Dog sweaters? (how much, cost, natural, paws)

[Aptor hours]

Does anybody know of a custom dog sweater designer?? I would love my dog Storm to have a sleeveless cardigan sweater He is a GSD so he gets got if he has sleeves, but, I cannot imagine how cute he would look in a cardigan or sweater vest! He is a big guy so I am thinking custom designer might be a must Thanks!

[Viralmd]

This is a pattern I designed for my pug. YOu just have to adapt (measure and increase the pattern) for your GSD. Although most GSD do NOT need a sweater....

A Pug-friendly sweater

What you’ll need:
• A flexible measuring tape
• Approximately five 50 gm (1.75 oz) of worsted yarn (I used wonderfully soft merino 100% wool)
• US number 6 and 7 straight needles
• US number 6 and 7 double pointed needles


Measure your dog’s neck. Cyril’s neck is about 14.5 inches and I cast on, loosely, 60 stitches using the smaller needles. Also measure, if your dog wears a harness, where the clip for the harness is, relative to the bottom of the dog’s neck!

Knit in 2K2P ribbing for 4” for a mock turtleneck collar or, if you’re feeling energetic, 8” for a real turtleneck.

Change to size 7 needles and start the stitch of your choice – I used stockinette st, but you can throw in cables, etc, realizing that these might require more yarn! Increase evenly to 72 stitches across the row to account for that muscular pug chest. After you get to where it’s past the shoulders you might want to decrease to about 60 stitches again!!!!

When you get to where the harness loop is, bind off 6 or so st. Turn work and cast on six st onto the needle where you just took them off and k them. Turn work and continue down the rest of the back. This should give you the hole you need. Measure your dog’s topline and that’s how long this piece will be. When you reach 2” short of the end, start the ribbing again, the same as used for the neck. You also might want to always K the first four stitches of each row to keep it from curling. You can put in a notch for the tail by dividing the work and using a different skein for each half of the back.

Sew up the neck only, using a seam that switches sides as needed for the real turtleneck, and inside for the mock.

Bind off ribbing.

Start the chest piece: cast on 7 st using the larger needles and increase 2 st every other row (1 at each edge). Continue until you reach the width equal to the width between the front legs. Approximate the distance from the end of the neck to past the legs, because this is where you may have to increase stitches to accommodate the pug chest. Remember, it’s easier for the dog to have a garment that’s too big than one that’s too small. For Cyril I had to increase to about 28 stitches. His girth at the widest is 21.5 inches. Continue on these stitches until you reach about one inch past the ribcage for males, for females go crazy and knit it all the way back! When you get to about an inch before the end, start the K2 P2 ribbing. Knit an inch of ribbing and bind off.

Now, place the point of the chest piece at the bottom of the neck rib seam and sew a seam down both sides, until you get to the point where you stopped increasing, which is going to be the hole for the front legs. Leave a slit for now about 3.5 “ and continue the seams down each side.

Legs:

Front legs: Using the large double-pointed needles pick up as many stitches as you can from the leg openings and start knitting in stockinette stitch until you get to about 3.5 inches in length. Switch to the smaller double-pointed needles and start your ribbing for about two inches (remember, if it’s too long you can roll up the ribbed part) and then bind off. Repeat on opposite side.

Back legs: Using larger double-pointed needles, pick up stiches (about 20 or so, from the part of the back piece that are not attached to the chest piece starting from the far end – for the prototype I picked them up about one rib in because it makes a nice overhang. Cast on extra stitches until you get to 32 st and start in stockinette st, decreasing to 24 stitches when you get around three inches down – do measure your pug’s legs to approximate this! Continue until you get to about two inches from the end, switch to smaller double-pointed needles and do the ribbing, bind off. Repeat on the other side.

Sew in loose pieces, block if you want a super-neat look (as if that’s going to last very long ) and voilà !!!

[Aptor hours]

Thanks! I know it is for fashion purposes only

[tigafan]

Originally Posted by Viralmd

This is a pattern I designed for my pug. YOu just have to adapt (measure and increase the pattern) for your GSD. Although most GSD do NOT need a sweater....

A Pug-friendly sweater

What you’ll need:
• A flexible measuring tape
• Approximately five 50 gm (1.75 oz) of worsted yarn (I used wonderfully soft merino 100% wool)
• US number 6 and 7 straight needles
• US number 6 and 7 double pointed needles


Measure your dog’s neck. Cyril’s neck is about 14.5 inches and I cast on, loosely, 60 stitches using the smaller needles. Also measure, if your dog wears a harness, where the clip for the harness is, relative to the bottom of the dog’s neck!

Knit in 2K2P ribbing for 4” for a mock turtleneck collar or, if you’re feeling energetic, 8” for a real turtleneck.

Change to size 7 needles and start the stitch of your choice – I used stockinette st, but you can throw in cables, etc, realizing that these might require more yarn! Increase evenly to 72 stitches across the row to account for that muscular pug chest. After you get to where it’s past the shoulders you might want to decrease to about 60 stitches again!!!!

When you get to where the harness loop is, bind off 6 or so st. Turn work and cast on six st onto the needle where you just took them off and k them. Turn work and continue down the rest of the back. This should give you the hole you need. Measure your dog’s topline and that’s how long this piece will be. When you reach 2” short of the end, start the ribbing again, the same as used for the neck. You also might want to always K the first four stitches of each row to keep it from curling. You can put in a notch for the tail by dividing the work and using a different skein for each half of the back.

Sew up the neck only, using a seam that switches sides as needed for the real turtleneck, and inside for the mock.

Bind off ribbing.

Start the chest piece: cast on 7 st using the larger needles and increase 2 st every other row (1 at each edge). Continue until you reach the width equal to the width between the front legs. Approximate the distance from the end of the neck to past the legs, because this is where you may have to increase stitches to accommodate the pug chest. Remember, it’s easier for the dog to have a garment that’s too big than one that’s too small. For Cyril I had to increase to about 28 stitches. His girth at the widest is 21.5 inches. Continue on these stitches until you reach about one inch past the ribcage for males, for females go crazy and knit it all the way back! When you get to about an inch before the end, start the K2 P2 ribbing. Knit an inch of ribbing and bind off.

Now, place the point of the chest piece at the bottom of the neck rib seam and sew a seam down both sides, until you get to the point where you stopped increasing, which is going to be the hole for the front legs. Leave a slit for now about 3.5 “ and continue the seams down each side.

Legs:

Front legs: Using the large double-pointed needles pick up as many stitches as you can from the leg openings and start knitting in stockinette stitch until you get to about 3.5 inches in length. Switch to the smaller double-pointed needles and start your ribbing for about two inches (remember, if it’s too long you can roll up the ribbed part) and then bind off. Repeat on opposite side.

Back legs: Using larger double-pointed needles, pick up stiches (about 20 or so, from the part of the back piece that are not attached to the chest piece starting from the far end – for the prototype I picked them up about one rib in because it makes a nice overhang. Cast on extra stitches until you get to 32 st and start in stockinette st, decreasing to 24 stitches when you get around three inches down – do measure your pug’s legs to approximate this! Continue until you get to about two inches from the end, switch to smaller double-pointed needles and do the ribbing, bind off. Repeat on the other side.

Sew in loose pieces, block if you want a super-neat look (as if that’s going to last very long ) and voilà !!!

WOW, your lucky pug! That's some work there!

[grannynancy]

A GSD? For real? Only comment is if sweater is at all snug it can impair the heating/cooling efficiency of the wonderful natural double coat by compressesing the hair and pushing out the air.

[foxywench]

since it would just be for fun 9and hopefully not left on your dog long as it can cause a dog with a double coat to overheat...
my suggestion would be head to goowill and buy a human sweater, pick the stitching that holds the sleaves on and ta-da...

a custom knitted wool seater for a dog the size of a gsd will set you back over $60
a wool sweater from goodwill...about $5

[Va-Cat]

Originally Posted by MAK802

I couldn't find PC the other day, and he was in my closet the whole time! No worries, he came out all on his own!

LOL - good for PC - He is such a brave boy!

[foxywench]

you laugh, but its not unsual to find my dogs actually wearing my clothes...or at least attempting to lol. ill look over and lord forbid something have fallen off the bed to the floor because ruby will have her head and paws in it giving me this "hey lookit ma!" look. shes so proud of herself!

[mishigas73]

Originally Posted by foxywench

a custom knitted wool seater for a dog the size of a gsd will set you back over $60

$60 for the yarn alone, if decent yarn is used. Fortunately, my mom is a knitter and was happy to make a sweater of our own design for Kizzy. This sweater would easily have to sell for several hundred dollars in order to compensate for her time and the cost of the yarn.

The Goodwill idea is a good one though...

[foxywench]

oh absolutly! i have frineds who knit, crochet ect, and ive seen even cheap peices go for alot, people dont realize how much time goes into hand knitting..