CATS OF THE WORLD IN CROSS STITCH ee Jayne Netley Mayhew & Nicki WheelerINTRODUCTION Large wild cats and smaller domestic cats are found all over the world, from parts if tropical Africa and Asia to snow-covered Greenland and Alaska. Domestic cats are the only members of the cat family to have adapted to living alongside humans. The domestic cats that we know and love today have all evolved from their larger wild relations and although they may vary in size, wild and domestic cats look alike and have similar characteristics. Cats of the World in Cross Stitch, our fourth book, ic cats from includes designs of wild and dome: all areas of the world, The collection portrays the different personalities of cats — from the home-loving marmalade tom curled up on his favourite armchair to a regal lion surveying his territory. Many breeds and varieties are fea- tured, from the common moggie to beautiful pedigree breeds and more exotic big cats. The designs are mixed throughout the book to show the variety of breeds and the similarities between the domestic and wild cats. Fach project is illustrated with beautifull colour photography, clear, full-colour charts and full stepped instructions for stitching and making up the items shown. A mixture of stranded cotton and tapestry wool (yarn) are used to work ts using a variety of stitches including cross stitch, three-quarter cross. stitch, half cross stitch, French knots and backstitch, We have taken care to include a wide choice of designs suitable for stitchers of all abilities. For the beginner there is a selection of small designs including a Siamese kitten, butterflies, mice, goldfish and wandering paw prints, For the more experienced stitcher, a selection of large projects such as Lion Territory and Sitting Pretty would prove to be an enjoyable chal- lenge, whilst the beautiful set of pictures repre- senting the four seasons, showing a different cat and flower for each time of the year, would be enjoyable for stitchers of any level Some of the larger designs are flexible in that they can be stitched in cither stranded cotton (floss) or tapestry wool (yarn) as they are worked in whole cross stitch and half cross stitch. These designs include the stunning tiger and leopard portraits which are shown worked in stranded cotton (floss) but with the colours for tapestry wool (yarn) also listed on the keys so that you can stitch them up in wool if you wish. We hope that stitchers of all levels and abilities will enjoy stitching the many cats from this book as much as we enjoyed working on it. Some of the designs included are available as kit packs by Janlynn and can be obtained by mail order. Further details can be found in Stockists on page 127. Happy Stitching Jayne Netley Mayhew and Nicki Wheeler