Across the shoulders is where a knitted jumper does most of its warming, and it is also where this one puts its pattern: a band of gingerbread men and snowflakes sitting over the part of the dog that needs the layer most. The rest of the body is cable knit, which is a denser structure than plain knitting and traps a little more air, so it holds warmth without having to be any thicker than it is.

The roll neck covers the throat, the pull-on shape means there are no fastenings to fight with at the front door, and the size range is unusually wide for a novelty jumper. XS through to XXL covers very small dogs and large ones from the same listing, which most Christmas knits do not attempt. Wash it by hand and dry it flat, because a cable knit loses its shape in a machine and does not come back from it.

• Cable-knit body with a roll neck
• Gingerbread-man and snowflake band across the shoulders
• Two colours: red and green
• Sizes XS to XXL
• Weight from 9g to 134g depending on size
• Twelve variants in total

Worth knowing. The existing copy described this jumper as green, but it is sold in red as well and the photographs show both, so choose the colour at the variant step rather than assuming.

Who it's for: Dogs of any size who feel the cold in December, and owners who want the Christmas photograph without a full costume.