| |

Puppy Sweater Knitting Pattern (XS Puppy)

THIS ARTICLE CONTAINS AFFILIATE LINKS THAT SUPPORT HANDY LITTLE ME CONTENT AND FREE PATTERNS.

This puppy sweater knitting pattern is really easy and can be made in around 2-3 hours.

Perfect for an XS puppy, this sweater will keep them warm on the coldest of days.

This sweater is knit flat on straight needles.

Scroll down for the free pattern or you can grab your printer-friendly ad-free PDF here.

puppy-sweater-knitted

Meet Our Puppy – Jason’s Story

Jason was found by our neighbor Ellie, as she was driving home one day.

He was sitting by the side of the road in a rural area on his own.

She stopped and picked him up and when she got home, asked us if we could take him.

He was really little and not very well, but after a few vet visits and lots of care, he was soon better and showing lots of improvement.

Newsletter
Get the latest in your inbox!

Weekly news, free patterns, tutorials, and more.

Small Dog Sweaters – Perfect for Tiny Pups!

Jason is a very small puppy (currently weighs 1 kilo) and has been feeling the cold a little, so he needed an extra small sweater, perfect for fall/winter.

This puppy sweater would be perfect for any small breed puppies.

It could also be adapted for larger puppies by adjusting the number of stitches you cast on.

*Please scroll down to see the free pattern*

Puppy sweater knitting pattern

An Easy Level Knitting Pattern

This is an easy pattern for those of you who are advanced beginner level, and the techniques you will need to know are casting on, casting off, knit, and purl stitches.

The small dog sweater is shaped through increases and decreases.

It is made in two pieces, the back, and the front.

free-puppy-sweater-small-pattern

The Yarn I Used

I used Lion Brand Hometown USA yarn I had leftover in my stash, so you don’t need a full skein for this pattern.

To substitute this yarn you can use any super bulky yarn weight 06. 

50g of yarn will be fine to use for this sweater, but if you make it for a larger size then you will need more.

Yarn Substitutes

You can substitute this yarn with any yarn that is super bulky weight.

You can find a full list of yarn substitutes here.

Here are some examples:

  • Lion Brand – Wool-Ease Thick and Quick.
  • Novita – Folk
  • Stylecraft – Swift Knit
  • Grundl – Alaska
  • Big Twist Yarns – Natural Blend
  • Buttercream – Luxe Craft Alpaca Solid
  • Mary Maxim – Starlette Chunky
  • Yarn Bee – Effortless Super Bulky
  • Lion Brand – Hometown USA
  • Patons (Australia) – Super Quick
  • Bergere De France – Recyclaine
small puppy sweater
free-puppy-sweater-pattern

Puppy Sweater Knitting Pattern

Grab your inexpensive ad-free, PDF printable pattern in my shop here.

Grab 12 dog sweater patterns in my discounted bundle here!

Skill Level – Easy

Notes

I cast on 14 stitches as I wanted to be able to fit it over his head easily, you can add more if your puppy is bigger and follow the pattern in the same way.

Just measure the circumference of the puppy’s neck and measure the length of his back and the chest – to see if you need to adjust the number of sts you cast on and for the length of the chest/back pieces.

This micro puppy sweater knits up quickly in super bulky yarn, and the simple design makes for a relaxing and enjoyable knit.

Copyright Info

  • Please do not copy, sell, redistribute or republish this pattern. 
  • If you wish to share this pattern, link to the pattern page only.
  • You may sell items produced using this pattern.
  • Do NOT use the copyrighted photos for your product listing.
  • For the copyright T&C please read my Terms of Use.

Gauge = 10 sts and 15 rows = 4in/10cm

Size / Measurements

  • XS puppy / small puppy
  • Back piece measures – length 9′′ / width 6′′
  • Chest piece measures – length 7.5′′ / width 6′′
  • Leg holes in the sweater measure 3 inches long and 2 inches wide.

Grab The Ad-Free Printable PDF Pattern Here

The Supplies You Need

Yarn

Needles

Notions

puppy sweater

Abbreviations / Knitting Abbreviations List

  • Approx = Approximately
  • Beg = Beginning
  • CO – Cast on
  • Cont = Continue(ing)
  • K = Knit
  • K2tog = Knit the next 2 stitches together
  • P = Purl
  • Rem = Remaining
  • Rep = Repeat
  • 1 x 1 Ribbing = 1 knit st, 1 purl st
  • 2 x 2 Ribbing = 2 knit stitches, 2 purl stitches
  • SKPO = Pass slipped stitch over
  • St(s) = Stitch(es)
puppy-sweater-knitting-pattern

Pattern

Back Piece >

  • Cast on 14 sts.
  • Knit in rib x 2 = (2 x Knit, 2 x Purl) until the piece measures 2 inches from the CO edge.
  • Next – work in stocking stitch (one row knit, one-row purl) until the piece measures 7 inches from the CO edge.
  • Then work 2 rows in 2 x 2 rib (K2, P2).
  • Cast off in rib.
  • Back piece measures – length 9′′ / width 6′′

Chest Piece >

  • Cast on 14 sts.
  • Knit 3 rows in 2×2 rib (K2, P2).
  • Next – Knit in stocking stitch (K 1 row / P 1 row) until the piece measures 2 inches from the CO edge.
  • Next row – SKPO – knit to last 2 stitches – K2tog.
  • Purl 1 row.
  • Next row – SKPO – knit to last 2 stitches – K2tog.
  • Purl 1 row.
  • Next row – SKPO – knit to last 2 stitches – K2tog.
  • Purl 1 row.
  • Cast on 2 – Knit to the end of the row.
  • Cast on 2 – Purl to the end of the row.
  • Cast on 1 – Knit to the end of the row.
  • Cast on 1 – Purl to the end of the row.
  • Knit in 2 x 2 rib (K2, P2) until the piece measures 2 inches.
  • Cast off in rib.
  • Chest piece measures – length 7.5′′ / width 6′′

Making Up >

  • Place the pieces together with the right sides facing.
  • Stitch the side seam 3 inches from the neck to the top of the first leg hole.
  • Leave a gap of 3 inches for the leg.
  • Then stitch the rem 1.5 inches.
  • Rep on the other side.
  • Sew in any loose ends.
  • Turn the right side out and try it on your puppy.
extra-small-puppy-sweater-pattern
Dog sweater knitting pattern

Share your work with us…

I love seeing your finished projects!

If you enjoyed making the puppy sweater, I’d love to see yours on Instagram, be sure to tag me @handylittleme.

If you are on Facebook, stop over to the handylittleme Facebook page and share a photo.

I’d love to see your work!

Happy Knitting! xoxo

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

12 Comments

  1. Jason definitely has some chihuahua in him…. he’s adorable. I just finished your sweater for my own little chihuahua puppy…. I get home tomorrow and I can’t wait to see it on him. Thank you so much for this pattern.

    Cheers, Joanne

    1. Jason is precious and quite a good model! Thank you for adopting him and sharing his story. I have rescued all my cats and dogs and loved them so, plus I think they rescue us right back. Who else gives unconditional love so willingly. I am going to try knitting that cute sweater for my neighbor’s tiny rescue Cleo III. I have a rescued senior white Pomeranian, Marshmallow, who loves sweaters but who also is really fluffy and as we live in Florida, rarely have sweater weather. If I am successful with Cleo’s sweater, I may make him one anyway. Thanks again1

      1. Hello Cynthia, thank you for your comment, you are right – Jason did rescue me too! he is my best friend and we are always together. I am so happy you like the dog sweater pattern and I hope you enjoy making it. 🙂

  2. Thank you for the puppy coat. I think the coat would make a wonderful donation to the animal shelters. I hope many people would consider making the coat for their local animal shelter.

    1. Hello, that is a truly wondeful idea and I hope that many people would think about doing this. Thank you for your comment and for visiting my site 🙂

    2. Hi have made 3 of your dog coats & would like to donate to animal shelter
      I live in cairns, I do them while watching tv, it’s warm up here most of the time do you have any suggestions where I can send them. Thanks in advance

      1. Hello Maree,
        That’s lovely! I’m not sure where you can donate, but if you look up your local animal shelters, maybe they can tell you if they will accept them or not?
        Or if there are any people in your local area who foster dogs, they may also take them.
        Maybe the local animal shelters etc are on Facebook/have pages or groups? That may be an easier way of finding them.
        I follow lots of local animal shelters here and they often post updates or appeal for donations etc.
        I hope that helps and happy knitting!
        Louise 🙂

    3. Hi and thank you fine e pattern. I just finished the coat did my 3 month Yorkie poo. He’s sleep now and u heard let sleeping dogs lie. I will put it on him tomorrow morning and send a pic. I changed it a little and made it red and green stripe for the holiday. Thanks again!!!

  3. I am having trouble with this pattern. The 2nd half of the pattern finishes with rib until the piece measures 2”? I see no discernible leg pieces to make up. The bottom is narrower than the top

    1. Hello Rachel,
      For the back piece – The 2 inches of ribbing is for the neck – this is measured from the cast on edge.
      Then you work in stocking stitch for the main part of the sweater finishing with two rows of ribbing.
      The chest piece is wider at the top because the chest is wider at the top of the body than it is further down.
      This is decreased so that the shape will fit the puppy’s chest.
      It does end with 2 inches of ribbing.
      You can see what this looks like in the photographs.
      In the making up section, it tells you how much of a gap you need to leave for the legs.
      I hope that helps!
      Louise