How To
New Tricks for Old and Young Dogs
Yes, I am still over here brightening my gray January days by knitting stripey dog sweaters. The winning combination of Jen Geigley’s 1999 Pullover’s smashing, Gaptastic stripes + Sole Salvo’s sleek Lucky Dog Sweater is the gift that keeps giving me knitting bliss, in six-row doses of vibrant Atlas colors.
Georgie girl’s big sweater was still in progress when I felt the urgent imperative of making a matching mini version for Olive. And so I did.
Olive will be able to hide in plain sight, the better to terrify people.
Here’s the thing. I’ve been knitting a long time. I’ve knit short rows, and I’ve knit stripes, and I’ve battled that jog at the color change that happens when you’re knitting stripes in the round. I’m not new here, OK?
But these dog sweaters showed me two things that lit up my neural pathways like the Fourth of July. And I’m going to share them with you.
How Short Rows Work
I have a basic understanding of how short rows work. But you can know how a thing works and still be amazed to see it clearly.
When I’ve worked short rows in the past, it’s mostly been on solid-color sweaters, to lower a neckline in the back, or add a curved shape to the hem. I got it. But I didn’t SEE it.
When you are adding short rows to a regular rhythm of six-row stripes, you see exactly what those short rows are doing. You can’t miss it.
Behold:
A picture paints a thousand words, and the way the Merlot stripe widened from six rows on the back to fifteen rows on the front was more instructive to me than a thousand solid-color short rows.
On Olive’s size XS sweater, the Cedar stripe went from six rows to eleven rows. (Don’t worry, her tiny sleeves are coming. )
For both sweaters, I followed the pattern’s short row instructions exactly. What the short rows did was add extra rows in the chest of each sweater, while leaving the back of the sweater unchanged, so it lies nice and flat on the dog’s back.
I’m really excited about this. Maybe everyone else understands short rows a lot better than me. But I needed to share!
A New Way to Make Jogless Stripes? Maybe
In the comments on my last post, a reader asked how I was avoiding the dreaded jog at the color change of my stripes, which are being knit in the round for most of the sweater.
I had not even thought about it! How was I doing it? Where was the jog? Or more precisely, why wasn’t there a jog?
The answer: the beginning of each round of the sweater, where you change colors for each stripe, is in the middle of the 2 x 2 ribbing, in the front, on the right side of the body.
If you look closely at the the sweaters, below and above the right sleeve opening (in the photo above, and on the left in the photo below), you can see a jog—if you’re looking for it. But if you’re not looking for a jog, all you see are continuous stripes flowing serenely across the ribbing.
This is so delightful to me. Since the Lucky Dog Sweater was not specifically designed to be striped, it’s a happy accident that the design gives you jogless stripes.
So my question to the knitting world is: how could this be done on purpose in our striped sweaters, hats, and other in-the-round knits?
I might be adding sections of ribbing to my next stockinette sweater, just to try it. Isn’t it cool?
Final Tip
The Lucky Dog Sweater doesn’t have an opening for a collar or harness to come through, probably because placement of that opening would vary depending on where the dog’s leash attachment is. But unless the whole harness is going to go over the top of the sweater (covering up a big part of the sweater!), an opening is essential.
Here’s how I do it: Just before beginning the ribbed collar, I do arithmetic to determine where the center eight stitches of the back start, and when I get to them, I bind them off and then finish the round. On the next round, I cast on eight stitches right over the eight stitches that were bound off on the previous round. That’s all. The opening is wide enough for a couple of metal rings to slide through. If your dog’s hardware is located somewhere else, just put the opening where it needs to be.
There’s no dog in my life but this is such an interesting post, thank you Kay!
Those dog sweaters are beautiful and will turn heads no doubt while out walking!
Did you plan your stripe color sequences or just grab randomly when switching colors? I ask as a color challenged knitter…
For the first sweater I just picked one at a time, aiming for a mix of dull neutrals with brighter colors popping out. Then I copied the sequence for the little one.
Patty Lyons has a few articles on jogless stripes (also in her awesome book) right here on MDK : https://www.moderndailyknitting.com/community/ask-patty-jogless-join/
Thanks for the tip on the opening for the harness. I’ve been thinking of knitting a Lucky Dog Sweater for a neighborhood dog who walks with a group of us most mornings–and whose name is Lucky! Your method is better than what I was planning (a vertical slit) since I can measure him and put it in exactly the right place for his harness.
Love this! With the below freezing temps we’ve been having in TN, and a 90-lb dog that just had surgery, I need to get knitting quickly! Thanks, Kay!
Oh bless! A sweater will be healing for both of you!
No dog in my life either but I found these details so interesting. But now I’m dying to see Olive in her new sweater!?
❤️❤️❤️these! Would you please post a modeling shot of Miss Olive in her stylish striped sweater??
We will definitely do a photo shoot, the whole reason I knit 2 sweaters!
My Dachshunds would look so cute in this sweater ❤️
I was just thinking the same thing!
Yes! Those long wiener bodies can handle a lot of stripes! Would be so cute.
I made the Edinburgh sweater (complete video so helpful for a dog sweater-phobic like me (all those arm and head and leash holes). Now you’re making me think about Stripes! Yikes!
Love, love, love these dog sweaters. Now tell us, Kay, aren’t you tempted to make a matching sweater for yourself? You know you and Olive are a team, right?
I ran into a friend and his dog a few years ago and they were wearing the most glorious matching bright red Aran sweaters that his lovely wife has knitted for them. The dog didn’t have the matching bobble hat but they turned every head and made everyone in the street smile. I say matching sweaters are really cool!
You “felt the urgent imperative”? Is that a polite way of saying that Olive is a demanding little b***ch?
She’s blasé about sweaters, honestly. She considers it her due.
Love this. Thank You.
“… lit up my neural pathways like the Fourth of July”
Love this!
I keep looking at Duke & thinking how smashing he’d look in a hand-knit sweater. Thanks for the tips.
Thank you! I got brave and added 2 short rows in each of 3 stripes on the top I’m making. Nearly imperceptible! Thanks for the coaching!
Please send pictures. I learned some new things from this article. Thanks!
Kay, this is amazing! Thank you for stepping us through the nifty parts of this sweater. Our dogs are usually German Shepherds, who do not do sweaters, but our daughter has a boxer mix that would love being warm and I have a lot of leftover Atlas…sounds like a dog’s sweater is in my future!
When I looked at the pictures before reading the text I thought that hole was for a very SKINNY TAIL !
I knitted two dog costs this year for my grand fur babies . I was surprised how challenging they were but I learnt some new skills and loved the short row shaping. They both looked very smart too. Maybe it will have to be stripes next !
Love to see them on your dogs.
Gotta love a “mini-me!”
A couple of pearl stitches for the fake seams on the sides of sweaters would hide this nicely!
In her Sock Project book, Summer Lee has great tips for avoiding the jog in stripes and in stripes with ribbing!
Right when I am bleakly staring at the coming days, you show up with your joy and enthusiasm and colors!
I love all of this and thank you for offering a safe and happy place.
However, still regretful that my Brody hates any garment!
But truly, thank you Kay.
My kids have a Great Pyrenees who gets cold on their walks. I so badly want to make him sweater! But that’s an adult person size! Maybe I modify a thrift store sweater? Hmm.
Loved this post! It’s so interesting
about the short rows and the jobless look. Olive will look so snazzy in her new striped with no apparent jogs sweater! I’m sure she will be especially grateful for it as the temperature is dipping.
I need to see these on the doggos!!!! Adorable!
I made one for one of our puppies after your last post, but I hadn’t figured out about the harness. For the stripes, I changed colors at the start of the stockinette section so I could weave in the ends easily as I knitted. Unfortunately the first one was too big. I’m going to try machine washing it to see if it ot shrinks enough. If not, it will probably fit my mom’s dog. I already started over making the smallest size with a smaller needle. I’m using Léttlopi for the first couple tries since I have more colors.
Is it possible one purl stitch, rather than ribbing would also create a jogless join? Truly a question.