What should I give Robert for Christmas? He's an adorable 37-year old who just bought a house with his partner, but I have no idea how they're decorating it, so forget something for the house.

A bottle of fine wine? Or champagne? To join all the other bottles of fine wine or champagne his clients will give him? Yawn.

But Robert has a dog he loves. She's a toy poodle, and she spends her day going from lap to lap of whatever client is willing, which means mine, when I'm there.

So I've decided to knit Lollie a sweater. I've never knit a dog a sweater before, but there are some new books out, so I pored over different patterns. The one I picked is very simple. I mean, do we really need cables and glitz on a sweater for a dog with furry white poufs according to season and multi-colored streaks on her ears according to her owner's whim? No, we do not.

The sweater is actually mostly done -- toy poodles don't take a very big size. It's worked in stockinette stitch, striped hot pink and lime green, with hot pink ribbing at the neck, arms, and hem.

Will Lollie love it? I don't know. But Robert will, and that's what counts!