Cats, cats, everywhere…. if my daughter had her way she’d have our house filled with felines.
My daughter absolutely adores cats. She’s been begging me for the longest to get a real cat, but thus far mommy isn’t budging! We have a few pets already; Shih Tzu, two guinea pigs, and one goldfish. So no… I not opening our home to any more animals.
Before the guinea pigs we had four ferrets, that we’d gotten from a local ferret rescue shelter. I absolutely adored them, but I have to admit that once they passed on — I wanted pets that didn’t do too much. Guinea pigs fit the bill nicely.

Since my daughter knows I’m not budging on a live cat… she’s settled for the stuffed cat toys — for now! I can live with that. High on her priority list are the incredibly cute crocheted cats. Above you can see the amigurumi cat, that I’m crocheting. The majority of it is finished, but I still need to complete a leg, tail, ears, stitch on the eyes, nose, and mouth.
A few weeks ago, I picked up the crochet book, Hello my name is Aminkeo: The Story of a Crafty Crochet Cat. This book differs from many crochet books I have, in that it tells a story (through pictures of crocheted kitties) about a crocheted cat named, Amineko and his friends, and their escapades.
Here’s what’s said about the author…
Born in Tokyo 1967, Nekoyama has been a life-long lover of cats. Cats and their endearing mischief have never failed to cheer her up. She created her first Amineko by accident and has never looked back. Today, she and her husband are the proud parents of many Aminekos. Nekoyama’s first book, A Day In the Life of Amineko, was published in Japan in 2005.
If you own a cat, I’m sure many of you will get a kick out of some of the cat like issues these crocheted cats encounter. I was impressed at how well the author did in mimicking a live cat behavior. I’ve had several cats throughout my life. My daughter loves this book, and has even taken it to her Lutheran school. I imagine to show it off to her classmates.
The direction on how to make these adorable kitties are included near the back of the book. It also has instructions for making additional accessories; fish, squid, and I think a sleep sack. Although I’m still new to crochet, I found the directions quite easy to follow.
Daughter: “Mommy, can you please make me cats in light grey, black, brown, white, red, and green?”
Me: (Mock horror) ”All of those! Are you planning on becoming a cat herder?”
Daughter: (big grin) Yep!
Me: (fake grumbling) I’ll be busy for a while! We’ll see…
Daughter: Yeah!
From Wiki…
Herding cats may refer to:
- An idiomatic saying that refers to an attempt to control or organize a class of entities which are uncontrollable or chaotic. Implies a task that is extremely difficult or impossible to do, primarily due to chaotic factors.
I’ll definitely post pictures once I finish my first crocheted amineko. Eventually I’ll get around to making her some additional amigurumi kitties. As mentioned in my housecleaning post, I picked up the audiobook 11/22/63: A Novel by Stephen King. It came in handy, while I was reorganizing my bedroom. I’m halfway through it now. I’m loving the story, reminds me of Kings earlier work. ll be listening to that, while crocheting the adorable cats.
Edited to add:
Work in Progress Wednesday
I completely forgot it was Work in Progress Wednesday, I’m linking to the following works in progress…






Sounds like you have a house full of pets already, so I don’t blame you for holding the line against adding a live cat. The crocheted cats are very cute and much easier to care for
Minding My Own Stitches recently posted..Work-in-progress Wednesday
[Reply]
Opal Reply:
March 8th, 2012 at 4:40 am
Hello @Minding My Own Stitches, We defiitely have enough– at least for me. As much as I love animals, I don’t need the nickname ‘the animal lady’ when people are describing our home.
Agree, and I won’t have to worry about my blinds being ‘tampered’ with either.
Opal recently posted..Cleaning up the clutter; housecleaning
[Reply]
Looks great so far! Thanks for sharing on my WIP Wednesday. Can’t wait to see the finished cat.
[Reply]
Opal Reply:
March 8th, 2012 at 4:42 am
Thanks @Kristine,
I’m going to work on it this weekend. I need more yarn, and so I told my daughter I’d pick it up this weekend. This way, she can accompany me. She’s looking forward to that. Although I still feel like a crochet noob, I’m really enjoying crocheting. Even if I’m busy, I try to stitch a few rows daily.
Opal recently posted..Pinterest: Can WordPress users prevent their images from being pinned to Pinterest?
[Reply]
Wow! Those puppets looks really cool! And they are the best and cutest alternatives for a real cat:)
Julie recently posted..wisdom teeth
[Reply]
Opal Reply:
March 8th, 2012 at 12:58 pm
Hi @Julie, These aren’t puppets, well it won’t be when I completely stuff them with fiberfill. However, that’s a great idea, make one into a puppet.
You’re right nice alternative to the real thing!
Opal recently posted..Cleaning up the clutter; housecleaning
[Reply]
Oh man, my kids desperately want pets too. But I’m determined that we won’t have any pets until all human potty training in this house is completely finished. One species of poop at a time, please!
Jessica Snell recently posted..Kill the Passive Voice – and Don’t Worry, It Won’t Fight Back
[Reply]
Opal Reply:
March 8th, 2012 at 1:00 pm
Lol @Jessica Snell
That’s a smart idea!
Opal recently posted..Pinterest: Can WordPress users prevent their images from being pinned to Pinterest?
[Reply]
I love puppets and this one from yours are great Opal! When I was a kid I use to play the same stuff as your daughter. Love it!
Nicholle Olores recently posted..Timber Joinery Showroom At Allkind Joinery And Glass Nearly Complete
[Reply]