Cute and Easy Crocheted Cosies E-Book

Nicki Trench

• Herausgeber: Ryland Peters & Small
• Kategorie: Lebensstil
• Sprache: Englisch
• Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2016

Beschreibung

35 easy-to-follow crochet patterns for quick and colourful cosies. Crochet a cosy for your phone, your teapot, your laptop, your favourite books, your passport and more! Cover all your most precious items with cute and colourful crochet, and then why not make something for all your friends too? Start with simple vase cosies to brighten up your mantelpiece, keep your tablet or e-reader safe with a wave-patterned striped cosy, then move on to more complex designs such as the adorable crocheted flower tea cosy, the pretty lace tealight covers, and the soft and warm hot water bottle cover. Expert crafter Nicki Trench, a crochet teacher and author with over 20 years' experience, has designed a series of patterns that will guide you through making these beautiful projects incorporating a wide range of crochet techniques. There is a comprehensive techniques section that explains all the stitches with clear artworks and instructions, followed by three chapters packed with patterns that will delight and inspire you.

Leseprobe

CUTE & EASY

CROCHETED COSIES

CUTE & EASY

CROCHETED COSIES

35 SIMPLY STYLISH PROJECTS TO MAKE AND GIVE

NICKI TRENCH

Published in 2016 by CICO Books

An imprint of Ryland Peters & Small Ltd

20–21 Jockey’s Fields, London WC1R 4BW

www.rylandpeters.com

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

Text © Nicki Trench 2016

Design, illustration and photography © CICO Books 2016

The author’s moral rights have been asserted. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying or otherwise, without the prior permission of the publisher.

A CIP catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.

eISBN: 978 1 78249 504 8

ISBN: 978 1 78249 321 1

Editor: Marie Clayton

Designer: Barbara Zuniga

Photographer: Gavin Kingcome

Stylist: Sophie Martell and Nel Haynes

Illustrator: Stephen Dew

In-house editor: Anna Galkina

Art Director: Sally Powell

Production controller: Sarah Kulasek-Boyd

Publishing Manager: Penny Craig

Publisher: Cindy Richards

contents

introduction

techniques

basic stitches

decorative stitches

lining crochet pieces

chapter one:cosy tech

striped wave iPad cover

mobile phone cosies

patchwork laptop cover

kindle cosy

iPod cosy

striped laptop cosy

iPad cosy with flap

striped phone cosy

chapter two:cosy living

bunny egg cosies

floral tea cosy

hot water bottle cosy

jam jar tea light cosies

bow egg cosies

vase cosy

chunky cafetière cosy

cold bottle cosy

glass bottle cosy

embroidered beaded hot water bottle cosy

bobble tea cosy

baby cosy

embroidered jam jar covers

mug cosies

chunky hot water bottle cover

bobble cafetière cosy

daisy tea cosy

chapter three:cosy and tidy

passport holder

paperback cosy

crochet hook cosy

soap cosies

sunglasses case

glasses cosy

patchwork sewing machine cosy

colouring pencil cosies

cutlery cosies

diary cosy

suppliers

index

acknowledgements

introduction

Once upon a time, cosies were confined to teapots and hot water bottles, but with all the technological devices now in our households we can take much pleasure making cosies for just about anything that needs protection. In this collection there are cosies for mobile phones (pages 30 and 46), laptops (pages 32 and 40), tablets (pages 26 and 44) and eBook readers (page 34). There is a very cute Baby Cosy with a hood and ears (page 78), cafetière cosies (pages 66 and 88), a Glasses Cosy (page 106) and even a Cold Bottle Cosy (page 68) that you can take to the gym – you’ll never have to worry about getting your bottle mixed up with someone else’s ever again!

Devices and containers come in all different shapes and sizes, so all the patterns in this book are suggested measurements. Where possible I have given stitch multiples in the patterns, so you can adjust the size of your cosy to fit your own item. I have chosen the yarns for their yummy colours and textures – and for how easy they are to crochet with. Most cosies work well in a double knit yarn, or something even thicker for more protection, but for cosies that are purely decorative – such as the Vase Cosies on page 64 – I have a used a fine lace yarn with beautiful colours to show the light coming through the glass jars.

Most cosies are made to protect, so I have lined many of the items with a cotton fabric and used some thicker, textured stitches: a puff stitch for the Striped Laptop Cosy (page 40) and a bobble stitch for the Bobble Cafetière Cosy (page 88). If you would like the cosy even thicker you could also add some wadding between the lining and the crochet, but take care not to make the cosy too bulky. I pop my laptop into a cosy and then into my bag and – although I want it to be protected – I don’t want the cosy to take up all the space (I need to keep a hook and yarn in there too!).

In this book we also have a techniques section on pages 8–23, and there are also many tips and notes to help you along when reading the patterns. One of the instructions that is used often in most of the patterns, particularly when a colour change is necessary, is: ‘Cut yarn, do not fasten off’. When doing this keep the hook in the loop, cut the yarn approximately 10cm (4in) from the loop on the hook, and then join the next colour as instructed.

Once you start thinking of all the items you can cover with a crochet cosy you will get obsessed and want to crochet a cover for just about everything! I hope you have as much enjoyment making the projects in this book as I did designing them for you. Enjoy.

techniques

basic stitches

decorative stitches

lining crochet pieces

basic stitches

Crochet has only a few basic stitches and once you’ve mastered these all extended stitches follow the same principles. Practise the basic stitches before attempting your first pattern. Crochet is easy to undo because you only have one loop on the hook so you can’t really go wrong. When practising keep the loops loose – you can work on creating an even tension across the fabric later.

Holding your hook and yarn

Holding the yarn and hook correctly is a very important part of crochet and once you have practised this it will help you to create your stitches at an even tension.

Holding your hook

There are two basic ways of holding the hook. I always teach the pen position as I find this more comfortable. It gives you a more relaxed arm and shoulder.

Pen position Pick up your hook as though you are picking up a pen or pencil. Keeping the hook held loosely between your fingers and thumb, turn the hook so that the tip is facing up and the hook is balanced in your hand and resting in the space between your index finger and your thumb.

Knife position But if I’m using a very large hook and chunky yarn, then I may sometimes change and use the knife position. I crochet a lot and I’ve learned that it’s important to take care not to damage your arm or shoulder by being too tense. Make sure you’re always relaxed when crocheting and take breaks.

Holding your yarn

Pick up the yarn with your little finger on the opposite hand to the hook, with palm facing towards you, the short end in front of the finger and the yarn in the crease between little finger and ring finger. Turn your hand to face downward (see above top), placing the long yarn strand on top of your index finger, under the other two fingers and wrapped right around the little finger. Then turn your hand to face you (above bottom), ready to hold the work in your middle finger and thumb.

Holding hook and yarn while crocheting

Keep your index finger, with the yarn draped over it, at a slight curve, and hold your work (or the slip knot) using the same hand, between your middle finger and your thumb and just below the crochet hook and loop/s on the hook. As you draw the loop through the hook release the yarn on the index finger to allow the loop to stay loose on the hook. If you tense your index finger, the yarn will become too tight and pull the loop on the hook too tight for you to draw the yarn through.

Holding hook and yarn for left-handers

Some left-handers learn to crochet like right-handers, but others learn with everything reversed – with the hook in the left hand and the yarn in the right.

Slip knot

A slip knot is the loop that you put onto the hook to start any stitch in crochet.

1 Make a circle of yarn as shown.

2 In one hand hold the circle at the top where the yarn crosses, and let the tail drop down at the back so that it falls across the centre of the loop. With your free hand or the tip of a crochet hook, pull a loop through the circle.

3 This forms a very loose loop on the hook.

4 Pull both yarn ends gently to tighten the loop around the crochet hook shank.

5 Make sure the loop is not TOO tight. It needs to slip easily along the shank.

Chain stitches(abbreviated ch)

Chains are the basis of all crochet. This is the stitch you have to practise first because you need to make a length of chains to be able to make the first row or round of any other stitch. Practising these will also give you the chance to get used to holding the hook and the yarn correctly.

1 Start with the tip of the hook pointed upwards, with the slip knot on your hook sitting loosely so there is enough gap to pull a strand of yarn through the loop on the hook.

2 Catch the yarn with the hook, circling it around the strand of yarn.

3 As you catch the yarn, turn the tip of the hook downwards, holding the knot immediately under the loop on the hook with your left hand between finger and thumb.

4 Then gently pull the strand of yarn through the loop on the hook. As soon as the tip of the hook comes through the loop, turn the tip of the hook immediately upwards.

Chain space[abbreviated ch sp]

1 A chain space is the space that has been made under a chain in the previous round or row and falls in between other stitches.

2 Stitches into a chain space are made directly into the hole created under the chain and not into the chain stitches themselves.

Slip stitch(abbreviated ss)

A slip stitch is the shortest crochet stitch and is usually worked into other stitches rather than into a foundation chain, because it is rarely used to make a whole piece of crochet. It is mainly used to join rounds or to take the yarn neatly along the tops of stitches to get to a certain point without having to fasten off. It can also be used as a joining stitch.

1 To make a slip stitch, first insert the hook through the stitch (chain or chain space). Then wrap the yarn round the hook.

2 Pull the yarn through both the stitch (chain or chain space) and the loop on the hook at the same time, so you will be left with one loop on the hook.

Double crochet(abbreviated dc)

Double crochet is the most commonly used stitch of all. It makes a firm tight crochet fabric. If you are just starting out, it is the best stitch to start with because it is the easiest to make.

1 Make a foundation chain, then insert the tip of the hook into the 2nd chain from the hook. Catch the yarn with the hook by taking the hook around the back of the yarn strand. Pull the yarn through the chain only, with the hook pointed downwards. As soon as you have brought the yarn through, immediately turn the hook upwards – this will help to keep the loop on the hook and prevent it sliding off. Keep the hook in a horizontal position.

2 You will now have two loops on the hook. Wrap the yarn round the hook again (with the hook sitting at the front of the yarn), turn the hook to face downwards and pull the yarn through the two loops, turning the hook to point upwards as soon as you have pulled the yarn through.

3 One loop is now left on the hook. Keep the hook pointed upwards (this is the default position of the hook until you start the next stitch). Continue working one double crochet into each chain to the end of the foundation chain.

4 Turn the work to begin the next row. Make one chain and work the first double crochet into the top of the first double crochet in the row below (picking up the two loops at the top of the stitch). Work one double crochet into each double crochet stitch in the row below, to the end of the row.

5 For all subsequent rows, repeat Step 4.

Half treble(abbreviated htr)