Alexandre the Russian Blue Cat

Before I learnt to crochet, I could knit. Just. I could knit, and purl, a square, or a lacy triangle using massive needles so it didn’t matter if I dropped a stitch.

What I couldn’t do, though, was read a knitting pattern. They just didn’t, and don’t, make much sense.

And then I learnt to crochet, and I was given Edward’s Menagerie for Christmas, which is a crochet pattern book full of animals. They aren’t overly complicated patterns, with things like the bodies, arms and legs all being the same for each animal, and all made using only the double-crochet stitch.

So I had a go.

Now, these patterns are designed using Toft llama wool in various natural shades, but that’s expensive, so I used what I had to hand (acrylic), and picked the pattern appropriate to the colour (blue).

Which is why I started with Alexandre the Russian Blue Cat.

And I learnt to read a crochet pattern. Now I’ve just got to work out how to stitch faces onto animals…