Win a copy of Wooly Woofers

To the world Debbie Bliss might be renowned designer and bestselling author of knitting books, but to her two dogs, Monty the Beagle and Smiffy the Jack Russell, she is their Person – the subject of their total, unconditional love and devotion. Quite appropriately, Debbie has rewarded their affections by dedicating her latest book to their knitted wardrobes…

This book combines two of my great loves: knitting and dogs. I want a pet who, when you pop out to the kitchen for a few minutes, will behave as though you had been gone for months on your return. Surely all doggy devotion should be rewarded with the best possible wardrobe lovingly knitted by their owner.

Her book Wooly Woofers is a collection of over 20 knitwear designs for pooches – from cosy, cute, comic canine outfits (some top-notch animal alliteration there) to a classic knitted tweed cape and deerstalker inspired by “legendary dog detective” Sherlock Bones. It’s also full of beautifully illustrated scenes by Jo Clark inhabited by dogs looking as embarrassed as only dogs can while dressed in paw-kerchiefs and accessorised with jaunty berets. Chiens à la Mode, we salute you and your furry fashions.

This book was clearly a lot of fun to shoot and it’s just as fun to paw over. Even if you don’t have a dog and can’t knit, we’d recommend purely for the fact it features a terrier disguised in ‘lamb-ouflage’ . Now if someone could just lend me their Dachshund so I can knit it a bee bonnet complete with antennae…

Win a Copy!

As a special treat for good behaviour, we’ve got three copies of Wooly Woofers to give away. So if you’re potty about your pet, here’s your chance to demonstrate your love with a hand-knitted Barker Parker or Dog-las Tartan Coat. To enter, either leave a comment at the end of this post or email us at competitions@folksy.co.uk with the subject line ‘I want my woofer to be wooly’. (And, erm, while you’re there, a photo of your dressed-up pet might not go amiss, not that it’s obligatory of course, but we find a puppy in a polo and a cat in a hat makes every day a little brighter.)

The deadline for all entries is midnight on Sunday 21 September, and the competition is open to UK residents only.

Woolly Woofers by Debbie Bliss is out now (Quadrille, £14.99)
Photography: Richard Burns / Illustrations: Jo Clark