Ribbon Stitch Mug Cosy

You will need:

4mm knitting needles

Small amounts of DK yarn in 2 colours

Button

Needle to sew button on

 

You may useful: row counter – tape measure

 

Makes a band 9” long

Method:

Before you start – wind off a small amount of the background colour into a smaller ball (only a couple of yards) – this will form the solid border up the far side of the cosy without having to cut and rejoin the main yarn.

 

Cast on 52 stitches using the background colour

Knit 4 rows.

Start the pattern rows

 

Row 1: with background colour – knit across all stitches.

Row 2: with background colour – purl across all stitches.

 

 

 

Row 3: with background colour – knit 4 stitches, drop yarn, with ribbon colour – * knit 3, without moving your yarn - slip 1 stitch onto the right-hand needle purl wise – but don’t work it, repeat from * to last 4 stitches, drop yarn - with the small ball of background colour, knit 4.  Look back along your needle – you should have 1 background loop between every 3 ribbon colour loops with the background colour at the sides.

Tip – when you swop yarns from now on – twist them round each other to prevent a gap in the work.

 

Row 4: with small ball of background colour – purl 4 stitches, drop yarn, with ribbon colour – *bring the yarn to the front of the work, slip 1 stitch onto the right-hand needle purl wise – but don’t work it, take yarn to the back of the work, knit 3 - repeat from * to last 4 stitches – bring yarn to front, drop yarn - with the main ball of background colour, purl 4.

 

Row 5: with background colour – knit across all stitches.

Row 6: with background colour – purl across all stitches.

 

 

 

Row 7: with background colour – knit 2, drop yarn, bring up ribbon colour – with ribbon colour - knit 3, *slip 1 stitch onto the right-hand needle purl wise – but don’t work it, knit 3 stitches – repeat from * to last 3 stitches, drop ribbon colour – bring up background colour from small ball of background colour – knit 3.  Look back along your needle – you should have 1 background loop between every 3 ribbon colour loops with the background colour at the sides.

 

Row 8: with background colour – purl 3, drop yarn – with ribbon colour – * knit 3, bring the yarn to the front of the work, slip 1 stitch onto the right-hand needle purl wise – but don’t work it, take yarn to the back of the work, – repeat from * to last 5 stitches – knit 3, drop ribbon colour – bring up background colour – purl 2.

 

These 8 rows form the complete pattern – work as many pattern rows to make the depth you want.

 

Add the other border.

Knit 1 row.

Purl 1 row.

Purl 4 rows.

Cast off purl wise.

 

Making up:

Sew buttons at the corners on one edge.  You can add 2 or 3 buttons – depends on what your cup is like.  On the other side create button loops to fasten.  You can do this by adding a couple of strands of yarn and blanket stitching along them – adding a loop of elastic – or adding a couple of those small elastic hair ties (very useful for making button loops!)

 

Take one step further –

-       Work deeper for coffee pots.

-       You could just repeat the first 4 rows instead of working the 8 – this will give you more of a grid like pattern as opposed to a brick pattern.

-       Cast on more or less stitches to make longer of shorter.  The pattern consists of blocks of 4 stitches for the centre + 4 stitches either side for the border.

 

This pattern is part of The Kitten and The Goat Monthly Virtual Knitting Circle.  Sign up to our email list on the website to get a newsletter with a free pattern and access to 2 videos every month.

 

The Kitten and The Goat

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