DIY: Cable-Knit Coffee Cozy — the little onion

Even though I’ve been knitting since I was 6, I didn’t get the nerve up to try cable knitting until about 5 years ago. I was pregnant with our first kiddo and found a pattern I really wanted to try- covered in cables. I finally just went for it, and to my surprise- I could do it! Now I’m haunted by all of the projects I could have made for all those years- avoiding cable knitting really locks you out of the grandma sweater game and this, I deeply regret.

I let cables intimidate me for such a long time, but the reality is that it’s just about changing the order of your stitches with respect to each other. If you can knit, purl, purl 2 together, and yarn over, then you can do this pattern and I hope you’ll give this a try! This is a great beginner cable project because it’s small and quick, only has one cable, and the cable is isolated to the center 6 stitches so it’s easy to focus on that area and make sure you get it right. You’ve got this!

And be honest- you’re not quite basic enough as it is. You really need a cabled coffee cozy to wrap around that Starbucks cup as you trot to back to your SUV wearing Uggs and your DIY bow ear warmer. These also make fantastic Christmas gifts and are compatible with almost any mug- handle or not.

Share this post on Facebook or tag 3 friends on Instagram and I’ll enter you to win mine! I’ll spin for a winner Tuesday.

You’ll need:

Size 7 needles
One extra needle in size close to 7
Less than a skein worsted weight (category 4) yarn (I used Yarn Bee Breathe Deep in Ivory)
2 buttons
Darning needle
Regular needle
Thread in similar color as yarn

Skills Required:

Basic knitting (knit/purl/yarn over/purl 2 together)

NOTE: yarn size and needle size aren’t critical. If you go bigger, the cozy will get wider (and vice-versa). You can still just knit until the length fits the circumference of the cup you want to cozy.

Directions

Cast on 16 stitches.

Row 1: knit 2, purl 3, knit 6, purl 3, knit 2

Row 2 (and all even rows): Knit 5, purl 6, knit 5

Row 3: knit 2, purl 3, move next 2 knit stitches onto extra needle and hold in FRONT of other stitches, knit 2 on original needle, knit 2 off of extra needle, knit 2 on original needle, purl 3, knit 2. (See video below to watch me knit this row!)

Row 4: Knit 5, purl 6, knit 5

Row 5: knit 2, purl 3, knit 6, purl 3, knit 2

Row 6: Knit 5, purl 6, knit 5

Row 7: knit 2, purl 3, knit 2, move next 2 knit stitches onto extra needle and hold BEHIND other stitches, knit 2 off of original needle, knit 2 off of extra needle, purl 3, knit 2. (See video below to watch me knit this row!)

Row 8: Knit 5, purl 6, knit 5

Repeat rows 1-8 until piece measures 9” (for a standard Starbucks cup), or as long as necessary to go around mug of choice (my mug was 10.5”. When piece is the right length, stop after row 4 or 8 and then proceed with final 3 rows.

Third to last row (buttonhole row): knit 2, purl 1, purl 2 together, yarn over, knit 6, yarn over, purl 2 together, purl 1, knit 2

Second to last row: Knit 5, purl 6, knit 5

Last (bind off row): bind off as you go, following pattern: knit 2, purl 1, purl 2 together, yarn over, knit 6, yarn over, purl 2 together, purl 1, knit 2

To finish off, hide yarn tails with darning needle. Sew 2 buttons onto cast on end of cozy to align with button holes using needle and thread. Apply to coffee cup or mug, and enjoy!