Autumn-Halloween Dog Sweater to Knit
Looking for a dog sweater to knit that will work for both Halloween and the Fall or Autumn season?
Here's a pattern I just created for Pebble. This is an easy to knit dog sweater that uses basic knit and purl stitches in a one-piece design.
You will do shaping through increasing and adding on or casting off stitches. If you follow the instructions carefully, your dog sweater to knit should work out just fine.
Since dog shapes vary greatly, rather than giving you a set number of stitches to work with, you will learn how to tailor the sweater to your dog for the best fit.
PREP WORK
My knitting gauge width was 4 stitches per inch. I covered Pebble's rear near the tail with a 5-inch section (4 x 5, plus one extra stitch to add symmetry for the designs = 21 stitches), then increased the width to a total of 82 inches to cover her chest and the belly area behind her front legs.
The tapered increase in stitches from the beginning row is designed to avoid interfering with the dog's private parts and urination.
My knitting gauge lengthwise with these yarns was 7 rows per inch. Pebble is about 13 inches from tail to collar area, which is why I knitted nearly 91 (7 x 13) rows. Note that I made sure to check the work on her as I was knitting to get the closest fit possible, so ended up with 89 rows for the length rather than 91.
It's Your Turn
Look at the photos of the sweater on Pebble and measure your dog across the rear and around the body behind the front legs. Do a test swatch using 20 stitches across and 10 rows up, with one row of knit and one row of purl stitches.
Match up the number of stitches and rows you knit per inch or cm with the measurements you took. This will determine how many stitches to cast on, how many to add for the belly strap, and approximately how many rows to knit for the length.
MATERIALS NEEDED:
- A skein of yarn for each main color used (I used two because I was afraid I'd run out of green yarn)
- About a 4-foot [120 cm] length of yarn for each design you plan to add
- A pair of knitting needles [I used what I had]
- A crochet hook to create the designs (optional)
- Matching buttons
- A yarn needle to weave in the loose ends (also to embroider designs)
- A sewing needle for the buttons and for attaching designs, with thread in colors that will blend in
- At least six inches of sew-on Velcro
- A pair of scissors
PATTERN ABBREVIATIONS: :
K = Knit stitch
P = Purl stitch
Inc = Increase (Add a knit stitch in between one stitch and the next. Simply put the right hand needle into the loop that lies across the back of the next knit stitch [on your left hand needle]. Put the yarn over and pull through just like a knit stitch. Knit the next stitch as you normally would.)
YO = Yarn over
BODY and BELLY STRAP
- Cast on 21 stitches [or your number] in your first color.
- Row 1: K across to end.
- Row 2: K1, Inc 1, K to 2nd last stitch, Inc 1, K last stitch.
- Row 3: Purl across.
- Rows 4-32: Repeat rows 2 and 3 until the number of stitches equals 51 [or your increased number].
- Row 33: Instead of knitting next row, cast on 31 additional stitches [or your desired number], then K across.
- Row 34: Purl across 82 stitches [your total].
- Row 35-49: Alternate rows of K and P and end with a K row.
- Row 50: Change color if desired and P across.
- Rows 51-69: Alternate rows of K and P, ending with a P row.
- Row 70: Using K, cast off the extra 31 stitches you cast on and one more. K the remaining 50 stitches.
- Rows 71-80: Alternate rows of P and K, ending with a P row.
Congratulations, you're over halfway there! To continue the pattern instructions, proceed to Easy Knit Dog Sweater, Part 2 of the Autumn-Halloween Dog Sweater to Knit.
If you're looking for more patterns or other dog things to make,
return from Dog Sweater to Knit to Homemade Dog Sweaters or return from Dog Sweater to Knit to Home
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