Need help with dog sweater

[AndriaM]

Hello, all!

I'm a new member and so glad to find you.

I hope you can help me figure out the directions to this dog sweater because I just don't get it.

I came back to crochet a few years back and have been using those kits to make ammigurumi for my niece and nephew. Having never read patterns before that, it was a pretty good beginning. 

Before I go on to making my own beautiful items out of expensive yarn, I thought I would make some sweaters for my elderly, skinny cat.

This dog sweater is working in rows and I believe what they are doing is making a square, then continuing with the next square that contains leg openings and then the back body square and then sewing the seams at the belly from front to back to close it. The directions are subdivided into upper body, leg openings, lower body. 

I have that much figured out (which is better than a few days ago - ha!)

What I can't figure out is what is meant in the directions by the leg openings portion. I did two rows and I'm not creating openings so I don't get it.

I don't get why you need two different balls of yarn, for instance (although I did it), but by the time I get to the end of the second row and look at the third I realize I'm doing something wrong so I stopped in frustration last night. lol

I am adding two pictures:
the finished project (it's beaded - so cute!)

and the portion of the directions that I do not understand.

I appreciate your help very much!!!

[bgs]

In row 1 there are 2 places where it says to "skip the next 5 [6,11,12] stitches (leg opening), join separate ball of yarn." 

 Those skipped stitches make the leg opening.  You join a separate ball of yarn because you will be working 3 separate sections (back and forth) for awhile that are connected to original main section.

 

[Granny Square]

Welcome to the 'ville!

And ugh! to the way your pattern is written, if I'm reading it correctly.  

I'm going to add a diagram I did of a 'people' vest which in an un-sewn-together-state, which might (sort of) help illustrate what I think is going on.  In my diagram the red lines show a 'fold' and the blue arrows show how the top of the fronts are sewn to the back for the shoulder seam; it looks like this might apply to your dog sweater but I'm not positive.  The gaps where the top of the back becomes separate from the 2 fronts are the armholes.

I believe up until now you have been working across the lower wide area of front+back+front in 1 piece up to this point.  In the people vest, at the beginning of the row, at one of the fronts,  when it came time to start the armhole you just worked a partial distance across, turned, then worked back and forth across that partial distance for x rows until you reached the top of the shoulder.  Then, you cut the yarn, skipped a few stitches for the underarm, reattached the yarn, and worked across the back for x rows.  Then you cut the yarn, reattached for the other front, etc.

If I'm interpreting your pattern correctly, the end result of the construction of your pattern is almost the same, except instead of finishing 1 front, you do 1 row of the first front, attach another skein and work 1 row of the back, attach a third skein and work across 1 row of the other front.  Which accomplishes the same thing I described in the above paragraph, except you have 3 balls of yarn hanging off your piece.

Oops, I see Bgs has just replied and said the same thing more succinctly - entirely possible I am missing something as to why it must be done that way, and not 3 separate 'columns' joined together later.

 

[bgs]

When you get to the lower body row 1 you will be joining all three sections back together in the two places where it says in to ch 5 [6, 11, 12] .  

 

[AndriaM]

On 1/3/2021 at 12:10 PM, bgs said:

In row 1 there are 2 places where it says to "skip the next 5 [6,11,12] stitches (leg opening), join separate ball of yarn." 

 Those skipped stitches make the leg opening.  You join a separate ball of yarn because you will be working 3 separate sections (back and forth) for awhile that are connected to original main section.

 

I think you're right and I think I get it now. d'uh. seems so easy now that I understand. I will touch base if I have more problems and/or final product. My apologies for the late reply, I have learned to put these projects down for a few days to get some perspective. I've been darning socks instead. lol

[AndriaM]

On 1/3/2021 at 12:16 PM, Granny Square said:

Welcome to the 'ville!

And ugh! to the way your pattern is written, if I'm reading it correctly.  

I'm going to add a diagram I did of a 'people' vest which in an un-sewn-together-state, which might (sort of) help illustrate what I think is going on.  In my diagram the red lines show a 'fold' and the blue arrows show how the top of the fronts are sewn to the back for the shoulder seam; it looks like this might apply to your dog sweater but I'm not positive.  The gaps where the top of the back becomes separate from the 2 fronts are the armholes.

I believe up until now you have been working across the lower wide area of front+back+front in 1 piece up to this point.  In the people vest, at the beginning of the row, at one of the fronts,  when it came time to start the armhole you just worked a partial distance across, turned, then worked back and forth across that partial distance for x rows until you reached the top of the shoulder.  Then, you cut the yarn, skipped a few stitches for the underarm, reattached the yarn, and worked across the back for x rows.  Then you cut the yarn, reattached for the other front, etc.

If I'm interpreting your pattern correctly, the end result of the construction of your pattern is almost the same, except instead of finishing 1 front, you do 1 row of the first front, attach another skein and work 1 row of the back, attach a third skein and work across 1 row of the other front.  Which accomplishes the same thing I described in the above paragraph, except you have 3 balls of yarn hanging off your piece.

Oops, I see Bgs has just replied and said the same thing more succinctly - entirely possible I am missing something as to why it must be done that way, and not 3 separate 'columns' joined together later.

 

Thank you so much for trying to help me! 🙂

It's my fault for not including the entire pattern which would make more sense for you guys to help, but since I paid for the pattern, I didn't think that was fair to the author (maker? designer?).

I think Brenda is correct, but I can see how your way could totally work as well, just not with this particular pattern. However, it gives me some ideas for other projects. Muahahahah

My apologies for the late response, sometimes I need to put hard projects down for a while and let them percolate. 😉