Cosy hot-water bottle cover

This knitted wool hot-water bottle cover has a pocket designed to keep hands warm on chilly evenings

MATERIALS

Yarn: • The cover pictured here was knitted in Rowan Purelife British Sheep Breeds Chunky, but any DK, Aran or Worsted weight yarn can be used. The size of needles may need changing to match the tension required. Needles: • 3.5mm set of straight needles or double pointed needles • 3.5mm circular needle or size needed to obtain tension • 2 stitch markers • Tapestry needle

Tension

4in (10cm sq) = 22 stitches x 30 rows Because this hot-water bottle cover is worked in the round, every row after the neck is a knit row. Four double pointed needles were used for the rib of the hot-water bottle cover here and increase rows, then a circular needle was used for the rest of the cover.

Abbreviations

K Knit P Purl St or sts Stitch or stitches K2tog Knit two stitches together K3tog Knit three stitches together M1R Make one right SSK Slip, slip, knit M Marker SM Slip marker PM Place marker RS Right side WS Wrong side

Size

To fit a rubber hot-water bottle measuring 7½ x 9½in (19 x 25cm).

How to

SSK: Slip the first stitch as if to knit, slip the second stitch as if to knit, then slide the left-hand needle into the front part of both stitches and knit together. M1R: Pick up the bar between the last stitch knitted and the one about to be knitted, bringing the needle from the back to the front. Knit into the front of this stitch.