Last Christmas, Evie decided that the only thing she really wanted was a little white kitten. Well, I have one cat, thank you very much, and I don’t. need. another. Instead we compromised: I gave Evie yarn and she helped me pick out a cat pattern.

This is definitely the most complicated pattern I’ve ever tried. I’d start hyperventilating just looking at it. However, if I just focused on doing the next thing, one thing at a time, it actually wasn’t so bad. In fact, I think overall it gave me a lot less trouble then the hat I made for my brother.

Evie named her cat Snowball and loved her intensely for at least 24 hours. In other words, she lasted about as long as Ollie’s monster Floob.

Evie, being Evie, is not completely satisfied with some of the imperfections. She’s not very keen on the face. As I told her, perhaps a bit too archly, “If you want a perfect cat, buy one from the store. But if you want one that’s made by your daddy with love, you can have this one.”