Knitted Puppy Hoodie and Body Suit Winter Craft Project

Puppies are one of the most vulnerable creatures during the winter. I have a vivid memory of hearing the squeals of a litter of neighborhood stray puppies battling the windy and freezing temperatures for several winter nights before they were taken to the humane society. Whether puppies are shelter-less or are temporarily taken outside during the winter, they all need to be wrapped in a cozy dog outfit. For this reason, I am sharing an original winter craft project that uses portions of sock and legwarmer knitting patterns to create a puppy hoodie and body suit set. This project is ideal for knitters who have experience making basic socks.

Part 1: Knitting Puppy Hoodie Using Sock Pattern

The measurements of the body of this stretchy puppy hoodie are 7 inches long by 12 inches in circumference. The ribbon drawstring helps the hood to fit securely around a puppy's head including ears; the body of the hoodie is designed to cover the front half of the puppy's body stopping before the puppy's front legs.

Materials:

- One ball of soft stretchable yarn such as Bernat Satin
- Size 11 Knitting Needle (Set of 4)
- Basic Sock Knitting Pattern worked from top to bottom ("Kit's Basic Socks" by Kit Zerbe)
- ribbon (at least 27 inches)

Steps:

1. I have altered the pattern's needle size of size 6 to size 11 to knit an oversized sock that will comfortably fit a puppy or small dog. Follow sock knitting pattern instructions for creating the ribbing, leg, heel flap, and heel turn. My revision is to work only 3 inches of the gusset decrease and stop.

2. I am adding in the step of knitting an eyelet row: k2tog, yo, k1, k2tog, yo, k1, rep to end of row.

3. Bind off.

4. Weave ribbon through eyelets to make drawstring.

Note: The turned heel and partial gusset serve as a hood for the puppy.

Part 2: Knitting Zippered Puppy Body Suit Using Legwarmer Pattern

To add extra warmth to the puppy's mid-section between its front and back legs, simply knit a short zippered legwarmer. I recommend a legwarmer knitting pattern that is worked flat on two needles or a circular needle rather than a pattern worked in the round on three needles. This is so that a zipper can be added.

Materials:

- One ball of Bernat Satin yarn
- Bernat Satin Legwarmer Pattern (requires size US 5 and US 8 knitting needles)
- zipper
- sewing needle and thread

Steps:

1. Measure the circumference and length of your puppy between its front and back legs. I estimate a legwarmer circumference of 13 inches and a length of 6 ½ inches.

2. Follow the straight version legwarmer pattern steps until the length reaches 6 ½ inches or the measured length of your puppy's torso.

3. Bind off.

4. Sew in a zipper.

This completes your knitted puppy hoodie and body suit set. An optional step for this winter craft is to use a couple of ribbons to join the puppy hoodie and body suit. Feel free to make alterations in the sizes of these dog outfits for a more ideal fitting for your puppy. More importantly, your puppy will appreciate the warmth that this winter dog outfit provides.

Sources

"Bernat: Free Patterns."Bernat.

Zerbe, Kit. "Kit's Basic Socks."Sock Knitter's website.