News, Advice and Resources for Thoughtful Pet People
Here’s the collection of DIY projects I’ve written about recently that would make good, inexpensive presents this year when money is tight for so many.
PetProject hopes all of you are enjoying the season, that you & yours are healthy & happy, and that the coming year is filled with joy.
On with the projects!
Cat Toys:
Dog Toys:
Pet Beds:
Dog Sweater:
Eegads, how cute is this?! And inexpensive! Follow this quick & easy tutorial and you’ll have a sock sweater for your little dog in no time.
You’ll need: 1 sock, a pair of scissors, and a willing pup. You might want to hem the places where you cut, so it doesn’t unravel, but even that’s simple. (via CuteOverload)
Today, I’ve got a super simple DIY dog toy for you and it’s thrifty too. Yea! Braided tug toys are pretty durable since there are no seams to rip and no stuffing to come out. These two versions are even washable.
The second braided toy uses pant legs from old pairs of pants. You’ll need two pairs of pants. I think a large binder clip might be handy for when you’re hand sewing each end. An alternate way to finish the ends, might be to tie them off with twine by wrapping the ends a several times and knotting the twine. Easy and cheap!
Here are two different tutorials for knitting a pet bed for a cat or small dog. I suppose if you know how to alter patterns, you could knit a big bed for a large dog too. I just love that people take the time to make these tutorials and are happy to share their patterns. Very generous!
The KittyPi bed is knitted and then felted. This makes a great, durable bed that’s shaped like a flat-bottomed bowl. The felting gives it some structure, but it’s still soft and comfy. Love it! Don’t miss the two page gallery of beds people have made—lots of inspiration. The pattern is from Wendy at WendyKnits and since she’s generously shared this pattern, I want to let you know she has written two books—Wendy Knits: My Never-Ending Adventures In Yarn and Socks From The Toe Up.
The Dotty Cat Bed pattern is another lovely knitted and felted pet bed. (via craftzine) It has a wonderful polka dot pattern and it too makes a flat-bottomed bowl when it’s felted. Those dots are a nice touch. You can see what the bed looks like before felting. This great pattern is from Kelly over at Kelp!Knits. You can see some of her gorgeous sock patterns too—Interlocking Leaves, Oak Leaf, & Hanging Vines.
You’ll need to use a natural fiber yarn to get it to felt. Here are a few tutorials on felting, in case you need them: this one covers both hand & machine felting, here is a printable one on machine felting, and another on hand felting.
Need something to do today at work? Make a paper Japanese Bobtail for your desk. Don’t worry, your boss will be too impressed with your cutting & gluing skills to lay you off.
Canon has a nifty model of a Japanese Bobtail that you can print and instructions on how to construct it. Now, go dazzle your co-workers!