Customer Reviews

Knitting for Dogs: Irresistible Patterns for Your Favorite Pup -- and You!

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

I own several knitting-for-dogs books, and it seems many concentrate on tiny dogs (Jill Eaton's PuppyKnits is an example of this). If you don't own a dachshund or a pug, you're out of luck. What's great about this book is the wide range of pattern sizes, plus information on how to custom-fit items to your dog.

The photos are adorable, the patterns are great, and even if your dog hates sweaters, there are knitted accessories for you to make, too. My dog's a big fan of the tugging toy. Even though I design most of my own knits, using patterns from this book has given me a base for customization (using different yarn or pattern stitches, etc). It's hard for me to decide which pattern to knit next!

Well worth the money -- this book would also be a great holiday present for your favorite dog-loving knitter!

Truly a find for knitters whose sense of style reaches beyond knitting for their two-legged friends! Now your four-legged friends can enjoy the same knitted fashion wears you've enjoyed for years! Kristi does a fabulous job providing patterns for knitters of all levels and all size dogs with easy to follow instructions. The legwarmers are priceless!!!

I have a large yellow golden retreiver. The vet and all the people at the pet store continually comment on how big he is. This book is great since it offers patterns in realistic sizes. It breaks down the sizes according to breed and measurements from XS to XXL. There seem to be many books with patterns for small dogs but not many books with patterns for large dogs. Not all the pattens are in all sizes, but the author gives information on adapting pattern sizes.

I've knitted one sweater out of this book. It didn't fit my dog, but I guess her body is shaped weirdly. I don't think it was errata on her part, I think it was mostly mine. But I ended up having to "rig" it so badly that I didn't think twice when I left it on her overnight in a friend's backyard and it's been sitting in a grocery bag covered in grass ever since, stretched out of shape. Eh.

It is nice to see a book that's written for something besides "purse pooches." I have a Labrador Retriever (at least 3/4 of her is) so it's nice to have some designs for her.

Some of the designs are uber-Paris Hilton, which I guess is appealing to some people so I won't be too obvious about my complete and total disgust for them. In fact, there are only about 5 designs I'd actually use, and some of those I'd have to modify to suit my needs.

The yarn she suggests is REALLY expensive, and I'm sorry, but my dog is not worth a $120 sweater that she would probably eat in ten minutes. I mean, I love her, but acrylic will do just fine because it never rains here. And frankly, I don't think she could tell the difference between scratchy virgin wool and cashmere (or the kettle-dyed merino she suggests at like, $13 a ball). But this is a common feature of many knitting books - since they get the yarn free, I suppose they soon forget that college students like me don't have oodles to spend on "haute couture" for their dog. (Seriously, though.)

Some of the designs are embarassing, like the saddle-bags (people actually need a PATTERN to make those?), the felted collar/wristband set (uh...), a sweater with matching (human) armwarmers (yeah, just, no), and dog legwarmers. To me, some of these seem impractical because unless your dog never MOVES they'll fall off in five minutes. I don't know. I just think some of the designs are frivolous, and with the quality of other designs like the Raglan Sweater and the basic Garter Stitch Sweater I wish she just would have stayed on that track and knitted practical things for practical dogs, because there are already boatloads of books dedicated to the Jessica Simpson/Paris Hilton dog-pampering crowd. No thanks.

At least it has a few utilitarian designs for big dogs - which is more than I can say for any other dog-book I've read. Just pray you don't have to modify any of the patterns, because it's confusing and frustrating.

I've been looking around at dog knitting books, and most just have sweaters in them. I like this book because it has more than sweaters. The patterns can also be completed in a short amount of time, so it's great if you're just looking for a quick and easy project. This is my favorite dog knitting book, and I highly recommend it.

This is a wonderful book for the knitting enthusiast, the dog lover, and anyone else with a wry sense of humor. Knitty.com contributing editor Kristi Porter really knows her stuff, and she has a sense of style and elan that will satisfy canine and human alike. I can't recommend this book enough -- you and your dog will be happier for purchasing it.

I bought this book based on the reviews and browsing the book online. I have been knitting for years and am very disappointed in the book. It does have very cute patterns, but that's about as far as it goes. The author instructions are vague even making reference to looking on the internet to learn a stitch. It's nice to know what's used for the pattern in the photo, however unless you have ready access to a large yarn shop you are pretty left on your own to figure ply and weight. I've made two sweaters from this book, I won't be making more I'll be using my other books. I rarely write reviews but really feel this one needs to be commented on.

Picked up Knitting For Dogs last night and looked through the patterns. It is a fun book with different yarns suggested for the sweaters. Yes, most of the yarns come from a yarn store but in such small amounts the sweaters wouldn't be costly to make. There are very sweet designs for girl dogs and some "manly" type sweaters for boy dogs. Most patterns are simple but there is a Fair Isle design and a sweater with a cable stitch. Great way to learn these designs since the projects are small.

I like the fact that different type yarns are used. Who wants to knit with boring old worsted all the time.

If you have creativity in your soul, this book is for you. If you want your dog to stand out because of a creative, classy sweater than go for this book.

And to top if off, the models are great! :)

As a beginning knitter, I thought dog sweaters would be a great place to start. After all, even the most pampered pooch won't complain about a lumpy sweater or a mistake. Since I have whippets, I picked this book up since the patterns can be made larger for bigger-than-toy breeds.

However, the author assumes readers already know the fundamentals of knitting and I was glad I had a separate guide book to explain some of the techniques. Some designs use a patter with a key, but the key is found in an earlier design, making things a little complicated to keep up with. Photos are great, but for more than one sweater they chose two colors that photograph nearly the same, so it is hard to follow what the end result looks like. All these minor things add up to a book I wouldn't recommend for a beginner.

I also found that some of the designs were just pain ugly. A few interesting patterns made it a worthwhile purchase, but in the "haute couture" section, the designs were odd and unattractive, like a sweater covered in little balls of yarn. Occasionally I got the feeling that the designs were created mostly to showcase the author's and the author's friends' yarn companies. There are 3 or 4 real winners, however, so pick it up if you think it is worth it for a handful of designs and the extras, like a cute, practical satchel or a chew toy.

Make a sweater for my dog - that is. I have been to lovely, charming and funky dog boutiques - I look at the prices for the sweaters and other dog attire. Trust me, I have bought one truly cute sweater and only because it was on sale! So,first off, the specialty dog boutique prices alone helped drive me to seek out knitting books for dog sweaters. And, a very big second motivating factor was the quality of what was offered in the specialty dog boutiques were not anything better than what I could make once I set my mind to it! After a bit of browsing, I saw this book online, and later on I went to a local book store to look at the book in person to make sure I would like the patterns as well as see the various skill levels available - the price online is still far better. This is an excellent book for a knitter of any skill level. I have only made one sweater out of this book but to me it was worth it many times over because my dog LOVED the sweater! My dog still enjoys wearing the sweater. I am still a newer knitter and I think if you have any level of knitting skill at all that any pattern in this book can be adapted for a custom-fit and custom-design sweater for your dog and their personality. Recently, I was on a trip and stopped in the Dog Boutiques - so once again, I have been inspired to get this book out!