Dog Sweaters

My Christmas gift from Joe last year was Bella. Bella is the cutest Boston Terrier you will ever see. Her marking are perfect and she is about as big as a minute; weighing in at just 10lbs. Bella has a super disposition and loves everyone; especially children. Now that she is full grown, I want her to be dressed for the season - every season. This past October, I kept going to PetsMart wanting to buy some cute "clothes" for her. I didn't find anything like what I had in mind. The lightbulb came on! I knit! Now, I have become slightly obsessed about knitting for her. It's almost instant gratification! Such a small sweater takes so little time. In a couple of evenings, she is sporting a new outfit. Okay, I CAN follow a pattern (when I want to). I have 5 dog sweater books. None of them had many, if one , pattern knit in the round. COME ON, why not? I want a great fitting sweater, knit in the round with minimal finishing. It can't be that hard! Seems I had challenged myself. First I began with a better fit. After knitting a couple of basic sweaters and trying them on Bella, I watched her wearing it; looking at the fit and deciding where I thought it could be imporved. Joe and I have had several discussions about fit and how to get the garment to do what I want it to do or not do. After several attempts, I have a basic, in the round, sweater pattern that fits well and knits up quickly. The two areas that I have addressed are (1) fitting better in the chest area and (2) leg openings that allow maximum movement for a very active Boston Terrier. I think she needs a couple of sweater per holiday. It will be fun to create looks for each specific celebration. This sweater is going to be called Candy Cane. It's really cute on her. Not quite finished, it will have some type of embellishment around the neck.