"Never work with animals or children."

That's what W. C. Fields said a long time ago. I guess, in theory, he could have been right. I mean, animals and children are unpredictable. But adults aren't half as cute and adults can be mean.

So can dogs. 

And girls starting at around age six.

I know this because I have a girl. The girls at her school started to get a little mean around that age.

But Girlfriend doesn't seem to have that trait . . . 

yet.

Just like traffic in Los Angeles, you never comment on how good it is, because if you do, then next thing you know, you're stuck on the freeway for the next six days and seven nights. So I will not brag about Girlfriend's lack of "mean."

Back to the subject, well, part of the subject: Animals. And knitting for dogs specifically.

This past July, I went to San Francisco and taped some classes for Creativebug. I did a four-week series on Top-Down Sweater Knitting (see the button on the right-hand sidebar), but one of the classes, the one that goes live today, is about how to knit an easy, custom dog sweater with any yarn and at any gauge, without a pattern. Pup Charlie up there was on set and he's sporting one that I knit for the class. The doggie on the right is Wes. He's a real humdinger. He'll steal your hot dog right out of your hand when you're not looking. True story.

To make a custom dog sweater like these, all you have to do is take a few simple measurements and knit some simple shapes, sew a couple things together and you have a nifty dog sweater! What's really cool is that I provide you with a simple worksheet to fill out with the measurements so it's all made very simple and straightforward. You can even knit one of these as a gift for a friend or family member's dog by asking for the measurements over the phone--or shoot--by text messaging!

But seriously, even if you don't have a subscription to Creativebug, you can get a free, 14-day trial to see if you like it; just use PROMO CODE: KNIT. There are tons of classes there. There are knitting classes, crochet classes, illustration, sewing, you name it. Even cake decorating and paper folding.

Click on the button below to view a preview!