“However difficult life may seem, there is always something you can do and succeed at.”
-Stephen Hawking
To skip over my babblings and jump straight to the pattern, click here.
As a crochet addict/maker of things, I have a hard time sitting down and watching movies or TV shows without a hook and yarn in hand. It seems like every time I try, my mind wanders. Within a few minutes, some small cue on screen will have inspired me to reach for my idea book… or straight for the yarns.
So, quite naturally, I considered bringing a just a little ball of yarn and a hook to the theater to keep my hands busy when we went to see Endgame earlier this month…
It’s never a matter of how much I may or may not enjoy a movie. It would definitely take more than one viewing to fully analyze the film, and the chances of me making it through without a pee break were minimal anyway… so why not bring something small and simple to chip away at and stop my hands from getting stiff in the conditioned air of the theater?
After weighing the pros and cons, I decided to leave the yarn home and try to behave like a normal person for the movie date.
After all, I really ought to pay attention so I could be prepared for the in-depth discussions I knew we would dive into the moment we exited the building.
Well, I rather enjoyed the movie! Overall, I think it was nice and neat way to close one chapter in the MCU and open the gate for the next one!
Shortly after the anger and incredulity that took hold at the manner of Ant-man’s escape from the quantum realm, some props caught my eye- little wicker cup holders!
I’ve never come across any in my wanderings, and it never occurred to me how lovely it would be to have a cozy around a glass in the summer. Cold summer beverages tend to leave a glass sweaty and slick with condensation, especially when enjoyed outdoors. Why did I not think of this before?
And I am always on the look out for small, practical projects to use up yarn scraps and help me practice pattern writing.
Crocheted with a machine wash and dryable yarn, maintenance of the cozies would be easier than wicker, considering this dusty country road I live on.
So I scooped up my cotton blend leftovers and set to work to create a simple, stylish beverage cozy that could stretch to fit a glass snugly. I also wanted a little subtle texture to make the glass easier to pick up and hold.
The glasses I made these for are 4″ tall with a bottom diameter 2 7/8 inches, and a top diameter of 3 1/2 inches.
You can easily accommodate a wider, narrower, taller or shorter glass by adding or subtracting rounds from the middle sections, or using a different yarn with a different sized hook. I will probably come back to this at some point as I have some matching narrower/taller glasses that won’t want to be left out of the cozy fun.
I narrowed the yarn down to Lion Brand’s comfy cotton blend. It’s a soft, 3 ply light yarn that feels a little bit thicker than most yarns I’ve used from that weight category. The mochaccino color in particular seemed evocative, with the memory of wicker fading in my mind.
Since I had a bunch of balls between 11 and 18g, that was my target yarn amount. I tried a couple other colors out while fiddling with the design.
And one without coaster in Stained glass- works great for my taller glasses and only 11g! 🙂Worked from the bottom up, the coaster section is a quick, 3 round circle of DC, sealed with one round of blsc and 2 rounds of sc. The blsc sts can be swapped for regular sc if you’d prefer.
The middle section is composed of chs and FPhdcs. The chs help make the cozy stretchable and form fitting to the glass as it gradually gets wider toward the top. The middle section is great for free styling/improvising. You can basically get away with any combination of chs and sts, so long as you don’t change the st count.
It finishes nice and easy with 2 rounds of sc.
The cozy looks pretty nifty inside out, too, so no worries if someone in your household puts one on that way! 🙂
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Marvelous Summer Beverage Cozy
Here’s what you need:
Yarn: I’m using Lion Brand Comfy cotton blend in Mochaccino: 17g for one with a built in coaster, or 11g with no coaster.
Hook: US H8/5.00mm, or hook to obtain gauge
Tapestry needle for end weaving
Measuring tape
Gauge notes: The first 3 rnds should be about the same in diameter as the bottom of the glass; slightly larger is ok. Mine is just under 3″ after rnd 3 is complete.
*US crochet terminology used throughout- scroll to the bottom of this post for abbreviations and special stitch instructions
*stitch counts are underlined at the end of each round
The cozy:
Ch 3, sl st in the first ch to form a ring, or use a magic ring.
1. Ch 2- does not count as a st. 12 DC into the ring. Join to 1st DC with a sl st. 12 DC
2. Ch 3- counts as DC. DC in same st. 2 DC in each st around. 24 DC
3. Ch 3- counts as DC. 2 DC in next st. [DC, 2 DC in next st] around. Join to 3rd beg. ch with sl st. 36 DC
4. Ch 1- counts as blsc. Blsc in each st around. Join to beg. ch 1 with sl st. 36 blsc
If you don’t want a built in coaster, start here with a foundation ch of 36, sl st into the 1st ch to form a ring, mindful not to twist the ch.
5-6. Ch 1- counts as sc. Sc in each st around. Join to beg. ch with sl st.
7. Ch 1, sc in same st as join. ch 2. [sk 2 sts, sc in the next st, ch 2] around. Sk last 2 sts, join to 2nd beg. ch with sl st. 12 sc, 12 ch sps
8. Ch 1- does not count as st. FPhdc on the same st as join. Ch 2. [FPhdc on the next sc, ch 2] around. Join to first FPhdc with sl st.
9-13. Ch 1- does not count as st. FPhdc on the same st as join. Ch 2. [FPhc on the next hdc, ch 2] around. Join to 1st hdc with a sl st.
14. Sl st into ch sp. Ch 1, 3 sc in same sp. 3 sc in each ch sp around. Join to 1st sc with sl st. 36 sc
15. Ch 1, sc in same st as join and in each st around. Fasten off and finish with an invisible join.
Sew in those ends and enjoy your new marvelous summer beverage cozy!
Abbreviations and Special Stitches
ch(s) = chain(s); st(s) = stitch(es); sp(s) = space(s); sl st = slip stitch; sc= single crochet; blsc = back loop single crochet; hdc = half double crochet; dc = double crochet; [ ] = work directions in brackets the number of times specified; ( ) = work the directions in the parenthesis all in one st or sp; rnd(s) = round(s)
fphdc = front post half double crochet. YO, insert hook around the post of the st indicated. Work the rest of the hdc as usual(YO, draw up a loop. YO, draw through all 3 loops on hook).
❤
Jackie Blues 