A Cashmere Sweater For Your Dog

  Putting a cashmere sweater on your dog may sound a bit strange. Then again, maybe not. After all, you find many people putting garments on their dogs. And if you have a cashmere sweater to keep you comfortable, why not have one for your dog?

Most stores carry all sorts of clothes and adornments for your dog. You can find accessories like bowties, little trinkets, and even real jewelry. There are fleece style tee shirts and cashmere sweaters. Designers are getting into the act and creating more novel designs to capture the interest of dog clothes buyers.

While these canine garments may look very impressive, they can be expensive. It is not uncommon to find a price tag of a hundred dollars or so on cashmere sweaters for dogs. That is almost as much money as you would pay for an argyle cashmere sweater for yourself!

Now you do treasure your dog, but you might find that kind of sweater a bit too pricey. You could try to do something meaningful, to you and to your relationship with the dog: you could make a cashmere sweater for your dog.

No, that does not mean that you will have to spend time knitting a sweater for the fine canine. You can improvise, using one of your old cashmere sweaters. Perhaps you have one in your closet that for some reason you cannot use anymore. That would make the perfect hand-me-down sweater for your dog.

You will have to study carefully how you can fit the old cashmere sweater to the dog. You will need to take measurements of your dog, like all tailors do. You will need to determine the length of the sweater, since you probably will want to cover from the neckline to the rump. Measuring the girth around the dog’s chest and around the belly, plus an estimate of where you will position the leg holes.

For a small dog, you can make a wonderful turtleneck out of the wrist part of the old cashmere sweater. For a little added touch, you can sew in some trimming, say of feathers, leather, faux fur or the like. Decorative buttons, beads, or some rhinestone may earn you an appreciative glint in the eye from your dog.

For a little variety, or perhaps more appropriately, uniformity, you may want you and your dog to have look-alike cashmere sweaters. You cannot use your old sweater for that (unless you have an identical pair), so you will have to look around. A good place to start may be the local used-clothing bargain store. There could be some sweaters there identical or similar to what you have. Whether you make one yourself or buy from a discount store, all it takes is a little imagination to create a personalized cashmere sweater for your beloved dog.