fixing a dog sweater with crochet
Today is the 3-week anniversary of adopting my adorable dog Maggie, and I’m more sure than ever that we made the right decision! I’m so happy I found such a special little lamb – she’s so small and sweet, and she loves me so much. And she’s such a clever girl – our training is progressing well, and she’s learning new things practically every day!
We’ve been visiting all the local pet stores to look for small toys and training treats and other essentials:
Now, it’s pretty cold in Canada and Maggie doesn’t have a lot of fur, so getting a sweater immediately was crucial. I bought her this cute little argyle sweater in her favourite colours – pink and grey – and doesn’t she look adorable in it?!
But, less than a week after buying it, it looked more like this:
Not only was it coming apart at the seams, but the knitting was actually unravelling at the exposed edges:
This is the first and last time I buy a dog sweater – now I know how a dog sweater works and have this well-fitting example to take measurements from, I’ll be able to crochet or knit all her sweaters in future (yay!)
But, I wasn’t about to let this cute sweater go to waste quite so soon. I found a perfect pink baby yarn in my stash (I knew I’d find a use for it one day!), grabbed a crochet hook, and got to work.
I passed the yarn end through all the loose knitted loops I could see, to prevent further runs, and then single crocheted over the last couple of knitted rows to bind all the loose ends in place. I added a ch 1 between each sc to add a little stretch to my new edging, which makes the edging look very slightly ruffled, but it worked like a charm:
In a few minutes, the sweater was saved! The new leg edgings don’t show much in use, but occasionally you can see a flash of pink crochet, and it looks pretty stylish, and not obviously like a repair.
The yarn colour matches incredibly well, and, most importantly, Maggie is happy to have her sweater back so she can stay cosy while we’re exploring the neighbourhood!
This just goes to show how most mass-market clothes pale in comparison to the care and quality of handmade. I doubt I’ll be knitting argyle sweaters for Maggie, but I’m sure she’ll be equally happy with single-coloured handmade sweaters in future, don’t you think? 🙂
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Tal said
i cant believe its been 3 weeks already! She looks adorable in her jacket. i bet you can whip up your own in an hour or two!
June said
I know, the time is racing by! I suspect it’ll take me a lot longer than an hour or two to whip one up (she’s small, but her back is 12″ long, so that’s a substantial amount of fabric!) but I’m definitely going to give it a go, once I decide which yarn type and colour she’d like best 😉
Ruth Lister said
A simple repair job done and Maggie looks so cute in her doggy sweater June. She is adorable. Hope you’re feeling somewhat better this week. :pray_tone1::hugging::bouquet:
June said
Thank you, Ruth! Maggie and I each have our own anxiety problems, but she’s helping with mine and I’m helping with hers – we make a good team. I’m still totally worn out this week, but at least I’m happy!
Cecelia Remedios said
Totally agree not to buy Sweaters. I crochet mine for my Ophie all the time. She is a 4year old Maltipoo.
June said
Aww, that’s lovely! Do you recommend any yarns in particular for dog sweaters?
Hugs to Ophie – I bet she and Maggie would be friends :hugging:
David Grindel said
June, great repair. I didn’t know that was possible. I may be able to rescue some of my sweaters that have the same problem with the end of the sleeves. Thanyou, June and Maggie !
June said
Oh, that’s a great idea, David! I think adding the chain between each stitch was the key to making this work with a simple single crochet edge – a straight crocheted edging won’t stretch much, and (unless your sweaters have a very wide sleeve cuff, which would be unusual) you need the cuffs to be able to stretch so you can get your hands through them!
Using a larger hook would help with that, except that you want small stitches to lock the frayed edges in so they won’t unravel further. Adding the extra chain stitches instead gives the edge a bit of extra stretch when needed, but it can still relax back in between.
Miriam P. said
Aren’t animals the best? Yours looks like a cutie! My husband and I had had pets as kids and over the years I’d had roommates with cats but we weren’t prepared for how besotted we would be with the two cats we adopted from the local animal rescue. They’ve enriched our lives no end. And they are endlessly cute! Even when they’re being bad.
June said
Yes, absolutely, Miriam! I can’t imagine life without sharing it with animals. I absolutely adore my Maui cat and I didn’t realise how much more love I had to give without taking anything from how much I love Maui. Now if we could just get the two furbabies to love each other too, our family would be perfect!
Sara Branch said
She’s just so precious!! I’m glad that she’s bringing you joy and inpiring you to new endeavors. I love to see pictures and stories of Maggie!
June said
Thanks, Sara! I’m really enjoying getting to share some of the snaps from my phone with you, and I’m sure Maggie will be popping up on the blog again soon – this won’t be the last crafting project I make for her 😉
Susan said
Hi June!
What a Wonderfully Happy newsletter!
I am thrilled for You and Maggie! Such a heartwarming story. Maggie has become Your Angel as much as You have become Maggie’s Angel! I Love it!
Your sweater repair is perfect and daintly beautiful! Adding the ch1 is a great idea to keep the stretch and give room.
Many Continued Blessings to You Both!
Kind Regards from Texas
June said
Thank you, Susan! You’re right, Maggie and I are such a good match – I’m so happy we found each other ☺