🐾 Pet Sweater Size Grader

Crochet your dog or cat sweater once in one size, then let this tool write it out for any other size, from a teacup Chihuahua to a giant breed, in the same yarn and gauge. Making a matching hat or snood? Use the Pet Hat & Hood Size Grader. Also try the Pattern Size Grader, the Sock & Bootie Size Grader and the Hat & Hood Size Grader.

Step 1 · Add your pattern

📄 Drop a pattern PDF (or .txt) here, or click to choose

Text-based PDFs work best; for scanned PDFs paste the text instead. Everything runs in your browser.

Pattern text for the base size (edit freely)

Tips: start each part with a heading line (e.g. NECK, COLLAR, BODY, LEG OPENINGS, BACK FLAP, BELLY PANEL, LEG SLEEVES, HOOD, EDGING). Tag a stitch multiple on its own line like [multiple of 2]; it applies until [multiple off] or the next tag. Increases grade best written as a target ("increase evenly to 96 sts") rather than a stitch-by-stitch repeat.

Step 2 · Choose the size you made and the sizes you want

Select your base size (the pet or size you crocheted for) and tick every size you want written out. Measurements are typical and fully editable, and pets vary a lot, so measure the actual animal whenever you can. Neck: around the base of the neck, where a collar sits. Chest: around the widest part of the ribcage, just behind the front legs. Back: from the base of the neck to the base of the tail. Belly: from the base of the neck down the chest to where the underside should end (shorter for male dogs). Leg: around the top of a front leg. Between legs: across the chest between the two front legs.

Show sizes for

Measurement unit

Gauge: stitches over 4 in

Gauge: rows over 4 in

Swatch size (in)

Chest ease (%)

The scaling comes from the size chart (same yarn, same gauge). Gauge and ease are only used for the cross-check in the results. Pet sweaters usually have about +10% ease at the chest (roughly 1–2 in / 3–5 cm of room) so the animal can move and lie down. The neck needs to stretch over the head, so make the neck ribbing stretchy rather than tight.

Step 3 · Options & section adjustments

Leave counts smaller than alone Snap direction Snap every stitch count to the multiple (not just foundation chains and totals) Round stitch counts to even numbers (for symmetry)

Each section chooses which measurement drives its stitches and rows. By default NECK, COLLAR and HOOD use the neck for both stitches and rows; BODY, BACK, SHOULDERS and LEG OPENINGS use chest and back length (leg openings sit around the body, so they follow the chest); BELLY and UNDERSIDE panels use chest and belly length; LEG SLEEVES and CUFFS use the leg; EDGING follows the chest and isn't lengthened; TAIL and POMPOM aren't scaled. Change any of them below. Click a highlighted number in the results to lock or unlock it.

Results

View

12 original9 graded11 snapped to multiple3 locked/skipped

Stitch & row cross-check

Estimates from your gauge: chest stitches = chest × (1 + ease) × stitches per unit; neck, leg and between-legs stitches use no ease; rows = length × rows per unit. Compare these with the graded counts, especially the stitches between the leg openings and the size of the openings themselves. Long-backed or deep-chested breeds (Dachshunds, Greyhounds, Frenchies) don't follow the average shape, so measure them and try the sweater on before finishing.