I adopted my dog Archie (Archibald, when I'm annoyed at him or trying to make a point) in February 2006.  I had to go all the way to Voorhees, NJ to find him, at the Animal Welfare Association.  It's an excellent no-kill shelter.  The people who run it are very caring, but they're also realistic.  Many of the rescue organizations I looked at before I adopted Arch wanted me to jump through all kinds of hoops, write essays about why I wanted to adopt, and some ultimately rejected me because I work full-time away from home.  Of course the AWA asks questions of its potential pet-parents, but it more reasonably looks first for a loving, safe home for its animals, and doesn't mind if you're not perfect.  I couldn't be more grateful to them for letting me take Archie home. 

Anyway.  I adopted Archie in February, and I live in Wilmington, Delaware.  Archie is part Chihuahua and part Schipperke, and his ideal temperature range is narrow - he's uncomfortable if it's colder than 60 degrees, or warmer than 75 (he also refuses to go outside when it rains, but that's a whole other story).  Since it was February, he needed a sweater immediately, so I came up with this little number: 


It's an Aran sweater knit specially for Arch in Lion Brand Wool-ease.  I knit it in the round, with very minimal seaming.  Thank you Archie for posing! 

It is my everlasting disappointment that Archie does not like to wear clothes.  He prefers to lounge around in all his glory, or to snuggle under the comforter on my bed if he gets cold.  I have knit him several sweaters, but the only time I can get him to leave one on is when we're going outside, and then it's only because he's distracted by the smells of other dogs, and he forgets to claw it off.  But isn't he so handsome in his little Irish fisherman sweater?  Especially with his greying muzzle and insouciant gaze.  He looks like an elderly professor, or a distinguished elder statesdog - even though he's only 6. 

He hasn't had a new sweater in some time, though, so I've decided to knit him yet another one.  This one will be Aran, too, for the extra warmth of the thick fabric.  Also, an Aran sweater is a great style for the fashionable dog.  As I knit this sweater over the next few weeks, I will be writing a tutorial for how to create your own Aran or other dog sweater, custom-sized for your guy or girl. 

Before you begin to knit: 
Choose your yarn.  I'm using Elann Peruvian Highland Wool, leftover from the Nantucket Jacket I knit for my mother:
 
Think about what kind of fiber you want to use.  Wool is very warm, even when it's wet.  If you think your dog will run through the snow in his sweater, wool might be a good choice for you.  You'll probably have to wash the sweater pretty often, so you might want to think about a superwash.  On the other hand, I don't find it too much of a hassle to handwash Archie's sweaters and then lay them out to dry.  Make sure not to put a pure wool dog sweater in the dryer if you don't want it to felt.  Believe me, I have ruined several sweaters this way.  As for weight, use worsted weight, aran weight, or chunky. 

Once you have chosen your yarn, make sure you have the right needles to knit with.  You're going to be knitting in the round, so use either circular needles in the right length (16-24 inches, depending on your dog's size), or double-pointed needles.  Since I want my sweater to be thick and knit densely, I'm using size 5 US (3.75mm) circular needles, one size smaller than the recommended needle for this yarn. 

Then, figure out your gauge in 2x2 rib (2x2 rib is knit as follows: *knit 2, purl 2, repeat from *).  Your row gauge is not important for this project, so just worry about the stitch gauge.  My gauge is 18 stitches = 4 inches.

Beginning to knit:
Measure the circumference of your little guy's neck.  Archie's is 13 inches.  Add two to three inches to this number, depending on how fitted you want the neck of the sweater to be.  Since Archie only wears sweaters under protest, I try to make them as comfortable for him as possible by sizing the neck a little on the loose side - 16 inches.  Since my gauge is 18 stitches = 4 inches, I cast on 72 stitches.  To figure out how many stitches you should cast on, use this formula:

Your gauge (X stitches/4 inches) = Y stitches/(circumference of your dog's neck + 2-3 inches).  X is the number you figured out above - mine is 18 stitches.  Y is the number of stitches you'll cast on.  Multiply X (which is 18 for me) times the number you figured out for the circumference of the neck of the sweater (16 for me), then divide the product by 4.  Using my numbers, I get the following: 18x16 = 288, and 288/4 = 72. 

Luckily for me, 72 is evenly divisible by 4.  If your number is not divisible by 4, then either add or subtract a few stitches to make it divisible by 4.  Using the cable cast-on or the knitted cast-on, cast on loosely the number of stitches that you just figured out.  For your first row, place a marker to mark the beginning of the round, then join the round and knit in 2x2 rib: *knit 2, purl 2, repeat from *.  Continue knitting in this 2x2 rib until your garment measures 7 inches from cast on if you have a small dog.  Feel free to make the ribbing shorter if you have a tiny little dog even smaller than Arch, or make it longer if your dog is larger.  Keep in mind that you're knitting a turtleneck sweater, so if you knit rib for 7 inches, then the turtleneck is going to be 3 1/2 inches long when folded.  Here are the first few rows of Archie's new sweater:
Check back in a week or so for the next installment, and good luck!