May I present.....

my first huge success of 2009 (and I don't mean because the sweater itself is large!).

Knit of Berocco Comfort Worsted Weight in fire engine red, it's sized to fit a dog 31" from base of neck to tail. It took nearly 4 full skeins of yarn.

It's all done in a simple rib, beginning with the collar in the round. There is a cute little hole at the base of the collar section to accommodate a leash. Then the rest is knit flat, though with lots of increases and decreases. The belly panel is knit on one side of the flat piece, and buttons around the dog.

Thanks to Terri Lee Royea, whose free pattern on Ravelry I adapted for this sweater.

On cooler weather and current projects

Jacket weather took me by surprise -- being pre-occupied makes you much less aware of your surroundings until shivering sets in! But this morning felt so crisp and fresh..... It makes me want to cuddle into a warm sweater and sit on my balcony and knit. I'm thinking a nice soft blanket. I don't have a pattern in mind yet, and most likely I won't select one but just knit as I feel, perhaps some random striping. I have nearly 2000 yards of lovely soft wool in ice blue and chocolate brown. A surprising color combination, but they are beautiful together!

Some projects other than the blanket I feel coming on are pending first:

• As the holidays are fast approaching (ack! where does time go again?!?), I will be working to stuff and "dress" some knitted snow men and snow women. I'll also be making sure to have a wide selection of warm and cozy scarves and hats for the winter months. Some will be posted soon to my website (I hope!).
• Another important current project is a dog blankie. I received an order last week for a custom "quilted" blanket for a dog, and just bought fabric for it last night. The request involved chocolate brown and rust fabrics -- the rust has tiny ivory dog bones printed all over!
• Finally, I will be sewing together some more paperback book covers/carriers. I still have some cut and ready to go, but had been waiting until after a few craft shows to actually assemble them. Now it's time -- stock is getting low and there are more shows on the way! The covers make great stocking stuffers, but we'll discuss cute stocking stuffer ideas a little later on.

Indestructibles

I have a very interesting knitting commission. A friend of ours has a dog which has destroyed every dog toy, including those that are marketed as "indestructible." At dinner tonight, he asked me if I could make something that could stand up to Lola's teeth.

I have two thoughts so far: 1) knit with wool and felt it and 2) knit -- tightly -- with heavy/rough rug yarn. Rug yarn worked for a cat toy, so maybe that's the way to go. I've not tried felting yet, but I was just reading about it in the latest edition of KnitPicks' newsletter and thought perhaps that could work as well. I may try the felting first, simply 'cuz I've got some Lion Wool on hand....