Button it.

I imagine dressing a dog is something like dressing a baby, especially when it comes to putting a garment over their heads.  I thought it would be nice to have a dog sweater that buttoned up the back, for those dogs that don't like pullovers.   I put two small symmetrical cables parallel to the ribbed button band to add a little detail to the stockinette body, with ribbing also at the hem and neck.

I don't have the buttons I need yet, so I'll post photos as soon as I locate the perfect buttons and a furry little model.

Super awesome cable

One of my most beloved knitting books is a stitch dictionary.  It has photos and instructions for 450 different knitting patterns-- knit and purl, rib, cables, and edgings.  Every time I flip through its pages I get inspired with a dozen new ideas for sweater designs.

I used to think of cables as just two simple lines twisting over each other, but my stitch dictionary opened my eyes to an enormous world of possibilities.  I immediately fell in love with the cable in this burgundy sweater and was excited to use it in a sweater.

This sweater is the first one I made using this book as inspiration, and it's still one of my favorites.  I used a smooth, simple yarn in burgundy so none of the detail of this amazing cable would be lost.  

It's a long turtleneck with a ribbed neck and waist.  The twisting cable is over a background of reverse stockinette, which really makes the cables pop, with a garter stitch belly for extra stretch.  

 

I love this sweater on my Chiweenie model, but I think it would look great on a longer dog as well, like a small dachshund.