I started the original of this project a long time ago thinking I’d make a dog bed that had sides. I tried to make a rectangular bottom by using Judy’s Magic Cast On and expanding out from it in 4 directions to make a stockinette rectangle. Then I could knit even to create sides. It was a flop. Literally. The stockinette stitch wasn’t able to hold itself up. Plus, I realized that the 2:3 ratio of stockinette rows to stitches wasn’t really working for a flat-bottomed bed. This got set aside and it collected dust for a LONG time.

The current Headmistress Challenge in the HPKNHC group is to improve something. I remembered this mess and thought about how I might improve it. I realized that this flat, floppy mat would best be improved if I ripped it out and started over. So I did.

I also thought about what my dogs needed most and that wasn’t a bed with sides. It was a thick mat that would cushion elbows and knees that could be used on the floor or on our couch in the tv room. For some reason, our silly whippets do not like lying on bare leather…they insist on blankets on top of the couch. I, for one, have gotten tired of folding and replacing blankets on the couch and thought, “Aha, I could knit a small and thick blanket that would just fit on the side of the couch where they like to lie without needing to be folded and tucked. I could just place it there and be set.”

I also took the opportunity to pull out the last of some tan colored core spun alpaca yarn that I had in my stash to add to the yarn I had originally been using. I cast on (using Judy’s Magic Cast On so I’d have live stitches on both sides) and knit up the leftover yarn in cushy garter stitch. Once done with the tan yarn, I rewound the blue core spun into two equal by weight center pull balls. I then continued knitting till the first ball was about gone and bound off. I flipped to the other end of the tan section and extended it with the other half of the blue core spun.

The result is perfect! It’s thick and cushy and very soft. Our whippets seem to really like it, especially our fussy Milo.