its own personal hole, since it has all the space in the apartment at its disposal? Fluffy feels comfortable on your pillow or in your bed, on an armchair or even in your closet. But this cannot replace a personal home for a pet.

And besides, a beautiful, homemade cat house knitted, crocheted or made from any other materials will be an effective addition to the interior, giving it special charm and harmony.

Maybe buy a cat house? Online stores and specialized boutiques offer a wide range of cozy, comfortable homes for pets. But making a cat house with your own hands has its advantages.

Firstly, it is economical. To knit an aesthetic product, you will need yarn, knitting needles or a hook, a pattern and a little imagination. Secondly, it will fully match the size of your pet and will fit beautifully into the interior of the room.

Types of knitted houses

Before you start work, you need to decide what kind of home is suitable for your pet, whether the cat is sociable or withdrawn, active or calm, where it likes to spend time, and how to sleep. Taking into account these and other criteria, the following types of houses are distinguished:

• Type:

• Open - a lounger or basket without a roof. Suitable for sociable and company-loving animals.
• Enclosed - fenced on all sides to provide the cat with privacy.
• Combined - combine both types, the roof is removed or folded.

• Based on the presence of a base:
• Frame. To give the shape, a wire frame is used, on which the product is placed.
• Frameless. Soft and low, do not need to maintain shape.
• To size:
• Small ones. Designed for small cats, width up to 35 cm.
• Average. Diameter 40-45 cm.
• Big ones. For large breeds or cats that like to sleep stretched out, about 60 cm.
• Depending on the tools used:
• Crocheted.
• Knitting needles.

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Which knitting method is suitable

The most convenient way to crochet a house is to get the desired shape easier. But if the housewife likes to knit, this is also doable.

Short Crochet

The main technique that is suitable for a cat house is short crochet. The loops and posts are successively strung on top of each other, gradually creating the product. It takes patience and perseverance, but the results are worth it.

Tunisian knitting

Tunisian knitting is suitable if you need to make a large house for a Maine Coon or a cat that likes to stretch out its paws in its sleep. A long hook is used, on which loops are cast on, like on a knitting needle.

Circular knitting

Circular knitting is suitable for quickly making beds with low sides. The fabric is supported by four knitting needles, the fifth is used as a working knitting needle. The method is not suitable for complex structures.

DIY cat house: how to make it

The threads for work are taken as natural as possible so as not to cause allergic reactions. At the same time, they are dense and wear-resistant so that they retain their appearance after cleaning, washing and scratching. Average consumption is about 500 g of knitted yarn, wool or acrylic/viscose. The product is created whole or in such parts as:

bottom;

roof;

side wall.

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Cave house

It is a cone-shaped cocoon with an entrance on a wire frame, the circumference of which depends on the size of the animal. Use a thick thread, a hook 8-12 mm thick. They tie the hoop with loops, close the ring and knit using the double-sided fabric technique in a circle, decreasing by 3 loops every 2-3 rows until the required size of the house is reached. The end of the cave can be sewn shut or left open. When using knitting needles, a trapezoidal fabric is created with any elastic band, from which a cone is then formed and joined along the seam. A wire is inserted into a wide socket.

How to tie a needle?

A dome-shaped pouch with an entrance hole in the side wall, similar to an Eskimo dwelling. To create, you need hook number 8, knitting yarn 1 kg. Legend: ch - air loop, sc - single crochet. The beginning and end of the row are united by a connecting column. The height of the finished product is 20 cm, the diameter along the bottom is 37 cm. The technique is as follows:

To make a dome-shaped product, you need to purchase one kilogram of knitting yarn.

1. Cast on 3 ch and close into a ring. There will be 41 rows in total.
2. In the first three, increase in each, after 1 and 2 loops, respectively.
3. 4-18 alternate rows consisting only of sc with increasing rows (every 2 sc - in 5,7, 9 and 11; after 4 - in 13; 5 - in 17).
4. at 19-25 the entrance to the house is made. The first method: breaking the thread and skipping 10 loops, the left tail is woven into subsequent rows, forming a beautifully highlighted entrance arch. Second option: the entire row of sc, leave the last 10 loops, turn the work around and knit in the opposite direction from the wrong side.
5. 26 all without extra charge, 8 chains are typed above the entrance.
6. 27-41 rows of sc alternate with decreasing rows (every 4 sc - in 31, every 3-34, 36, 37, every 2-38, 39, every 1 sc - in 40 and 41) until the circle closes.

If knitting is limited to 20 rows, then the cat will get a nice bed instead of a closed house.

Instructions for crocheting a cave house

In order to make a cat house, you will need:

• two hooks (No. 8 and 10);
• tapestry needle;
• stitch markers (you can work without them, but it’s inconvenient).

Dimensions of the finished product: diameter of the bottom and roof - 38 cm, height of the walls - 18 cm. It will require 400g of acrylic/viscose. The main method of knitting is double crochet and single crochet.

Making the bottom

The bottom determines the size of the finished cat house. For knitting you will need a No. 8 hook. Process steps:

1. Knit 4 air loops, close into a ring.
2. The first ring is 3 chain stitches, then 11 double crochets, the last stitch is connecting to the first loop.
3. The second ring also starts with 3 chain loops, then alternating - 1 double crochet in the last loop of the previous ring, then double crochet in each loop of the row (24 in total).
4. Each subsequent ring begins with 3 air loops. They are followed by double crochets, their number increases by 12. The last stitch is the connecting stitch with the last of the loops. There are 96 columns in the eighth circular row.
5. The ninth row ends with a connection not with the last, but with the first loop of 3 air loops at the beginning of the row.

How to knit a cat house

The most popular option for knitted houses for pets is an igloo (a form of Eskimo housing). If you complete all the steps correctly, you will get a fairly compact, comfortable, aesthetic product that will not only become a cozy home for your pet, but will also harmoniously complement the interior.

Below are instructions on how to connect a house with the following parameters:

• round shape with a hole on the side wall, which serves as an entrance;
• bottom diameter - 37 cm;
• the height of the structure is 20 cm.

For production you will need high-quality, durable yarn. It's best to buy a ball at the store, but you can use thread that was left over from an old sweater or some other unnecessary thing. Tools you need to stock up on include stitch markers, tapestry thread and hooks.

Crochet pattern

A cat house is crocheted quite quickly and easily if you are at least a little familiar with this technique. Let's start from the bottom. To perform it, we use hook No. 8. Cast on 3 air loops (hereinafter ch), close the chain into a ring using 1 connecting post (hereinafter ss). The rows will begin with one ch rise and end with a ss.

• 8 single crochets (hereinafter sc), close in a circle;
• increase x8 (16);
• (sc, inc) x8 (24);
• (2sc, inc) x8 (32);
• 32 single crochets;
• (2 sc, inc) x8 (42);
• 42 single crochets;
• (2 sc, inc) follow the sequence until the end of the tier (56);
• 56 single crochets;
• (2sc, inc) we follow the sequence until the end of the tier;
• single crochet in each loop of the previous tier;
• (4 sc, inc) repeats until the end of the tier;
• 13-16. single crochet in each loop of the previous tier;
• (5 sc, inc) and so on until the end of the row;
• single crochet in each loop of the previous tier.

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Now you need to make a kind of entrance to the home. To do this, you need to knit half a row of sc in each loop, cut the thread, leave the end (this is the 19th row). Then we perform one sc in each loop, when only 5 remain, we tie in the tail remaining from the previous row and break the thread.

Next, 10 single crochets - skip, we start knitting from the place where the previous row began, we knit the remaining ends of the threads into the main fabric to give the product an aesthetic appearance (20 row). We repeat the 20th row five more times (21-25 rows). The entrance to the house is knitted in 7 circles.

When doing the work, you need to make sure that the lines are perfectly even and neat; you should start and finish knitting in the same column. Next, we carry out the work according to the scheme:

• 26th row we knit sc in each loop (hereinafter kp.) of the previous row, we close the row after knitting 8 loops above the entrance;
• 27-30. sc in k, repeat until the circle is completed;
• (4 sc, dec) repeat until the end of the tier;
• 32-33. sc in k, repeat until the end of the row;
• (3 sc, dec) repeat until the end of the tier;
• sc in kp, repeat until the end of the tier;
• 36-37. (3 sc, dec) repeat until the end of the tier;
• 38-39. (2 sc, dec) repeat until the circle is completed;
• 40-41. (sc, dec) and so on until the end of the tier.

The ring should close. If this does not happen, we continue to knit tiers with decreases. We carefully hide the remaining ends of the thread in the fabric so that they do not stick out and spoil the appearance of the product.

If you have experience and skills in this technique, you can additionally knit cat ears or perform any other decorative elements. Here, in fact, the personal space for the pet is ready. You can lay something soft inside and put the house into operation.

You need to crochet a cat house strictly according to the pattern. Any mistake, even one missed loop or stitch, can have a bad effect on the aesthetic characteristics of the product. Such housing for a pet is not only beautiful, but also cozy. There the fluffy will feel protected and comfortable.

A homemade cat house will harmoniously complement the interior if you choose the right yarn color and also use a creative approach to its design.

Your cat needs a new home! This is not discussed - all cats need new houses, even if they have quite good old or even not old, but already mastered and “furnished” homes. However, if you have a purring pet, this is an obvious question that requires no answer other than yes. What are we doing? You can go to the store and spend another half-cosmic amount on something that, let's be honest, is not at all an essential item. If you are the secret owner of an oil rig, do so. And if you are a person in love with needlework and creativity, don’t go anywhere, pick up a hook and start knitting a cat house with your own hands - it will be doubly cool: not only will your meowing happiness receive an excellent gift for the New Year tree , so you will also catch your piece of pleasure, which will inevitably appear, because you will create and create!

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In general, if you have already thought about the proposed topic, consider that you have arrived: you will have to make a cat house with your own hands , humble yourself and just get started!

How to knit a house for a cat - 5 master classes:

Standard round cat house

In many homes, cats live on their own - they sleep where they want, relax where they like. At the same time, unfortunately, furniture and furnishings are often damaged. The owners believe that this is just a cat’s character, and do not bother with other issues. Or maybe it's worth it? A cat house, of course, does not always solve this problem, but sometimes it really helps.

Cave house

If you think that a cat house should bring pleasure not only to its owner, but also to yourself, if the aesthetic and ideological content of the work play an important role for you in choosing a project, be sure to pay attention to this “building” - it really is curious, interesting and original.

House for a cat made from leftover yarn

If you haven’t fully decided whether your cat needs a house, and therefore don’t want to spend a lot of money on it, try knitting a temporary “removable” home from leftover yarn. When you are sure that this is a necessary thing, take the temporary cat house out into the yard for those who are unlucky enough to become barn cats, and crochet a new house for your pet.

Cave house

For one reason or another (personal dislike of the cat, incompatibility in size, interior requirements, physical capabilities of the apartment), a standard cat house of a classic shape may not be suitable. The solution is simple - you can knit a cat house in the form of a cocoon - it will be no less cozy and beautiful, warm and comfortable.

House for a cat like a “big fish”

Well, yes, a shark is not a fish at all, that’s understandable. In addition, it is obvious that your cat is unlikely to appreciate your sense of humor and appreciate the fact that you have knitted her a house in the form of such a large one. production, well, okay. Do you understand? And you know? And do you evaluate it? Do you like it, want to smile and be happy? It's enough. Knit!

Which yarn to choose: pros and cons of each type

For a cat to like its new home, it must be comfortable for the pet. Much depends on the material. You need to choose yarn based on the needs of the animal, not the owner.

Wool

Wool is a good option for a winter home. It retains heat well and does not allow moisture to pass through. The woolen house will not lose its shape after several washes, and cat claws will not ruin it immediately.

Among the disadvantages: pellets may form on the product, and if the yarn is of low quality, then the cat’s home will turn out to be prickly. The first problem can be solved by careful care and dry cleaning, the second by choosing high-quality material. There are allergies to wool - not only in people, but also in cats; this fact cannot always be identified in advance.

Acrylic

Acrylic is cheaper than wool, and there are practically no allergies to it in either people or cats. It is durable, the resulting products are easy to care for, and a variety of colors will help make the cat’s house a stylish piece of art.

But there are disadvantages - acrylic does not allow air and moisture to pass through well. If the acrylic house is not washed often enough, the cat's hair may begin to fall out. To solve this problem, you need to use additional bedding inside the product. Another trouble is static. It is unlikely that a cat will want to climb into a house where discharges crackle from every movement. The animal may find the smell of antistatic agent too strong.

Viscose

Viscose allows moisture to pass through well, does not electrify, is available in a variety of colors, and retains heat. She is very soft. But this type of yarn is not without its drawbacks - viscose is demanding to care for, and if washed incorrectly, it quickly loses its appearance and shape.

To combine the advantages and compensate for the disadvantages of each type, combined threads are used - wool/viscose or acrylic/viscose.