Water Bottle Cozy Knitting Pattern

Every now and then someone on Ravelry will let me know that a pattern of mine that used to be available online isn’t any longer, as was the case with this water bottle cozy knitting pattern.

It’s a great little pattern that’s super useful for keeping your hands free but still allowing you to carry water while hiking or just going about your day.

This updated version offers some different yarn options and tips for making the water bottle cozy you’ve always wanted.

Why Knit a Water Bottle Cozy?

A water bottle cozy is a great quick project to make your bottle stand out from others in the crowd. It’s a great way for your child to know which water bottle is theirs at school or on a field trip, and it gives your bottle more personality at the office or anywhere else.

This water bottle cozy knitting pattern features Turkish stitch, which is a mesh pattern, so it’s not super insulating but it does make your bottle a little easier to grip. If you have a bottle that gets wet from condensation, the cozy will soak up a bit of that water.

It also helps prevent your water bottle from getting scratched or dinged if you drop it, which may also help it last longer so you’ll be even more environmentally friendly than you already were being by using a reusable water bottle in the first place.

This pattern includes a strap, which is optional, but allows you to carry your bottle over your shoulder instead of holding it in your hand. This is great if you use your bottle while hiking, or with kids or any other time you need to have your hands free.

Knit Water Bottle Cozy Yarn Choices

When I first made this water bottle cozy knitting pattern, I used Caron Simply Soft Eco, an yarn made with acrylic and recycled polyester fibers. I liked the idea that using a yarn with recycled content increased the eco-friendliness (even though acrylic is not the best for the planet), but this yarn has since been discontinued.

You could use an acrylic like Caron Simply Soft (I think off white is probably closest to the color I used, but this yarn comes in so many colors you can choose whatever you like best). Other good acrylic options might be Lion Brand Basic Stitch or Premier Yarns Premier Everyday Anti-Pilling.

If you don’t want to use acrylic yarn, a cotton or cotton blend would be another good choice. Cotton stretches, especially under the weight of a full water bottle, so if you are knitting a strap for your water bottle cozy, consider making a wider strap and/or knitting it with smaller needles to make it a little firmer. I have seen people use Lily Sugar ‘n Cream for this project with success, or try Lion Brand 24/7 Cotton.

What You’ll Need

Whatever yarn you choose, this pattern uses (4) worsted weight yarn. Mine used about 50 yards, including to make the strap, but your usage may vary a bit depending on your gauge and if you make a bigger strap (or a tighter knit one, which will also use more yarn).

In addition to yarn you will need:

• a set of 4 double pointed knitting needles, size 8 US/5 mm (or one long or two normal sized circulars, if you prefer those methods for working in the round)
• stitch marker for marking the end of the round
• scissors and a yarn needle
• an I-cord maker if you want to be fancy (you can also make your I-cord by hand)

Gauge

Gauge isn’t super critical because this stitch stretches a lot, but I got about 17 stitches and 18 rounds per 4 inches/10 cm in Turkish stitch.

Finished Size

The finished water bottle cozy is about 9 inches/22.8 cm tall and 5 inches/12.7 cm wide unstretched. It’s made to fit an average-sized metal water bottle, but if yours is a different size or you don’t want your cozy to cover as much you can easily alter the pattern.

Water Bottle Cozy Knitting Pattern

This pattern is worked from the bottom up, starting with a flat circle worked in the round for the base of the holder. Once the desired width is reached, you will work Turkish stitch in the round until the desired height of the bottle cozy is reached.

Cast on 9 stitches and divide onto 3 double pointed needles. Join for working in the round, being careful not to twist stitches.

Knit 1 round.

Knit in the front and the back of each stitch. 18 stitches total.

Knit 3 rounds.

Knit in the front and the back of each stitch. 36 stitches total.

Knit 4 rounds.

This is the base of your bottle cozy. If you need it to be bigger you would need to increase here to keep the circle flat, but you probably won’t need to increase in every stitch. Just increase evenly around and knit another round or two if needed to fit the base of your bottle.

Knitting the Sides of the Water Bottle Cozy

On the next round, knit 1 *yarn over, knit 2 together. Repeat from * around, ending with a knit 1.

Repeat that round until your cozy is about an inch/2.5 cm shorter than your bottle (to account for stretching). Mine is about 5 inches/12.7 cm.

Bind off.

Knitting the Strap

There are a few different ways you can work the strap, if you want one, on this water bottle cozy knitting pattern. In the original I bound off all the stitches, worked the I-cord separately using an I-cord maker, then sewed it to the sides of the cozy.

If you’re planning to stitch the strap by hand, you can bind off until 4 stitches remain and then work your I-cord on those stitches until it is your desired length (mine is 30 inches/76.2 cm).

Bind off and sew the end of the strap to the opposite side of the cozy. This will make it a little stronger since it’s integrated into the bag on one side instead of being sewn on.

If you want an even more secure strap, you can work it in a stitch pattern that won’t stretch as much, such as linen stitch.

To work linen stitch, you’ll need an odd number of stitches (5 or 7 would be good for a strap).

Row 1: *knit 1, slip one as if to purl with the yarn in front. Repeat from * across, ending with a knit 1.

Row 2: *slip 1 as if to purl with the yarn in back, purl 1. Repeat from * across, ending with a slipped stitch.

Repeat these two rows to desired length. Bind off and sew to the side(s) of the cozy.

There you have it! A super quick and easy water bottle cozy knitting pattern to make your bottle cuter!

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