Hooray!

Now if I could only find a cat......

Oooh awesome idea. I have a friend with 2 cats I can molest with yarn!

I've got two (cats, that is!) if you want to borrow one! :-)

The first part was easy and is done. The second part will be a little more difficult because I will have to find a willing cat (oxy moron).

I am sooo excited about your book? When is the release date again? I need to go back and look..And this sweepstakes is too funny!

Sadly, I do not have a cat to model said sweater. I will have to find a random neighborhood cat to catnap for the photo.

Betsy, the release date is October 11. But the sweepstakes will run through October 31, winners announced in November. That gives you plenty of time for "cat" sweater creativity.... LOL

Eeeeeeeeeeee!!! Pick me! Pick me!!

I love contests.

Is there a book tour in the works?

CHEESE TOES!!!! YUM!!!!

Love the Bob pics and captions on the sweeps site! Haven't seen any photos of FDR lately? Hope s/he is well :)

Laurie, this is awesome. I am having a not-so-good day and this made me laugh out loud, so thank you!

I have just been forced to give my cat a couple of baths, which she was actually surprisingly ok with (i.e. she struggled but did not scratch my eyes out), so maybe I'll be able to get a "sweater" on her? Here's hoping! =)

Sernin -- yes, details next week :) Beverly, she's fine though she gave me half a scare this a.m. I couldn't find her! She was asleep on the sofa, I guess I overlooked her but it had me tearing apart the house. Niiiice. Monkey... cheetos are my true love.

Oh what I wouldn't give to get a sweater on any one of my three cats. Katie... I'm looking at YOU honey... come to momma sweetheart...

Alas, I cannot knit, nor can I crochet and this suddenly makes me deeply, deeply sad.

Yippeeee!!! I checked about a million times yesterday to see when the mysterious contest was going to be posted!!! What I really want though is a trip to meet you at your book release party which I'm asuuming will involve wine and inappropriate hugging and all of your cool friends!

A sweepstakes! Hooray!

A Book Tour! Hooray!

I'm all entered. My cats are overjoyed.

Yippee! Free stuff!!! I loves me the free stuff. More so when I'm the one who wins it! So pick me! Pick me! Pretty please? With cherries on top? :)

I'm gonna try to quilt a cat jacket... Lord knows they add enough fur to the quilts I have already made...

Oh man, are my animals in TROUBLE with this contest!! How about a rat sweater?? ;)

The sweepstakes page made me smile!!! YAY for Laurie! One can really tell how much work you put into designing that page - it looks more professional than most "professional" sweepstakes pages!

Alas, my three furballs are only interested in sweaters if they can sleep on them - like the last one I knitted that Ganache kept insisting was hers. I don't think that counts! (And it turned out too big for me so my sister got it, anyway!)

I read all the rules and didn't see this answered, can we enter more then once? I do have 2 cats to torture after all...

Yay, cool contest! Now to find that cat....

Oh and book tour?! Hope so, come to St. Louis- we've got MO wine :)

One entry per email ... though of course you might have an email account for each cat LOL.

Thanks for including us non-knitters! I've got two cats, but no mad knitting skillz, and I appreciate not being left out! Yay Laurie!

Darn...........I was hoping to win a "kitty pi" LOL

I have 4 cats who, as you read this, are looking at each other with THAT look.

They are the original "drunk and covered in cat hair"

does it count if we use spun cat hair to make sweater? That way, they won't feel as if we are covering them with an alien being.

If I was not working eleventy hours a day and coaching my son's soccer team (which means I'm busy almost every night and Saturdays!) I'd knit a cat sweater. Failing that, I will happily submit, for your amusement, tons of picts of said cats modeling all sorts of knitwear, including hats, headwarmers, and scarves. Just for your amusement, that is. E-mail is you want to see them!

Okay, gotta go figure out my soccer line up now. :)

How am I going to learn to knit a sweater for a cat in one month? Don't they need four sleeves?

Who knew my first foray into sweater design would be for an undoubtedly unamused cat?

Stuffed cats count, right? Cuz I can no longer get within 50 yards of my friend-with-cats house...his new kitty gives me hives, even after you've washed your hands with tec-nu--or whatever it's called.

I am beyond bummed.

Wow. I am a beginning knitter (thanks to you!) and I am inordinately excited about this contest. My cat sweater should be a real laugh riot since I'm just now working on my first hat!

I can't tell you how excited this sweepstakes made me...abnormally excited about the thought of stuffing one of my kitties in a cowl-necked tunic. The hilarity! And not kitties will be harmed, only slightly peeved.

Laurie, can I borrow your cat sweater pattern?

Hee hee, I see fun times at my house. I can crochet the sweater and I'll leave it to the boyfriend to get said sweater on his cats (which he'll enjoy doing, honestly). All else fails, I'll get the pic while they're sleeping.

LOLOL. This is wonderful. You've got some vision and talent. OK, well, I can possibly see perhaps getting a sweater 'on/around' the cat (not sure which friend's cat will model the item) however at that point they'd probably go into orbit, so I'd have to be ready with some moving film stuff...hmm, have to figure this out. This tops - thanks for doing all the prep work and research :) Tee hee, can't wait to see the submissions.

I have been a lurker for a very long time, but meaning to post something someday. I found this to be the perfect post.

Congratulations on your new book! I used to work for your publisher in the sales department, and I KNOW they will do a wonderful job making you lots of money!!! (I hope that doesn't disqualify me from entering your contest).

I am also excited to join in on the cat sweater making contest. I have never crocheted a sweater before, but I think doing a smaller version for my cat might be the best way to start. :)

Well, that's what I get for considering swearing off sweaters before ever having knit one.

Hmmm...which cat to use...and still somehow be in one piece afterward...

I'm only playin' if you throw in BAKED Cheetos! I'm on a diet(going well, thank you) and can't/won't have the regular kind.

Just kidding, I've already entered and have been wracking my brains to determine which cat will be the sweater model... hmmmm.

Molly

ps,

I've started my Purl inspired *welcome to living* house clean-up/make-over, TY, TY, TY for the inspiration!! My 19 overstuffed bookshelves are down to 16 now and I'm still pulling books off. We homeschool so there are more books in our house than is typical.

I am trying to think if I can really:

a. Knit a sweater for a cat.

b. Actually get one of my mom's cats to wear it.

c. Quit the evil cackling thinking about putting a sweater on one of my mom's cats.

:)

I am so getting a sweater on Jack - and then quickly blaming it on Soba.

I love love love cats. But I don't have a cat and can't really put a sweater on one because I'm allergic to them. :( Can I knit a sweater for my teddy bear instead?

Super cute Sweepstakes page, yea!

divageek... yes :) It's a very fluid concept, this "cat" sweater hehehehehe. Although I myself may attempt to knit a cat-sized sweater. Just to keep ya'll company!

Hmm, a cat sweater. first off, this is too funny. perhaps the coolest sweepstakes ever.
would it count if I just wound yarn around the cat? Does actual knitting need to take place? (always looking for ways to bend the rules)
and secondly, my cat does have a vampire cape that he begrudgingly wears on Halloween.

Ya'll can virtually slap me now. I have knitted a cat sweater and put it on a cat and took a picture.

It was so weird when the first drop down option was "librarian." I was like, "How did she know?"

I don't think my cats would ever forgive me if I knit them sweaters.

Winning Cheetos from you? What more could a person want! I live for this stuff!

I think I better stock up on bactine and bandages now if I'm going to put sweaters on any of my friends cats. Maybe we can sell tickets to the event to cover the medical bills?

You are just so awesome! Really, just the best!

Oh gawd. Entered! Love the offishal sweepstakes page. Now have to rack brain wondering if I can actually manage to knit a sweater for a certain stuffed toy--and if I do finish one, figuring out how to resist making the entry pic into a lolcat! (I can't help it, you know the idea of adding a caption is almost irresistible. Must. Refrain...)

Hey Laurie, since I preordered a book, if I win can I have an autographed cat instead? Then I can make a cat sweater of my very own. Cheers and can't wait for the book. If I end up at SNB someday will autograph my pre-ordered book? Thanks, Barbara

Bossy has a cat in a Great Dane costume. Does that count?

Hm. Can I do this in my abundance of free time? Perhaps ... a cat shrug?

Laurie, if you don't come to Denverish as part of your book tour, I'll sic Lyda on you! Mean it!

Just filled out your sweepstakes form. How did you know I'm a librarian?

Hi Anna-Liza, OMG a cat shrug, too funny.

And about the tour... I don't have a lot of control over the book tour. I can tell you it's very limited at this point. For one thing, I have a full-time job and support myself and have limited vacation time. And also it's very expensive for a publisher to tour an author, especially a neurotic crowd-phobic hermity author LOL.

At this time there's no stop planned in Denver or even nearby, I don't think, although hey if things go well you never know. I know HCI is very flexible, it's a little harder for me because of my job and that darn need to pay rent and feed the cats...

ok - I have only been able to bring myself to work on some mats for the cats at the animal shelter lately, so this may get me out of the knitting doldrums. I wonder if Perry Penelope will agree to model said cat jacket... maybe if I make it a cat straight jacket she'll be ok...

What a hoot and a great idea, Laurie. I'll be sending you my entry shortly :)

Ok, I'm a 1) Librarian, 2) a reader, 3) a knitter, 4) a sweater-wearer, and 5) a person who likes freebees. Oh and I have three cats. So can I enter eight times? :)

Do we get extra points if we make the sweater out of cat hair? My Sammy's a long hair who sheds so much I keep threatening to knit a new cat with it!

Your sweepstakes page is fantastic - your creativity cup runneth over. This is so much fun...makes me wish I had really taken up knitting instead of having one lesson then giving up. Darn. Maybe I can still make it all happen by Halloween. I simply cannot wait to see all the knitting craziness your readers come up with...cats of the world, be forewarned!!!

Cute! I've never had so much fun reading the fine print in a contest entry.

Any chance of zucchini in the prize bag?

How about if I dress up a zucchini in cat ears and tail, and knit up a little sweater for it -- then will you include a zuke in the bag?

oh man my cat is gonna kill me for this...

I just love contests and sweepstakes. I entered but hit enter before I picked what I was.LOL....
I am not a Librarian, I'm a Mom,knitter,Nana, babysitter,good friend, wife, housecleaner, laundress, chaffauer, and cook, just to name a few of my many jobs, but I am not a Librarian...

I finally have a cat but he is so fat I will have to do twice the knitting.

THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU Laurie!

I am so happy that you made this open to all countries. As an American living overseas most this makes me so happy since most US sweepstakes won't allow it unless you currently reside in the US.

Yay!

if i drape my cat across my dog, and thus, make a sweater out of my cat, does that count? also, do sweaters made of cat-hair-spun yarn count? how about just wadding up all the fur my cat's been shedding, jamming it all together in a big pile, and dumping it on the dog?

ooh, wait -- a 'sweater' for a wine glass, made up of cat-curled-around-said-glass.

i am SO doing these all and sending them in.

Oh my god. Librarian is on the pull-down menu! I love you!

Woo-hoo!! Crazy contest, fabulous prizes! I may use the yarn from my first knitting (extra points for using my very first yarn right?); it will be my very first sweater of any kind (extra points for that too, right?). I'm going to be in mortal danger, since my cat is of course a Sith apprentice. Maybe his master (my son) will hold him still for me with his Force powers.

And the book tour!! Awesome!! You better just plan on Denver, though, it's not good to get Anna-Liza riled. Trust me on this. I could accompany you over the Pointy Mountains; a successful writer always needs an assistant, right!?!

What if you are so insane that you've already knit a sweater for a cat? Like, *cough* me. And a poncho.
:)

Love the webpage! Love the free stuff! Love SuperCrafty!
SOOOO WANT the yarn, books and bag. I'm gonna knit a cat sweater....my cat is gonna love me....NOT! hee.

Betcha the "Stuff on My Cat" server is gonna crash.

Cheers !

Love,
Cleo
(How'd you know about MY special talent ?!?)

You know, I entered that random drawing, but I fall into more than one of those categories. I'm a knitter, a reader, my boyfriend says I'm a lot like my cats (lazy, demanding...), a sweater wearer, and I always like free stuff. Heh.

I'm sort of a contortionist, but NOT named Cleo...dammit. So close.

Also, if I like to organize my own books does that make me an amateur librarian?

Do you know how often "librarian" is NOT on occupation pull-down menus? It's never there! So that's enough to make me enter (like I wouldn't anyway).

I have pictures of my cat in a baby bib - is that close enough?

You're funny.

So, in preparation for sending a baby package, I washed a bunch of baby stuff I'd knit, including a little sweater. Pulled it out of the machine (washed in cold water on delicate) and it looked like crap. Which means it's no longer a baby gift. (Let us not talk about the 4 balls of yarn that cost $8.50 apiece...)

So I put it on one of the cats & took a pic, and shot some video of her trying to take it off. And then put it on one of the others & took a pic. But which one to submit? :)

Oh golly... SO not sweepstakes-y or knitty or even marginally competitive. I therefore root for the one who IS all those things and return to watching Monty Python...

Go y'all! Compete!

oh, it's ON....

oh this will be fun! got tons of yarn to make a cat sweater with... and a cat who hates me... she got a bath two nights ago and still won't come sit in the same room with me. this should seal the deal :)

my cat knows by the way i walk into the room, or talk or something, that something is going to happen to him that he will not like. ex: putting on that frontline top spot flea and tick stuff...he KNOWS! only once was i able to sneak it on him without his knowing... i am guessing there will be stories of viscious assaults by our furry friends. i can barely get a collar on my guy,(which the dog promptly removes when playing bite neck with the cat) i cant even IMAGINE working a sweater over him... oh this will be good... i am ready to see disgruntled cat faces sticking out of turtleneck sweaters, and stiff bodied cats refusing to move with the embarrasement of it all. i say "YES!" lets make our felines embarrased. of course we will have to pay for this dearly...nobody will be safe in their beds at night...the cats will have their day of reckoning...moooohahaha!

hey, lady! i loved this so much that i posted it on the daily chum. www.limenviolet.com/blog.

thanks!

(and i'm designing as we speak!)

How about a kitty tank? It's still summer and hot, you know. Perhaps the heat got to you out there in three-digit land. You should have come to Huntington Beach to cool off Sunday and Monday. They were re-fighting the Civil War at the park. No, I don't know who won, too hot to go sit in the sun watching all those people in wool uniforms.
Not to speak of sitting up-wind. HYGIENE, people.

Would a sewn/quilted sweater be part of the fluidity of the rules? I am still working on my first scarf and don't see an end in sight. But I can sew! And I can borrow a cat!

Very excited about your book by the way.

Omigod! I don't know how to knit anything -- let alone a cat sweater -- but by God, I am going to learn how. And fast because I wanna win! Plus, my two little kitty babies, Charlee and Cartier, would look super cute in hand-knitted sweaters!

This is awesome! You rock, Crazy Aunt Purl! :)

Because I'm a newbie knitter and a neurotic nut at times, is hand-knitted the correct term to use or hand-knit?

Hey, can I enter twice if I make two sweaters? LOL. Actually, I'll be lucky if I can even knit a sleeve for one!

OMG - Noro Blossom!!! I am drooling far too profusely to even CONSIDER fearing the prospect of trying to put a sweater on any of my three cats, all of whom have very strongly-held ideas on what is appropriate to put on them (brushes, hands, slices of barbecued pork) and what is not (Frontline, cat shampoo, anything even slightly resembling a knitted garment).

I'm off to start designing!

ok so i have been googling for sweater patterns for our lil furry ones and came across this cat muumuu...check out the pic of her measuring the cat! ha! http://orangefish1.blogspot.com/2006/09/cat-muumuu.html

OMG Librarian, as the first choice in the dropdown menu! How could I NOT enter the contest, hee hee.

I once made a pattern for my college roommate's poodle. Surely, a cat sweater couldn't be much harder? Except for the bloodshed when I try to put it on the cat, of course.

I just looked up that cat mumu. Man that cracked me up! How funny.

I love the competition page, and the drop down menu bar was a hoot.

You are the highlight of my day!

I have a circular sock swatch that my cat willingly wore as a collar for several days, all the while saying "look at me - I'm jaunty." Does that count? I don't know if she'll go for a whole sweater...

Hmmm ... while I'd love to knit my Creepy a sweater I feel certain she would mangle me beyond recognition if I were to attempt to put the thing on her. I'd almost rather give her a bath.

My grand niece thinks she's a jaguar and goes around growling at her older sister. I've been thinking of making her a sweater.....

Love the contest and the drop down menu. I really have been a librariran. That was the closest fit! How did you know half your readers are librarians? Must be the psychic cat hair Cheetos.

P.S. Awesome job on the sweepstakes page. Thanks for all your wonderful posts!

After I sent in my photo this morning, I decided to blog about your contest and to embarrass my cat even further by posting the picture there as well.
I'd love to know who sent in the first pic.

OK, our cat has been dressed in dog pajama's before, so I should be able to get a sweater on him, knit just for him. However, he will only eat cheetos if they are the twisted kind and stale. Of course, this is the same cat who tries to steal burritos.

Sounds like a lot of fun. Better get crackin with a sweater for the cranky cat!

I officially love you. This is hilarious!

And I have 6 cats in my vicinity (not to mention unsuspecting neighbours' cats that have not seen me attack the dogs with my knitted garments) ... I've got to be able to get a sweater on one of them, right? Ok, sedation may be necessary, but I'm feeling confident!

You do realize that I fit into several of the categories provided for the random drawing. I knit, I read, I like freebies (really now, who doesn't?), and some days I feel quite feline. I restrained myself, though.

Now about the cat sweater...

I've looked through the comments, and I haven't seen anyone who has asked: if you have multiple email addresses for one person, can you enter each email address under your one name for multiple entries? I just want to be fair and honest to all involved... and also don't want the Bad Karma Knitting Goddess/Cat to see me and jinx me in the contest.

Let me know - thanks.

mmmmmmm Cheetos!! and cool sweepstakes! yay!

Oh my lord, now I'm designing a cat shrug in my head! And I guess I'll forgive you if your publisher doesn't send you this way (totally understand about the work/lack of vacation time thing) ... but I'm going to have to see if I can round up enough Denverish folks who would come to see you and send the numbers to your publisher.

I don't know if you noticed, but you have a "fan club" on Ravelry.

COOL! entering now... and we have the same friends! Caffeine and Chocolate! BFF!

P.S. does it matter if, in the sweepstakes entry online form, that I claimed to be a cat? you know, thought it would increase my chances and all

Call me, girl! Need to talk!! Ask Faith for my number if you don't have it.

would you think less of me if I told you I already have a picture, or 2, count em, TWO cats, wearring sweaters? Sweaters that match thier eyes? Sweaters made with yarn that was handspun and handdyed by the knitter herself? I just took them last week, infact! a knitting buddy was making a cute little dog sweater, and I asked what kind of dog she had. she said it was her second one, and they were for her cats. ! I said, have you ever tried to put a sweater on a cat?! she says "they were wearring them yesterday" I sat there stunned. She left. She came back. with two sweater-donning cats!!! I took pictures! (I wanted proof!) Anyway- just thought it was funny... :)

To all who asked: Yes, the sweepstakes is fluid ... quilting, yes :) Just send in the pic and since I know the sweepstakes officials (heh) I'm sure you'll be eligible.

If you have more than one email address that's fine for the random drawing, too. It just won't help your chances at all to enter thirty times using the same email addy because they're filtered out in multiples.

The photo gallery is going to be hee-larious, I am just saying is all.

So how about a kitten poncho? Does that count?

Yes, indeed Christie. And now *that* I gotta see!

See ?!? It was just a matter of time...

http://www.stuffonmycat.com/index.php?itemid=4754#c

Cheers !

This is not going to go well for the models. Cats everywhere are going to be sooo pissed off. The new bood will be titled Drunk, divorced, and covered in band aids.

What do I love more than a kooky ass sweepstakes contest?? Nothin- that's what!!! How fun!

Great sweepstakes, I signed up. Can’t knit, which makes my cats very relieved.

Is your publisher using this info to get an idea of your thousands, perhaps hundred of thousands of fans to get a better idea on book sales or the extent of your book tour?

Like a peephole to see how much you are loved and then up the publicity budget for the book...

AND if they weren't smart enough to think of it, then go wave the numbers under their noses like fresh meat.

Haha very clever idea!!!

Will LA be on the book tour? Please say yes because I cannot seem to get my butt to SnB on a Thursday night and if it's in LA and at a bookstore, I might have better luck getting meself and OtherLisa's Frank out to meet you. (He thinks knitting is fascinating, and he's a sucker for cute cat pix.)

You and your cats! I just added your link to my new blog, Durfwad Manor. Thanks, Aunt Pearl.

I hope I win! I hope I win!

And I just love all of us librarians in the comments. There must be some weird cosmic thing. Are all librarians knitting cat owners/lovers?

Ir's times like these I rejoice at having the stupidest cat in the entire world.

Also, he's kinda slow. And fat, so he can't hide very many places.

It comes in handy sometimes.

Trailer Park Boys

OH MY!!! I cannot stop laughing! I even did the snorty laugh you do when you HOPE you are around peoples! My oh MY did I need a laugh.. found out about this challenge from a lady who has made and dressed her CAT already!!! did she anaethetise it? cause I made my cat a supercat cape um, awhile ago, um, he didn't like it and its mysteriously disappeared..

LOVE your blog, gonna share with all my bloggie friends.. (there are two of them)..

Lissa

Entered on both accounts! Yippeee!!! When I get back from vacation I'll have to post my picture of my cat, Jonah, wearing the sweater. =)

Aww. I actually was going to knit a cat sweater as a joke for my Tigger ( http://pics.livejournal.com/corvustristis/pic/00030f6e/g3 ), but he died at the beginning of the summer and I'm not quite over that (and can't responsibly get another cat). I have the yarn and everything.

Hmm. Maybe this is the kick in the pants I need to start fostering for the local humane society. Just because I can't get a cat to keep doesn't mean I can't help out, and thus have one around for silly pictures of cat sweaters, no?

What if you just want to win the cheetos? ^.^ Perhaps a smaller-scale project? Cat mittens? I love this idea. Now, if only I could get one on my kitties without them wanting to totally kill me.....

Hey-Found your website while I was honest-to-God surfing around for a fried okra recipe the other day. I struck gold by finding this hilarious blog AND a dang fine recipe to boot! I live in Charlotte, NC but grew up in much less refined digs in the eastern part of the state so I sometimes feel like a displaced southerner too, even though on the map we're way below the Mason-Dixon. Can't wait to wash my okry down with an ice cold beer. What a novel idea!

your funny!

Laurie,

Your mail person who will be bringing you all the packages of "cat" sweaters will be needing an extra treat for all that hard work. Maybe you can knit up a really neato cool scarf while riding the bus. I just love your blog...keep writing and I will keep reading.

Pet the pusses for me.

L.C. & A.J.

I just finished my first kitten sweater - I wrote about it on my blog. We currently have our 10 year old cat, a new kitten, a foster kitten who leaves Monday, and a mama cat with 4 kittens we're fostering. I have 8 cats to dress :-)

Thanks for the fun!

Speaking of Supercrafty ... baby update?

I'm not entering the sweeps. I just want to know...book tour? Will you meet your crazy adoring fans via book tour?

i've been lurking, and i really enjoy your writing... can you provide a link to the sweepstakes in your sidebar? it was hard for me to find it again when i went to share it on my blog. hope that's ok... i thought more people should be making more sweaters for more cats! it's a great idea.

OOO I could have spun up the cat hair I found on my last cleaning frenzy, but alas, it was a frenzy - and cleaning, so I threw it away. I could have made a cat sweater out of cat hair and maybe the cat wouldn't even notice it was wearing a sweater.

And in entering the random part of the contest... here on my first visit to your blog - HOW DID YOU KNOW THAT I WAS A LIBRARIAN??? You're scaring me :)