Little Things to Knit to Make Winter Better

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.

When I first saw Orofino, a cute summer top from Berroco, I thought it was crocheted. Something about those shifting blocks of eyelets made me think of crochet but on closer inspection it is knit, so let’s take a closer look.

This project alternates blocks of simple eyelet lace and garter stitch to make a boxy tee with a bit of air flow and a lot of texture.

The project is worked from the bottom up mostly in rounds (which does mean a fair bit of purling to do that garter stitch in the round, but the effect is worth it). When you divide for the armholes, the back and front are worked separately and flat to the end of the project.

That leaves you a little seam at the top of the shoulder, and there’s a tiny bit of finishing (literally picking up stitches, purling a round and binding off) at the neckline and armholes.

It calls for a worsted weight cotton yarn, but this would also be nice worked in linen or a blend.

The pattern includes both written and charted instructions, but the key on the charts is a little confusing in how it describes working flat versus in the round, so you can always double check with the written instructions if you need help.

There are six sizes available, ranging from a finished bust circumference of 38 to 71.5 inches, or 95 to 179 cm. It’s meant to be worn with 6 to 12 inches (or 15 to 30 cm) of positive ease.

It is rated as an intermediate knitting project, but if you have a little experience with lace knitting and potentially reading a chart if you want to use them, it shouldn’t be difficult for you.

The pattern is available to download for free on the Berroco website. You can also learn more about it on Ravelry.

[Photo: Berroco]

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