Meet Pippa and Her Sweater

We got another dog. :)

Meet Pippa

She’s lovely, unless you ask Shambles. He’s tired of being manhandled by a 17 lb. puppy. She’s either sound asleep with her legs in the air or jumping all over the damn place. She’s 8 months old, a Wirehaired Fox Terrier/ Beagle cross, and made of awesome. We got her on Freecycle. How could I not run to get her? She was in heat and tied outside. Everyone keep your fingers crossed she’s not up the pole, okay?

I made this new dog a sweater because her hair is so wispy, you can see her skin through it. Brr! She’s getting used to wearing clothing. At first, putting the sweater on her removed her ability to walk. I’ve never had a puppy, so that was surprising and amusing.

Ready for walkies:
Pippa In Her Sweater

Yarn: my hand-dyed and handspun Cosmos Merino wool (worsted spun from top)- worsted weight, 225 yards
Needle: size 5
Size: Pippa Size!

Seamless construction knit in the round, except where the leg holes are. It was worked back and forth there for awhile.

I cast on the neck, ribbed for awhile, then put 2 double increases in about an inch apart and increased every few rows until the area between the increases was equal to the area between her legs.

Put in the leg holes, knit straight awhile, then put in a centered double decrease on the underside, since she has a nice slim waist.

Cast off some stitches at the tummy and decreased on both sides one stitch in from the edge until the sweater was as long as I wanted. I then started ribbing and picked up and ribbed around the hole for awhile. Did the same at the leg holes and yay!

I made this with no ease and that was a mistake. She’s kind of stuffed into it like a sausage and it’s hard to get it off her. Hitting the perfect balance between stuffed-sausage and having a sweater too loose is difficult! Shambles can get his sweater off by catching it on a branch. He’s always taking his own sweater off. I’ll try again with another sweater for her soon. She’ll need plenty as she loves the snow.

50 Responses to “Meet Pippa and Her Sweater”

  1. Amber

    What a face! She is so cute. Here’s hoping you’re not going to have a fat (preggers) Pippa in a few weeks…

  2. Michelle

    She’s just so cute! It’s hard to believe that someone would want to give her up. When I was looking at halloween costumes for my pooch I read that it’s better to be a little roomy than too tight. And of course he has trouble walking in the sweater he has now because it’s too tight. That pink sweater on Pippa looks so good on her.

  3. Whistlepea

    So cute! I have a new puppy too and he’s so much work. I kind of wish he had another dog to play with so he’s not nipping and barking at me all the time.

  4. mai

    she is adorable! i love her sweater. she’s pretty big for a puppy, yea? i have two dogs but we adopted them in their post-puppy phase. i miss having a puppy! also, you can find dogs on freecycle???

  5. Jennifer

    Cutest puppy ever. Put a zipper up the back of the sweater.

  6. Ann

    She is one lucky pup! From tied up in yard to handknit sweaters? She doesn’t even know.

    She’s adorable!

  7. stacey

    awww – she’s so cute!!! I bet she has no coat due to the fact that she was just in heat – they often times blow their coat right after…..hopefully she’ll grow some back in!

  8. Kim U

    Aw, what a cutie! LOL about the sweater initially causing her to be unable to walk.

  9. Jodi

    Oh my gosh, Pippa is cute as can be! She looks great in her beautiful sweater, too. Talk about a photo full of wonderful handknits. I hope Shambles is still getting lots of love — it must be hard to have such a rambunctious youngster around.

  10. Dan

    That has to be one of the cutest dogs (and dog names) I’ve seen (and heard) in awhile. Looks like she’s got a great (and feisty) personality. Of course, the sweater is excellent, too.

  11. madalyn

    What a super cutie — with a super cutie name! Can’t believe someone was willing to give her away!

  12. Debbie

    I am completely in love! Soooo cute! I’m glad you took her. FreeCycle is really a neat thing.

  13. Valerie

    Your new pooch is adorable (such a cute face!) but how about that super-cool jumper on Mr. Hello Yarn? The center panel reminds me of fish scale cedar shakes–And could we get a close-up of the bewildering knotty cable to the side?

    (I do love puppies, really I do. I didn’t mean to give the impression that I’m not properly impressed by her level of awesome–but there’s a boatload of awesome in the sweater, yah?)

  14. Daniela

    OOOHHHH!!! What a lovely doggie!!!! She’s really beatiful and funny!!!

    And congratulations for the great sweater!!! Where do u find pattern?

  15. Nicole

    What a pretty girl!! Love her sweater too. How lucky that she has found such a loving and caring home.

  16. cathy

    wow! hoe cute (and lucky) is he! enjoy the puppy moments! maybe we will see his profile on a pair of mitts????

  17. Karen

    New home, cute face, great name and a Hello Yarn sweater? She’s the luckiest dog ever!

    You could always steek up the back and add buttons or a zipper, I suppose.

  18. Riin

    Oh, what a cutie! She’s going to be a pampered puppy, isn’t she? How many puppies get such a beautiful sweater?

  19. Gaietygirl

    She has the prettiest face!
    Can’t believe someone put her on freecycle…I’d be a soft touch too and have to go get any pets that came up on it.
    She looks like she’s settling in well :)

  20. Marlena

    She’s impossibly adorable! I’m so happy whenever I hear about an animal who gets to go to a loving home. Congrats on your new addition!

  21. Leslie

    Oh, how sweet she is! I’ve been thinking of knitting a sweater for my 12-year-old Westie (which I said I’d never do) because he seems to be a lot colder in his old age. Add that to the list!

  22. KellyD

    Cutie pie dog! Love the sweater too! And yes True Blood rocks. I cant wait until next season ( I was catching up on my blog reading and thought I would just incorporate the whole thought process into one response!)

  23. peanut

    She’s beautiful.

    We adopted a puppy just three weeks ago and they really change your life – our house is such a different place.

    re: the sweater – When I was little, my sisters and I used to put doll clothes on our cats; their legs always stopped working until they were undressed again (and then they went really fast!).

  24. Jess

    She is a lovely wee dog… but do so hope you have adopted the one, and not many offspring as well! Though I bet they would be gorgeous.

  25. Mary

    Great dog, great doggy sweater! And I’m really admiring your husband’s gorgeous sweater — is that your handiwork? It’s lovely. :-)

  26. Cathy

    Pippa is so cute! When I put a sweater on my Jack Russell (Sam) he became a frozen statue!! Good to know that Pippa is getting use to her sweater!

  27. astrid

    Pippa is lovely. I got the same dog: parson russel terrier. They are the most funny dogs: she will be your friend for ever: especcialy now since your other dog has died. How terrible this must be for you. Hope Pippa will be your comfort.

  28. jeannine

    Super cute!! Would love the pattern. It sounds simple enough that you could make for any size dog…say a beagle:)

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