Un chat

This is my cat, Keely.

Both of these pictures are from earlier today. The first photo is from 4 pm cuddles, something we do every work day. My work day ends at 4 pm, and after a few months of me working remotely, Keely decided that I needed to sit on the couch with him at exactly 4 pm each day. If I don't stop working on time, he comes over to my desk and attempts to smack the mouse out of my hand. We sit on the couch for whatever time limit he decides. Sometimes it's five minutes. Sometimes it's an hour. I love 4 pm cuddles. Keely wasn't the easiest cat at the beginning of our life together (he's been with me for three years now), so I'll take cuddles and lap cat behavior whenever I can. 

Lots of artists and writers love cats, or co-exist with cats. Judy Chicago is famous for including her cats in her work, including a book called Kitty City that I love. Cats have the right temperament for artists; they don't need constant attention (for the most part), are incredibly entertaining, and provide some level of affection when needed. 

I spent my lunch break looking up quotes about cats, and found this one from the French writer Colette:

Le temps passe avec un chat n'est jamais perdu. (Time spent with a cat is never wasted.)

Freud said something similar, but I like Colette better. I recently ordered a collection of her stories (it hasn't arrived yet) after seeing Gigi as an option to rent on Prime Video. I read the novella in college and saw the movie years ago. Since the pandemic started last March, I spend the vast majority of my time with Keely. None of that time is wasted, and I'm pretty certain he's more affectionate today because we've spent so much time together. 

I hope to be able to embroider a mini portrait of Keely for this project. His birthday is in November, so that's my goal. He'll be featured in the piece I have planned for Valentine's Day (I'm very excited about it.) Until cat portrait time, enjoy today's quote from Colette and cuddle with the pets in your life. 

Details:
Stitches: back stitch, stem stitch
Thread palette: DMC 3799 (6 strands), 498 and 318 (3 strands)