Alberta farmer crochets custom sweaters for cows, turning farm life cozy

Jasmine Entz has turned a Southern Alberta farm chore into a crochet showcase, making custom sweaters for her retired dairy cow Josie at Triple H Farms in Vulcan County. What began as a practical idea for her goats has grown into a monthly project that puts handmade stitching right into the middle of farm life.

Entz first sewed up sweaters for her purebred Nigerian dwarf goats, using a dog sweater pattern for animals born in winter or needing extra protection on cold, rainy days. Then she jokingly wondered what it would be like to make one for Josie, one of the farm’s two retired dairy cows. That joke became a real fitting session, and the first cow sweater took about eight days of back-and-forth adjustments before it fit properly.

The result struck a chord fast enough that Entz kept going. Each Josie sweater takes about 25 hours to make and costs roughly $40 to $60 in yarn, and by April 23, 2026, she had completed her third sweater for the month. Entz said she was trying to match each month’s theme, which has turned Josie into an unlikely model for a 2026 calendar. The response to the first sweater was so enthusiastic that the calendar idea followed naturally.

Josie, for her part, seems to have no interest in making the process difficult. Entz said the cow cooperates during fittings and lifts her feet “like a horse would” so the sweater can be put on. That calm temperament matters when the project calls for repeated adjustments, especially since the goal is not just novelty but extra warmth for an animal that now spends her days in retirement.

Entz’s farm also includes a very large star in Beef, a nine-year-old Holstein steer who holds the Guinness World Record for tallest living steer. He was verified in Picture Butte, Alberta, on December 18, 2023, at 1.95 metres, or 6 feet 5 inches, and weighed about 2,500 pounds. Guinness says Beef, born and raised in Alberta, often receives visits and treats from people in the community, a sign that farm animals in this corner of the province can become local celebrities. Between Josie’s sweaters and Beef’s record-setting size, Entz has built a farm story that feels both practical and unmistakably shareable.