Free Pattern: Hot Water Bottle Cover

Plain and Simple Hot Water Bottle Cover

Ravelry:

Now available on Ravelry as a free PDF download. You must be a Ravelry member to access the site.

Also available as a free PDF here (132 Kb in size).

Tension/Gauge

12 sts over 10 cm (4″) on 8 mm (~US 11) needles over stocking stitch (row tension not important).

Materials

Yarn: 1 ball of King Cole Magnum Chunky Multi in beige (colour no. 206) 110 m/120 yds per 100g
Needles: 6 mm (~US 10) straights and 8 mm (~US 11) straights (or size to obtain tension)
Blunt needle for sewing up and weaving in ends
3 buttons (size determined by buttonholes)
Long pins for holding knit pieces together when sewing up.
A hot water bottle (!) measuring 21 cm/8″ wide and 22 cm/8.5″ from base to “shoulder”

Side one (button side):

With 6 mm needles, cast on 28 sts and work 4 rows garter stitch (knit every row).
Change to 8 mm needles and, beginning with a knit row, work in stocking (stockinette) stitch for 23 cm/9″ from cast on edge. End after a purl row.

“Shoulder” shaping:

Knit to within 3 stitches of the end of the row. TURN.
Purl to within 3 stitches of the end of the row. TURN.
Knit to within 6 stitches of the end of the row. TURN.
Purl to within 6 stitches of the end of the row. TURN.
Knit to within 9 stitches of the end of the row. TURN.
Purl to within 9 stitches of the end of the row. TURN.
Knit across row.
Purl across whole row. (there will be holes where the short rows were turned. There are ways to eliminate or reduce these, but I liked the look of them!)
Cast off 9 stitches, K to end of row.
Cast off 9 stitches, P to end of row [20 sts]

“Collar”

Change to 6 mm needles and, beginning with K2, work in K2, P2 rib for 16 rows.
Cast off in rib.

Side two (buttonhole side):

With 6 mm needles, cast on 28 stitches and work two rows in garter stitch.

Buttonhole row: K4, yo, K2tog, K8, yo, K2tog, K8, yo, K2tog, K2.
K 1 row
P 2 rows (second row is turning row)
Change to 8 mm needles and, beginning with a P row work in stocking (stockinette) stitch until piece from turning row measures 23 cm/9″. End after a purl row

Work “shoulder” shaping and “collar” as side one, but beginning the collar ribbing with P2.

Making up:

Fold buttonhole flap at purl turn row to the RIGHT SIDE of Side Two. Pin in place.

With knit sides together, pin and sew the two sides together along side seams, shoulders and collar (sides and top). Leave the bottom edge unsewn.

Turn cover to right side and pull the buttonhole flap around as shown

Sew buttons on using buttonholes as a guide to placement. Use one ply (or strand) of the yarn used or matching cotton thread.

Insert water bottle.

If you have any questions (or, shock horror, spot any errors) feel free to leave me a comment or send me an email. If you do use this pattern, please consider donating either a knit item (this one?) or some money to the charity of your choice. My personal favourites are Medecin San Frontieres/Doctors Without Borders and the ME Association.

EDITED: Anne had some Aran-weight yarn in her stash. I have a calculator. The numbers below are for 18 sts = 10cm/4″. Just substitute in the relevant places!

Cast on 42 sts.
Work 8 rows g st
St. st.
Short row every 4 sts for shoulder shaping
Cast off 12 sts each side for shoulders
Rib over 30 sts for collar (increase no. of rows of rib as well)

Buttonhole flap – cast on 42 sts, g. st. 4 rows.
Buttonhole row: k6, yo, k2tog, k13, yo, k2tog, k13, yo, k2tog, k4
4 rows of g.st. or st. st.
Purl turning row.
St. st. and then as before.