Is there a doggie dummy?

Winter is getting closer, and I still haven't finished everything on my "Summer Knitting Goals" list. So I thought I'd put a dent in it while waiting for the Colts game to start, and see what I could do with my dog sweaters.

I finished the knitting back in March, but I wasn't happy with the fit. So I thought I'd undo the stitching, fit the sweaters to the dogs, and do all of the assembly and fitting work. An easy afternoon project, right?

The first part was easy enough. It was a little bit scary when I realized that I'd used up a lot of the leftover sweater yarn making Elizabeth's Sockday Socks, but I managed to find enough for seams and cuffs. So with the sweaters un-stitched, it was just a matter of draping them around the dogs.

You know how when someone's being fitted for a suit or a dress, they stand patiently on a stool while someone adjusts and pins to make everything fit just right? Dogs don't do that. Dogs don't even like having the clothes put on in the first place. And having a sweater that dangles in two halves is just an invitation for a dog to run around like crazy, looking vaguely like Superman trailing a cape, but tripping over his own feet because of the dangling sweater bottom. Claws + Knits = BAD combination! (And this just after having the dogs groomed!)


Apparently, a dog wearing a sweater is also inviting mockery by other dogs.

So there isn't much progress on the dog sweater front. I'm trying to change the size of the pieces as I sew, because the top panels fit fine but both chest panels are much too loose. Dog legs are also much further down the sweater than one might think, and dog shoulders much wider, so I've done lots of adjusting to keep the sweater neck around the dog's neck, and I still think it's wrong.

I'll keep working, and then I can show off the finished sweaters and my matching socks. Don't laugh too much, Oscar - your turn is coming!