Creating a Knitted Kitty Sweater

Easy peasy!  You can create this great sweater for your dog or cat.  I just won't promise that they will love it.  I made this for our 20 year old cat last year, and it was really long for her, but I just rolled it up, and stitched it shorter, making it even more warm around her belly.  We had to let her go last November, so this was something that got her through a period of 20 below weather.  She would sit in her sweater, on my lap, and just purr.  It moved with her well, and she only wore it when she needed to.  Here are my directions!


Measure your pet, (1)around the neck, (2)from neck measurement-to front legs, (3) around the belly, (4)from neck to belly, and (5)down the back from head to tail. Start with a cotton or wool, and never use acrylic, as some animals can be allergic.   I always use the economical Paton Classic Wool Yarn, so if you are looking for a match to Sheeba's sweater, I believe the color is called Rosewood!  I only used less than one ball of yarn for this project.  You can join together colors, and use up some of your stored yarn, be creative!

Start with a US needle 11, and cast on enough to match your neck measurement.  You are going to create a big rectangle, and then drop some stitches, and add some to fashion your sweater.  It is really easy, so do not worry too much.  Continue with your knitting by turning and knitting one row, and then one row purl. Continue k,p until you have enough knit rows, and enough purl rows to reach the legs.  You can really see how this is going to work now!

Now, you are going to skip some stitches to create a button hole for the legs.  The seam for the sweater is on the underneath or belly of your pet, so the leg openings will be on the  edges of the rectangular piece. 

SEE NOTE BELOW ****When you are ready to knit, and you have reached the measurement where the openings will be, Go in 5 stitches, and then bind off 10 stitches.  Continue to the end of the row, and be sure to watch, that you bind off 10 when you get to 15 from the end, and then knit 5 more.  Turn, and Purl 5, bind off 10, and continue to the last 15 stitches, 10 BO, and then P 5.   SEE NOTE BELOW***

Continue on, completing two rows K and P to even it off!  Now, you are going to increase or decrease towards your belly measurement(3).  You should now refer to measurement (4) and see where you are from your leg openings.  Compare your Belly Measurement(3), and see how much your increase or decrease is.  Some animals have a decrease, like a bull dog or a doberman.  You should add 2 K and 2 P until you get to the belly measurement, and do it so that it is fashioned at the right point.  Do not worry if measurements (3) and (4) do not meet perfectly, as it is a stretchy garment.

Now, measure your fashioned piece, and see how much more you need to stitch.  If you are knitting for a boy dog, you might want to stop shorter, to allow some freedom for bathroom breaks.

BO when you reach the end of your measurement length (5), and if it is still too long, you can roll it over, and stitch to make it work.  You should then stitch it closed at the ends, near the leg openings, and then roll it over your pet's head, and pull out their little legs. 

***NOTE: Before performing the leg opening step, check your pet!  If you find the legs are too close together, using the example of knitting 5, then BO 10, then continuing,  you can rework your work, and move then further into your square.  Meaning, instead of 15 st into the work, try 20, or 26.  It is going to be a custom piece for your pet, so try to imagine how much space you will need for their legs to move and be comfortable.

The best way to keep this clean is to just brush it off, and if you find it is really dirty, a hand washing may be in order!