[ SUNY Oswego ]

[ CS Dept. ]

[ Esther's Faculty Page ]

The Original Custom Fit Dog Sweater

designed by Esther Smith Bozak, copyright 1995, 1996.
(Please read the detailed copyright notice located at the end of the pattern).

PREFACE

All comments are welcome! Please let me about your success or problems in using this pattern, which was revised about 6 months after its initial publication because of good feedback from the net. Please include your dog's breed and neck & chest measurements as this will help determine how robust the pattern really is. I can be reached via email at ebozak@cs.oswego.edu or by snailmail at 103 E. Sixth St., Oswego, NY 13126.

MATERIALS:

1. YARN

b. WEIGHT: Sport, DK, or worsted weight are all appropriate. Pick whichever is best for your area's winter weather.

c. AMOUNT: Anywhere from 1-12 ounces or more, depending on the size of your dog, split between the colors you are using. Very small dogs will generally need approximately 1-3 oz. total; medium sized, 4-8; large dogs, 9+. Buy an extra skein or two -- it's better to have too much than to run out, and you can use any leftovers to make you a matching pair of mittens.

2. NEEDLES

a. The needles used for the body of the sweater should be a size appropriate for the weight yarn you've selected, dp pointed for small dog sizes, circular for medium & large sizes.

b. For the ribbing (neck, bottom edge, and sleeve), use one size smaller than the needle size used for the body.

c. For the sleeve's cuff, use needles that are 3-4 sizes smaller than the ones used for the ribbing.

For example, if I have decided to use a size 8 (American) for the body of the sweater, I will need a size 7 for the ribbing and 3 or 4 for the cuff.

PREPARATION:

2. Decide what type of yarn you want to use and choose a needle size appropriate for the yarn's weight.

3. Using the needles you have chosen for your weight yarn, make swatches:

• of your chosen pattern stitch and determine the st and row gauge;
• in stockinette stitch, if this is not your chosen pattern stitch.

• a. around the neck (just collar-level, or midway up the neck, is good).
• b. around the biggest part of the chest.
• c. across the side of the upper front leg, at its widest point (just at or below shoulder/underarm area is good). Alternately, you can measure the leg's circumference, instead of its width, and use half the circumference as the 'width' for measurement c.
• d. along the back of the front leg, from the underarm to the elbow. Or you could measure from the center back (the dog's spine) down the dog's leg to the elbow. The corresponding measurement on the sweater, when measuring for length of the sleeve, will be from its center back to the bottom edge of the sleeve.
• e. down the front, from where you measured the neck to the underarm of the front leg.
• f. along the front & underside, from where you measured on the neck to the end of sternum/rib cage.
• g. along the neck & back, from where you took the neck measurement to the base of the tail. This measurement will most accurate if taken with the dog in sit position.

5. Add appropriate ease:

• a. Add 1/2 inch to 12 inches to the measurements 4a & b for ease and convert them to stitch counts, rounding up to a whole number. The larger the dog, the more ease you probably will want to allow. Use your pattern stitch's st/inch gauge for measurements 4b; use the stockinette stitch's st/inch gauge for measure 4a. You may need to round up/down 1-2 for measurement 4a to give an even number of stitches for a K1,P1 ribbing. If you are using a K2,P2 ribbing, adjust the number of stitches to be a multiple of 4. (if you are using some other fancy ribbing, determine the necessary stitch repeat multiple and round up/down appropriately.)
• b. Add up to 1/2 inch ease to measurements c & f. If your dog is exceptionally large or has very muscular legs, you may need to add more ease. (The actual sleeve circumference includes the leg opening length plus the width across the fronts & backs of each sleeve where the stitches have been cast off/cast on for the leg openings.)

MEASUREMENTS AND THEIR CORRESPONDING SWEATER COMPONENTS:

• a. Neck --> neck opening.
• b. Chest -- > widest point of sweater, reached at bottom of yoke.
• c. Leg width -- > sleeve opening at top.
• d. Leg length --> sleeve length.
• e. Neck-to-underarm --> depth of yoke.
• f. Neck-to-chest --> length of upper body.
• g. Neck-to-tail --> back length; total sweater length.

BEGIN KNITTING!

NECK:

YOKE:

Round 2: Work even in desired pattern stitch.

Round 3: Work in pattern increasing 1 st after the round's first stitch and one st before the round's last st.

Repeat Rounds 2 & 3 until you have achieved the total maximum number of sts needed. [The percentage you use in Round 1 will depend on the depth of the yoke (measurement e) and the number of stitches you will need to make in this area to achieve the total maximum number of stitches. You should plan your increases such that the total max. number of sts has been reached preferably by the time the yoke sections is completed, or no later than within the first 2-3 rows of leg opening section. Adjust the % increased to in Round 1 accordingly.]

AT THE SAME TIME, when you have reached the desired depth to the front legs' underarms (measurement 4f), cast off for the leg openings as follows: work 9.5% after marker (1/2 of underside section between legs), cast off 8% for leg opening, work 65% for back section, cast off 8% for second leg opening, and work remaining 9.5% sts to end of round. (Round up/down where necessary, keeping the same number of stitches for the two leg openings and centering the back section sts and the underside sections each between the two legs.)

LEG-OPENINGS SECTION:

If you have decided to use steeks, on the next round, cast on 5 sts over each leg opening for the steek.

Working either in rows or rounds, continue in pattern over the back and underside sections for a length equal to the front leg's width (measurement 4c). It doesn't hurt to knit a couple extra rows/rounds for ease.

If using steeks, bind off the steek sts on the last round worked; if working rows, back and forth, begin rounds again at this point.

CHEST SECTION:

Next round: Cast off 22% of the stitches for the belly stitches.

BACK SECTION:

Round/Row 1: Work even in pattern. If working in rounds, cast on 5 sts for the belly steek.

Round/Row 2: Dec one st each side edge; use SSK at beginning of round/row and K2 tog at end.

Round/Row 3: Work even in pattern.

Repeat Rounds/Rows 2 & 3 until 55-56% of total max. sts are left for the lower back. Work even until sweater length, as measured along the center back line, equals 1 inch and 5 rows less than total desired length (measurement 4g). If working rows, end such that right side is facing.

Next round/row: SSK, work to last 2 sts, K2 tog.

Repeat this round/row 4 more times. If using a steek, bind off the steek sts on the last of these rounds. Cut yarn and place remaining sts on a holder. Alternately, you may simply bind off all remaining sts.

Cut any steeks open.

BELLY GUSSET & BACK RIBBING:

Continuing, pick up 1 st for each cast-off sts at the underside -- these sts will be referred to as the belly sts, and the rest of the sts, the side sts.

Place a marker one st after the first belly st and one before the last belly st picked up.

Row 1: Work in desired ribbing across *belly sts only*. As you work this row, adjust the number of sts by decreasing when necessary so that the resulting number of sts is an appropriate multiple + 1/2 multiple for your ribbing st AND that you end with P sts on each side. (These end belly sts will be K sts on the right side.) For example, if you are using a K2,P2 ribbing, you will need a multiple of 4 + 2 sts and the ribbing will be done as: K2; *(p2,k2); repeat from * to end. For K1,P1 ribbing, you will need an odd number of sts, and the ribbing will be knit as: K1, *(p1,k1), repeat from * across.

Row 2: Turn work to right side; with yarn behind, sl 1 side st from right-hand needle to left, K2 tog, rib to st after 2nd marker, SSK (last belly st and next side st on left needle.)

Row 3: Turn work to wrong side; with yarn in front, sl 1 side st on right-hand needle to left, P2 tbl, work in ribbing to st after 2nd marker, p2 tog (last belly st and next side st on left needle.)

Repeat Rows 2 & 3 for 1" for small dogs, 1.5" for medium dogs, 2" for large dogs, or until desired gusset length is reached. (The gusset should be long enough to cover the "hollow" immediately below the dog's sternum.) End after a Row 3 has been completed.

Turn work to right side. Begin working in rounds, ribbing across all belly and side sts as follows:

Round 1: Sl 1 side st from right to left needle, K2 tog (belly st and slipped side st), rib across belly sts to st after 2nd marker, SSK (last belly sts and next side st), rib across all but the last side st, adjusting side st count to be an appropriate multiple for your ribbing pattern.

Round 2: K2 tog (last unworked side st and first belly st), rib across belly sts to st after 2nd marker, SSK, continue around side sts maintaining ribbing as established to last side st.

Repeat Round 2 until side ribbing is 1" in length (1/2" for small dogs.) Bind off all sts loosely in ribbing.

SLEEVE:

Repeat for second sleeve. Be sure to adjust the number of stitches, if necessary, to be identical with the number of stitches used in the first sleeve.

APPENDIX A: ALTERNATE SLEEVES

ALTERNATE SLEEVE #1 WITH SNUGGER CUFF:

Now knit first cuff round as follows: Work in ribbing until you reach the 1st k1,p1,k1 sequence for a 2-st dec, sl 1 knitwise, k2 tog, PSSO (3-st sequence has now been decreased to one k st). Continue ribbing around, performing 2-st decreases at planned points. At end of round you should have only about 75% of original number of sleeve sts left and the ribbing should still be in "perfect" k1,p1 sequence. Continue work on reduced number of sts until desired sleeve length. Bind off.

ALTERNATE SLEEVE #2:

APPENDIX B: SUGGESTIONS

SUGGESTION #1:

(Yes, I am implying you make at least *2* sweaters for your dog. If she/he is anything like mine, she/he'll get one wet playing in the snow and then want to go back out before the sweater has time to dry. Just like a kid, who always needs several pairs of mittens for this same reason. :-)

SUGGESTION #2:

SUGGESTION #3:

COPYRIGHT NOTICE: Copyright 1995, 1996 by Esther Smith Bozak. All rights reserved. It may be used by individuals for personal use only. It can be distributed to and shared with others as long as it remains fully intact, including this copyright notice. It may not be sold, used to produce items for sale, used in a compilation or archive of any kind, or used in any money-making venture without the expressed written permission of the designer. All rights are expressly reserved by the designer.