The cat mat project – or Knittin’ for Kittens, as Brewer librarian Fran Payson’s son suggested – was a HUGE success thanks to all you nimble-fingered knitters and crocheters.

One morning, less than a week after the call went out in January for hand-knit and crocheted squares, I arrived at my office to find packages covering my desk. The next day more packages were lined up against the door. Squares frequently were dropped off at the Bangor Daily News front desk. Each time I opened a package, I was amazed at what I found – evidence of loving hearts, diligence, kindness, humor, cleverness, creativity and a desire to make something for the common good of cats (and a few dogs, as it turned out).

Many good things transpired as a result of this project. Storie Brown, a teacher at Weatherbee School in Hampden, e-mailed that after her pupils read about the project, they decided to learn to knit during recess. I visited their classroom and the children showed off their handiwork. It was amazing how avid they were about slipping those loops from one needle to the other. The future of knitting is definitely in their young hands.

A yellow crocheted square came from a rehabilitation and nursing center in Presque Isle with this note enclosed: “This square was made by residents and staff. The residents’ involvement spanned the spectrum from crocheting a row with minimal supervision to holding the skein of yarn and observing while others crocheted. This project was a great springboard for a time of reminiscing about cats and other pets that were part of our residents’ families when they were young.”

Squares in every color of the rainbow, in simple and complex patterns, some with knit-in or embroidered images of cats, arrived from these towns: Appleton, Bangor, Bass Harbor, Belfast, Benedicta, Blue Hill, Brewer, Bucksport, Burlington, Caribou, Columbia Falls, Corinna, Dedham, Dexter, Eastport, Ellsworth, Enfield, Fort Kent, Glenburn, Gouldsboro, Greenbush, Hampden, Harmony, Holden, Houlton, Howland, Hudson, Islesboro, Jonesport, Kenduskeag, Lamoine, Lee, Levant, Lincoln, Madawaska, Medway, Milford, Millinocket, Newburgh, Newport, Old Town, Orland, Orono, Orrington, Otis, Perry, Portland, Presque Isle, Prospect Harbor, Rockland, Rockport, Rockwood, Sandy Point, Seal Harbor, Southwest Harbor, Stetson, Stockton Springs, Stonington, Sullivan, Surry, Thomaston, Union, Unity, Wade, Waldoboro, Winterport and Veazie. And, from Fresno and La Quinta in California; Pace, Fla.; Atlanta, Ga.; Peabody, Mass.; and Kingsley, Mich.

As the packages arrived, my office began to look like a yarn store had exploded – it was seriously nuts – but in a good way. In one corner sat a large green bag filled with what the donor said in a note was “an afghan gone awry.” It was stuffed with squares.

More squares filled a bookshelf and others, in the bags and boxes they arrived in, spilled onto the floor.

Squares arrived from Cat-Cat, Annie and Tyger, and from cats Spike and Sluggo, along with a photo of them. One woman donated squares in memory of her cat Maggie; another donated squares in memory of cats Martha Rose and Cormac.

Tom and Fluffy, two cats from Massachusetts, sent a large box of squares in memory of their stepsister cat Kitty Carlisle, who had been adopted from the Bangor Humane Society in 1983.

A Benedicta knitter contributed squares accompanied by a photo of her cat “guarding the squares” the woman had knit. That kitty looked terribly content and pleased with being part of the knitting life.

A knitter from Hampden wrote that “her four cats approved of the project,” and a knitter from Bangor said her 15-year-old Siamese cat “really enjoyed sitting in my lap and helping with this project.”

I also received e-mail from cats Violet and Velcro alerting me to the fact that their “mom” was sending a stack of squares.

A knitter from Rockland wrote, “This has been a great project for me. My grandfather has been in the hospital and these squares have been a fun, simple project for me to work on while I visit him.”

A lady from Corinna donated a large box of squares in memory of her mother.

And eight of the 10 residents, and the program director, of the Women’s Re-Entry Center in Bangor arrived in person to donate 100 crocheted squares they made for the project, a feat that places them solidly in the ageless pantheon of needlework history.

Another contributor donated a giant cone of yarn along with her squares. Believe me, it came in handy – as did other contributions of yarn for sewing.

I had help sewing the squares into cat mats thanks to Julie Harris, Meg Haskell, Ladonna Cross and two ladies who prefer to remain anonymous here at the BDN, Peggy Hanson and Liane Giambalvo of my Stitch group, Arlene Murchison of Saco and Cheryl Harris of Bangor.

At one point a stack of finished cat mats sprawled (catlike) on top of the bookshelf here in my office. It was so tall it threatened to block my editor’s view of the clock.

I ended up with approximately 1,300 squares (and one entire afghan) made by 86 knitters and 52 crocheters. Already those squares have been sewn into 152 cat mats to donate to the Bangor Humane Society and the Old Town Animal Orphanage. I still have enough squares to make at least 60 more mats. I think the final cat mat total will exceed 200. I’ll keep you posted

By the way, the intrepid creator of the afghan attached this note to her donation: “Hope this helps out your project – my first try at an afghan – maybe a dog can benefit.”

Winners of the books are Tammy Chase of Thomaston for the “Cables” book and Judy Kelly of Hampden for the “Felted Crochet” book.

Kudos, blessings and heartfelt thanks to all of you who participated in the project. Hear that thunderous chorus of purrs, the satisfied thumping of tails? It’s those happy cats and dogs curled up on their new beds.

P.S.: I can use help sewing the remaining squares together. If you want to lend a hand, let me know.

Snippets

Rug-hooking artist Rosemary Levin of Corea will discuss and demonstrate rug hooking noon-2 p.m. Saturday, March 8, in the Riverview Room, Ellsworth Public Library. Her program is part of the library’s “Women’s Art: Women’s Visions” series in celebration of Women’s History Month. More information is available by calling 667-6363.

ahamlin@bangordailynews.net

990-8153

AT A GLANCE

The Animal Orphanage is located on Airport Road in Old Town. For information, call Roberta Fowler at 827-8777 or 827-2658. The Animal Orphanage will conduct a phone-athon 9 a.m.-noon Saturday, March 8, to raise funds for its work.

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The Bangor Humane Society is located at 693 Mount Hope Ave. in Bangor. To learn more about how to aid its cause, call 942-8902.