The Stitch Book: Week 18 (April 28-May 4)

Can you believe I haven't featured Keely in this year's stitch journal? He has so many feelings about it.

Which is exactly what this week's piece is all about - the moods of Keely the Cat. A few months ago, my friend Anita and I were going to see The Book of Mormon and Keely came up in our conversation on the way to the theatre. Anita suggested I do a play on temperature embroidery and track how frequently Keely chooses violence in a given day. Temperature embroidery or blankets are exactly what they sound like: you use the average temperature each day and stitch (or knit or crochet) the temperature using colors that represent each temperature or temperature range. They were super popular during the early days of the pandemic. I've never done one before. I've seen some really beautiful ones in different formats, but was never inspired to do one despite my love of tracking data and making patterns.

Until Anita suggested tracking how frequently Keely chooses violence. If you have a cat or know a cat, you know that cats often choose violence for no reason other than they're cats. Remember, cats think of their humans as large, naked cats who suck at hunting. Some of their violence is because of that; they're playing with their humans like they'd play with another cat or defending themselves against a very large, naked cat. But most of the time, it's because cats are jerks. Lovable, fluffy, baby jerks.

I don't know what Keely's life was like before I adopted him, but I think his original humans were assholes. I have no proof that they hurt him BUT they were his first family and surrendered him for "temperament issues." If you get a pet as a baby and they have "temperament issues," I'm certain you, the human, are the problem. Keely was rough when I got him, but he has come a long way. He's a lap cat (on his terms), a cuddlebug (especially if it's on the comfy comforter), and a genuinely delightful animal. It took love and treats to get him here, but he's my little weirdo and I love him. I would fight a person in an alley if they insulted or hurt him.

However, my sweet baby cat is also a huge jerk. There's a note on his file at the vet that says "Keely will let you know when he's done. " That's vet speak for "is a jerk." Most of the time, it's because he's gotten too much attention or feels threatened by something. But every now and then, it's because of reasons. I don't know those reasons, but there are reasons. So this week, I tracked four typical Keely behaviors over the course of the week. I tracked:

Chooses Violence - Keely has some tells that he's going to choose violence - tail swish, big sighs, and he bumps his head against my feet. Violence may mean showing me his fangs, biting, running into my legs at full speed, and showing his belly which is definitely a trap.
Contemplates Crimes - All cats, no matter how much of a lovable, baby cat they are, contemplate committing crimes, and sometimes, they commit those crimes. Crimes can be things like stealing food from their humans, knocking stuff off other stuff, and plotting to take over the planet.
Is A Good Boy - One of the best things about Keely is that he comes to get me every day when my workday is over. Then we have 4 pm snuggles on the couch. This is a very good boy.
Chooses Peace - This is different from "is a good boy" since this is Keely blissfully living his life, usually while asleep. When he pops a razzle dazzle leg, that is Keely choosing peace.

He had far fewer "chooses violence" moments than I thought he'd have, so I'm very proud of him. If I were do this as a full year project, I'd have to add a few more categories and decide whether it would be an hourly tracking like I did this week or if I'd take the average of the behavior each day like people do with temperature embroidery. I don't know. Something to consider for next year.

Here's this week's piece:

April 28

April 29

April 30

May 1

May 2 - I had to go to the office on Thursday so Keely was marked as "a good boy" for most of the day since I wasn't home. Nothing was damaged, no crimes were committed (that I could see), and he was happy to see me when I got home, so a good boy he was.