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Colorful knitting, crochet, latch hook and macrame from craft book author & designer Heidi Gustad.

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5 Ways to Combat Dog Cabin Fever

January 27, 2014 2 Comments

5 Easy Ways to Combat Dog Cabin Fever

I’ve got a couple of great dogs. They are loving, smart, middle-aged mutts who are usually pretty good. Even the best dogs, like mine ;), get cabin fever when it’s polar vortexing outside. You take them on a walk and they start limping and crying from getting ice and salt in the pads of their feet, or they get straight up too cold, even after they’ve been wrestled into sweaters and booties.

So what do you do to fight against doggie ennui? Here are my top 5 strategies for keeping the pups happy during the coldest weeks of the year.

1. Play tug. Don’t have a tug toy already? Grab some spare polar fleece or a shelled out towel and play tug of war with them. My dogs just need to see a waving piece of fabric, and they can entertain each other for a good half hour.

2. Give them a puzzle toy. My dogs are all about their Kongs, which are toys that can be stuffed with treats that are hard to get out of, but there are many more puzzle dog toys to keep them busy for hours.

5 Easy Ways to Combat Dog Cabin Fever

3. A little bit of outside time. Taking your dogs outside for even 10 or 15 minutes can do wonders, in my experience. You can throw snowballs or toys around, chase them in circles, anything to get them up and around! Just take them out in the hottest (possible) part of the day & keep an eye on their paws and ears :).

5 Easy Ways to Combat Dog Cabin Fever

4. Siesta fiesta. Sometimes I watch a movie, work on a DIY project or take a nap on the couch with my dogs when I think they’re not getting enough stimulation. Even a half hour of individual attention does wonders for my pups!

5. Find it! Both Woodrow & Storm are terrier mixes, so they like to find things. My family’s favorite way to entertain the dogs inside is something we call Find It. One human and the dogs will hang out in a room with the door closed while the other human hides some dog treats around the house. Then, we let them out, prompting them to “find it!” When we first tried this game, we’d also show them our empty hands to let them know we weren’t holding any treats. Now, they’re fully aware of what’s happening when we say, “Find it!”

5 Easy Ways to Combat Dog Cabin Fever

Woodrow wasn’t always awesome at Find It, but he’s gotten better over time. Storm has always been intensely competitive and awesome at Find It. She follows her nose and it takes her a long time to give up on looking for treats after all of them have been found.

On an unrelated note, Find It is also a great way to figure out just how far your dogs are physically able to reach! Storm tends to get into cooling cookies, and she had a big trash-tipping problem. Find It solved that mystery. 

5 Easy Ways to Combat Dog Cabin Fever

In the end, giving your dogs a daily activity or two in a cold snap is good for their health and will keep them from getting into mischief. Whether it’s a walk, puzzle, physical game, quick outing, or something else, there are a lot of easy ways to keep your dogs safe from cabin fever.

5 Easy Ways to Combat Dog Cabin Fever

Filed Under: How-to, Pet Projects Tagged With: cabin fever, dog toys, dog treats, dogs, find it, games, tips, tug, winter

About Heidi

Heidi Gustad (she/her) is a craft book author & designer specializing in yarn crafts. Her work combines vintage and modern design elements, prioritizing color and graphic motifs. Her first book, Latch Hook: 12 Projects for the Modern Maker, is out now.

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Comments

  1. Jesse Freidin

    January 27, 2014 at 8:37 pm

    Love these dog ideas! They’re all spot-on. Also, your pups are quite handsome!

    Reply
  2. Lael

    January 30, 2014 at 11:17 am

    Great ideas! the boys look like they are doing well even in this weather. Be well! Lael

    Reply

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Heidi Gustad from Hands Occupied / Craft Book Author and Knitting, Crochet, Latch Hook and Macrame Designer

Hi! I’m Heidi (she/her/hers), and I’ve been helping yarn crafters untangle various techniques on the internet since 2010. I got my start here, as a blogger, and since then I’ve shared more than a few tutorials here and on YouTube as I’ve grown as a pattern designer. 🧶 

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Heidi Gustad 🧶 knitting & yarn crafts

handsoccupied

Knitting & yarn crafts designer 🧶
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Stay up-to-date 💌 & shop new patterns ⤵️

POV: Showing you how my new Bevelled Tank pattern POV: Showing you how my new Bevelled Tank pattern fits with no ease vs. 4” of positive ease. There’s a bit more length to the cotton (brighter color) sample, but both are cropped and feature shoulder seams designed to sit an inch back onto the shoulder instead of on top, giving it a little swing. Length is easily adjustable for folks looking for less of a crop. 
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Pattern: Bevelled Tank by @handsoccupied for @pompommag x @hobbii_yarn summer 2024. Available for free from Hobbii at the 🔗 in my profile.
Yarn pictured: @kelbournewoolens Skipper and Camper. 
Dress form is adjusted to a 36” chest and ~5’3”ish in height. 
Human has a 40” chest and is 5’5”.
Both skirts are vintage.
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#pompomxhobbiisummer2024 #handsoccupied #intarsia #handmade #knitting #colorwork
Let’s talk about fit and ease! . During the Beve Let’s talk about fit and ease!
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During the Bevelled Tank design process for @pompommag, I knit 2 samples using 2 different @KelbourneWoolens yarns. One was in Skipper (100% cotton, second photo) and the other was in Camper (100% 2 ply wool). The Skipper sample was knit for a 36” bust, which measures in at 40” with 4” of positive ease. And I knit the Camper Sample for my 40” bust with a 44” finished measurement. (BTW, I’m 5’5” for folks that find that measurement helpful in visualizing fit.)
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Based on the size chart for the Bevelled Tank, that means I knit one size 3 sample and one size 4. As designed, I conveniently fit a size 4 as intended with 4” of positive ease. When I wear the 3, there is no ease at all because the garment and my body are both 40” in size. Comparing the 2 garments, you can see how the fiber content (cotton vs. wool) and fit (no ease vs. 4” of positive ease) makes a difference in the look and feel of the finished garment. 
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These samples are a great way to compare what ease looks like on different bodies. While I can fit both a size 3 and 4, the garment with no ease feels more like pajamas or a bralette when I wear it. On the other hand, when I wear the one with 4” of positive ease, I feel comfortable enough to wear it to work, even as a crop top. Plus, it leaves me with enough room to layer it with a nice button down if I’m not feeling the cropped look one day. 
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I’m curious - how would you style this tank? Would you modify it with a few stockinette rows for added length? I’m so curious now that this pattern is finally out in the world. :) 
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#pompomxhobbiisummer2024 #bevelledtank #handsoccupied #knitting #intarisa #handmade #kelbournewoolens #croppedsweater #summerknits
After a 6 month hiatus, I am happy to say I’m ba After a 6 month hiatus, I am happy to say I’m back with a brand new pattern in 9 sizes, and it’s FREE as part of @pompommag x @hobbii_yarn’s summer design collection! (Link is in my bio.)
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In my December newsletter, I announced that I was soliciting test knitters for a pattern that had originally been selected for the summer ’24 issue of Pom Pom Quarterly magazine. However, the magazine ceased publication after its spring ’24 issue, leaving in-progress designs unpublished. (It happens.) As a result, I’d begun the long process of editing, testing, and photographing the pattern for independent release through the Hands Occupied pattern shop and Ravelry.
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Before I was done with that process, Pom Pom Quarterly’s former editors reached out with an exciting proposal for the pattern. Post-magazine, they’ve begun to partner with yarn companies to produce high quality pattern collections. They wanted to include designs from the would-be current issue of Pom Pom Quarterly in a new collection for Hobbii yarn, including my Bevelled Tank. I worked with the same technical editors I would have for the magazine on this one, and as you can see from the photos, Pom Pom’s team did an amazing job of styling the garment to the beautiful standards they’re known for.
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You can learn more about the pattern on my blog and get the free pattern from Hobbii yarn - links to both in my profile. I’ll post sizing info in the comments for quick reference too. 🧶
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#pompomxhobbiisummer2024 #knitting #intarsia #sponsored #colorworkknitting 
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Photos: @dianascarrunz 
Model: @angel.jade_
Here’s a nice throwback for you: my take on a vi Here’s a nice throwback for you: my take on a vintage knitting pattern from 1938 called the Fernlace Pullover. A pattern so nice, I knit it twice.
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Yellow version 💛: knit with Despondent Dyes’ Vintage Vixen Sport after attending a @squidneyknits vintage knitting retreat in 2019 & learning *so much*. Paired with a self-drafted circle skirt pattern. 
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Blue version 💙: knit with @eweeweyarns Ewe So Sporty in Sky Blue. Paired with the 1940s Boardwalk Duet sewing pattern from @decades_of_style 
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Head to my stories for 🔗🔗 to the handmade wardrobe blog posts I wrote about each take on the Fernlace Pullover, working with a vintage pattern, where to find vintage patterns (including the one I used), & some thoughts on sizing. 
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Image descriptions available in alt text. 
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#handsoccupied #handmadewardrobe #fernlacepullover #vintageknitting #vintageknittingpatterns #knitting_inspiration
Frogging is a word in the knitting world that mean Frogging is a word in the knitting world that means to rip out your knitting. It’s called frogging because frogs say “ribbit,” and when you’re tearing out your knitting, you will “rip it” out, and that sounds like ribbit. No really. 🐸 Did you know this fun fact? 
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P.S. I did like this design concept, but to make the pattern more knitter friendly as well as more wearable, I am making some tweaks to the construction. Excited to share when it’s ready! 🥰🧶
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Yarn: @blueskyfibers Woolstok North in Morning Frost & Highland Fleece 
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#handsoccupied #knitting #frogging #blueskyfibers #knittersofinstagram #blueskymakers #knittingvocabulary #bsfmakers #knitdesign
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