As the summer sun beats down and the temperature soars, it may seem like an odd time to start thinking about the holiday season. But for crafters and pet lovers alike, Christmas in July provides the perfect opportunity to get a head start on homemade gifts that are sure to delight. And what could be more delightful than a stylish, custom, easy crochet dog sweater, made with love?

The Brooklyn Dog Sweater is a bit different than the traditional dog sweater. Brooklyn, my one year old Cavapoo (Cavalier King Charles Spaniel and Toy Poodle) is zany, energetic, smart, and mischievous. She enjoys chewing on her outfits as much as she enjoys wearing them. SMH. Personally, I think she enjoys yarn as much as I do, except I crochet with the yarn and she likes to chew on it.

In knowing that she is a ball of energy and gets super excited when heading outside, I thought about what would be the easiest way to get her in a sweater. Although she knows how to step into her harness for our daily walks, she likes to wiggle around. When looking at traditional crochet dog sweaters, there is a section that covers the chest between the legs, and this would be similar to a dog harness. I chose to skip that step, not have anything that has to be pulled over the dog’s head, and no fasteners.

The Brooklyn Crochet Dog Sweater is almost a trapezoid shape. You’ll start by making a piece that crosses your dog’s back, make decreases until it’s long enough to cover most of their back, and then leg straps. This crochet dog sweater is put on like a jacket to avoid fasteners, having to pull over the head and nothing in the way of them needing to use the restroom.

Choosing the Crochet Dog Sweater Size

Choosing the right size dog sweater can pose a significant challenge for pet owners, as dogs come in all shapes and sizes. Factors such as breed, age, weight, and body shape can all influence the fit of a sweater. Ensuring a snug yet comfortable fit is essential to keep your furry friend warm and cozy without restricting their movement. Moreover, the lack of standardized sizing across different brands and patterns adds another layer of complexity to the decision-making process. It’s essential to carefully measure your dog’s dimensions and refer to a reliable size chart to select the perfect dog sweater that will not only keep them warm but also allow them to move freely and comfortably.

Now, I love making crochet garments and even enjoy figuring out the math (it’s the first step after a gauge swatch for me, every time.), but figuring out sizing for dogs is so much harder based on the reasons stated above. LOL After scouring the internet, I noticed that very large breeds over 70 pounds, like Great Danes, Pyrenees, and Mastiffs, seemed to be left out of the fun in wearing dog outfits. These doggies deserve to be cute in their crochet dog sweater too, so I decided that recipe style was the way to go.

You’ll only need to measure across your dogs back from front leg to front leg, the length of their back, and their front leg circumference. These measurements are very similar to taking our own measurements for an open cardigan to ensure that it’s comfortable to wear and move in. You can learn more about taking your own body measurements for human garments HERE.

Now that you know what measurements to take, I have provided a few formulas so that can you plug in the measurements to determine stitch and row counts. Before you get upset about the math, it’s just multiplication, division and rounding up or down. I even include an example of how to complete the formulas with Brooklyn’s measurements in the Imperial and metric units. So you get to see the exact numbers I chose to make her crochet dog sweater. Easy peasy!

Yarn

Choosing the right yarn can become a project on its own, so I let my twin daughters pick the yarn for the Brooklyn Crochet Dog Sweater. Their parameters for choosing was a color that looked cute on Brooklyn. They chose Lion Brand Comfy Cotton Blend in Stained Glass.

This is my first project using this yarn, and now I understand why it had such positive reviews in the fiber community. I say had, as this yarn is discontinued, but is likely hanging out in many yarn stashes.

Comfy Cotton Blend is a DK weight, #3 category, that is comprised one 50% cotton and 50% polyester with a put of 392 yards or 358 meters per 200 gram cake. When this yarn was available in store, I recall seeing it a blend of colors, although there were solids available.

It’s an easy yarn to work with that did not split when crocheting, and I would recommend it for a variety of accessory and garment patterns, if it’s in your stash or you come across some in a destash sale.

Since Comfy Cotton Blend is discontinued, I have listed a few alternative yarns below, if you want to use something comparable. But if you want to use another weight of yarn, you can! You will need to make a few adjusts to the formulas to use the gauge information of a thinner or thicker yarn.

Although this is a recipe style crochet pattern, I provided yarn estimates based on a sizing chart for dog sweaters. This is a great starting point to determine if you have enough yarn before you get started.

Christmas in July Make Along

Can you believe it’s that time of year again? The time in which we’re halfway through the year and talk of holidays starts. At least in the US, there’s always a holiday that can be celebrated, and Christmas talk, planning and decorating seems to get earlier each year. Even if it seems too early, the Christmas in July make a long is a great way to get a head start on your gift making, so that when November comes around, you’ll be relaxed and enjoying the festivities rather than hurriedly finishing gifts.

Underground Crafter hosts this fun event each summer, and has round up several designer friends to offer new crochet, knit and sewing projects. Each week features a new gifting recipient, Babies, Kids and Teens, Women, for Anyone, for the Home, and for Pets. There is also an amazing giveaway that you can enter until Sunday, August 4, 2024.

Be sure to check out each week’s gifting patterns to plan your projects for the 2024 holiday season.

So, let’s dive in and get started on crafting an easy crochet dog sweater – your furry friend will be the envy of the entire neighborhood!

*Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links to products that I use, and think you will enjoy using too. Should you decide to use any such link, I will earn a small commission at no cost to you. Thank you for supporting this small business.

ADD TO RAVELRY FAVORITES

MATERIALS

• Lion Brand Comfy Cotton Blend (discontinued), DK weight #3 (50% cotton, 50% polyester, 392 yds/358 m, 7 oz /200g): Stained Glass 

YARN AMOUNT ESTIMATES BASED ON DOG SIZE 

• Alternative Yarns
  • Lion Brand Re-Up
  • Premier Anti-Pilling DK Colors
  • Caron Cotton Cakes
  • YarnArt Flowers Merino
• US I (5.50 mm) hook or hook to meet gauge
  • These are my favorite crochet hooks.
  • These are great ergonomic soft grip crochet hooks.
• Stitch Markers x 2
• Scissors
• Yarn Needle
• Tape Measure

GAUGE

13 sts x 13 rows in pattern = 4” x 4” [10 cm x 10 cm]

Sts/in: 3.25 [sts/cm: 1.3]

Rows/in: 3.25 [rows/cm: 1.3]

SIZES FOR REFERENCE BROOKLYN CROCHET DOG SWEATER

PATTERN KEY

Bpdc: back post double crochet 

Ch: chain

Cnr: corner

Dc: double crochet

Dc2tog: double crochet 2 together 

Fdc: foundation double crochet

Fpdc: front post double crochet

Fsc: foundation single crochet

FO: fasten off

M: stitch marker(s)

PM: place stitch marker

Prev: previous

Rem: remain(s)(ing) 

Rep: repeat

RS: right side

Sc: single crochet

Sc2tog: single crochet 2 together 

Sk: skip

Sl st: slip stitch

St(s): stitch(es)

WS: wrong side

YO: yarn over

SPECIAL STITCHES & TECHNIQUES

CSDC: pull up a loop that is row height, holding loop in place and wrap yarn around hook (yarn over), insert hook in first st, YO, pull up a loop, [YO, pull through 2 loops] twice

Join round in Fdc: YO and insert hook through foundation chain of last st made, YO and pull up loop (3 loops on hook), insert hook through foundation of first st (CSDC or starting ch-3), YO and pull through two loops (3 loops on hook), [YO, pull through two loops] twice, sl st to top of first st to join

• VIDEO TUTORIAL

EXPERIENCE LEVEL

INTERMEDIATE

NOTES

• Pattern is written in US terms.
• Read entire pattern before beginning.
• Yarn amounts are estimates based upon the largest number in the size range based on the dog size chart, except for XXL dogs, which is a starting point and more yarn may be needed for significantly larger dogs. 
• The Brooklyn Cape is made in 3 parts: Body, Arm Bands, and Finishing.
• Refer to diagram on where to measure your dog to ensure the proper fit.

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FORMULAS TO MAKE THE BROOKLYN DOG SWEATER

Measurements 

• Front leg to Front leg (A): ________________
• Neck to tailbone (B): ____________________
• Front leg circumference (C ): ______________

Stitches and Rows for your dog

• A x 3.25 sts/ in [1.3 sts/cm]:__________stitches
• B x 3.25 rows/in [1.3 rows/cm]:_________rows
• Arm Band:________dc that is the length of C
• (B/4)* 3.25 rows/in [1.3 rows/cm]: ________ rows to make before decreasing

Measurements for Sample Shown 

• Front leg to Front leg (A): _13.5” [34 cm]___
• Neck to tailbone (B): __10” [25.5 cm]______
• Front leg circumference (C ): _8” [20.5 cm]__

Stitches and Rows for Sample Shown

• A x sts/in: 13.5 *3.25= 43.9 > 44 sts [A x sts /cm =34*1.3=44.2 > 44 sts]
• B x rows/in: 10*3.25=32.5 > 33 rows [B x rows/cm: 25.5*1.3=33.15 > 33 rows]
• Arm Band: __32__dc that is the length of C 
• (B/4)* 3.25 rows/in [1.3 rows/cm]: _(10/4)*3.25=8.125> 8 [(25.5/4)*1.3=8.2875>8] rows to make before decreasing

INSTRUCTIONS FOR THE BROOKLYN DOG SWEATER

Body

Row 1: Make an even number of fsc or a ch with an even number + 2 (measurement A), turn.

Note: 44 fsc were made for the sample

Row 2: CSDC in first st, sc in next st, *dc in next st, sc in next st, rep from * to end, turn. 

Next Rows: Rep Row 2 until 1/4th of B

Next Row: Sc2tog, *sc in next st, dc in next st, rep from * until 2 sts rem, sc2tog, turn.  

Next Row: CSDC in first st, sc in next st, *dc in next st, sc in next st, rep from * to end, turn.

Next Row: Dc2tog, *sc in next st, dc in next st, rep from * until 2 sts rem, dc2tog, turn.

Next Row: Sc in first st, dc in next st, *sc in next st, dc in next st, rep from * to end, turn.

Rep last 4 rows until you reach B, FO. 

Arm bands

Rnd 1: Attach yarn at Row 1 (refer to schematic), CSDC or ch 3, dc evenly spaced until the row measure 2-3” [5-7.5 cm], fdc until 1 less than C, sl st to join to first dc following Special Techniques, turn 

Rnd 2: Loose ch 1 (does not count as st), bpdc around first st, fpdc around next st, *bpdc around next st, fpdc around next st, rep from * around, sl st to first st, turn.

Rnds 3-5: Rep Round 2

Finishing

Weave in all ends.

If needed, dampen the corners to relax the fabric.

I hope that you have enjoyed making the Brooklyn Crochet Dog Sweater for your dog!

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This pattern is not to be duplicated or resold, and not to be reproduced commercially. You may sell finished products on Etsy, at farmers markets, and craft fairs, but please credit Creations By Courtney as the pattern’s author.