I finished my pug.  He is a pattern from Knit Your Own Dog.  I think I mentioned that this was not the easiest pattern in the world despite a title that includes the words “Easy-to-Follow”.

In every review that I have read, they’ve mentioned that putting the pug together was not the easiest.  It wasn’t.  But it wasn’t that bad.  It did require a little careful studying of the instructions.  There were not step by step detailed instructions with photos to take you through the process.  But, I was able to figure it out with out that much trouble.  Just took some patience.  I can appreciate the way it is constructed, because they were really going for an as accurately shaped pug as possible.

Here’s his body:

Making that curled tail was not easy.  You knit a very long strip that extends from the tip of his tail, underneath his tummy, all the way to his chin.  Then you had to sew that to the left side of the body and the right side of the body.  Cool construction, just a little tricky to get that tail to curl just right.

Then there is the ridge on the back.  I accomplished this with mattress stitch.

Now the instructions say to use mattress stitch along the back.  But the way I understand mattress stitch is that you do it with wrong sides together, and than that ridge is on the inside like on a sweater.  But I don’t think they specified that instead you stitch it with right sides together so that the ridge appears on the outside, and it looks to me on the photograph (in the book) like the ridge is on the outside.  I like the way it looks although I am not sure what their intent was.  So if you want a ridge, mattress stitch it with right sides together!

The face was a challenge as well.  I had to stuff it more lightly and then fold up the end to form the nose.  I knitted small eyes and then embroidered some white and brown on them.  His face is pug-like but does not scream “individual personality” – it’s more “I am pug” but not “look at my sweet face and endearing expression”.  If that makes any sense at all!

I think I will try the Siberian Husky next.