Crafting Skye Terriers

You might remember Dusty, who made his first appearance on the Fancy Tiger Crafts blog modeling with my Parisville quilt. Dusty belongs to my mom, who has been breeding and showing Skye Terriers for over 40 years.

Ch. Royalist Dust Devil "Dusty"

Skye Terriers are a rare breed of terrier that originated on the Isle of Skye in Scotland and are one of the oldest terrier breeds. They have changed little since their beginnings as ground vermin hunters and still retain their long coat (for protection) and long bodies (for getting into small spaces). Because Skye Terriers are such a rare breed of dog, Skye "paraphernalia" is hard to come by. For this reason, crafting is perfect. You can make all the Skyes you want - sewn Skyes, knit Skyes, felted Skyes - the sky's the limit! The problem, of course is finding patterns, so for rare breeds or adorable mutts, it might be necessary to create your own.

Olde-timey Skye drawing

When the new book Knit Your Own Dog came out featuring knitting patterns for 25 dog breeds, I knew there would be a pattern I could work with to knit my mom a Skye. The 25 breeds featured in Knit Your Own Dog cover everything from wrinkly little pugs to sleek and muscular whippets, so dog lovers will be sure to be able to craft their favorite canine friend!

Sure enough, the Corgi pattern was perfect for the general long and low body shape of the Skye. I used the loop method described for other breeds like Afghan hounds to add long hair and we were good to go - a completely cute knit Skye terrier!

Knit Dusty

My mom (who is responsible for my crafting addictions) has also made her share of handcrafted Skye Terriers. She whipped up this beautiful needlefelted specimen. Needlefelting is perfect for making animals and is a great free-form craft that you can easily experiment with to make any breed of friend.

Needlefelt Skye by Karen Jennings

Yay for crafting and Skye Terriers!