• Home
  • Suggest A Craft
  • DIY Newsletter

Knitting

Patterns, projects and techniques

  • About CraftGossip
  • Our Network
    • Bath & Body Crafts
    • Candle Making Ideas
    • Crochet Ideas
    • Cross Stitch
    • Edible Crafts
    • Felting Patterns
    • Glass Art
    • Home & Garden Ideas
    • Indie Crafts
    • Jewelry Making
    • Kids Crafts
    • Knitting Patterns
    • Lesson Plans
    • Needlework
    • Party Ideas
    • Polymer Clay
    • Quilting Ideas
    • Recycled Crafts
    • Scrapbooking
    • Sewing Patterns
    • Card Making
    • DIY Weddings
    • Not Craft Ideas
  • Giveaways
  • Roundups
  • Store
  • Search

Little Things to Knit to Make Winter Better

January 3, 2025 by Sarah White

I know it hasn’t been actual winter in the Northern Hemisphere for that long, but as soon as we get past the holidays the weight of how much winter we have left to deal with starts to get to me. That means it’s time to knit up a little something that’s useful and pretty, like tissue covers, hot water bottle cozies and tea cozies.

Grab your brightest yarns to add a little cheer to your house for the coldest part of the year!

These little tissue holders are perfect for making it a little easier to find your tissue pack in your bag or on your desk (if your desk is as messy as mine!). The free pattern from kmkat uses sock yarn, so it’s a great way to use those little bits left from other projects.

If you use a hot water bottle to add a little warmth this time of year, why not stitch up a pretty cover for it? This one from Olga Beckmann (find it on Ravelry) uses super bulky yarn so it stitches up in no time, and includes a pretty cable that’s easy enough to do without a cable needle.

You can also knit your bottle a Fair Isle sweater with this design from Laura Penrose (also on Ravelry). It’s worked with two strand of fingering weight held together (or a DK held on its own) and fits a 2 liter bottle.

You can come up with your own embellishments or just knit it plain with this basic hot water bottle cover from Stitches by Artgaze. It calls for three strands of DK weight yarn held together (which comes to a super bulky gauge worked on size 17 US/12mm needles) and is worked in the round.

Now that your water bottle is cozy, how about your teapot? I love this beehive cozy from Knitting Pattern World. It uses chunky yarn and a fun welting pattern that gives it a beehive look. There’s even a little bee to stitch for the top!

The Teapot Turtleneck is a free pattern on Ravelry from Suzanne Resaul that uses worsted weight yarn and an easy ribbing stitch so it can stretch to fit teapots of different shapes.

Another freebie is the Tea Mitten pattern from Elisabeth Kleven on Ravelry, which uses DK weight yarn and is worked from the bottom up in the round in a ribbed pattern with a button flap worked much like a thumb gusset on a mitten.

While we’re keeping tea warm, why not also make your tea bags cozy? This little project from Julie Tarsha (available on Ravelry) is perfect if you carry tea bags in your bag and don’t want them to get squashed or lost. It calls for a tiny bit of worsted weight yarn and a little button to close it.

Next Pattern:

  • Make Your Knitting Machine Scarves Better
  • A Few of My Favorite Things for Knitters
  • Use Your Scraps to Make a Little Leftovers Cowl
«
»

Have you read?

Practice Colorwork on a Cute Knit Bunny

Sometimes I feel like knitters get intimidated to try new things because they think they need to start with a big project. Your first time working in the round doesn’t need to be a sock, and your first colorwork doesn’t need to be a sweater, for example. You can find little projects that use the skills you want to learn to build your confidence before you move on to something that requires more time commitment.

This adorable knit bunny, for example.

The colorwork bunny from Knit Picks was designed by Amy Munson and is a kind of bowling pin shaped bunny complete with a knit hat, contrasting inner ears and a little stranded colorwork on its body. Note that the ears are attached the the hat not the bunny, but you could stitch them to the bunny if you’d rather.

It’s worked from the bottom up and also has a tiny pompom tail you can’t see in the picture but it’s a really cute touch. There are a variety of little fair isle patterns to choose from to make the best bunny for you.

The bunny comes out about 8 inches tall (or just over 20 cm) and use several colors to complete the colorwork, depending on the design you choose.

You can purchase the pattern by itself from Knit Picks, or make a kit that includes sport weight yarn in all the colors you need for your creation. There are gray and brown options for the main body of the bunny, but of course if you’re using your own yarn you can make it whatever color you like.

Once you’ve tried colorwork (maybe also working in the round and shaping if those are skills you haven’t used before) in a little project like this you’ll be ready to take on something bigger in no time.

Check out the pattern on Knit Picks.

[Photo: Knit Picks]

Categories

baby hat Baby Patterns Beginner Book Reviews cardigan Christmas CraftGossip Giveaways Craft News and Events Free Kntting Patterns Giveaways! Hats Knitting Articles Of Interest Knitting Patterns Knitting Technique & Ideas mittens Quick scarf shawl patterns socks Sweaters

RSS More Articles

  • Etsy Spotlight: Boys’ Sewing Pattern Bundle – Raglan T-Shirt and Pants
  • Why You Should Donate Your Excess Yarn: Bringing Relief to Charities and Peace to Your Stash
  • Don’t Toss That Old Fence! Here’s How to Give It a Second Life in the Garden
  • Where to Find Secondhand, Deadstock, and Vintage Fabric Online
  • Celebrate Independence Day with a Beautiful Hand-Lettered USA Art Project
  • That Time a Thrift Store Employee Yelled at Me – And Changed How I See “Thrift Flips” Forever
  • Deer Needlepoint Cushion Kit from The Fox Collection
  • 6 FREE Wild Flower Pattern Papers to Download
  • Master the Art of Appliqué with This Ultimate Guide
  • Are Thread Bundles Worth the Money

Pick Your Blog

  • Sewing
  • Knitting
  • Quilting
  • Crochet
  • Home & Garden
  • Recycled Crafts
  • Scrapbooking
  • Card Making
  • Polymer Clay
  • Cross-Stitch
  • Edible Crafts
  • Felting
  • Glass Art
  • Indie Crafts
  • Kids Crafts
  • Jewelry Making
  • Lesson Plans
  • Needlework
  • Bath & Body
  • Party Ideas
  • Candle Making
  • DIY Weddings
  • Not Craft
  • Free Craft Projects

Copyright © 2025 · CraftGossip | Start Here | Contact Us | Link to Us | Your Editors | Privacy and affiliate policy