News, Advice and Resources for Thoughtful Pet People
Want to knit a sweater sized just for your dog? Then check out this calculator that uses your dog’s measurements and generates a pattern for your dog. (scroll down) Pretty cool!
The schematics page shows you what the pieces will look like and how they fit together.
There are loads more DIY projects on PetProject.
Fall is in the air here in the Pacific NW. It’s getting chilly and our cats & dog are finding snugly places to sleep. I may need to make a couple more small beds to keep the peace amongst the cats. Here’s the collection of posts on DIY pet beds.
A favorite spot for Sage is the bed I made from an old sweater. Here’s a great tutorial on how to upcycle an old sweater into a pet bed and you can check out how I made my version of the sweater bed.
Vintage suitcases make cute & clever pet beds. This post has a bunch of tutorials and examples of these fun beds.
I would consider learning to knit just so I could make some of these beds. You can knit & felt wonderful pet beds using the two great tutorials here.
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If you crochet, check out this pattern for crocheting & felting a nifty bed.
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You don’t have to be an expert in sewing to make this cute & easy nest bed.
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Some cats & dogs like to burrow more in their beds and this tutorial on making a hooded pet bed is perfect.
A hammock for your small pet might be the best thing. Here’s a post on how to make a hammock that can be free-standing or placed on a furnace to keep our pet good and toasty.
And if you need to get your pet off a cold floor, or if you’re in the Southern Hemisphere and need to keep your pets cool, this post shows how to make an elevated bed out of PVC pipe like Kuranda beds.
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There may not be a huge need for this, but there also can’t be a ton of patterns for goat sweaters out there either. Need a sweater for your pet goat or especially your new kid? Fias Co Farm has it covered (ha!).
The people at Fias Co Farm found that their baby goats did better in cold weather when they had their own sweaters. They also use sweaters for the does after difficult births. Check out the gallery of these wee kids in their snugly sweaters.
You can find patterns for:
If you have a goat or are thinking about getting one, be sure to look at the extensive section on holistic, humane goat care. It’s specifically for dairy goats, but I’m sure has good information applicable to pet goats.
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.
Belt tightening because of the economy doesn’t mean your holiday has to blow. Think about making gifts for your friend’s & family’s pets. In the days to come, I’ll be posting lots of ideas on DIY pet gifts that range from easy ones to the more involved.
Instructables comes through again with a detailed tutorial on how to knit a cute and safe little mouse for your kitty. You can use up scrap yarn. Or as MaggieBelize says:
Next time you have to knit a gauge swatch for felting, just knit a tail onto it as I describe here. When you’ve finished felting & measuring for your project, recycle the gauge swatch into an instant catnip mouse toy!
She even includes instructions of how to felt your mouse. Cool!