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| Kitten Sweater!!! |
(Picture of Punk in the sweater coming up soon!)
Ooo, it’s that time of year! The slow but steady transition from winter into spring! The air isn’t cold, but it isn’t warm, just chilly! I feel so bad taking my kitten out for walks (yes, we go out for walks) because he shivers! So I decided to whip up this pattern for all you kitten walkers! Yes, this pattern can be customized to fit a dog or a larger cat, just as long as you have a tape measurer!
What you’ll need:
A tape measurer
4.25mm crochet hook
I’m using CARON Simply Soft in the color Limelight, but you can use any color! I would say not to use bulkier or thinner yarn, as the measurements I use below were created from this Medium 4 yarn. This will be signified by C1
A 2nd color. I’m going to use some old, fluffy blue yarn I had just laying around in my stash. This will be signified by C2.
Scissors
Measurements:
Take measurement of your cats abdomen. This is so we can determine how many chains you must crochet.
My kitten’s was:
Abdomen: 9 inches around
Math time!
To figure out how many chain’s you should do, you must first do a little bit of math. It’s really simple.
1.First, you must multiply their abdomen length measurements by four. I’ve figured out that four evenly crocheted stitches are equal to one inch! Here are my measurements for Punk:
Abdomen: 9 x 4 = 36
2.Then, you add 4 to the new abdomen measurements. This is solely for comfort, we don’t want to choke our bebe’s!
Abdomen: 36 + 4 = 40
So, (for my kitten measurements!) You will end up crocheting 18 rounds for your pet’s sweater! You can elongate the pattern for more coverage, but since it’s only a little wintery chill, he won’t need so much coverage!
# of abdomen chains will be signified with an X.
Now, let’s begin the pattern!
Starting: Chain X (for me it is 40). Sl st into the very beginning chain to form a circle. This is going to go around your cat/dog’s body. Be certain there is no twisting.
Round 1: Ch 2. Hdc around the circle. When you get to the very last stitch, slip stitch to connect the round. (40)
Round 2-3: Here you can incorporate any decorative stitch you want, just as long as you can join up smoothly at the end of the round! Or, you can continue hdc-ing around here. I decided to stick to HDCs, because I’m impatient and restless when I’m crocheting. :P
Round 4-6: Since the weather isn’t that cold (just a chilly breeze!), these next few rounds are going to be netted. Here’s how: Chain 3, dc into the stitch that you chained off of, which should be the starting stitch of the last round. Chain 1, skip one stitch, and dc into the next stitch. Continue this around until you get to the very last stitch, where you will dc and slip stitch to join the round. You should either end up with a 3 dc cluster or a 2 dc cluster.
Round 7: Ch 3. [2 dc into the next gap]. Repeat this around. You should end up with the same amount of chains, however mine went down to 39 stitches. If this occurs, feel free to crochet extra double crochets.
Round 8: This is where it starts to get a little funky. We’re going to be crocheting the arm holes now. If your cat is any bigger than mine, you may want to measure the width between their two front legs, then multiply it by four. You will have to split that down the middle, so divide that in half. We’ll signify this with an S. Here’s an example:
Punk:
2 inches in between legs.
2 x 4 = 8
8 / 2 = 4
S=4
Example
3 inches in between legs
3 x 4 = 12
12 / 2 = 6
S=6
Get it?
So, continuing round 7, ch 3. Treble crochet (tr) your S amount. Now, depending on how large your cat’s legs are, chain as many stitches as needed to make an appropriate hole. Don’t make it too tight, though! I chained 5 and skipped 4 stitches. Treble crochet around until you get to where the next hole should start, which is fairly simple to figure out. Just add together your S stitches and how many stitches you skipped, then count that many over from the beginning of the round. Once you join up at the end, be sure that the holes fit your cat’s legs comfortably.
Round 8: Whew! Now time for some simpler stuff. Simply crochet around the edge and finish off..
Now, time for lining!
Take C2. We’re going to start by lining the neck hole. Sl st into the very beginning stitch and single crochet around. Then I’ll line the arm holes, then the very last opening. Once you’ve tied off everything and hidden all the loose ends, you’re done!!
© 2015 Sophie Bauer
This is her picture. <3
