I didn't really have a chance to measure Jacob, but I did did make a tracing of his paw in my notebook. I am sure that the first prototype of the paw sock will fit on his foot, I'm just not sure how well it will stay on.
Sketch from my knitting design notebook of Jacob's Paw (traced onto the page).
Materials
Paw Socks Prototype 1
After the completion of one prototype, I decided to try the sock on Jacob. When I pulled it out of my bag, he came over to sniff the sock (how he knew it was for him, I have no idea!) Jacob was interested in the drawstring, but otherwise had no issue wearing the sock. The verdict: Prototype 1 fits, time to make three more! I may try a second prototype, to see if I can improve on the fit, but these paw socks will serve their function to keep his feet warm in the snow.
© 2011 ChemKnits (www.chemknits.com)
- Size 5 double pointed needles
- Worsted weight yarn (I used Wool of the Andes from KnitPicks)
- Yarn needle to sew in loose ends
- Ribbon or extra yarn for drawstring.
- Cast on 24 stitches, Join in the round
- Rows 1-3: Knit
- Row 4: K1, *K2tog, YO, K2* repeat from * across the row (24 sts). This will create eyelets for a drawstring.
- Rows 5-24: Knit
- Row 25: *K2, K2tog* across the row (18 sts)
- Row 26: Knit
- Row 27: *K1, K2tog* across the row (12 sts)
- Row 28: Knit
- Row 29: K2tog across the row (6 stitches)
- Pull yarn through remaining stitches and weave in loose ends.
- Use a piece of yarn or ribbon and weave it through the eyelets to create a drawstring.
Paw Socks Prototype 1
After the completion of one prototype, I decided to try the sock on Jacob. When I pulled it out of my bag, he came over to sniff the sock (how he knew it was for him, I have no idea!) Jacob was interested in the drawstring, but otherwise had no issue wearing the sock. The verdict: Prototype 1 fits, time to make three more! I may try a second prototype, to see if I can improve on the fit, but these paw socks will serve their function to keep his feet warm in the snow.
---------------------------------------
Abbreviations Used in this pattern:
Kfb - increase by knitting into the front and back of a single stitch.
K - knit
P - purl
SSK - decrease by slipping two stitches then knitting them together. Alternatively, you could slip one stitch, knit one stitch and pass slipped stitch over.
K2tog - decrease by knitting two stitches together.
YO - Yarn Over
sl - slip a stitch
This pattern was created by ChemKnits for your personal or charity use. You are not to distribute or reprint this pattern without the permission of ChemKnits.Abbreviations Used in this pattern:
Kfb - increase by knitting into the front and back of a single stitch.
K - knit
P - purl
SSK - decrease by slipping two stitches then knitting them together. Alternatively, you could slip one stitch, knit one stitch and pass slipped stitch over.
K2tog - decrease by knitting two stitches together.
YO - Yarn Over
sl - slip a stitch
© 2011 ChemKnits (www.chemknits.com)
Next winter many doggies wardrobe will be filled with this handy footwear!!
ReplyDeleteI would start the booty with a "cuff" of knit/pearl (as most )mittens have a cuff for the wrist.) If not tight enough, a piece of elastic could be woven into the top of the booty.
DeleteSend me some pictures :)
ReplyDeleteHOW cool!
ReplyDeleteThank you! I'm going to try and make some for my Chihuahua, Sam.
ReplyDeleteYou may want to make them a bit smaller then, Sandy. I bet Sam is a bit smaller than Jacob!
ReplyDeleteMy jack russel McKay is allergic to grass of all things. His paws swell up and he spends hours licking his feet to make them feel better. The vet said to put booties on him whenever he is going on the grass, but the pet store booties are 30 dollars a pair. I tried to make a crocheted pair but his nails keep getting stuck. This is wonderful, if they will stay on. Thanks a million from all the parents of little guys with big quirks!!
ReplyDeleteLmao! Cute. :) I'll be making a set of these for my puppy.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad that you enjoyed the pattern!
ReplyDeleteI have a yorkie too! She hates snow and rain, so I am hoping that she likes these! I am a rather new knitter, so I will do my best!
ReplyDeleteGood luck!
DeleteI don't plan on knitting this cute footsie but had to say what a cute yorkie. So sweet.
Deletei love them an my elen yorkie loves them to thank-you giving the pattern ...<3
DeleteI'm glad that you like them!
DeleteWould you have a pattern to make these big enough to felt them. I think they would be more sturdy and warm if felted.
ReplyDeletePriscilla, I do not have a pattern for felted paw socks, but I agree that this is an excellent idea. In my experience with making multiple felted oven mitts, I found that my knitting tends to shrink more in length than width. I might try knitting the pattern as written on size 10 or 11 knitting needles and then hand felting a single sock to see how much you can shrink it. (A lot also depends on the size of your dog, of course.) Good luck!
DeleteLove it. I have a dog with nails and hardwood floors, these will work indoors for us!
ReplyDeleteI came on to see if I could find a small,knitted booties for a tiny dog but they really need something on the bottom so they don't stick to the snow or ice.
ReplyDeleteGood pattern though.
I have a 4 1/2 pound adopted Yorkie/Maltese mix and she has a congenital defect that among other things, causes her back feet to lightly drag so that the she ends up with the top of them on the sidewalk, not the bottom. I have to walk her on the grass only so they don't get rubbed raw. Her paws and ankles are so narrow I can't find anything to fit or that will stay on. I wonder if these can be made that tiny and maybe just put some kind of little Velcro circle piece on the top for the rubbing
DeleteIt is certainly worth a shot. I'm not sure how they stay on since the dog I made them for doesn't live with me. Good luck!
DeleteThis is a great pattern, and would be flexible enough for puppies with tiny feet. I think a longer cuff would help them stay on - but, I agree about needing some waterproof material to keep them sticking to the snow...what can we do about that?
ReplyDeleteI suppose you could sew something to the outside?
DeleteUsing wool is nice because even if it gets a little wet it will still keep you warmer than nothing.
I don't know if this would work, but recently I have been making plarn, that is using strips of plastic for crocheting and knitting. This would be waterproofed. I have crocheted with this but never tried knitting yet. I was thinking along the same lines as everyone else. I am a new knitter and I have problems still following the patterns but I am hanging in there. My Yorkie doesn't like her tiny paws getting wet and always looks at me like I am crazy expecting her to step on wet grass. Hope this helps if you give it a try.
DeleteThe problem with using plarn to knit with is that there will still be holes in the fabric, it won't be water tights. Maybe You could take a little plastic baggie and sew it around the bootie... (thus providing warmth and waterproof.)
DeleteI think if these were felted they would be more stiff and not conform to little paws as well, and be more likely to fall off. I hope to try these and then sew a little patch of scrap suede on the bottom for grip and see how that goes. I think I have some old sinlge mittens and gloves with suede grips so as not to need to purchase anything.
DeleteWhat about the rubber stuff, that hospital socks have on them on the bottom? How about basically creating a sole on the bottom like little sneakers? Do you think that may work to keep them waterproof? I was wondering about this myself. Wouldn't hurt to try it. I think you could find the stuff at sewing stores, knitting supply places, etc.
DeleteBy the way, my name is Susan. I couldn't figure out how to put my name on here.
Hi Susan! I'm not sure how you purchase that rubber stuff, but certainly that could help. I did try using some puffy paint on the soles of socks for my toddler and that helped a bit with the grip, but certainly didn't change the waterproofness.
DeleteHuge thanks Rebecca, I've used the pattern for two pairs and they're just perfect. I used needles as specified but a slightly thinner yarn and they were perfect for the slender feet of a whippet.
ReplyDeletehttp://stitchywitches.blogspot.co.uk/2013/01/paw-protectors-for-poorly-puppy.html
Your dog is so cute! Thank you so much for sharing the pictures with me, I love seeing finished projects of my designs. :)
DeleteDear Chem Knitter - may I kindly ask if you could measure the finished bootie? I need to knit booties for a friend's chihuaha - the dog is very tiny even for her breed, the bootie needs to the size of my thumb!! (I was thinking I should look at premie sock patterns). thank you in advance
ReplyDeleteMarie, I really wish that I had measured the paw socks before publishing the pattern. Unfortunately, these were made for a dog that doesn't live in my house so I do not have access to them to measure them. The yorkie these were made for likely has bigger (and fluffier) paws than the chihuaha. I think they were between 1-1.5 inches across.
DeleteI recommend selecting your yarn (I would go with sport or fingering weight so there would still be flexibility) and then check your gauge on a swatch. Let me know and I can help you figure out how many stitches to start with.
im going to try to make these for my cat, clyde.:) hes gonna hate me.....
ReplyDeleteThese are so cool, but we have two larger dogs and the cold is not really a problem here in Virginia and they like snow, when we do get any. But muddy feet are a problem. I wish I could have boots or rubber ones do they keep the mud off, and since they come in through the back door I can just toss in the laundry basket and wash, if they were made of something washable. Have to wipe them down now each time and 8 feet ripped each time they have to go out makes a pile of rags so little boots would be neat. Any suggestions?
ReplyDeleteFrom a google search of "rubber dog booties" I found a number of commercial options.
DeleteI don't know anyone who has used things such as http://pawzdogboots.com/prod_boots/, but it looks like they might work for your dogs.
Here we have hardwood which is slipperly for these so I sewed a grip fabric on the bottom of my babies, She is only 3 pounds so needs traction.
ReplyDeleteBeautiful pattern and great idea! I need to make one for my lab - he is a big dog:). Would appreciate very much if you could please let me know the changes I need to make to accommodate larger paws ? Am 'relatively' new to knitting
ReplyDeletePlease note how bad I was with this early design - I didn't even provide a gauge! I"m going to guess that it was around 5 sts/inch.
DeleteFor a larger dog, I would start out with a tracing of the paw, like I did. Measure the width and mutiply by 2 for the inches you need around. Multiple again by your gauge (eg. 5 sts/inch) to get the number of stitches you need. Select the nearest multiple of 6 and you should be able to adapt the instructions to a larger size. You may also want to leave more rows before the decreases since labs have longer feet, too. Good luck!
I'm going to have a go at knitting these and will have a 'play' with getting them to have gripping soles. I'll send another message to let people know how I got on. My two little dogs might not be too happy being used as guinea pigs but its all in the name of research!! Kate x
ReplyDeleteAwesome! My dog won't tolerate anything on his feet so I can't use him as a guinea pig. I look forward to your results!
DeleteI am a beginner-intermediate knitter. I have never use double-pointed needles. What does "Join in the round" mean at the beginning of this pattern? I understand the rest. These would be great for my chiweenie as Winter is approaching. Thanks.
ReplyDeleteHave you ever knit on circular needles? Joining to knit in the round on double pointed needles is similar, but you hold the stitches on 3-4 needles at a time to make a circle. This allows you to knit smaller circumferences because you're not constrained by the knitting needle cable. (There are ways to use a really LONG pair of circular needles called magic loop to knit really small circles, but most people will use DPN's.)
DeleteWhen you are knitting something flat, you turn the work at the end of each row. The first stitch of the next row is always the same as the last stitch you knit. With circular knitting, the first stitch of the next row is the same as the first stitch you knit in the last row. Rather than turning your work, you are joining the edges of the work to continue knitting in the round.
I also have a video on my youtube channel that should help: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2_GV_LADd2I
If any of this is still confusing let me know and I'll see if I can help out. Good luck and happy knitting!
Thanks, Rebecca. I have used circular needles. Maybe I'll just use that in this project. In other words, when using the DPN's, after working the last row, you still switch hands, but turn the needle around in your left (holding) hand? I'll watch the video!
DeleteWith DPN's you don't turn the needle, but continue knitting in a circle like you would with circular needles. If you have stitches on 3 DPN's with 6 sts on each, after casting on you start knitting the very first stitch you cast on on needle #1. When you get to the end of needle 3 again, you continue to needle one, always knitting from right to left on each needle.
DeleteHopefully the video helped, it is much easier to show than to explain written out. :)
I think I would buy some leather (not too stiff) at AC Moore or Joanne's, cut a rectangle to fold in half and serve as the lower "half" of the bootie - height and width would depend on paw size. Sizing it to your baby's foot might be easy if you cut and made a test piece of heavy felt first which could be kept as a pattern for future use. Then I would use a large needle (or leather punch if you have it) to make holes at the top edges to equal my cast-on count. I'd stitch up the sides (seams on the outside) with something very strong like a double strand of waxed dental floss which is practically indestructible. Then I'd use a crochet hook to "pick up" stitches at the top of my bootie and knit a snug garter stitch to the desired length. I also might get some of that spray waterproofing stuff (I forget what it's called) and spray it on the leather part of the booties. Come to think of it, it would probably be better to spray on the leather and let it dry before cutting the rectangles. You could always spray a second time to help keep the seams watertight. If stitched tightly enough this might work.
Deletethis would work in the southwest states where the ground gets too hot for little paws too
ReplyDeleteIt might, but I'm not sure you want to put wool pads on your dog when it is super hot. Maybe make them out of cotton or linen?
DeleteWow! These are simply wonderful. I am making a set for my Nephew's little doggie as he dislikes their hardwood floors. I plan on adding puffy paint to the sole of the booties. I think it will work out great! Also I will place an elastic yarn i-cord through the eyelet row. Thank you so much for this pattern!
ReplyDeleteJanet.
Wow! These are simply wonderful. I am making a set for my Nephew's little doggie as he dislikes their hardwood floors. I plan on adding puffy paint to the sole of the booties. I think it will work out great! Also I will place an elastic yarn i-cord through the eyelet row. Thank you so much for this pattern!
ReplyDeleteJanet.
On human slippers I have seen a technique were they put rows of silicone on the bottom of the slipper and pus it into the yarn then let it set up. This makes a sole for the slipper.
ReplyDeleteSandy