snuffy models this autumn’s sweater. modified fair isle pattern in a merino blend. i will never, ever knit fair isle again.

there are problems with this sweater that i’ll keep an eye out for in future patterns. it’s knit in the round, so it’s essentially a cone with holes on one side for the sleeves – this means it hangs down on his underside and presents a pulling danger (he’s already accidentally pulled threads on the belly); plus, because it’s fair isle, the wrong side (inside) is essentially a sweater mine of long yarn loops – an even greater pulling hazard. also – and i’ve noticed this on commercial dog sweaters as well as hand-knit ones – it doesn’t take into account the dog’s basic shape, so the neck winds up getting pulleddown the back instead of sitting up where it’s supposed to. i think knitting some short rows on the back would have helped with the problems there. also, ribbing the belly would probably take care of some of the sag issues.

last year’s sweater (shown below) has been consigned to the rag heap of history. it was a nasty polyester blend. overall a better dog pattern, though.