Schnapps loves to have a cowl on in the cold weather……he started with scarves (he was the only one willing to wear my first knitting attempt!)...... but the ends would unravel and drag on the ground, so I decided to try out a cowl. He loves them and I can switch them out for different occasions without spending a ton of money on holiday collars. This one takes about 30 – 45 minutes to make and can be adjusted for dogs of any size. You MUST knit this loosely!!! Especially when binding off……..you want it to have enough stretch to go comfortably over the dog’s head.
To be sure you are making the correct size, take your dog’s collar and hold it to a circle loom. The collar should be the same size or slightly smaller than the inside of the loom. I use the blue “preemie hat” loom for Schnapps. Larger dogs would need larger looms. But I think, using the Knifty Knitter set you could make a cowl even for a Saint Bernard!
Use two strands of worsted weight or bulky yarn held together as one. You could also just use one strand of super bulky yarn. I like to use colors that are seasonal......this one is in fall shades, but he has an orange and black one for Halloween, a Christmas one, a red and white one for Valentine's Day, a green one for St. Patrick's Day and a blue one for 'everyday' use.
Make a slipknot and attach it to your anchor peg.
E-wrap the entire loom. Start with Peg 1 by bringing the yarn towards the inside of the loom and wrapping it around the peg in a counterclockwise direction. Repeat for each peg. There should be one loop on each peg when you are finished.
E-wrap the entire loom again, being sure that there are 2 loops on every peg when you are finished.
Knit off each stitch by bringing the bottom loop up and over the top loop, taking the bottom loop off the loom. When finished, there will be one loop on each peg again.
Repeat the above two rows, e-wrapping and knitting off until your piece is about 5 inches long. Make this longer for larger dogs.
Bind off very loosely, using the basic bond off, as follows:
1. Knit the first 2 stitches.
2. Move the loop from peg 2 over to peg 1. Knit off.
3. Move the loop from peg 1 over to the now empty peg 2.
4. Knit the next peg
Repeat steps 2 through 4 until you have only one stitch left on the last peg.
Cut your working yarn, leaving about 6 inches and e-wrap the last peg. Knit off and pull the tail through the stitch.
Your cowl is complete!
And yes, you could use the same pattern to make a cowl for a person - but I have not done so yet.
Since in the past some people have had trouble printing things from here, you can always email me at robin@delawareheadhuggers.org and I will send you the pattern. You might want to try copying it and pasting it into a Word document also - that works for some people.
Visit www.delawareheadhuggers.org and www.kozykoversforkids.org to learn about the 2 charities I run from my home.
Find us on Facebook too -
Delaware Head Huggers: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Delaware-Head-Huggers/250229674280
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Happy Knitting!!
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