Make Your Own Knit Cat Bed 

If you know me at all, you know I’m obsessed with my cat, Bisou, and that she’s ridiculously spoiled. She already has more beds than any cat reasonably needs, including two knit beds similar to this one. But since we just moved from an apartment to our first house, I figured she needed another one. What kind of cat mom would I be if there were rooms in our house without a cat bed?!

Bisou is a big fan of yarn, and curling up really tiny, so this knit bed is purrfect (not sorry) for her. If you’re thinking you can’t make this bed because you’re not good with circular needles, wait! I have good news—it’s knit entirely on straight needles and turned into a circle at the end. If you can knit a basic scarf, you can definitely knit this bed! Seriously, all you have to do is knit a giant rectangle, so this is a great beginner project. Your kitty (or dog, bunny or other pet) will thank you!

Supplies:
-400-600 yards extra bulky craft yarn. I used about 400 yards of this yarn in cilantro—you may use more if you have a bigger cat.
–10mm knitting needles
–A darning needle

This bed is knit with two strands of yarn held together as one (also called plying) to give the feel and appearance of bulkier yarn. Wind two skeins into one big ball of yarn by holding two strands together and rolling away, which leaves you with one extra thick strand. You can just use two strands straight from the skein, but I find that things get tangled that way. If your cat is like mine, she’ll be “helping” you roll the yarn.Cast on 28 stitches, leaving a two-foot tail, and start knitting a garter stitch. See how the two strands together make one functional strand? Keep on knitting, and come back when you’ve done about 60 rows.

Here’s where you can adjust the size of the bed based on your cat’s size. Hold the short ends of your rectangle end to end—this is roughly the circumference of the finished bed. Start checking for size around 60 rows, and keep knitting until the bed is as big as you want it. I stopped around 65 rows because Bisou likes her beds pretty snug (she’s 9 lbs. for reference). A bigger cat might need a 70-80 row bed. When you’re ready, cast off. You should have a very long, simple rectangle like this one. Tie off and trim leftover yarn, but leave the tails you made when you cast on.

Make a loop by attaching the short ends of the rectangle to each other. Use the darning needle and one of the long tails to sew the sides together, pulling the tail tightly through the end stitches for a snug seam.

Once the sides are sewn together, stitch one more loop and pull the tail through the loop. Tighten and trim the excess yarn.

Now that you have a big loop, it’s time to cinch one of the ends (the one with the remaining tail) together to form the middle of the bed. Weave the tail through every other stitch along the edge of the loop as shown.

Cinch as you go by pulling on the yarn as tightly as you can! You want a really tight cinch with no hole in the middle, so tighten then tighten some more. Once the whole edge is cinched, make another loop, thread the tail, tighten and trim the excess yarn.

Do you have a giant beanie? Okay, just one more step!

Push the cinched part down—this is now the center of the bed. Pull the sides up and fold them over so the bed looks like this. It’s kitty ready!

Bisou climbed right in as soon as the bed was done and stayed there until dinnertime! Think your cat or dog would enjoy hanging in a bed like this? If you give the bed a try, I’d love to hear how it turns out and if knitting isn’t your thing you could also go for one of these cuties for your kitty pal (this one is adorable!). We’ve got tons of fun projects for your pet so start browsing and hope you find something purrrrfect! xo Kayleigh

P.S. Check out more pet products and home decor on our wishlist and shopping pages!

Love this post? Sign up for our newsletter for more ideas!

Join Now

Get creative ideas for recipes, crafts, decor, and more in your inbox!

Name *

Email *

GDPR Agreement *

• I consent to receive emails from this site. *

Sign Up

4.59 from 12 votes

Print

Get the How-To

Round knitted cat bed

Cost $30

Yield 1 cat bed

Cook 1 day d

Total 1 day d

Supplies

1x2x3x

• ▢ 400-600 yards extra bulky craft yarn
• ▢ 10mm knitting needles
• ▢ A darning needle

Instructions

• This bed is knit with two strands of yarn held together as one (also called plying) to give the feel and appearance of bulkier yarn. Wind two skeins into one big ball of yarn by holding two strands together and rolling away, which leaves you with one extra thick strand.
• Cast on 28 stitches, leaving a two-foot tail, and start knitting a garter stitch. See how the two strands together make one functional strand? Keep on knitting, and come back when you’ve done about 60 rows.
• Here’s where you can adjust the size of the bed based on your cat’s size. Hold the short ends of your rectangle end to end—this is roughly the circumference of the finished bed. Start checking for size around 60 rows, and keep knitting until the bed is as big as you want it. I stopped around 65 rows because Bisou likes her beds pretty snug (she’s 9 lbs. for reference). A bigger cat might need a 70-80 row bed. When you’re ready, cast off. You should have a very long, simple rectangle like this one. Tie off and trim leftover yarn, but leave the tails you made when you cast on.
• Make a loop by attaching the short ends of the rectangle to each other. Use the darning needle and one of the long tails to sew the sides together, pulling the tail tightly through the end stitches for a snug seam.
• Once the sides are sewn together, stitch one more loop and pull the tail through the loop. Tighten and trim the excess yarn.
• Now that you have a big loop, it’s time to cinch one of the ends (the one with the remaining tail) together to form the middle of the bed. Weave the tail through every other stitch along the edge of the loop as shown.
• Cinch as you go by pulling on the yarn as tightly as you can! You want a really tight cinch with no hole in the middle, so tighten then tighten some more. Once the whole edge is cinched, make another loop, thread the tail, tighten and trim the excess yarn.
• Push the cinched part down—this is now the center of the bed. Pull the sides up and fold them over so the bed looks like this. It’s kitty ready!

© Author Kayleigh Kosmas

 

Credits // Author and Photography: Kayleigh Kosmas. Photos edited with A Color Story Desktop.