20 April 2010

Picot's Dog Sweater - Measurements

My friend, Nami, asked me to knit a dog sweater for her dog, Picot. I looked at some dog sweater patterns on Ravelry, and decided to use a few to put together my own version. I borrowed heavily from Esther Smith Bozak's Custom Fit Dog Sweater and Terri Lee Royea's Side Button Greyhound Sweater.

The first step was getting Picot's measurements:

1. Neck measurement. - Nami wants Picot to have a turtleneck sweater. Because her t-shirts usually end up too stretched out around the neck, I will knit a ribbed neck to keep it fitted on Picot's neck. Nami measured around Picot's neck, where her collar normally sits.

2. Chest Measurement. This measurement should be around the biggest part of the chest. With Picot's hair, Nami got a range of measurements.

3. Chest Length. Nami measured from the neck to the end of Picot's sternum. This will be the length of the sweater as it extends down Picot's belly. You don't want to extend the sweater too far down, to avoid any pee wetting the sweater. (I know, what a lovely thought.)

4. Leg Circumference. This sweater will have leg openings and small cuffs. The measurement should be taken around the largest part of the leg.


5. Back Measurement. This measurement, from the neck to the tail, will be the full length of the sweater on the dog's back.

While Nami took measurements, I knit up a gauge swatch. My yarn's gauge on size 8 needles is 10 sts x 15 rows = 7x7 cm.