We've talked a lot on DGK about crazy dog costumes over the years, but we've never seen dog beds that have made us do a double-take. Sasquatch Pet Beds – we definitely love the company name – have introduced, among other things, Croc Dog beds. Featuring not the skin of the famous reptile as you may infer, but rather the popular footware. See for yourself!
The giant sandal-shoe-bed thingy measures 31 inches long x 14 inches tall and is 14 inches wide. In addition to being a comfortable place for your pooch to rest their head it's certainly going to be quite the conversation piece too. They're marketed for cats, too and are available in a variety of colors and lining styles. What do you think of this product, and have you seen other unique pet beds in your travels? Perhaps this is the beginning of a new age in silly pet sleep aids.
First up in our 2008 Dog Halloween Costume competition is Kaiser, the Great Dane/Yellow Lab cross, and his display of canine Elvis Impersonation abilities. Kaiser and his Mommy Kate live in Belleville, Ontario and apparently his penchant for Presley began at a young age.
He ain’t nothin’ but a… Great Dane/Yellow Lab cross.
“Ever since he was a puppy Kaiser has enjoyed shaking his hips, curling his lip in a snarl whenever he saw squirrels and wearing gold-rimmed sunglasses,” Kate tells us. “It was obvious to me that there was a little Elvis Aaron Presley trying to get out.”
Whatever you say Kate, and we wish you the best of luck in this year’s contest. Perhaps the ghost of the King will send a hunka hunka burning luck your way. There’s still lots of time to enter – Send your own entries to woof (at) doggoneknit.com today!
There are only 2 weeks left before Halloween 2008, but that is plenty of time to hold our second Dog Halloween Costume Contest! You may remember that LilliBelle won last year's prize – a $50 Amazon Gift Certificate – for her turn as Princess Jasmine from Aladdin. We also saw Tagen as a spider, Piper as Pocahontas, Lily as Yoda and many more. Click to see all of last year's Dog Halloween Costume Contest entries.
So how do you enter your prized pooch in this year's competition?
Send us a photo of your dog in his or her costume.
Tell us the name of your dog.
Tell us what the costume is supposed to be.
Share a funny story about your pet wearing the costume.
Photo submissions conclude on October 31st, and voting will continue several days into November until people have had plenty of time to select their favorite. We look forward to your entries and wish you all the best of luck!
The detail of the practical knitting instructions which pepper this pattern really impressed us. It's a very good example for someone looking to knit their very first attempt at a medium-sized dog sweater. The author, "Midnight Knitter", is obviously trying to help his or her fellow needle knasher.
"If you have another ball of Big Wool, add sleeves to the armholes."
It may seem silly, but comments like the aforementioned are very useful when considering a pattern for the first time, as there are many different styles and preferences among knitters who share their dog sweater patterns online. We applaud this attempt, and welcome the comments of anyone who's tried Midnight's pattern.
Less than a month until the new Indiana Jones movie is released, and we here at DGK are beyond excited. It's expected that Indy and his new sidekick, Mutt Williams, are going to be the hot tickets for Halloween costumes this year. It's no surprise then that a new Indiana Jones Dog Costume has just been released by Costume Craze – and it has to be seen to be believed.
If you think your precious pooch might be a two-fisted, adventurer/archaeologist Indy fan – and he's just been keeping it to himself – you can order your own Indiana Jones Dog Costumestarting on Friday. Here's hoping Kingdom of the Crystal Skull lives up to all the hype. We have our paws crossed!
They aren't wearing any sweaters in this flick (only Roots shirts that we picked up at Petcetera), but the DGK mascots, Shepherd and Rhubarb, are all kinds of cute as they frolic through the mud for your enjoyment. Their Grandmother is currently knitting up a storm for the new additions and we'll feature photos of the results, plus the accompanying patterns, here on the site in the very near future.
Listen to the various soundtrack songs, bionic sound effects and even a few special effects thrown in for good measure. We hope you enjoy the video and Rhuby and Shep look forward to your comments.
For the perfect dog sweater fit, it is said that owners must measure their pooch from the base of the neck to the base of the tail. Measured in inches, the result will be the best choice of size for your specific friend. If you'd like to take it a step further, there are several resources online that will assist you in accurately measuring your beloved canine for his or her very own knitted or crocheted dog sweater. We don't currently host a guide of our own and based on some of your emails I thought it would be helpful to point you in the direction of some of our favorites.
1. TheKnittinNeedle.com features a terrific page, accompanied by many helpful photos, which will lead you through the measurement process from soup to nuts. Their guide is designed to allow people to send them measurements so that the site can knit and send out sweaters at a price. If you use or have a look at their photos and diagrams, be sure to glance at their portfolio and think about purchasing from them.
2. Pet-Shop.net offers up a wonderful dog sweater size chart organized by breed which is well organized and easy to follow. The chart also defines sizes and their range from extra small to double extra large. There are over 50 breeds outlined so be sure to have a look and see if your pet's pedigree is among those listed.
3. For those of you who prefer practical examples Leila Simonsen has written a long description of how she likes to measure dogs when preparing to knit them a sweater. This guide encourages you to draw life size diagrams with leg and neck holes included to ensure your choice of pattern is the best suited before beginning the knitting or crocheting process.
Do you have a favorite dog sweater measurement resource that we haven't listed here? Please send us an email and we'll add it to our resource. Happy knitting to all our peeps and pups!
This dog sweater crochet pattern is ideal for small or toy breeds, but can also be added on to as a larger dog grows into a full size dog. This means one sweater can fit your special pooch from puppyhood to maturity! Since the pattern is scalable, it can also be utilized for larger breeds who are already all grown up.
Using a size G hook and WW yarn, this pattern will help you make a wonderful full body pullover with 4 leg holes. Notes accompany the pattern which explain how to make the sweater longer as the dog grows.
Well done to Bobbie Birchfield, and we hope you enjoy her lovely patterns – of which there are many more. Click here for this pattern and more!
Although we surely like to knit dog sweaters here at DogGoneKnit.com, it has always been for pooches belonging to our friends. Shocking, we know. For whatever the reasons – location, allergies, cats who got there first, etc. – we've never had a canine to proudly call our own. Those days are finally over and we hope you share a small shred of our immeasurable joy at welcoming Shepherd and Rhubarb to our family!
Rhuby and Shep are baby Boston Terriers and they were born in early December 2007 roundabout Kingston, Ontario Canada. The Roots Athletics shirts they wear in the photo certainly weren't knitted by us, but we're already in the process of finishing and executing great new patterns which will eventually appear here on DGK. We're also pleased to announce that we're just days away from finally launching the Dog Park dog sweater knitting forum that we've been talking about for way too long.
Hello everyone, and we hope your Holidays were safe and happy for you and yours. When we started DogGoneKnit.com way back in 2002, we never dreamed it would reach the traffic levels it enjoys today. From the feedback we receive it is apparent that while many people enjoy the site even more feel that it is lacking and could use some new features, new patterns and overall attention. The site is a labor of love for my sister and I, so we work on it when we can – but we're going to make a strong and concerted effort in the first part of 2008 to whip things into shape, and we'd like to ask for your help!
Do you have a dog sweater knitting or crochet pattern that you have created yourself or that is in the public domain? Then please send it our way! We'll give you full credit for the pattern and will even be awarding the best submission with a $100 Amazon Gift Certificate to make it worth everyone's while. We'll also be adding an interactive forum where people can discuss specific patterns, ask others in the community for help and even upload photos of their precious pooches!
So please, send us your patterns and keep checking back lots of activity, new additions and exciting news here on DogGoneKnit.com in 2008. Remember, "Grr. Not Brr"!