winter

Custom Order: Mommy & Kitty Matching Sweaters to Spice Up the Autumn

/ Asta Lamminen / Leave a comment

Back in the autumn of 2015, I was contacted by a kind lady who had the sweetest request: she wanted matching sweaters for herself and her cat, Gwennie.

At first, I’ll admit I was a little cautious. I hadn’t made clothing for humans in a long time – and my shop has always been focused on feline fashion. I explained that to her honestly, but she still encouraged me to give it a try.

She wasn’t in a rush, and we agreed to reconnect once I was feeling better (I was recovering from a cold at the time) and had more time to plan.

Designing the Sweater Duo

Fast forward to spring of 2016 – we began brainstorming!

She browsed my sweater designs and chose one as inspiration:

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For the color, she loved the mustard yellow yarn available in my shop – a warm, cozy shade that’s perfect for autumn.

Once we finalized the design and color, she sent over her measurements, along with some preferences on sleeve length, fit, and overall shape.

From Sweater to Sweater-Dress

Originally, the idea was to create a sweater – but she later decided she’d love a sweater-dress instead. Something soft, comfy, and easy to wear with leggings. That meant adjusting the shape and structure to suit her vision – and that’s when my knitting needles really got to work!

It took a bit of trial and error, but eventually, I finished the piece and sent her photos of the final product.

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Waiting Game… and a Happy Ending

Even though she said she was happy with the photos, I couldn’t fully relax until she had the sweater in hand. I kept wondering:

  • What if it doesn’t fit perfectly?

  • What if the real-life version disappoints her?

Luckily, a few weeks later, the package arrived – and I received these reviews:

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Cue my huge sigh of relief! I was thrilled that she was happy – both with her sweater-dress and the matching look for her kitty.

Lessons Learned (and Loved!)

Honestly, I thought creating a human sweater-dress would be much more difficult than it turned out to be. Cat clothing and human clothing are totally different in structure and construction – but in the end, I learned so much from the process. And that’s the part I love most.

There’s a saying in my country:
“You won’t carry the weight of knowledge on your shoulders.”
Meaning – whatever you learn will never be a burden. And in this case, it brought me more confidence and a happy customer.

Wishing you all a beautiful day, and a cozy, creative week ahead!
Thanks for reading my little throwback to one of my favorite custom projects. 💛

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Purring wishes, Asta signature

Project snowsuit, or how one Sphynx cat just refuses to give winter a way

/ Asta Lamminen / 2 Comments

About a month ago I was contacted by a person, who wanted something rather unusual: a snowsuit for her Sphynx cat. She said that her cat needs daily walks,  and towards the winter the weather gets cold where she lives, so she needs something that would protect her naked kitty from getting cold and sick. She mentioned that she contacted some shops that sell cat clothes before, but none of them agreed to do this kind of project. And now I understand why: it takes a lot of thinking, a lot of time and quite a bit of work.

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I can’t say it was very difficult to figure out the structure of the snowsuit, because I have my own cats, that are live example of what my clients look like 🙂 The knitted part was pretty easy and quick. But the real thing started with the sewing. I spent 12 hours straight sewing it. Yep, maybe that looks silly, because it’s not a HUGE project, but it is quite time consuming, when you hand sew every single detail.

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The snowsuit’s outer layer is hand knitted and the inner layer is fleece. It is very warm and thick, so the wind and cold won’t reach the kitty. The paws are also waterproof – I sewed the glove-like fabric, which will prevent the paws from getting wet. Oh, and in case you were wondering why there’s a hole in the snowsuit, it’s for the harness.

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I sent the pictures to the customer and so far she is satisfied with everything, which is great. The only concern that I have is the fit. Even though I had all the needed measurements, it’s always a gamble with something like this. If it was only the knitted part, I wouldn’t worry even a bit, because it’s so stretchy and comfy, so even if something’s a little tight somewhere, it will stretch out. But it’s the fleece I am worried about. It’s stretchiness is quite limited, so if something doesn’t fit, it might be difficult to make it bigger. But fingers crossed it will fit!

Would I take on another project like that? Probably yes! Even though I felt quite miserable after those 12 hours of sewing and all my muscles were sore, if the sweater will fit the kitty it will be the biggest reward! I think it is important to do something you’ve never done before, because it gives you not only skills, but is also daring and interesting.

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asta