Loop de Loop!

Jacket with Poodle Loop Fur Front from Brunswick Coat Designs, 1969

So far, PoodleFest 2010 has shown you how to poodle-up your home and your children, but what about you? Isn’t it about time you nurtured your inner poodle?

Bonny knit up a Poodle Loop Fur Front jacket, and now she’s strutting around town like a poodle on steroids! True, her loopy swagger might land Bonny on her butt at any moment. However, she’ll just pretend it was on purpose, and invite her boyfriend Bobby to rub her loopy poodle belly!

Now, Handmade by Mother recommends you get a ring on your finger before engaging in any one-on-one private poodling. Remember, there’s always the risk of a little poodle appearing nine months later, especially if you’re using Miss Spray-Poo as a substitute for a French Tickler.

But even if you’re not foolishly relying on pompom poodle protection, a gal still deserves at least a dinner and a movie in exchange for a night of sensual poodle looping. After all, it’s gonna take poor Bonny several hours to pick Bobby’s chest hair out of her jacket’s furry front.

For the complete pattern (and more snark!):

Jacket with poodle loop fur front, style no. 6940
Sizes with Blocked Bust Measurements: 12 (36”), 14 (38”), 16 (40”), 18 (42”)

Hurray for sane sizes in a woman’s jacket! Even though Twiggy the twig-like supermodel was all the rage in the late 60s, Brunswick Worsted Mills obviously liked women to have some meat on their bones.

Materials: Brunswick Germantown Knitting Worsted (4 oz sks) No. 476 Straw Heather 4 (4, 5, 5)

I can’t imagine anyone would ever think, “Hey, Straw Heather AKA Sickly Sage Green would be a great colour for a poodle!”

I stand corrected. This poodle’s pigment is Time Out Thyme.

Knitting needles No. 4 and 8. 22” separating zipper.
Gauge: 5 sts = 1”.

As a non-sewer, I blissfully believed that all zippers were separating ones. I now live with the terrifying knowledge that there are separating, general purpose, invisible, reversible, close-ended, open-ended, and the sounds-dirty-but-isn’t two-way baggage zippers.

Why terrifying? Clearly, you’ve never encountered the innocuously named yet chillingly comprehensive Coats & Clarks Zipper Advisory Chart.

back:
With No. 4 needles cast on 84 (88, 92, 96) sts and work in k 1, p 1 ribbing for 3 ½”. Change to No. 8 needles and work in stockinette st until piece measures 13” or desired length to underarm.

Shape Armhole: Bind off 3 sts at beg next 2 rows, then dec 1 st each side every other row, 8 times, then every 4th row, 4 times, then every 6th row once – 52 (56, 60, 64). Work even on sts until armhole measures 6 ½ (6 ¾, 7, 7 ¼) inches.

Shape Shoulder: At the beg next 4 rows bind off 5 (5, 5, 6) sts and at the beg next 2 rows bind off 5 (6, 7, 7) sts. Put rem 22 (24, 26, 26) sts on holder for back of neck.

The back of this poodle jacket seems to lack a certain poodle pizzazz.

Wait, I know what it needs – a poodle scarf!

front:
With No. 4 needle cast on 42 (44, 46, 48) sts and work in k 1, p 1 ribbing for 3 ½”. Change to No. 8 needles and work in stockinette st until piece measures 13” or desired length to underarm.

Shape Armhole: Bind off 3 sts at beg next arm edge row, then dec 1 st at beg every other arm edge row, 8 times, then every 4th row 4 times, then every 6th row, once 26 (28, 30, 32) sts rem.

Shape Neck: Bind off 8 (9, 9, 9) sts, then dec 1 st every other row 3 (3, 4, 4) times. At the same time when armhole measures 6 ½ (6 ¾, 7, 7 ¼) inches shape Shoulder: At arm edge bind off 5 (5, 5, 6) sts twice and 5 (6, 7, 7) sts once.

Ahhh!

My mother warned me that drinking booze would put hair on my chest. But I never thought it would turn me into Tom Selleck!

Mmmm...Tom Selleck.

sleeves:
With No. 4 needle cast on 38 (40, 42, 44) sts and work k1, p 1 ribbing for 6”. Change to No. 8 needles and work in stockinette st, inc’ing 1 st each side every 4th row until there are 68 (70, 72, 74) sts. Work even until sleeve measures 17 (17 ½, 17 ½, 18) inches or desired length to underarm.

Shape Cap and Saddle:
Bind off 3 sts at beg next 2 rows. Dec 1 st each side every row, 4 times, then every other row 11 (12, 13, 14) times then every 4th row, 1 time 30 (30, 30, 30) sts rem. Work until same length as back armhole. Mark each end of last row. Dec 1 st each side every 4th row, 3 times, then every other row, 4 times. Work on 16 sts to same length as bound off edges of shoulder, from mark. Place rem sts on holder.

Warning: don’t wear a poodle fur front jacket during hunting season. Or like poor Bonny, you’ll get mistaken for a loopy deer.

finishing and neckband:

Sew sleeves and underarm seams. Sew sleeves and saddle in place.

With No. 4 needle pick up and knit 12 (12, 13, 14) sts along front of neck, pick up and knit the 16 sts of sleeve, pick up and knit the 22 (24, 26, 26) sts of back, 16 sts of other sleeve and 12 (12, 13, 14) sts on other front 78 (80, 84, 86) sts.

Change to No. 8 needles and work k 1, p 1 ribbing for 3”. Change to No. 4 needles and work k1, p 1 ribbing for 2 more inches. Bind off in ribbing pattern. Sew 22” zipper under front edges.

Thread yarn into a large needle, double and tie knot in end. Loops are worked by inserting needle from underneath to start.

This is why your Mother told you to read the entire pattern before committing to a project. Otherwise, when you discover you have to hand sew all those hundreds of loops, you’ll just give up! And then all you’ll have to show for your hours of knitting is … a nice, light green sweater.

Okay, that wasn’t the moral I was expecting.

Insert needle down and up again making a short st, draw thread through leaving a ½” loop, move over about ¼” and take another short st leaving loop as before. Make 4 or 5 loops, then anchor by drawing thread all the way down tight instead of leaving a loop. Now begin loops again in same place.

Cover entire sweater front with these loops anchored every 4 or 5 loops. Steam press sweater.

Yes, it’s fun to dress up the kiddies as poodles, especially if you’re using the outfits as a creative alternative to time-out punishments. Also, it’s okay if your teenage daughter (or son) wants to attend the sock-hop in a poodle skirt. But I’m seriously questioning the wisdom of embracing the poodle look when you’re over the age of twenty-one.

Maybe… just maybe not everyone has an inner poodle. But how can that be? I’ve always believed that deep down everyone want to be a poodle!

Say it ain’t so, Fifi.

Click here for the printable pattern.