Holiday knitting

I took a break from dog sweater designing to do all my holiday knitting.  In my mind, I don't really knit holiday gifts, but in reality, I do. I don't really know why I'm in denial about it.   The really funny thing is that the closer the holidays came, the more projects I came up with and just had to knit, so I kept myself busy right up until Christmas Eve.  

For my daughter's preschool teachers, I decided to knit reusable coffee cup cozies, all with my handspun yarn.  I used the pattern from More Last Minute Knitted Gifts by Joelle Hoverson (very useful book at this time of year! http://www.amazon.com/Last-Minute-Knitted-Gifts-Joelle-Hoverson/dp/1584798602

Some dear friends are spending a year in Ohio, and perhaps a few more years in cold climates, so I made them an ice scraper mitt.  This pattern is from the book One Skein Wonders, http://www.amazon.com/One-Skein-Wonders-Judith-Durant/dp/1580176453/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1325482201&sr=1-1, which is really excellent for small, quick gifts.

And also a hat for each of them.  A nice, thick warm purple slouchy hat.  The pattern is Autumn, by Jane Richmond.  http://www.etsy.com/shop/janerichmond

And a gorgeous pink alpaca beret-type hat.  This pattern is Icing Swirl Hat by Ysolda Teague, from her booklet Whimsical Little Knits 2.  http://ysolda.com/

For my husband, I knit a pair of Spiderman socks (and also gifted him all three Spiderman movies).   These were my super secret knitting and therefore took over a month, as my super secret knitting time is scarce.  The pattern is Even Big Guys Love Spidey Socks, and is available on Ravelry.com.

Another coffee cozy, this one for the friend who also received the purple hat.

Starfish for my kids, from Amigurumi Knits.  http://www.amazon.com/Amigurumi-Knits-Patterns-Cute-Mini/dp/1589234359/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1325482339&sr=1-1

My brother visited from Reno at the last minute, and went home with two coffee/beer cozies, in addition to a hat that I whipped up for him at the last minute, but neglected to take a photo of.

After all this merry making, I ended up with a few new ideas, which I hope to get to soon.  

Oops

Because things don't always end up the way we intend them to, I humbly present this, my first dog sweater.  I designed this without a model, and the leg openings ended up too far from the neck.  I'm pretty sure there isn't a dog with a long enough neck for this one.  If you can think of one, please introduce us.

I do, however, really like the design.  It's a simple turtleneck sweater with ribbed neck, hem, and very short ribbed sleeves.  It has a simple 6-stitch cable down the back and a harness or leash opening.  I will definitely try this one again and get it right.

In designing knitted garments, I'm learning patience, among many other things.  I don't always get it right the first time, and I have to go back to the literal drawing board.  Rather than be disappointed, I'm learning to appreciate my mistakes and what I learn from them.

Paw Parade

If you are attending the Paw Parade runway dog fashion show at the San Francisco Design Center next February, you'll have two chances to get your hands on some Wee Dog goods!  I have donated one hand-knit dog sweater as well as one gift certificate for your own custom-knit dog sweater designed by yours truly, for the auction to be held the night of the Paw Parade.  The auction benefits Canine Companions, a worthy organization.  http://www.cci.org/site/apps/nlnet/content2.aspx?c=cdKGIRNqEmG&b=4134045&ct=5464169

Argyle

I belong to a few different knitting groups, one of which is dedicated to knitting socks.  We vote on a pattern and we all knit it in our own way.  Recently the theme was argyle, and we chose a pattern designed by one of our members.

Knitting the argyle pattern was really fun and interesting, as I hadn't had much experience with intarsia knitting.   It hit me that an argyle sweater for a dog would be pretty cute.  I designed this one to have a simple argyle pattern on the back, a stretchy garter stitch belly panel, with a ribbed hem and neckline.  I chose colors that are pretty classic in argyle-- burgundy, dark blue, and a heathered gray.  I chose very smooth 100% wool yarn for maximum stitch definition and clarity in the design.

When we did our argyle sock knitalong, some friends used colors that aren't normally seen in argyle socks-- really fun, bright combinations.  Seeing such a conservative pattern in wacky colors is so unexpected and eye-catching.  I might try something like that in the future.  

It's a wrap.

I like the ease of a wrap-style dog sweater.  Just a few rectangles and buttons, with plenty of room to explore different design options.  For this one I decided on simple stripes in two different colors, with an attached i-cord edging.

Go back and do it again.

      

This girly sweater is not exactly finished.  It's an example of an idea in my head that didn't end up looking as I imagined once knitted up.  I let it languish for a while, but now I have an idea of what to do with it, so  hopefully I'll get to it soon and have some lovely new photos to share.  

I had imagined a more ruffly ruffle, but it ended up a bit blah.  I have a good idea of how to change it....

I think I will also shorten it to make it more cutesy and flirty.

                                     

I do like the colors, though, a soft pink and heathered purple.  It's a cute sweater/dress, but it just doesn't have that certain je ne sais quoi to make it really special.

February Dog Sweater

I really love my February Lady Sweater, designed by Flintknits (http://www.flintknits.com/blog/).

I thought the gull lace pattern would look pretty cool in a dog sweater, so I chose some smooth, subtle blue yarn and came up with a doggie version.

I did the edges in garter stitch, and knitted a garter stitch belly panel as well.

One doesn't usually see lace in a dog sweater, so I thought it would be an interesting idea to try.  I like how it turned out, and am excited to try other ideas with lace!

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.

Basketweave sweater

This green basketweave-patterned sweater fit this cute Jack Russell Terrier well.  I designed a very textured main section separated from edge stockinette sections by a few rows of reverse stockinette.  I also used reverse stockinette for the edges, for a rolled effect.  

Because the texture was simple, I used a heathered yarn to give the sweater more interest but not interfere with the pattern itself. 

Purple dog sweater with cables.

I love, love, love cables.  I made this sweater with a smooth 100% wool purple yarn with good stitch definition to allow the cables and ribbing to show nicely.  The yarn is also heathered, which I think gives the stitches depth.  It's a turtleneck with a short belly panel, sized for a pug or smaller.

Why and how

It's an understatement to say that I like knitting, or even that I love it.  If I could knit all day every day, I would.   When I was a lot younger, I wanted to be a fashion designer.  I sewed clothes for my Barbies and filled a sketchbook with my drawings of clothing,  but I  eventually put that goal aside because I was afraid that I would run out of ideas some day.  I never lost interest in my art, though, and I eventually displayed and sold some of my pieces while I was living in Japan.  With my husband's encouragement, I now design and knit custom-made dog sweaters, combining two of my great interests.

This is how I do it; I visit a client's house to discuss what kind of sweater they'd like for their dog, I take the dog's measurements for a perfect fit, and I come up with a design.  If necessary, I visit again for more fittings or to refine my design.

There are a lot of things to consider in a dog sweater design.  Of course there are obvious features such as color or size, but I also think about cables, stripes, textures, edgings, harness or leash openings, sleeves or sleeveless, a short belly section for boys, longer torsos for long doggies, etc.  It is also important to combine the right yarn with the design; a smooth yarn to show off a complex design, fuzzy mohair to enjoy a luxurious halo effect, heathered yarn for added depth, machine-washable yarn for easy care, or luxury yarn to pamper your special friend.

I am thoroughly enjoying designing sweaters for dogs.  I love the creativity it gives me as well as the challenge of making an idea into a functional yet lovely knitted item.