Gus in his Doghouse FO by Susan B. Anderson

Pattern: Dog in the Doghouse by Susan B. Anderson

Source: Topsy Turvy Inside Out Knit Toys (from Local Library)

Yarn: Mondial Merino Special and Remnants On Hand

Needles: 3.75

Start: January 19 Finish: January 22, 2015

Modifications: Changed the Dog's Face and Used His Name Over the Doghouse Door

First a small disclaimer - I am not in love with how the doggie's face looks. The one in the pattern is much cuter but I'm going for something that looks like their dog "Gus" rather than a generic doggie face. Their pooch is a beagle/pug cross that has a very "puggish" puss. Much like this. So that is what I tried to replicate.

The instructions in the pattern stipulate that the head of the dog should be placed forward of the top of the body - likely to ensure it fits inside the doghouse so I did that but again, it creates something less than appealing to my eye at least.

I added this embroidered tail after the fact - again attempting to make it as "Gus-like" as possible.

The house has a kind of sloppy look about it - I think the designer's idea was to invoke something knocked together by a kid for his dog rather than a pristine puppy palace so I went with that too - right down to a kind of scrawled lettering over the door.

Whatever the details, the idea is super cute and making it look like their dog was fun to do and will no doubt be a great hit when its opened but also, I hope as baby grows.

I haven't made a toy in ages. I do enjoy all the quick shaping instructions and seeing how the designer uses them to invoke the image of something or someone. Fun! Just like knitting should be. Thanks for dropping by!