Pooch Week: From Nose to Tail

Lest you think knitted pants are only for (ill-advised) humans... 

Pooch Week: Scraptastic

#1:   The use of fun fur-type yarn on a dog that already has fur never fails to intrigue. 

#2:  This dog's full-body sweater seems to have been made of whatever scraps were lying around.  On the one hand, I applaud this frugality.  (Let no yarn go to waste!)  On the other hand, doesn't man's best friend deserve better? 

#3:  What is that green, feathery-looking thing on top of the dog's head? 

#4:  Bravo for accepting (and meeting) the challenge to make the Dachshund (a breed of dog that looks a little silly under the best of circumstances) even more amusing to look at.  

Pooch Week: Ear Supplements

First:  "Why, Mommy?  Why?"

Second:  Ear supplements for dogs, an important issue we first brought to your attention in this post. 

Pooch Week: Puponcho

It's a new fad poised to sweep across the nation-- the Puponcho!  A poncho for pups!  (Get it? Haw-haw.)

Pooch Week: Vicarious

As Maryann tested the fit of the elaborate sweater-dress she'd just knitted for her beloved Muffin, the thought popped into her mind that perhaps Steve hadn't been completely wrong...  Was she living vicariously through her furry friend?  It was true that Muffin's engagement calendar was more full than her own...

Pooch Week: Saddle Up!

Possibly it's just some sort of cutesy belt, but it looks disturbingly like a saddle.  Fluffy, if I were you, I'd keep an eye open for tiny monkeys wearing cowboy hats. 

Pooch Week: Scarf & Hat Set

Sure, it's cute, but won't s/he just be constantly tripping over the ends of scarf?  And isn't this a little of a strangulation hazard?  ...Or a choking hazard, if the dog is anything like mine are.  (They'd be pulling at that thing before I could manage to get it on them.)

Pooch Week: You Ain't Lion!

It's Pooch Week at Yarn Yuck!

Many of us around the world share our homes, our lives-- even our beds-- with our dogs, so it should come as no surprise that those canine companions also get a share of our handmade, yarn-based handicrafts.

Let's take a look at some of those dog-centric yarn-crafts!

Dog in lion costume:  "Why are you doing this to me?"

Dog-owner / lion-costume-maker:  "That'll teach you to piddle on Mommy's handmade Persian carpet."

Puppy Power!

Gift Idea of the Day:  Crocheted Pound Puppies!

"Crochet Your very Own Baby Puppies... Plus Outfits to Wear"!

No More Monkeying Around!

One of the hottest handmade toys this year is Mack the Angry Sock Monkey...

...and his hapless henchdog, Jack.  

Along with your little ones, they'll hatch all sorts of fun plots for world domination-- and the occasional bank heist.

But whatever you do, don't call Mack "Curious George"... You don't even want to know what he did to the last person who made that mistake...

Beauty's Only Skin Deep

Most of us have physical shortcomings-- some little (or not-so-little) thing about our own body we'd love to change.  Nose a smidge too big?  Lips a trifle thin? 

Some of us are sensitive about our ears:

Are your dog's ears just not big enough?  Doggy ear supplements!
They make all the difference in the world.

(Honestly, I can't tell if these were knit or crocheted at all, and I can't recall where I found the image, so I can't go back and check... If they aren't yarn-craft, let's just file this one under "Just Because", ok?)

*Shrug*

The chief argument in favor of doggy sweaters-- you know, that they serve a real purpose by keeping dogs (particularly short-haired ones) cozy in cold weather-- doesn't hold up quite so well when the garment in question is no longer a full sweater, but instead can be (and is) described as a "shrug":

That looks pretty silly, if you ask me, and my dogs would be horrified if I tried to dress them that way (or at all, as my dogs are habitual nudists), but to each his own way...

Sure Beats a Collar

Just what every dog needs-- a (faux) necktie:

Because without it, there's no way he's ever going to make Alpha Dog, right? 

The tie demands respect.

Just for the Fun Fur of It

In case you were wondering what to do with all that Fun Fur and other novelty yarn in your stash*, here are a few ideas. . .

Knit yourself a cozy faux fur "mink" jacket:

Whether you go for the classic brown or the more unusual tawny-foxy-russet, you're sure to turn heads!  (Just don't wander into the forest during bear-hunting season, ok?)

Go sleeveless for the warmer seasons!

If your stash isn't substantial enough for a coat or a vest, you can always make one of these charming hats:

(Is it just me, or does that last model look like she wants to cause the photographer bodily harm?  Who could blame her, though.  She looks atrocious in that hat.)

Try a Fun Fur cowl!

. . . Or Fun Fur earmuffs and. . . whatever those furry blobs on her hands are meant to be. . .

Keep your calves toasty with Fun Fur legwarmers!  (BONUS:  They look like furry Ugg Boots!)

If you don't like the natural color of your dog's fur (but don't want the hassle and expense of taking him to the hairdresser to have his coat dyed), nothing's simpler than whipping up a doggy body-toupee: 

And when you're done and you're left with small remnants of yarn?

I suggest you craft a bunch of these "Dust Bunnies"  (seriously, that's the name of the pattern) and sneak them into the homes of friends and family.  Won't they be surprised!

Of course, you could also just make a bunch of earrings with your leftovers. . .

Whatever you do with your stash of eyelash, don't forget that just because it's Fun Fur doesn't mean it can't be sexy. . . (Animal magnetism, etc., etc.  ...Though I will say that the model is very trim, and you need to be, to wear that outfit.)

You know, I feel like this is a hollow victory.  It's really not fair to mock Fun Fur, because it's altogether too easy to do.  Like shooting fish in a barrel. . . or Fun Fur Dust Bunnies in any location, since they have no limbs with which to move themselves. . . (So very, very sad.)

* Please, please tell me I'm not the only one with a goodly amount of novelty yarn in her stash.  It's from back before I really knew how to crochet.  I didn't realize that regular, plain old yarn is so much more versatile-- and most of it was bought really cheaply on CLEARANCE.  So, you see, I didn't actually have any choice in the matter, but had to buy some of it.  (Did I mention I'm a bargain-hunter?)