Tuesday 8 March 2011

And so to bed ......

The past couple of days I've been busy working on a little project using up some of my handspun yarn. It was some merino cross fibre from EasyKnits in the colourway Zippy (I'm guessing there's a link to the children's programme Rainbow here!), and I spun it as one long single, before Navajo-plying it. The yarn was a bit lumpy-bumpy in places, but I loved the way the colours worked out, and a little seed of an idea for a pattern started to germinate! I swatched (aren't you impressed?!) and cast on, frogged and cast on again, and before long, I'd got underway. So let me present to you, without further ado, a Tuesday 'tah-dah' .........

And so to bed 003

I've knitted myself a hot water bottle cover! I'm rather a hot water bottle addict in the winter, and have hankered after a knitted cover for absolutely ages. This was knitted on 7mm needles, with a provisional cast on, and 52 stitches. I knitted it in the round, and incorporated a simple 12 stitch cable pattern on the front and back. I grafted the stitches together at the top, knitting the central 24 stitches in 2 by 2 rib until I ran out of yarn! I then undid the provisional cast on and grafted the stitches together to close up the cover. It's by no means perfect - if I was going to make another one, I'd cast on a few less stitches and increase at the sides for a couple of rounds, and do the reverse at the top, to soften the corners a little. But it's for me, it's chilly tonight, and I want to toast my tootsies on my hand spun, hand knit hot water bottle cover! Sleep well!! xx

11 comments:

Stadtwaldvogel said...

This is wonderful, Helen! Your cover is so cute and stripy. Great idea! I love hot water bottles in winter, too. One on my shoulders always helps to relax.
Your monkey bread shawl is very nice, too!
Yours, Julia

snoopydogknits said...

Wow! That's lovely. All your own work too, from beginning to end. Love it! Sleep well! xx

Anonymous said...

Wow, that looks fab! The way the colours stripe so regularly is brilliant, it's so even :)

Anonymous said...

As usual (and it's become a family joke over the years) my husband turned the heating off on 1 March. The weather was great. He's now gone to England for a few days and the temperature at night is back to -1 or -2. There's no point turning the heating back on just for me (see how well I've been brainwashed!) so I go to bed with two hot water bottles, then make two more when I wake up at 6am so I can drink my early coffee with heat. I keep meaning to knit a cover for them but my fingers are busy on a baby blanket. Yours looks great.

WildflowerWool said...

What a great job you did! I am sure it kept you extra warm. Thanks for the update on your sock yarn ;)

Lynne said...

Oh my, that's fantastic! Well done! I do like the cables, and the colours are lovely. I hope it's keeping you toasty warm, and that teddy hasn't hogged it to much!

Louise Tilbrook said...

How great is that? Love the colours and I bet it is really cosy.

Jennyff said...

Oh cosy nights. I am a huge hottie fan, mine don't have knitted covers (yet) but I did knit a cabled cover as a gift for a friend when she left her husband. I bet you are sleeping well knowing you've done a great job completely from scratch.

melissa said...

wonderful!
what a perfect project for your perfect yarn!

faith76 said...

Fab water bottle cover and I've just started reading that book too. Just read the first two chapters - looks a good thriller my initial thoughts are that the sisters married boyfriend more than likely had something to do with the disappearance but this would be too obvious. Leah x

pinkundine said...

That's really cool - and great timing as I was planning to come up with a hot water bottle cover of my own - love the tips on corner shaping, I wouldn't have thought of that. Thanks!