My sister didn't ask for anything fancy, but, well, you all KNOW how I LOVE embellishing things. I drew up a ton of ideas but ultimately decided to brighten up her coffee with flowers - lots and lots of flowers. Plus, I knew my little nieces would like them too.
In the tutorial below, I'll walk you through determining how to size your piece, and then we'll make the base. The base is great as is and you can immediately begin using it. Then we'll talk about embellishing. Specifically we'll make a five-petal flower and add it to our base.
This is a quick project. The base only takes about 1-2 hours. The embellishing will vary depending on how many you add.
Enjoy!
Materials
- Size H hook
- Lion Brand Vanna's Choice in Kelly Green, or other similar yarn. I used 35 grams.
- 3-6 buttons depending on the height of your piece. I used 3/4 inch buttons.
- Embroidery Needle
- Sewing Needle and Thread
- Measuring Tape
Take Measurements
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- Chain as many as needed to get the proper width. In my case I chained 41. HDC in second chain from hook and across (40 stitches).
- Chain 1, Turn. HDC across (40 stitches).
- Repeat Row 2 until the desired height is reached. In my case I added 13 more rows.
- DO NOT TURN. We will now start working down one short end of your piece. Chain 1 and SC across the side. The goal is to get an even tension. In my case I ended up with 20 stitches.
- Chain 1, Turn. SC across.
- Chain 1, Turn. SC across. Finish off and weave in the ends.
Use your sewing needle and thread to add the buttons. Try and space them evenly. NOTE: These buttons have been in my stash for a while, but I think I picked them up at Michaels.
- With the back side of the body piece facing you, join your yard to the unworked short side. Chain 1 and SC across. TIP: The count should match your other side.
- Chain 1, Turn. SC across.
- Chain 1. Turn. We will now start working on the loops. Determine how many loops you need (3 buttons = 3 loops) and figure out how to space them evenly. In my case I had 20 stitches and 3 loops. I decided that each loop should occupy 4 spaces (SC, Skip Stitch, Skip Stitch, SC). I also decided I wanted two SC on each end. You'll also want to adjust the size of your buttonhole chain based on the size of your buttons. To do this chain a scrap piece of yarn to see how many chains you need. Based on that my row ended up being:
- SC in first 2 stitches.
- Chain 5 stitches, Skip 2 stitches. SC in next stitch. SC in next 4 stitches.
- Chain 5 stitches. Skip 2 stitches. SC in next stitch. SC in next 4 stitches.
- Chain 4 stitches. Skip 2 stitches. SC in next two stitches.
- DO NOT FINISH OFF - YET!
At this point place a stitch marker in your working chain and do a quick test fit on your carafe. You want it to be snug but not over stretched. If you need to adjust your chains, or add/remove rows to get the right fit, now is the time to adjust.
Once you are happy with the fit. Finish off. Your base cozy is done!
Materials
- Yarn. Yarn. Yarn. This is a great time to use up those scraps.
- Embroidery Needle
- A sense of adventure!
NOTE: Have some fun with this. As I started digging through my buttons I thought it would be fun to add a TON of those to the piece. Of course, you'd want to ensure the buttons you use don't have shanks. I also thought out using circles or squares. It would be cool to pull out that book of crochet appliques and try those out as well. Maybe a rainbow with a cloud and sunshine? Of course, a cute little sheep is always adorable. This is the perfect time to be creative and make something that is unique to you!
- With Color A. SC 5 in a magic circle or sloppy slip stitch. (5 stitches).
- 2 SC in each stitch around. (10 stitches)
- (2 SC, 1 SC) around. (15 stitches).
- Cut yarn leaving a long tail for attaching to the body.
- Join Color B in any SC of the last row. Chain 2. This counts as your HDC. In same stitch DC, TC.
- TC, DC, HDC in next stitch.
- Slip Stitch in next stitch.
- SC in next stitch. Chain 1. In same stitch DC, TC.
- TC, DC, HDC in next stitch.
- Slip Stitch in next stitch.
- Repeat steps 4-6 around until you have five petals. Finish off leaving a long tail for sewing to the body.
Of course, I MUST ADD MORE FLOWERS!
Happy Hooking!
Care'