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Help crochet cat bed won’t stand


Elmoflim

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First of all you need to make sure that bottom-circle is FLAT. Is that bottom (circle) flat?. I can not tell from that picture. Once you get that bottom to the size you want, you need to stop increasing the stitches.  If needed you might stuff that a little. You know kind a like a puffy roll around.

You might consider making double bottom so you can put some "stuffing" or a pillow inside for that cat to be comfortable in that bed. I can not write down everything here.  I think the best thing for you is to look at YouTube.

YouTube on how to crochet a Pet Bed:

Krys 

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1 hour ago, Elmoflim said:

Yes, I have a flat double bottom I followed a youtube video to create it, but I guess my yarn isn’t as thick as theirs and the walls don’t support the roof.

Your yarn looks thick enough. Almost any weight yarn would work. No, I would not recommend something like fingering weight yarn for that bed LOL.

If YouTubes and patterns do not work for  you..All I can tell you to fallow those few points and it will work.

1) Do not crochet too loose or very tight. If is very tight that fabric becomes stiff & feels like a cardboard. 

2) That bottom circle must be flat. IF is not flat it will not work.

3) Once you get to the right size STOP increasing stitches. Just make rounds in the same amount of stitches as that last round in your bottom-circle. Make twice as tall as you want those sides to be. Do not make that too tall. Flip half of that side inside and stitch that to that bottom-circle.  And you are done. 

I think that is very simple and it will work.

===============

This is little more "complicated".

4) IF you want to make those sides like a stuffed "roll" -puffy.  You would need to increase some  amount of stitches about half way up on those sides. How many? I can not tell you off hand. Because I do not know how "puffy" you want those sides to be?. You can try increase 6 or 8 stitches around maybe 10?. On that last round you would need to decrease to get to the size of that circle to be able to sew that to that bottom (to look flat). Before you sew that, you need to stuff that. That polyester stuffing-bedding is washable.

Good Luck!

Krys

 

 

 

 

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It would help a lot a better picture of that bed. All I can see from that picture above that there  might be  some "ruffles" on that bottom-circle and that side looks "ruffled" too.  That is what is showing on that picture.

If you could put that bed flat on a floor and take that picture (from the top). It would help see what is "going on" with that bed ...?

Krys

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It has a 'roof'??  No way ANY crocheted item bigger than a couple of inches is going to support a 'roof'.  You'd need some sort of solid framework.

Off topic a little, but your bed seems awfully big, even if it's supposed to be inflated to a 3-dimensional ball shape with a roof.  If the sides were turned up to a shape like the tutorial that Krys posted (second post in this thread), it would be almost large-dog size.  Cats like to cram into little 'safe' spots barely bigger than their curled-up selves, just sayin'.

If your bed was a quarter that size (to be barely bigger than a cat to get into), and crocheted much tighter, it might stand up enough to work.  

In the photo of the posted tutorial, the sides (appear to be) stuffed with fiberfill, which will help them stand up.

 

 

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I didn't look too hard, but I found this (UK site.  If I were picking a pattern for my cat, I'd pick this one, which has a sort-of half roof that is supported with plastic filament--you could probably use heavy fishing line (maybe a couple of rounds of it to be sturdy), just make sure to cover the overlapped ends well (I think I'd use duct tape all around, overkill but less likely for the cat to chew apart hopefully; you'd have to be careful washing it).

edit -

Something occurred to me just as I was hitting post above--a couple of things that might work instead of plastic around the opening.

In old time Irish crochet doilies, a common element was a padded ring--which was made by wrapping doily thread a few times around something (a crochet hook's back end, a pencil) to form the padding, take the thread off the 'form' and then you crocheted around the thread circle (stick your hook in the middle of the ring, pull up a loop, finish the stitch around the wrapped thread) so the wrapped thread was covered.  

Another old-time technique is 'clothesline crochet', where you worked in a spiral to make baskets, usually - make a sc into a sc in the row below, except around a clothesline 'rope' that travels under the stitches around and around.  

Where I'm  going with this, is instead of using plastic fishing line, maybe on the above pattern you could make the opening stiff enough by crocheting around clothesline-like rope, or 2-3 lengths of yarn, to create a 'stiff enough' opening.

The key for firm shaping, which you will need for this half roof pattern, is you are going to need to crochet very tightly.  Use the smallest hook that you can manage for the yarn.  

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1 hour ago, Granny Square said:

It has a 'roof'??  No way ANY crocheted item bigger than a couple of inches is going to support a 'roof'.  You'd need some sort of solid framework.

WHAT ROOF?

I really thought when she used that "roof & house" expression it was just like a metaphor in comparison by her. And I was going to say:"What roof ??, you need flat foundation & straight wall around". I just did not wanted to bother with that.

  In the original post she is talking about a Cat bed, noting about any roof. Only how to fix the sides to stand-up. If that thing is having a roof would be more like a "Cat Cave" or a "Cat House" :).  If we are talking about something with a roof. That yarn must be thick, something like a thick T-Shirt yarn would work. Or maybe double or triple strand worsted weight yarn. And that needs to be crochet VERY TIGHT.

Good pattern is very important  to get good results. That is not very easy to make, that would work. Roof can NOT be flat. It needs to go up to the point, like a TP.

Granny Square  maybe you can help here. I know I need to give up.

Krys.

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I agree, I think of 'cat (or dog) bed' as something shaped like the pic in your video link.  

I took her literally when she mentioned roof.  The UK site link that I posted had a some items that one could say had 'roofs', most were more like bags.  

this one has a roof, for example - the second pic made me laugh, the cat 'helping' by chewing on the yarn, And that's what I meant by 'cat sized', she just fits in there curled up.  But, the bed would have also worked just fine if stopped at the point of the second pic (without the roof, but sides to make her feel 'safe').

edited, meant to add, that's a good idea, a 'cat tipi/tee pee', however you spell it.  I bet the cone-shaping should give it a lot more structure that would encourage it to stand up--again, the tighter the stitches, the better.

 

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14 minutes ago, bgs said:

Here is one.  It uses 4 strands.  I cant work with 3 and work tight as it needs to be.  There is discussion at end as to yarns tried and failed.

http://byjennidesigns.blogspot.com/2016/01/Marleyscatcaveorbed.html?m=1

Yes!!! That is the project i attempted just used three yarns like the person in the video I watched. Sorry today is chicken feed store day so I’ve been busy. I will have to check out the blog. Thank you for all the help and feedback!

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Very similar in size to the last one I linked (with the yarn chewing cat).  That pattern was 37cm across, which is about 14.5 inches...I was trying to think of how big a curled up cat was and thinking a tad over 12", so that sounds about right.

The OP's pattern is (pretty much) the same size, 14".  Elmoflim, unless I'm mistaken your project looks like it's quite a bit bigger.  I think you are going to have to go down a few hook sizes.  I'm not gonna lie, if your hands don't hurt the hook is probably too big for this to stand up on it's own.  But then I'm not so young any more and it doesn't take much to get my hands to hurt...your fabric needs to be very stiff, like cardboard, for this to work.

Actually, remember that clothesline?  Would be a perfect technique for this whole bed, not just the opening for that other 'cat cave' pattern.  Maybe going down a few hook sizes and crocheting over a couple of strands of your yarn would help get the stiffness you need.  And size does matter here, to big and it's more apt to collapse.

 

Edited by Granny Square
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On 1/23/2020 at 2:20 PM, Granny Square said:

I agree, I think of 'cat (or dog) bed' as something shaped like the pic in your video link.  

I took her literally when she mentioned roof.  The UK site link that I posted had a some items that one could say had 'roofs', most were more like bags.  

this one has a roof, for example - the second pic made me laugh, the cat 'helping' by chewing on the yarn, And that's what I meant by 'cat sized', she just fits in there curled up.  But, the bed would have also worked just fine if stopped at the point of the second pic (without the roof, but sides to make her feel 'safe').

edited, meant to add, that's a good idea, a 'cat tipi/tee pee', however you spell it.  I bet the cone-shaping should give it a lot more structure that would encourage it to stand up--again, the tighter the stitches, the better.

 

Few years ago I seen that "Cat Pink Cave". Couple other people tried using the same thick T-Shirt yarn and that roof was not standing up. Was going down.

I have a picture I saved few years ago. There was no pattern. I think I would be able to make that with no pattern. That is if I would want to..? LOL

Here is that picture with that pointed roof that I like :)

Krys

 

cat PUP TENT - materials needed saved.jpg

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48 minutes ago, USpolishgirl said:

Few years ago I seen that "Cat Pink Cave". Couple other people tried using the same thick T-Shirt yarn and that roof was not standing up. Was going down.

I have a picture I saved few years ago. There was no pattern. I think I would be able to make that with no pattern. That is if I would want to..? LOL

Here is that picture with that pointed roof that I like :)

Krys

 

cat PUP TENT - materials needed saved.jpg

That is so cute!! Thank you for all the feedback!! Next time I attempt to make a cat bed I will take all of these tips in consideration. I decided to make a pillow for the kitty in question. 

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4 hours ago, Granny Square said:

Wow, what a fancy kitty palace.  It looks like there is some framework in there, see how each side of the 'seam' it appears to be bulging out a little?  Could be plastic pipe maybe...

Yes there must be extra support. If I would be making that ..my first thought was to make narrow  "sleeves" (inside) on each corner and stick there wooden dowels. I would do same think with that roof. Those wooden dowels would be removable for washing. Yes, I do have another very different idea...

Krys

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Makes sense there must be a sleeve, or strips going across every so often, to thread the support piece thru keep them in place.

Reason I was thinking plastic pipe (the thin cheap stuff, I know there are different grades) is that it IS pretty cheap (cheaper than wood dowels), plus there are elbow fittings of different angles that could have achieved those angles at the corners--you probably wouldn't have to bother to glue them.  Plus pipe is lighter weight and easier to clean than wood if that might be an issue.

It would probably work if it were just the 'roof' part, ^ without the walls |  |, it would be plenty big, and I really think that 'snug' not 'roomy' is what a cat would go for.  Also you wouldn't need angle fittings.

edit Example on the pipe, I just googled Lowes' and they have 'Charlotte pipe', 10' of 0.5" diameter for $2.02, or same length of 0.75" diameter for @2.47, which was the cheapest I could find at a quick glance.  I assume that's not what you'd pick for the best quality plumbing purpose (they also carried a lot of other much pricier and sturdier looking pipes), but would work fine to prop up a kitty hideaway.

What may have made me think of pipe - I knew someone who did quilting who built her quilting frame from plastic pipe and elbow fittings, when she was done using it she just pulled it apart and stored the pieces in the back of a closet.

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You could try plastic pipes.

I would probably just go with about 0,5- o,75"" diam. wooden dowels. That all depends how big that Cat House would be...?. They are not that expensive. Those dowels supporting walls I probably would "thread" them from the bottom up (going thru that floor) for easy removal. About that roof I would need to think  how I would handle that..?. There probably would be two ways with those dowels going: inside? or outside?. I could make very "fancy" sleeves on that roof outside, that would look  like a "fancy" part of that roof and no one would know the reason for it LOL.

If I would ever wanted to make that "Cat House" I would need to put more thought how to do that and take care of all those problems... . I been always a pretty good "problem solver" LOL. I think that might run in a family. My grandfather was a builder, mechanic. He could build and fix anything...When he was about 13 years old  his neighbor (Farmer) big piece of machinery broke. Other mechanics could not fix that and they left. My grandfather was just standing there in a back and observing all of that.  Than he said to that farmer that he will fix that. That neighbor-farmer thought that was VERY FUNNY! and he started laughing. After few minutes he came back to my grandfather (still laughing) and told him to go ahead and try. My  grandfather fix that machinery! :). That day that farmer ask my grandfather to dinner in his house. He sit him next to him by that big table and a lot of other workers around. He even give him a glass of vodka!, Well.. he should not have done that! LOL 

After that he came to US on his own at 17 years old. He was fixing trains here. He saved all his money. After about 13 or 15 years went back to Poland. He bought a big farm there. He build a big shop for himself. He was the mechanic  for that whole village & neighboring villages. Was making a lot of money there too :).

I never thought that I would be writing here about my grandfather life LOL.

Krys

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I had trouble with the cat bed too! So my fix was using spaghetti yarn and using single crochet instead of double crochet.  I also didn’t put a top on it but on the last row I did single crochet over wire. Worked well and my daughters cat loves it!!! Sorry I don’t know how to add the photos to show you how well it turned out.🤪

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