I suddenly realised that I had no gift for my sister’s 2-month-old puppy. Luckily I had some t-shirts ready-cut into t-shirt yarn. I used red and orange to make a crown knot dog toy. It was my first go at crown knots and I was surprised how simple it was. The toy is a bit wonky and looser at one end, but is a tiny puppy going to notice that? Hardly. I’ve been told that Helmi (that’s her name – Pearl in English) is a little tearaway anyway, so watch out, dog toy!

The English Cockers in the picture are the spitting images of my dogs, Oskar and Tesla. They were knitted by my mother. Sadly, Tesla is no longer with us. Oskar, however, is a spry 14-year-old. I gave the toy to Oskar to see if it’s a good one and I almost didn’t get it back. I tried to swap it for snacks but Oskar preferred the toy (that’s a first!). I trust it’s a good toy because Oskar doesn’t usually play with toys. There’s something to be said about handmade toys!

Happy knitting!