Bias Cup Cozy

I've been playing with ideas for cup cozies. I wanted something heavy enough to protect fingers from a hot drink and sturdy enough to stand up so it's easier to get the cup in. Here is my result. I really like it in variegated yarns.

Directions for Bias Cup Cozy

size G crochet hook
worsted weight acrylic yarn (doesn't take much)
Crochet in the back loop through out to create the ridge.
Row 1:
Chain 12 Work 2 single crochet in second chain from hook, then crochet one single crochet in each chain across
to last 2 chains. Crochet the last 2 chains together. Chain 1 and turn. (11 stitches)
Row 2:
Single crochet the first 2 stitches together, then crochet one single crochet in each stitch across to the last stitch. Work 2 single crochet in the last stitch. Chain 1 and turn. (11 stitches)
Row 3:
Work 2 single crochet in the first stitch, then crochet one single crochet in each stitch across to the last 2 stitches. Single crochet the last 2 stitches together . Chain 1 and turn (11 stitches).
Repeat rows 2 &3 for a total of 21 rows. Slipstitch the ends together.
Single crochet around the top, doing a pattern of 1 sc in two rows, then 2 sc in third row. Do a second row with 1 sc in each sc. Join, cut yarn, and weave in end. Do the same on the bottom of the cozy.

More Bazaar Items

Lately I've been working on little purses and I've come up with a basic recipe and some variations.




Theses are made with Red Heart yarn and have fun fur-type flaps.

























These are a combination of a fancy thin yarn and Red Heart yarn. When possible, I used a button to close the purse.

When I didn't have the right color button, I chained a tie and threaded it through eyelets.

Basic Little Purse

Size 10 circular needles

Whatever yarn you want

J crochet hook if crocheting the strap

Using Judy's Magic Cast-on, cast on 18 stitches per needle. Knit in the round until the purse is 4-1/2 inches long. Bind off the stitches from one needle on the next round and cut yarn. Attach fun fur (or whatever you are using for the flap) and do garter stitch until flap is desired length. (I make an eyelet in the middle of the flap a couple of rows before I'm going to bind off. This acts as a buttonhole.) Bind off.

The strap can be a 3 stitch i-cord or you can chain the length you want and slip stitch back along chain. Attach strap to sides and add a button to the front to secure the flap.

Variation:

Using both a fun fur-type yarn and a basic ww yarn, follow the directions above until the purse is 3-1/2 inches long. Cut the fun fur and continue to knit. On the third round, make an eyelet in the center of the front for a buttonhole. Knit 3 more rounds and bind off. Make a strap, attach it, sew on a button, and you're done.

Simple Loomed Mug Cozy

After looking at various mug cozies on Ravelry, I came up with my own version.

Simple Mug Cozy

Using the blue Knifty Knitter and 2 strands of worsted weight yarn, cast on 9 stitches. Purl the first row. After that, skip the first peg, knit the next 5, and purl the last 3. Continue until the cozy measures 10 inches when stretched slightly. Purl the last row and bind off loosely. Attach the top stitch from one end to the top stitch of the other end. Repeat with the bottom stitch on each end. Weave in ends.

Back to Loomed Hats

Recently a couple of friends learned to loom and made hats for their grandchildren for Christmas. In both cases, all recipients were impressed and their parents also expressed interest in receiving hats. I've dug out my looms and begun making hats again to give them some ideas for variations.
Here are some of the hats with explanations for anyone who is interested but not sure what to do. All of these hats were made with the green Knifty Knitter. My local Dollar Store has had a great selection of novelty yarns.

Fun Fur is an easy way to dress up a hat. When you're ready to use it, just add 2 strands of it to your regular yarn. Since the fibers tend to collect on the inside, I turned this hat inside out and added a pompom.

The type with bobbles never seems to go as far so this hat has a band. Try using a toothbrush to pull the fur through to the outside of the hat. Most of the bobbles will have to be pushed through individually. I kept a little of the fancy yarn to put in the pompom.




In this hat I alternated 3 rows of of the novelty yarn with 4 rows of the regular yarn. There was only enough for 2 sections of the novelty yarn with a little left over for the pompom.

This hat was removed (without decreasing stitches in the last row) on waste yarn. Then I laid it flat and seamed the top.






Instead of a brim, I knit 4 rows of garter stitch (k, p, k, p). The body of the hat is in the knit stitch. When long enough, it was removed on waste yarn and seamed closed. The corners were gathered to look like ears. I made the earflaps following Isela's directions in Loom Knitting Primer , added pompoms, and attached them last.

A simple way to dress up a hat is to put in a few rows of purl stitch. On this hat, I knit 4 rows, changed to white yarn and purled 2 rows, changed back to the colored yarn for 4 more rows of knit stitch, put in 2 more rows of purl using the white, and then finished off with the colored yarn in the knit stitch.





The basket-weave look shown here was done by knitting 3 stitches, purling 3 stitches, and repeating all the way around. When doing the purl stitches, I dropped one strand of my basic color and picked up a strand of a coordinating color to make the pattern stand out. After completing 4 rows, I reversed the pattern.



Here's my attempt at a cap with a bill. I started with the bill by wrapping 13 pegs back and forth until there were 3 wraps on each peg. The first row was done by pulling the bottom strand over the other 2. On the next row, I purled but pulled the yarn up through the 2 loops on each peg. Then I repeated the first two rows. The next step was to wrap all the way around the loom until each peg had 3 loops. Again, on the first row I pulled 1 loop over the 2 above it. After that it the regular knit stitch for 12 rows. The top was shaped by dividing it into 4 sections of 9 stitches. Each section was short-rowed and the top was sewn together.

Crocheted Espresso Cup Sleeves

I made these cup sleeves with leftover WoolEase. They are a fast project and can be varied in many ways. And they can be washed if your drink spills --- always a possibility in the car.

Supplies:
small amount of WoolEase

G crochet hook

Note:

The completed sleeve is 13 rows of single crochet. At the end of each row, join to the first stitch of the row with a slip stitch and chain 1.

Pattern:

Using 2 strands of yarn, chain 30 stitches and join with a slip stitch. Chain 1.

Work 4 rows of single crochet.

On row 5, sc 8 stitches, dec, sc 8 stitches, dec, sc 8 stitches, dec.

Work 3 rows of single crochet.

On row 9, sc 7, dec, sc 7, dec, sc 7, dec.

Work 2 rows of single crochet. Fasten off.

Attach yarn to the top of the sleeve and work 1 row of sc. Fasten off. (This gives the top a finished edge.)

Weave in yarn ends.