The Cat Butt Sweater by Marna Gilligan

The Cat Butt Sweater

Knitting
July 2025
DK (11 wpi) ?
22 stitches and 28 rows = 4 inches
in stocking stitch
US 5 - 3.75 mm
1131 - 2159 yards (1034 - 1974 m)
More size details in Notes, Check notes for all measurements
English
This pattern is available for £8.00 GBP buy it now

My cat is incredibly proud of her butt, and very generous in the display of it. On some extra purrfect mornings I wake up to find her glorious butt just centimetres from my face. 

This sweater is a homage to my sweet shouty Atari Teenage Kitten and her perfect butt, and to all those wonderful and perfectly-butted cats who selflessly parade, tail-up, so that we lesser beings can gaze upon the perfection of the cat butt.

There are charts for a single-coloured cat, tuxie and calico cats, and a blank chart so that you can add your own cat or cats to a sweater.

There are instructions for adding one, two or more cats to your sweater.

The pattern is available in ten sizes. You can find a schematic, detailed sizing information and all the yarn requirements in this PDF.

Skills & techniques
• knitting flat
• knitting in the round
• short row shaping
• intarsia colourwork
• icord bindoff
• sewing up side seams, shoulders and hem
• duplicate stitch (optional)

The pattern includes little tutorials for most of the techniques you'll need.

Construction

The front and back are both knit top down, and in the same way. You’ll begin by working the left and right shoulders separately, using short rows to shape the shoulder slant. The left and right shoulders are then joined, and you knit straight down, adding your intarsia cat(s) and pausing at the hem.

When both sides are complete you’ll seam the shoulders, and from the base of the sleeve to the hem. You’ll then pick up the sleeves and knit them in the round, finishing with a gathered icord cuff. You’ll pick up stitches around the neckline and knit an icord collar, and you’ll knit the underside of the turned hem, and stitch that down.

You’ll pick up some stitches for the tail, and knit that as a long tube. You’ll embroider the little butt * and - if you didn’t intarsia them - the eyes and optional snoot, and stitch down the tail - and you’ll have the best butt sweater!