How to Knit a Chihuahua Sweater

Have you ever wanted to knit a dog sweater? The lady who posted the pattern at https://web.archive.org/web/20170119230054/http:/www.redlipstick.net/knit/chihswe.html gives us a great basic pattern. She wrote it for her chihuahua, but it can be adapted to any size dog.

I've made two of these so far, and plan to make a couple more before Christmas. Two of my daughters have dachshunds. They shiver even in August!


The best part of this pattern is that it is totally adaptable. The pattern as written is plain stockinette. The first change I made was to give it a garter stitch border to keep the edges from rolling. The second sweater I made had a cable pattern across the back. It's amazing how nice that looked!

Hm... what will I do with the next ones?

2022 update: And now the pattern is not longer available at that website! Why didn't I save a copy somewhere????  

FOUND IT at web.archive.org!

 In August, 1999, I lost my best canine friend Wylie to heart disease. He was an incredible dog, we always thought he was a very large dog trapped in a 9 lb. body. He had an exquisitely pronounced personality, and a very gentle nature. This sweater was inspired by, and designed for him. At one point he had 12 of them in all kinds of stitches, colors, styles and fibers.

He wore them with pride and a cocky attitude.

This is a basic pattern, open to creative interpretation. After you've knit one or two, you'll understand how to incorporate texture and colorwork. The pattern can be used for any size dog, male or female.

For those of you interested in the results of Wylie's one day love life, here's a glimpse of the consequences of his hot date with the beautiful and bewitching Diva in Spring of 1996.

-- GLAMOUR ALERT -- One of the offspring has forsaken the ordinary life for one of snapping flashbulbs and beautiful people, first class trips to Paris and Milan, and all of the fluffy purple angora sweaters a 10 pound girl could need.

The Friends of Wylie Chihuahua Sweater Gallery has opened!
...If you'd like to add your dog-in-a-sweater picture here, email it to me. Digital pictures are fine, however, if you have no access to a scanner, you can send it to me snailmail (contact me to arrange), and I'll scan it for you. Please include the names of both the knitter and the lucky dog. Thanks.

MATERIALS:

(1) sizes 5 and 7 knitting needles.

(2) Worsted wool, about 4 ounces.

LET'S GO:

(3) Measure your pet's neck. I usually use a size 5 or 6 needle for a tightly knit ribbing (not too tight!). Wylie's neck is 10", and I cast on, loosely, 40 or 42 stitches.

(4) Knit 1x1, or 2x2 ribbing for 3" for a mock neck, or 6" or 7" for a turtleneck.

(5) Change to a size 7 needle, and commence in the stitch of your choice. After you've knit one or two of these, you can see how easy it is to add cables, colorwork, or other texture stitches in this back area. For the first one, let's knit in my favorite basic stitch, garter. That is, knit every row! Can't beat it for simplicity , stability, and rustic good looks.

(6) Measure the animal's back length, that is, from the back of his neck, just above the shoulder, to the top of his tail. That's how long you will knit straight, in garter stitch. That's right!, No shaping yet! When you have reached 2" short of the correct length, switch to size 5 needles, and knit 2" of the same rib you used for the neck. In garter stitch, this isn't really necessary, but looks good, and if you use another stitch, it keeps the edge from curling. If you used another stitch, you should also have knit the first 4 stitches of every row, to keep the side edges from curling. BInd off.

(7) Now, we will knit the chest piece. Using the size 5 needles, cast on 3 stitches. You will increase 2 stitches every other row, until you reach the width comparable to the distance between your pets front legs. You should increase 1 stitch 2 stitches from each edge. The magic thing about this, is that is usually exactly the length you need to cover that tiny chest. It's really amazing! Now: for a male, knit straight until you get to 1" shorter that where the ribcage stops, and add 1" of ribbing, bind off. For a female, you can knit as long as the body of the sweater, to cover her bald little stomach. (ending with 2" of ribbing, just like the back.) Bind off. The reason I usually knit this piece on the smaller needles, is, it has a tendency to get wet in the snow, and stretch. A slightly smaller gauge helps. If your not using garter stitch, knit the first 4 stitches of every row.

FINISHING:

(8) Seam the neck ribbing, remembering to seam halfway, and switch to the inside, if you've made a turtleneck. Now, place the point of the chest piece at the bottom of the neck rib seam, and sew a seam down both sides, until you get to the point where you stopped increasing. Leave a slit for the front legs there, about 2" long, and continue the princess seams down each side. Tuck in your loose ends, wash and block carefully.

COMMENTS:

Don't forget to experiment with your favorite stitches. I highly recommend using natural fibers like wool, alpaca or cashmere.

Happy Knitting!

©1995-2007 Staceyjoy Elkin, all rights reserved. Permission for electronic duplication of this pattern is granted with the limitation that this entire notice remain intact. This pattern may not be reproduced in hard copy, with the exception of personal use, or for profit without my written permission.

Advice for Beginning Knitters

I posted the following message to one of the knitting lists I read. A woman who learned to knit as a child was returning to knitting and wanted some pointers. This note is one spot where I put together everything I usually tell beginners. It's worth posting here, as well.

Knitting is a great way to keep your hands busy. I got back into it a few years ago when I was dieting. Can't do mindless eating when you have two sticks in your hands. :)

Since you are refreshing dormant skills, start with something basic. Don't be too hard on yourself if there are mistakes at the beginning. Frogging (Rip-it! Rip-it! ) and Tinking (Knit spelled backwards which refers to unknitting stitches one at a time) are a very real part of knitting.

I'd suggest a simple garter stitch scarf. I start beginners with size 15 needles, worsted weight yarn of their choice, and have them cast on about 20-25 stitches depending upon how wide they want the scarves. Garter stitch is created by knitting every row. By the time you have a five or six foot scarf, you will have the mechanics of tension and stitch creation under control. Your second scarf can be a k2, p2 rib to let you practice the purl stitch. After that, check some online sites, such as Lion Brand's website ( http://www.lionbrand.com/ ) or www.knittingpatterncentral.com to find new projects to create. The Lion Brand site rates their patterns by difficulty. I'm sure you will find other sites that do the same.

Two mnemonics my grandkids use to remember stitch formation are these ditties:

Knit stitch:

In through the front door,
Run around the back;
Out the window,
Off jumps Jack.

Purl stitch:

Under the fence,
Catch a sheep,
Back we come,
Off we leap.

A note on needles: metal and fiber (bamboo, wood, etc.) needles each have their purposes. Fiber needles work well with slippery yarns because they grab them better than metal. Metal, on the other hand, lets rougher yarns slip off the needles easily. My beginners usually like to start with short, size 15 bamboo needles because they feel good in their hands. It's part of the tactile experience of knitting. You should pick the needles that you like. Many experienced knitters only use circular needles, even on flat project. I prefer circulars when I'm traveling. I can't loose a needle if I drop it. (I can guarantee I will drop a needle at the most awkward moment, in the most crowded situation.)

Another note on yarn: don't work with too cheap yarn. After you put hours of work into a project, you don't want it wasted on a yarn that doesn't hold your stitches well, or that is scratchy and uncomfortable to work or wear. My mother made me a pull-on vest when she was a beginning knitter. She worked too tightly (it's a common problem with beginners) and she literally stretched all the spring out of the yarn. The vest couldn't stretch enough to go over my head and shoulder! I was never able to wear it. We always felt half the problem was her too-tight stitches and the other half was cheap yarn that didn't have a lot of memory. (Memory is the quality that lets yarn spring back after stretching.) Your work is worth decent yarn.

By the same token, don’t be a yarn snob. Every yarn has its purpose. Some folks who start knitting with the “good yarns” such as wools, wool-blends, and other animal fibers, decide they are too good to knit with acrylic or plant fiber yarns. The animal fiber yarns are lovely to touch and work up beautifully, but they require special care and they cause some people to itch. Don't forget to look at the other yarns. Suit the yarn to your project.

If you are making a baby blanket that will be washed constantly or a hat for a rough and tumble child, acrylic is a far better choice. Acrylics and other synthetic fibers can be made to feel like animal fibers, but the are wash and wear. Many of your fun furs, ribbon yarns, and other specialty yarns will only be available in some sort of man-made fiber. If you don't use man-made fiber, you will never have the joy of making items from these yarns. Lower priced acrylics often feel scratchier than those that are more expensive. The oils and sizing used in the processing of the yarn will generally wash out over time and the product will become softer, but that doesn’t help your hands while you are making it. Touch your yarns and see which ones feel better right now. After all, you are going to be handling this yarn a lot while creating your project.

Plant fibers don't have the spring that animal fibers have, but they are cooler, they wick moisture and they breathe better. A summer tank top or a kitchen dishcloth is far better made from plant fiber (cotton, linen, bamboo, etc.) than from wool. If you want to make socks or something that needs the springiness of animal fiber, but you want to make it from a plant fiber, look for a blend that has some elastic in it. The elastic will help your socks keep their shape.

You can check further on my blog for hints and directions for doing the thumb cast on (a variation of the long-tail cast on) and other helps for beginners.

Happy Knitting!

Summer of Distractions

I am proud of Reyes. He has gone from a couch potato to a real kid this summer. He played summer baseball; has gone swimming nearly everyday; and started weight-training to prepare to football in the fall. He has firmed up, lost a bit of weight (about 10 lbs.) and is a happier kid. He helps me with the garden and has been a real help with the houseful of kids this week. Guess living with Grandpa and Grandma is good for him. :)

I haven't been knitting a lot, except when we are on the road. I have a pair of tabi socks about 1/2 finished. During Reyes' baseball season I worked on the llama-wool sweater (until it got too warm to work with wool.) I have put it away till cooler weather.

Then I started a string bag. It's in the bottom of one of my knitting baskets. I vaguely remember something about needing to frog a bit because I couldn't watch baseball and keep track of the pattern. (Oops!) Guess I'll get back to that one later as well. The socks are better when I am distracted. I'm in the section that is all stockinette for 8 inches.

It's been a busy summer. I am canning or freezing something from the garden every day. This picture shows just ONE DAY'S produce! I managed to "put by" all but the tomatoes that day, and turned them into sauce the next day. Since I have just planted peas and salad greens for a fall garden, the garden will be with us for quite a while yet. (For more on the garden, see my other blog: http://grannytilla.blogspot.com). I want to sew, but have no idea when I'll get time to do it. I really need to get started because school starts in 2 weeks and Reyes needs school clothes.

This week Pat, JJ, and Ashley have gone to Florida to check on Ashley's inheritance after her father was killed. I am watching Kayleigh and Emily while they are gone. Jen expected to be working, so I have Lala, also. Reyes, of course, lives here, so there are 4 grandkids to feed, watch, and entertain along with the other projects. I wish I were twins.... I would like to have a time to let Kayleigh sew a blouse. She is like Lala and loves to sew. Both of them have toy sewing machines that have been a big disappointment. Getting to use a real machine should be much better. Oh, well, you can see I found a way to keep the kids busy. When they weren't at the swimming pool, they helped me process garden produce. This was the day we made ketchup.

There are so many things I want to do and can't get started: refinish a few pieces of furniture; strip and repaint the stained glass window from the front room; transplant the irises, peonies and lilies from the front flower bed; the list goes on. Hm... I am going to be very ready for winter and a lot of quiet knitting time. Just writing this posting is making me tired.