Oh my gosh, I needed a laugh today.

Ok, I'm in the sweepstakes! Love the cat sweaters too. Fabulous.

Those are hilarious! I'm off to the gallery. When I get home of course, Mr. Bossman, I would NEVER engage in such frivolity at work.

OH look! I'm close to the top today. I feel so honored. :)

Oh my goodness. I'm not a knitter, but if I were, I would lose a body part trying to dress my cat. She would have none of it! I can't wait to look at the rest of the gallery.

This just makes me giggle too much. Of course, I would really like to win the sweepstakes, because I have friends out in San Diego who I don't get to see very often who might be willing to drive to LA to see each other (if that sentence even qualifies as Engrish).

I don't put my kitty in sweaters. I just roll her up in blankets like giant cat fur maki.

Oh dear. This is too funny.

Thank you. and may cat treats and catnip rain down on the sweater models.

What is the name of the winning cat model? or does she wish to remain anonymous?

OMG! They are all so wonderful!

kitchen nightmares makes me want to never eat out again.

Oh dear. This is too funny. I'm glad I wasn't drinking my tea.

Thank you. and may cat treats and catnip rain down on the sweater models.

What is the name of the winning cat model? or does she wish to remain anonymous?

I can't believe it...what a delight...

I've never seen so many upset kitties! Alas, none of my friends would let me near their cats with sweaters. Something about their homeowners insurance not covering that damage or their being a maximum death benefit!

can't wait to peruse the gallery. These pix are great! Animals in clothes are funny anytime of the year.

I am dying laughing over the gallery! These people are amazing. I think my favorites are those who knit themselves a matching sweater as well.

These outfits are just SICK SICK SICK. Hilarious but twisted in soo many ways. I contemplated a sweater for my fuzzy friend, I just don't think she would ever forgive me. Thanks for the great laughs, I have been waiting all day for this post.

... but we LIKE your "Gnomes ate your email" stories! Thanks for all the work, CAP; it's a lot of fun out here in Innernetland to look at the gallery.

Okay, I think the Siamese in the pointy cap and the Siamese in the Santa-ish hat are the funniest! They made me crack up. Seriously, there are some awesome knitters/animal torturers out there!

Fabulous kitty sweaters! I only wish my kids had given me enough time to knit sweaters for my FIVE kitties so I could enter a group photo (that is, if they could all be in the same room without scratching or peeing on each other)

I just wanted to say that, after a multi-week saga that involved a visit to every book-selling store in my town, I found your book! It was at barnes and noble, go figure. It was super-sweet and I read it in one day. Now I'm going to mail it off to a girlfriend whose fiance recently dumped her "because I need to be single for a while." Well, that, or date a blonde named Melissa. Silly him, can't keep things straight. ANYHOO, maybe it'll inspire her to knit and then I can enable her by purchasing fabulous yummy yarn for birthdays and holidays for her. Because my husband says I need to watch my stash and can't buy it for myself.

Thanks for the book! Off to enter the new sweepstakes...

Congrats to the winners! And OMG you are so right about the calendar potential here. And I could win a trip to LA? Seriously? I have to go now.

OK. I need to win this time around. Because it seems like I never win anything. *pout*

I love the winning sweater but I think that Natasha would kill me if I tried to put it on her.

that was great laurie, only problem is that as i live in australia and not a "legal resident of the 50 united states" i am ineligible to enter. v depressing. :( oh well.

Nicole, I tried but apparently for big prizes they are very stern on the legal stuff and just dealing with American laws was nutty. I'm sorry!

Oh it is so much fun to look at the photo gallery. I love the corgi in pants.

I signed up for the new sweepstakes. Boy I hope I win the grand prize. And pass the background check.

Several generations of my cats have served as Editor-in-Chief of The Chronicle of Abuse, in which the felines of the world can keep track of the high crimes and misdemeanors to which they have been subjected, such as:
-- Not Opening the Cat Food Can Fast Enough
-- Laughing At Cats Who Fall Off the Dining Room Table
-- Stepping On A Cat's Tail When He Twines Himself Around Your Foot
-- Allowing Dogs To Exist
-- Allowing Winter to Occur
But it may be that Dressing Up Cats is the highest of the high crimes. The Chronicle of Abuse began as a library of mouse-hide tomes, but the electronic version, The Database of Abuse, evolved a few years ago. But this outrage, clearly, calls for an on-line version, The Wi-Kitty-Pedia of Abuse. Or it would if cats had opposable thumbs.

I mean honestly, can ya'll believe some of the expressions on some of the cats??? I about peed my pants each day laughing so hard while I was working on the gallery!

And this is one of my favorites, too, it should be a book cover:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/69316558@N00/2047372017/

And this cat, Stewart, looks like he's about to murder the person taking the picture, it's a right Sobakowa face!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/69316558@N00/2048118464/

And the matching fair isle sweaters!!! These are amazing craftsmanship and also, hehehehe. Cat in fair isle!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/69316558@N00/2047302183/

If you will just sign the cheetos. That will make it all worth it. Signed Cheetos. Well and perhaps the signed lint rollers. Oh that would complete life. An amazing contest indeed.

Cindi

Seriously? I am going to be meeting the producer of the videos on Sunday afternoon and... signing Cheetos.

It is so hard living such a glamorous life.
BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAA

I make the weirdest facial expressions, too. It's bizarre. I look so WEIRD. Do you think everyone thinks that when they see themselves on video?

I LOVE the cat sweater gallery! So funny. Thanks for all your hard work. It must have been so difficult to choose a winner.

I was going to enter, but what with all the baby knitting (7 days 'til my due date!), I just couldn't find the time. That, and the dog sweater pattern I was using didn't make any sense.

I have never seen so many feline death stares in one collection in my life. Baleful would be the word, I believe.
Apparently the models did not find the sweaters always flattering....that's all I can think. Or perhaps they preferred angora sweaters.
The Grand Prize Glamour Kitty Sweater rocks.

omg!!!

Too hilarious!!!!

Love the pictures! However, I did not see my submission in the collection. I only submitted one photo early on of a dog named Tomokee wearing a striped sweater. Did it get lost in the bit bucket?

Thanks
Betty

The winner flies to LA for wine and din-din with you? Wait a sec! I'm already *in* LA! How about "Louisiana"? Maybe you meant that LA, right?

By gumbo, we could have gumbo! (And Bob could have all the leftover fishie parts)

Sounds like a plan to me. And I intend to win.

Laissez les bons temp rouler!

Oh my gosh - this is the best blog entry ever!

And ya'll can just forget about entering that contest because I MUST WIN!

Hi Betty!
I got your email (dated Sept. 9) but there was no image attached! I did however place your name in the random drawing, but the photo couldn't go in the gallery since I couldn't see it LOL. However! I still have your original entry, so if you'd like to attach a photo and send it I am more than happy to add it to the gallery!
xo
laurie

hehehehe...I've been doing the I-won-happy-dance with Cat (that is her name, btw, but she also is called Dollface by a select few who have known her since her birth and called something quite vulgar by my cat-hating best friend, although he has never met her. Isn't she lovely?) since I saw this! I thought that since I hadn't heard from Laurie before today that I wasn't among the chosen few. Then when I saw today's post, well, the neighbors have all heard about it and I called my bf at work and forwarded the link to this site to my best friend... Things have been going badly, so this gives me hope that maybe my luck is changing and my holidays will be awesome after all. Thanks so much, Laurie! And what a hoot all the entries are! This was a great, fun contest and I truly feel honored to have won.

Once I read about the contest, the sweater I pictured was almost exactly the one I made. Maybe my forays into design haven't all been in vain after all.

Oh, and Cat didn't mind wearing that at all, at least after I put the marabou on there. Before that she was disinterested at best, but afterwards she barely seemed to notice it was on her.

Those are hilarious. Did you expect to receive that many entries? I am amazed at the number of people who risked their safety to put their cat in a sweater.

Congratulations, Eve! Your Cat looks FABULOUS.

I was shocked how many folks entered! And how many pictures there were! It was AWESOME!

In retrospect I would have made an online form as an entry (if I had known how to do that so you could attach pictures, which I do not know how to build) but the email thing worked OK. I just worry that some gotten eaten as spam. I guess people who do spam really loved those email boxes, because when I got back from Miami, I had something like 5 GB of spam. SCARY.

But I was really loving the pictures, I haven't laughed so much in a long, long time. I hope it's making ya'll laugh too!

Another one of my favorites is Lucia's cat, it's just so funny!!! This cat looks like it has drug that sweater through the depths of kitty hell:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/69316558@N00/2045501276/

And this one, the facial expression on Koko the cat just KILLS ME:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/69316558@N00/2044633191/

The Eve from Texas kitty is quite the glamor puss! Gorgeous! Love all the pix. Lindsey and Sax are ADORABLE.

The Eve from Texas kitty is quite the glamor puss! Gorgeous! Love all the pix. Lindsey and Sax are ADORABLE.

And this is one of my favorites. DUDE. The cat is wearing the Martha Stewart "home from jail" poncho!!

Cats in ponchos. Does it GET any funnier???
http://www.flickr.com/photos/69316558@N00/2044490175/

OMG!! I SO needed this today. It was an awful awful day and I laughed so much my cats left me... :)

Sorry, must have hit the "Post" button twice. I even got a "spammer" warning from your website. I promise, I'm not!

That top picture of Cat made me think of the "And now, Mr. DeMille, I'm ready for my closeup." line from Sunset Boulevard. Cat is such the Diva.

Oh! And the face on this poor cat, it says, "I will puke in your handbag when you are not watching."
http://www.flickr.com/photos/69316558@N00/2045137020/

Eve, I have to say that Cat is rather strutting in that amazing glamorous kitty sweater.

There is nothing that says "Cat Sweater" quite like a maribou-trimmed cuff... hehehehehe

Even though my cat wouldn't let me any where near her with a sweater, thank you for featuring my sweater and my daughter :). Great contest!

I'm truly stunned at the workmanship and creativity that people put into this (can't work much today, Boss, too busy perusing cat sweater pics). I have to say, my favorite is Lucia's though. It's about what I would come up with (but before the cats ate it).

OMG is right! I can't imagine how you choose a winner - priceless pics

I so love the woman in curlers - mom and cat in matching sweaters

yes a calendar or 10

Seriously, I was in LOVE with Lucia's entry. OMG I about died when I saw them both!!

And Jessica, your little Olivia is so adorable!! Look at that smile!

Wow. So many knitters whose lives are going to be cut short by their seemingly complacent felines...

And also? I finished your book last night. Thank you.

Oh. My. Goodness.

I seriously can't believe how funny some of these pictures are. That was the best laugh I've had in a long time.

Bossy's Dane isn't just Great, she wears Bossy's size.

Bossy. Your Dane is indeed Great! hehehehe

Hehehehehe...I loved them all! Random drawing was definitely the way to go, 'cause I know that I sure couldn't picked the winners out of those! And oh yeah, I would so love to hang out and drink wine...going to check out the new sweeps right now!

OMG, the fodder for www.icanhascheezburger.com is just monumental! Hysterical!

Cat has insisted that she receive, out of my bounty, a skein of alpaca for me to knit up into lovely catnip laced toys. Truly, she deserves no less.

Hey, what do you win in the sweepstakes if you already live in Los Angeles? Like, could I get a trip to somewhere else, just so I can then come to Los Angeles? Ha ha.

Seriously, those cats in sweaters were hilarious. I'm entering the sweepstakes even though I already live here in LA - that would be pretty funny if I won a trip to LA.

Well dang, I was hoping to maybe break my contest loosing streak but it was just not in the cards, especially with so much competition! Although, I'm glad that at least some people like the picture and that nobody has called the cops on me yet. I thought it was an original idea- then I saw the picture with the matching fair isle sweaters, holy crap.

Sax doesn't care, she got treats for a week no matter what the outcome was.

OMG. A dog in legwarmers. A DOG IN LEGWARMERS!!1!!1111!! That was absolutely frickin hilarious!

Love the mother/daughter sweater sets. Some of these should get submitted to CuteOverload.com.

Oh golly...

Can't WAIT to go look at the pictures, I'm going to make a potta T and settle in for 'em. And I'll enter the new one, because I bet I have another HUG foryou (it's a Bubbeh thing, you understand) and I haven't ever been to LA. OK, I can use a chorkle, off I go.

oh my gawd you are so hysterically funny to watch!! You truly are the perfect blend of southern belle and valley girl- and were clearly born to be on camera. A knicomic? A comediknitter? I don't know but those videos had me LMAO as they say... I'll never think of pinot grigio in the same way again....

I'm sorry my girls didn't make it to the finals...but, really, that Texas girl is a serious diva who deserves her place in history...what a fun assignment....

I love the cat sweater gallery. All the cats (and dogs and birds) look so cute in their sweaters. This was the best "sweepstakes" I've ever entered! Thanks, Laurie!

I know I can't win the contest because I'm in Australia, but I'm SO still gonna enter every day! I watched you on the vid - man you are so much fun.

The fair isle sweater lady and cat(s)... I have no words.... (just jealous I guess!)

Thank you, Laurie, for hosting this contest. It was a lot of fun and I enjoyed participating.

Loved looking at the cat sweater gallery and seeing all the wonderful and weird "sweaters". Some very clever knitters and crocheters out there. I especially loved the expressions on the cats' faces....some are just absolutely priceless ...disdain, horror, embarrassment, you name it!

Laurie,
I'm so sad...I was going through all the entry stuff and then I found out you have to be 21 and I just turned 20! Maybe they could fly you to Canada and we could meet there? ;) Haven't looked at the gallery yet, going to do that now! And I agree, the videos of you were really fun!!

What fun. I'm going to share these pictures with my non knitters but cat lovers friends at work. Thank you for taking this huge task on. Hope to meet you in LA

I entered, I admit. Now the choice is which friend to take 'cause you just know that if anybody's gonna win, it's gonna be the 19 year old queer kid. That's how we roll.

Laurie, I don't comment enough but I love you!

Whaaaa! My Fiona's picture isn't there and I am so disappointed! I entered very early too. Probably the same day the contest was announced.

Who knew that cats could be that docile. What a great way to begin my day, I'll be laughing until lunchtime.

Zak sat on my desk, revieweing the album with me and did not find it nearly as entertaining.

These photos are great! I am having a super-stressful week at work and didn't realize how much I REALLY needed photos of cats in knitted gear to get me through the morning! And wine. But drinking on the job is kind of frowned upon here.

Especially the last one in the purple vest. Looks just like my tub-o-love! Even has the same "come-hither" look on his face. If it wasn't for the burbur carpet and the fact that I most definitely have not dressed my cat in a fabulous purple vest - I would swear it's puppy.

I really don't know how I'm going to make it to class in 30min - I'm laughing too hard!

Oh no, I can't believe I forgot to actually enter the contest! I knitted a sweater and everything...didn't quite get it near the cat, or put buttons on it, but still. Ah well.

I would love to enter the Big Time Sweepstakes you have going on, but I don't think you want your winner to not only be unable to drink lots of wine with you, but also be about a week from her due date and Very Large And Waddle-y Indeed. You never know what might happen on the plane, or at the airport, or while signing Cheetos and lint rollers...

...on the other hand, what great blog fodder that would be! "Hi y'all, here are pictures of our winner falling off her chair in the restaurant! And here's one of the nice ladies at the emergency room, and here's me with the doctor right before he has to pull a baby out, and here's the baby, and here's the baby with its first Cheeto and glass of wine! Awww!" We're talking, shoot you up in the top five blogs EVER. I'm serious. You think about it, now.

omg!!!! I want a cat, and one of those kool sweaters!!! lol

Thank you so much for all the time and effort that went into this! I love the pics on the blog and am now off to peruse the whole gallery. I know I should wait until after work to do this but I just can't!!!

P.S. the corgi in the plaid pants almost did me in...I am still laughing about that one...

I like the black/orange/pompom sweater that fits cats, dogs, chickens, children, etc. etc.

Okay ... does the rabbit sweater seriously have angora in it, or was the knitter referring to the rabbit within the sweater??? Because that is just sick if the yarn really does have angora ... something out of "Silence of the Lambs" or such ...

My cats would probably murder me in my sleep if I ever even attempted to put clothing on them...but I enjoyed all the photos immensely. Thank you for taking the time and making the effort to creat the contest and the flicker show! It made my day!
p.s. when my copy of your book arrived, I read it cover to cover non-stop...nothing else was accomplished that entire Saturday. Can't wait for book # 2 (you are writing one, aren't you?)
Blogless Mary Lou

I did that attachment thing at work yesterday! So glad it's not just me!

OMG! What is it about dressing up animals? I wonder if they think pictures of naked humans are funny? Thanks for sharing these Laurie!

What a Hoot! So that's what a knitter does with Fake fur and lurex yarn. Who knew :) I've entered the Big, Big sweepstakes, but worry about winning, 'cuz I've got nothing to wear :(

P.S. there should definitely be a calendar (to raise money for animal shelters).

Is there something wrong with me because I'd love to have some of those sweaters myself? Like the grey and salmon(looks like) hoodie? If only I could knit like these contestants. I'd never do anything else. Who knew this many disgruntled cats in one place could be so much fun?!!

Great pictures!!! There are a lot of extremly creative (and very very brave) people out there. some of those cats were giveing the look I was afraid I would get if I even thought it!!

Oh my lord, this is SO hilarious!! I can't believe people made cabled and fair isle sweaters for their cats!

Eve's Cat does look like quite the glamour-puss!

As always, thanks Laurie for bringing the funny to us all!

Yeah, the dog in pants keeps cracking me up too!

OMG - I thought I was going to pee myself laughing at all those poor animals! I can't tell if I like the scowling-planning-your-death stares or the gee-i-never-looked-so-swell looks better!

BTW - I have graduated from having one Pekingese to three of them now. I have designated my not-boyfriend as "The Pekingese Cowboy". He is a 6'4", 240lb, redneck, long-haired Harley rider that couldn't be prouder than to be called that. It takes a big man to love a little dog!

I better get knitting - they will have have outfits that match, right? I can't wait to see what happens when I try to get one on the old man... hee!

So fun! I really want to win. Now I just have to remember to enter every day. Do I really have to stay in the fancy pants hotel though? Kitties and kitty box in the guest room really make me feel more at home ;P

I would much rather meet you than Heidi Klum!

These pictures make me so happy!

I'm so glad you liked my pix, Laurie! And thank you for having the contest, as I got to figure out how to make a cat sweater in the shortest possible time (one reason it couldn't hold a candle to Eve's elegant creation, and my blog readers enjoyed the cat pix also.

(The orange cat is Ed, aged 20 years 8 months, aka the Energizer Cat. The tortie is Callie, aged 3, who loves me and only me, even after the sweater episode.)

Laurie ~ Watch your back! Millions of cats, dogs, birds, small children and (dare I say it!) teddy bears are planning their revenge ... hehehe

http://youtube.com/watch?v=FMXCuW9LDps

Almost forgot - here is how all us pet-owners wake up in the morning.

Okay, so I am late to the party. However, I really have enjoyed EVERYONE'S handiwork. My girls and I laughed and laughed, and have now bookmarked the gallery. Way to go, knitters!

Dog in Pants? My dog Oliver Wendell Holmes says THAT one is Corgi abuse.

But he's kind of stuffy, about clothes.

These cats rock - thank you so much for making me laugh out loud on a really crappy scottish winter day. I do think that when cats take over the world we may suffer though for making them dress up and wear sweaters, grass skirts, hawain leis - not that I would know anyone who would do that. No, definately not.

My 3 year old great-nephew and I had TONS of fun looking through the gallery together. And one thought kept running through my head.

I don't know any of these people but we already have 2 things in common: Laurie's blog and we are all nuts.

You guys are great and did fantastic work. I've never been so proud to be crazy.
.

Wow. Thanks Laurie! That really brightened up my day. By the way, have you heard of "Nora the Piano Cat"? I stumbled upon this today. it's amazing. http://youtube.com/watch?v=TZ860P4iTaM

Thanks so much for having the contest. What an undertaking. I was really hoping to bring home a win, but I'm awfully pleased to see that one of my photos became the gallery icon. Scabbers says wearing the sweater two different times was worth it. :)

I am in the sweepstakes and I'm gonna win!! Bwahaha!

Love the gallery shots, but seriously, aren't you worried that some of those outfits, like the last sweater, might qualify as....Kitty Porn??

Laurie,

The little Siamese kitty on the second page with the multi colored vest (is *that* fair isle?) is so adorable I just want to go get him and bring him home and have him live with me. Too absolutely cute for words! But the lady with the striped sweater, rollers, and the orange cat in the matching sweater - I seriously thought I was going to hurt myself I laughed so hard. I'm not sure if you have a consolation prize, but that woman deserves a standing ovation and a bottle of wine. I haven't laughed that hard in a long, long time.

We should have a crazy aunt purl cruise or something. (Everybody else does it!) How fun would that be? All us crazy knitters/crocheters/drinkers let loose on a cruise ship with unlimited food and booze.

Maybe we could sneak a few cats on board just to liven things up. And name the pool boys "Cat" and "Kitten" and "Purrrrrrr".

Who's with me on this? :)

Laurie, I fear for your safety if those cats ever find out who started this whole thing! Imagine a crazed cat posse putting out an APB on you... Be afraid. Be very afraid.

(Hilarious by the way, but don't tell my cats I said so.)

Those were friggin hilarious.
Loved it!

OT: In your blog, you don't date the grocery store guy, instead you lose his card but in your book you do and he's a jerk - are there two grocery store guys ? Or which scenario actually happened? In your book, you have a nervous breakdown over the seperation between yourself and your husband,understandable, and then your parents come to L.A. and move in for a week. If they were Jewish, they would've moved in for a month or a year or taken you back to Florida with them. In your book, you said that you thought that your husband was "the one" and you just didn't run into getting married, you took your time until you found the person you thought was for you. You are a very intelligent person besides the fact that you are not a vegetarian and you wear make-up and get your haircut at a fancy place, why would you end up with a man who eats ravioli out of a can and is obsessed with sports on teevee? You never have said why you liked him? Did he have any good qualities? What were they? I think that you would have divorced him anyway in a year or two. Jennifer is a great friend. Probably in the dictionary under friend, her picture is there! I'm not kidding. She really qualifies for the definition. That's very unusual. I've never met anyone like that. Don't let her go. Why do you want to keep Perry? I assume that it's your husband's name. It's a nice last name but you don't like him, so why keep his name? The guy in the book from the hardware/lumber store - you learned from him that they're are a lot of great guys out there. HERE'S A NEWSFLASH: THERE AREN'T. If you liked him, you shouldn't have let him go.

Laurie- absolutely loved the gallery, especially all the expressions of the cats, you can totally tell they're plotting death to the owner :D

I second (or third.. fourth... hundredth?) the idea of a calendar, that would be so funny and much better than all the dull ones out this year!

I don't post enough but I am so happy for your successes over the past year, you're an inspiration to all!

To Lisa:

I'm sorry ... it sounds like you hated the book. Let me be very clear on this: you have not read the full, annotated version of my life. There are many grocery stores. I have met lots of people in my life. You do not know me.

My parents came at Thanksgiving. I moved a few weeks later.I am not Jewish. I have no idea who you are and may I reiterate YOU DO NOT KNOW ME. YOU ARE NOT QUALIFIED TO MAKE ASSESSMENTS OF ME. Wearing makeup doesn't make me an asshole.

Do not assume to tell me what name to use, what man to date, or anything else. Comments are closed. This is not the place to belittle me, I pay for this server. If you have a problem, feel free to go elsewhere.