Cat sweater in tweed

This oversized cat sweater is worked from the top down. You begin with the upper back, shaping the diagonal shoulders first. The left and right fronts are then worked separately from the shoulders before being joined. The body is worked in the round, followed by the sleeves. Finally, the cats and their tails are added in duplicate stitch.

The pattern is available in three sizes: Small, Medium and Large. Mieke, shown in the photos, is wearing size Medium.

Emblem of malevolence

During the witch hunts, cats, particularly black cats, were associated with witchcraft and the demonic. The two-tailed demonic cat in this design comes from Japanese folklore. It is said to create fireballs, use its tails as torches to start fires, and even raise the dead and control them like puppets.

Tribute to thousands of ‘witches’

The Joosynne sweater is part of MICCA, a collection created in remembrance of the victims of the historical witch persecutions. In Europe alone, an estimated 40,000 to 60,000 people were executed for witchcraft. They were primarily women, but also men and even children.

Butter witch

Joosynne Labyns was executed by burning on 1 August 1664 in Heestert, Belgium. She was accused of being a so-called butter witch. She was believed to prevent milk from turning into butter with the assistance of the devil, and to have the ability to draw milk from a cow and milk the animal from a distance. To free her from the devil’s influence and restore the butter, the stake was considered the only solution. Joosynne’s execution was one of the last witch trials in this region.