This crochet hot water bottle cover is a fun and cosy DIY project — perfect for anyone with cold feet! Ideal for the colder months, it makes a thoughtful gift or a lovely treat for yourself.

Designer Emma Knitty created this simple-to-make crochet pattern for a water bottle cover using Somen, a soft and sturdy yarn made from recycled cotton and linen. If you don’t find your favourite colour in Somen, you can also try Soft Cotton — just work with 2 bobbins of each colour to achieve the same soft, variegated effect.

This free pattern for a crocheted hot water bottle cover is suitable for those with little to average crochet experience and can be completed in just a few hours. The pattern is worked with double strands of yarn, creating an interesting colour texture that feels as good as it looks. This crochet pattern was tested by our crochet friends at Studio Belovely.

Step 1:

Start with both colours and hold the yarn double, crochet this project with 2 strands. Crochet loose to ensure measurements. Keep the hot water bottle close by to make sure.

1 ch 42, sl st into the 1e ch to join in round (42 stitches – 20 cm width).

2 ch 1, mark this stitch with a stitch marker as the beginning of the 1e round. Dc around, sl st into ch 1 to finish the round.

Step 2: 

Do not chain 1 as we will not be using foundation chains in this project. Instead, mark this stitch as the beginning of round throughout, moving the stitch marker up to the new stitch at the end of each round. Round 3 – 35: crochet 1 dc in every stitch.

Step 3:

Lay your work flat. *Attach yarn into the right corner of the top of the bottle cover as follows; insert your hook, yarn over and pull up a loop. Sl st 7 stitches together one after another through both front and back piece at the same time to close the sides of the top*. Repeat between ** on the left side. The remaining stitches will be unworked, leaving an opening in the centre of the piece for the top of the hot water bottle. Break yarn, pull through yarn end to secure.

Step 4: 

You now have 14 stitches around the opening, but if you find you have more than this is not a problem. Insert your hook in the corner of one end of the opening, yarn over and pull up a loop. 

1 Ch 2 (new beginning of round), make 1 htr into the same corner stitch. Htr 6, increase in the other corner by working htr 2 into the same stitch, htr 6, sl st into the top of ch 2. 

You have now increased by two stitches (16 stitches). 

If you feel like the opening is too tight, feel free to increase by two extra stitches - one increase in each corner - (or as many as you need in a multiply of two stitches each row until you reach a width that is comfortable).

2 ch 2, htr into each stitch around. Sl st into the top of ch 2 to end the round.

3 - 7 ch 2, htr into each stitch around. Sl st into the top of ch 2 to end the round.

If you’d prefer a longer ‘cuffed’ top to your hot water bottle, work as many rows of htr as you like and fold over to create a cuffed look. Break yarn, pull through stitch to secure.

Step 5:

Bobble edge

1 Insert your hook from front to back into any stitch at the bottom of the water bottle cover. Yarn over and pull up a loop. Ch 1 (beginning of round), dc around. Sl st into top of ch 1 to end the round.

2 Ch 1 (beginning of round), dc around, sl st into top of ch 1 to end the round.

3 Ch 3 (beginning of round), *Tr5tog, sc 2*, repeat between *...* to end of round, close by sl st into top of ch 3 to end the round. Fasten off and weave in all yarn ends.

Break yarn and weave in all ends. 

Optional: Sew on a piece of velcro to close the bottom of the hot water bottle. Insert the hot water bottle and enjoy on a cold evening.