The Poet Dog Sweater for Barry | Pattern Review
As we head into fall, I notice that Barry is getting colder. I had, in my mind, wanted to make him a fall dog sweater. The Lion Brand website has a number of free patterns for dogs – it was just a matter of me choosing which one.
The Poet Dog Sweater
I finally decided upon the Dog Poet Sweater. I loved the ribbed collar. It was very classic looking and befitting of Barry. The picture showed it in a charcoal grey which looks very nice, but I had made the Barry scarf in grey (pattern here) so I wanted something different. I always thought that Westies look great in red – Barry has a red raincoat, as well as a red puffy winter jacket. I wanted something that was also economical and machine washable. Vanna’s Choice yarn in cranberry was an easy choice. It’s a good price and easy to work with.
You can find the link to the Poet Dog Sweater here. This was my first time using a Lion Brand pattern. It was very easy to follow. The sweater is made in two pieces – the top piece (covers his back) and the underside (over his chest) piece. The two pieces are then sewn together, leaving 2 openings for the front legs. For Barry, I made the small size.
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Once done, I found the length of the back to be a little short. In my mind, it should go up to his tail. When Barry is sitting, it seems a bit longer, but this is a pup who is always on the move. The end of the pattern said to sc all around. I made sure to start in one of the corners of the bottom end and when I came around I did FPSC alternating with BPSC along the bottom edge. This matched the neck hole so it doesn’t seem like an obvious add-on. I also did the same number of rows as the neck hole so that it matched. I think it turned out great! I also added a couple of rows of the ribbing around the leg holes (I was thinking of the cuffs of a regular sweater) and although it’s there and I know it’s there, it’s really not that noticeable.
Barry seems to like his dog sweater. He wears it around the house during the evening. He doesn’t struggle with me to get it on – he doesn’t seem to mind. He’s also worn it underneath his harness on walks. He even slept in it the other night.
What do you think of Barry’s sweater? Do you crochet or knit clothing for your dog?
Check out these other things I’ve made for Barry:
