I am pleased to be participating in the 3rd Annual Holiday Blog Hop Event! This year we will be sharing 3 free crochet patterns every week from July 8th to November 16th – so pop by and visit to find out which new projects are available each week!

The Blog Hop Theme is Holiday Crochet – so you will be sure to find lots of holiday themed and perfect-for-gift-giving crochet projects to choose from.

We have many Designers participating this year and to find out which projects have already been shared and to get those free patterns too please visit Mistie’s Introduction Post HERE: 2017 Holiday Blog Hop.

If you are crocheting along with us and share your project online on social media please tag it with #HolidayBlogHop2017  so we can find it too!

My first contribution to our 2017 Holiday Blog Hop is the:

Holiday Spirit Coffee Cup Sleeve

This is an easy project you can crochet quickly and it will make a great last-minute gift! Just pick up a reusable coffee cup from your favorite coffee shop and toss a gift card inside for coffee! I always love getting coffee gift cards for the holidays (or for anytime of the year to be honest) and having the handmade sleeve adds a personal touch to the generic gift card gift 🙂

My next free pattern post will be released on July 29th for the Holiday Spirit Headband. The third free pattern I will release (August 26) is still a mystery to me so if you have any ideas feel free to leave me a comment on this post filled with some crochet inspiration 🙂

Here’s what you need to make this project:

2 colors of medium weight yarn (I used stashed yarn) and a 5.5 mm (I) crochet hook. The finished cup cozy fits my Timmy’s coffee cups and my Starbucks coffee cups perfectly. Finished size is 8.6 inches in circumference and 3 inches in height. It is easy to make this larger or smaller – the stitch pattern (Houndstooth or Hounds Tooth) is worked in multiples of 2. If you need a photo tutorial feel free to visit my Houndstooth Crochet Stitch Photo Tutorial for help!

Supplies

• Yarn: Red Heart Super Saver Yarn [7 oz (198g), 364 yds (333 m)] 100 % Acrylic, [4] Medium Weight Yarn, Color: MC: White, CC: Hot Red
• Hook: 5.5 mm (I) Furls Holly Wood
  
• Scissors, Yarn Needle, Stitch Marker (optional)

Difficulty Level

Beginner-Easy

Finished Size

8.6 inches long by 3 inches wide

Gauge

approximately 3 sts per inch and 2 rows per inch

You can substitute any yarn and hook for this stitch pattern – just remember when you substitute if your gauge is different, the finished size of your project will also be different.

Abbreviations

US Terminology used

CC1 – contrast color (red)
ch – chain
dc – double crochet
MC – main color (white)
R – row
rem – remaining
rep – repeat
sc  – single crochet
sk – skip
st/sts – stitch/stitches
* – Repeat the instructions between the asterisks the number of times indicated. This repeat will contain of multiple instructions.
() – Repeat the instructions between the parentheses the number of times indicated.
[] – at the end of the row – the total number of stitches

Helpful Tutorials

Stitch Anatomy

Houndstooth Stitch Pattern Tutorial

Helpful Video Tutorials

Quick Stitch Guide 

Slip Knot and Starting Chain

Notes

• This project is worked in rows and then seamed to form the sleeve.
• Change yarn colors on the last yarn over of the last stitch of the row. I did not carry my yarn for this project I finished it off at the end of the rows and wove in the ends. If you would like to work over the other color of yarn instead of finishing off at the end of the rows, please add 2 stitches (you may even need 4 sts) to your starting chain length to account for the double thickness and decreased elasticity this will cause.
• To make the seam match nicely I recommend leaving a long yarn end after R2. So when you cut the yarn leave a tail about 4 to 5 inches in length in white. You can then use this at the end to seam your white row ends together.

Pattern Instructions

R1: MC: Ch 27, sk 1 ch, *1 sc in the next ch, 1 dc in the next ch**. Rep from * to ** across. Change to CC1 on the last yarn over of the last dc of the row. Ch 1, turn. [26]

R2: CC1: *1 sc in the next st, 1 dc in the next st**. Rep from * to ** across. Change to MC on the last yarn over of the last dc of the row.  Ch 1, turn. [26] *See Notes Section about this white yarn end*

R3: MC: *1 sc in the next st, 1 dc in the next st**. Rep from * to ** across. Change to CC1 on the last yarn over of the last dc of the row. Ch 1, turn. [26]

R4-R7: Rep R2 and R3. At the end of R7, finish off and leave a long tail for seaming the sleeve ends together.

Weave in all yarn ends except for your final yarn end (red) and the one long white yarn end from R2. Fold your sleeve in half lengthwise (i.e. so the beginning and end of the rows touch) to form the sleeve. Using your remaining yarn end and a yarn needle, whip stitch the two edges together for the red rows and then repeat this using your yarn end in white for the white rows.

#HolidayBlogHop2017

#redheartyarns
#joycreators