Meow! We got two kittens a few months ago and they are pretty fun to have around. Everyone has been scratched at least once. My youngest, Melody, seems to be their favorite, but I don’t understand why they like it when she carries them all over the place.

In honor of our kitties I have decided that this year’s monthly square will be all about cats!

Last year I did A Year of Gnomes. Each month a new square was published and at the end of the year I also added an all-in-one blanket pattern of the all the squares (so you don’t have to join squares together).

This year will be very similar: a monthly square will be published individually and added to the eBook, and at the end of the year I will add the all-in-one blanket pattern to the eBook as well.

But there will also be some differences from last year’s gnomes!

I’ve decided to remove the unnecessary interlocking mesh dots from the overlay mosaic version of each square. I’ve also removed the extra border lines (they are needed to lock the interlocking mesh layers together but they don’t serve a purpose for the mosaic technique).

Interlocking crochet sample

This change makes the mosaic version a bit crowded with stitches, so I recommend a larger hook size and this of course makes the finished square slightly larger as well.

Mosaic Crochet sample, crocheted by CarolinevdB

If you use one technique it won’t matter that the other technique is different.

If you are using the mosaic crochet technique and want to join the squares together at the end then you’ll need to weave your tails in or make an envelope border. Or you can wait until December when I’ll add the all-in-one blanket pattern. Then you’d still need to deal with the tails on the outer edges of the blanket but it wouldn’t interfere with joining anything.

If you use the interlocking technique make sure you’re consistent with either doing or not doing the optional single crochet border. I happen to be quite fond of the “adjusted border” (see below) which helps lock the layers together while also making the edges look more finished.

Chain 1, put 1 sc in the MC gap, and then the second sc should pick up one loop of the AC as well as going through the MC gap. Do this in each gap on all four sides. Add an extra chain 2 on the corners.

Revised SC border

By the end of the year, the eBook will contain one square for each month, plus 2 bonus squares, plus an all-in-one blanket pattern using the original 12 cat squares, plus an all-in-one blanket pattern for the Love Mini-Series (using March, June, September, and December).

The all-in-one patterns are written up so that you don’t have to join squares together.

Get the Pattern

My Year-End sale takes an automatic 30% off everything until 11:59 pm CST January 1, 2022.

Please note, the price will go up as the year progresses; will you take a chance on patterns you haven’t seen?

The eBooks will continually be updated throughout the year. All done updating! The PDFs are complete!

Ravelry makes updating easy: I simply upload the pattern and click the “update” button and it sends an email to everyone. You can access your files immediately or wait until months later and they will all be there.

Etsy doesn’t actually work well for this process. I have to manually email each buyer and last year we did have some problems with my messages going to spam. But I want to try making my patterns accessible to everyone so I’m making the option available again.

I’ve added a third option this year as well. If you purchase the eBook directly from me I will send you the monthly updates just like I do for the Etsy customers.

Each square will be published individually on Etsy and Ravelry as well. This list below will be updated throughout the year.

2022: A Year of Cats (ongoing updates)
eBook (Ravelry) (Etsy) (Direct Purchase)
All-in-one Love Miniseries blanket (in eBook only)
All-in-one Blanket (in eBook only)
January (Ravelry) (Etsy)
February (Ravelry) (Etsy)
March (Ravelry) (Etsy)
April (Ravelry) (Etsy)
May (Ravelry) (Etsy)
June (Ravelry) (Etsy)
July (Ravelry) (Etsy)
August (Ravelry) (Etsy)
September (Ravelry) (Etsy)
Bonus Scratch Cat FREE online (Ravelry) (Etsy)
October (Ravelry) (Etsy)
November (Ravelry) (Etsy)
Bonus November Face (Ravelry) (Etsy)
December (Ravelry) (Etsy)