It is a situation that can tie you in knots pretty quickly — something a small group of children found on a Dunedin holiday programme at Knit World this week.
Fortunately, the children were knitting pet blankets and the warm, woolly finished products were just as popular with their pets as a ball of wool — without the mess.
Emma Chaney, of Dunedin, said the woollen blanket she knitted for her 15-year-old tortoiseshell cat Amber, now sits where a towel used to sit, to protect the armrest of her chair in the lounge.
Knit World assistant Mary Beadle said the initiative aimed to encourage children to take up the art.
"It’s important for kids to learn a craft or a skill.
"It’s something that is regaining popularity across the board.
"It’s not just for older people. It’s for young people and we have a lot of gentleman who knit as well.
"And we’ve got such beautiful yarn being produced here in New Zealand, so we should keep this art alive."
