Hi there,
It has been so long since I have posted in my blog. Facebook has been working great for me with posting any Pixie HeartStrings news.
But lately, I have been posting more and more patterns that I have come up with for various things.Using my Notes for those patterns is quite limiting in as to how I can share them with you. So I have decided to dust off the blog and put it to good use...
The other day, after searching high and low (and wasting $) for a harness that would fit my Rosie, a tiny Chorkie (Chihuahua/Yorkie mix), I decided to just make her one. Actually, it was more like a "Duh, why don't you just make her one!" moment...
I posted the first one I made on the
Pixie HeartStrings FB page and I received several requests for the pattern. I guess there are quite a few teeny dogs out there who need a suitable harness. Although I was OK with the first one, I knew I could do better.
First let me discuss size and weight. Rosie is a fully grown Chorkie, She weighs in at less than 5 pounds. She has an 8" neck and a 13" chest. By making my own harness I was able to customize it to perfectly fit her. You will be able to do the same with this pattern. You may however have to add or take away rows depending on your little one's size. I put the harness on and off her several times while making it to ensure I had a good fit. I will tell you exactly how many stitches and rows I used and then you can adjust as needed for your harness.
So here we go...
Materials Needed
Small amount worsted weight cotton. I used Bernat "Handicrafter Cotton".
G Hook
2 Small D Rings
Small Plastic Pet Collar Clasp (optional)
Ribbons, Buttons, Crochet or Silk Flowers (optional)
Directions
1) Start with a triangle. You want your triangle to fit perfectly up against your dogs chest area. I chained 15 for my foundation row. Then SC in 2nd CH from hook and in each CH to end. CH 1 turn. 14SC
2) SC in each stitch across. CH 1 turn. 14SC.
3) SC first 2 stitches together. Then SC across to last 2 SC and SC them together. CH 1 turn. 12SC.
4) SC across all stitches to end of row. CH 1 turn. 12SC.
5) SC Repeat row 3. CH 1 turn. 10SC.
6) Repeat row 4. CH 1 turn. 10SC.
7) Continue in this manner until you have 1SC on your hook. DO NOT finish off.
8) Working down side, across bottom and up other side, make a row of SC. DO NOT finish off.
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| Triangle |
9) SC in first 3 stitches down side as shown in photo below. CH 1 turn. 3SC.
10) SC in each stitch. CH1 turn. 3SC.
11) This will become the neck (collar) strap of the harness. Repeat row 10 until the strap is the length you need to fit your dog's neck. I made mine 29 rows long.
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| SC in first 3 stitches down side from top of triangle. |
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| Repeat Row 10 until your strap will fit around your dog's neck. |
12) Slip stitch or whip stitch this strap to the other side of the triangle being careful not to twist it. Keep in mind, this need to be able to slip over your dog's head. It does not need to be too snug on the neck. Comfort is the key. Fasten off and weave in ends.
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| Your harness should now look like this. |
13) Now insert hook in the 3rd stitch away from the collar on the side of the triangle (see pic below). Attach your chain and make a SC in that stitch and the next 2. CH 1 turn.
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| Insert hook here to begin new strap. |
14) Make this leg opening strap as long as needed to reach the top of your dog's leg. By the shoulder area. I made mine 12 rows long. Fasten off.
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| First leg opening strap made. |
15) Insert hook in first stitch at the base of the triangle (see pic below). Attach yarn and make a SC in that stitch and in next 2 stitches up side of triangle. CH 1 turn. 3SC.
16) Continue as in first strap only make it 1 row longer than the first one. DO NOT fasten off.
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| Insert hook here for next strap. |
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| You now have 2 straps. |
17) Insert your hook into the first SC of other strap (see pic below) and make an SC in that stitch and in next 2 SC. You have now connected the 2 straps. Be careful not to twist them. CH1 turn. 6SC.
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| Insert hook here to connect both straps. |
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| Continue to SC across other strap. |
18) SC across all 6 stitches. CH1 turn. 6SC
19) SC the first 2 stitches together. SC in each of the next 2 SC. SC the last 2 stitches together. CH1 turn. 4SC
20) At this point you need to fit this on your dog to see how long this strap needs to be to make it reach the center of your dog's back. I made mine 4 rows long. So I had 4 rows of 4SC. Fasten off.
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| 21) Repeat your leg openings on the other side, The only difference is you need to make the strap closest to the base first and the one by the collar last. DO NOT FASTEN OFF. |
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| 22) Make an edge of SC on the entire outside & inside of the harness to give it a nice clean edge and more stability. |
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| 23) Your harness should now look like this. |
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24) Attach D rings to the end of each strap with a whip stitch. I went over it several times to ensure it would not come loose.
You can embellish the top of the collar part of the harness any way you like. In this case I made a simple crochet flower and will attach with the little button. On the white one Rosie is wearing at top, I made a ribbon bow with a floral accent and sewed that to the top of the collar using dental floss. |
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| 25) This part is optional. I had a little collar that no longer fit Rosie and I used the plastic clip from that to keep the harness clipped onto her when not in use. If you want to do this step fine. If not, when you clip the leash onto both D rings, the harness will stay on. |
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| You can see how the harness fits up against Rosie's chest perfectly here. |
So there you have it! A harness that finally fits your little dog! I hope you find this pictorial helpful. If you like it, please let me know here so I can decide whether to make more in the future or not.
And feel free to share pics of your sweet baby wearing their harness on my
Pixie HeartStrings FB page! We LOVE to see...
Have a fabulous weekend!
Pixie
