Go Green while celebrating luck and laughter in the Irish tradition
In time for St. Patrick’s Day celebrations or knitting lucky shamrocks anytime, February’s project in the Beyond BOBBOL 2014 KAL Series was Irish Coffee Cozy.
Irish Coffee Cozy
Forego cardboard sleeves at your local coffee shop and use this attractive cup huggie to turn plain coffee into a no-added-calorie, non-alcoholic way of making “Irish coffee”.
Need a gift idea? Knit some for co-workers and friends, even if they are not Irish.
Basic knit stitch and an easy beading technique combine to make this cup huggie quick and fun. If you hate to purl, this project is especially for you!
Don’t be concerned if you have not knit with beads before, or you need a refresher. There are already lots of articles on the KnitHeartStrings to help you, and I will be making sure to point them out and review the major points as we knit along in the KAL.
For those already familiar with knitting with beads, you’ll also learn new methods for no-sew minimalist seaming, Kitchener garter stitch, and rotating even count grid designs.
Featured Techniques
- even-count beaded garter stitch
- working a beaded design from wrong side
- now-sew minimalist seaming
Bonus Extras
- Kitchener garter stitch
- rotating even count grid designs
If you missed the knit-along for Irish Coffee Cozy, tutorials, tips and techniques for beaded garter stitch and knitting this pattern are still available in the February 2014 KnitHeartStrings archives. Please purchase the pattern here –
Need Supplies?
Due to popular request, Supplies Paks for Irish Coffee Cozy are available for purchase. There is even an upgrade option to have me string the beads for you (yah – I know I am crazy!! but I’m not going to give you any excuse to not try knitting with beads). You can choose your own combo of yarn and bead colors. But if you would like suggestions, here are my top fav’s:
- Bright Green with either White Pearl Ceylon or Chartreuse-lined Green AB
- Dark Green with either Ivory Ceylon or Turquoise Ceylon
- Mocha with either Silver-lined Root Beer or Ivory Ceylon
I still encourage you to stash dive or give yourself an excuse to visit your local yarn shop for the supplies to make Irish Coffee Cozy. But if you’d like the convenience of one-stop shopping, I can get a Supplies Pak of your choosing out to you as soon as possible. Be aware that supplies are limited, so some choices may be eliminated as inventory runs out.
A floss threader is included if you want to string your own beads OR you can purchase the upgrade option to get the beads already strung on the yarn ready to start knitting right away!
If you already have yarn and just need beads, please see the selection here of the size 8/0 beads called for in the Irish Coffee Cozy pattern. One 20g bag will be enough for at least 3 cozys.
Beads are packaged in clear zip-top bags for easy handling; no tubes to roll around or tops popping off and spilling beads. Approximately 800 per 20g bag unless otherwise noted (premium beads come in smaller 10g bags; mixes come in 15g bags). You can also optionally purchase a nylon floss threader for stringing beads.
If you need help in selecting a color to coordinate with your yarn, please ask and I'll do my best to describe and help you.
Knit, learn, and enjoy the making!
p.s. If you are a new member and have not yet confirmed your newsletter invitation, be sure to do that so you do not get disconnected/removed from the system and can no longer access this site for members-only content. More info at The Key to Keeping Your Membership Active.
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Hi Jackie, I am a bit slow, have only just made the Irish Coffee Mug hug. Loved it although I did not have green yarn. I made it in an Ultramarine sock wool with Turquoise blue s/l ab mat size 8/0 beads. Made it as per instructions but, could one do a provisional cast on instead of the backward loop one? Love your patterns and am so glad I am able to participate and learn new techniques every month. I live in Cape Town, South Africa and don’t know what I would do without the Internet and all I have learned from visiting your site and many others. Please continue to bless us with your knowledge and innovation. Lesley
Yes, a provisional cast on could be used instead. In the support article Sometimes Its the Simple Things, I mention that the simple half-hitch cast on can be used in place of doing a provisional cast on.
http://www.knitheartstrings.com/bit-size-tutorials/sometimes-its-the-simple-things.php
I also mentioned in the support article on Kitchener Garter Stitch about how picking up the lower loops of the simple half-hitch cast on replicates what some of you might have accomplished in other projects by starting with a provisional cast on and then releasing the loops later to work the grafted join. You can go back and review what was discussed there –
http://www.knitheartstrings.com/bit-size-tutorials/bonus-kitchener-garter-stitch.php
Although the Irish Coffee Mug did not have beads on the very first row, if there had been beads then it can get more complicated with a provisional cast on. So knowing that you can start with the simple half-hitch cast on and basically get the same results can come in handy.
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Hola jakiees, el nivel de socio que aparece en mi perfil es contenido ilimitado, con ese puedo descargar el patrón gratis? saludos.
Mariela, I am not sure how to better translate to Spanish that with the Limited Content level you are on you are getting membership free but are limited to the free level content. This does not include the monthly pdf download of the KAL pattern. With your non-paid membership, you do have access to a bunch of other content on the website. And you do have the option to purchase the pattern at a substantial discount during the KAL offer period. See the summary of member plans here. I hope this helps you understand that “limited” does not mean limitless.
Gracias por sus patrones , pero insisto y no puedo descargar el patrón gratis de febrero por favor una ayuda.
Mariela, Be sure you are logged in with your membership username and password. Then you will see your 50% discount code to apply in shopping cart. After your 50% off purchase is completed, you will be sent the link to download the pattern.
Thank you for all you do, Jackie. I was always amazed that we got the patterns and the tutorials free to begin with. You put so much thought and effort into every project, all of which is invaluable. It’s a sign of what America is turning into that people expect a free ride at every turn. I am so grateful to be able to get the Premium membership for such a very, very low cost. Thanks for being there for us.
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aww, 50% off is not bad for the limited members specially since we got the entire 2013 KALs for FREE. I’m staying on and just buying the ones I like. Thanks, Jackie. That was very generous.
Thank you Vicki! I’m going to be working hard in 2014, also, to provide interesting and informative content for all our members.
So am I getting the pattern for February free or not ? I know you have been generous with your patterns in the past so it’s ok if they are no longer free.
Hi Virginia, For the Limited Content level (which is the default no-charge subscription plan you are on), you do not get the February pattern or future KAL patterns for free. But you can purchase during the KAL period any you are interested in at a discount. When you bring up the KAL page, it will show you the code to apply in your shopping cart to get the discount. The February KAL pattern coupon code is a generous 50% off, so I hope you can take advantage of that if you are interested.
There is also the option for you to upgrade to the Basic Level or a Premium plan at a reasonable subscription fee, and then there is no further charge for the patterns.
Let me know if you have other questions or I can help further. I see that of the Introductory 24-month “Beta” period for the membership site, you were able to partake in 22 months – good for you! I hope you enjoyed the patterns.
Eta I guess I missed it too I see no reason to pay for membership if I can buy the patterns I’d like on rav bad participate on the KALs there, at least I assume we can since I have been posting them for you/allowing you to post in KAL fanatics.
I am confused I don’t think I need this service any longer
Yvette, Let me try to summarize the way the KAL pattern works for the 3 membership plans in a few words:
Limited Content Plan gives you 50% off the KAL pattern (i.e. think of it as pay-as-you-go; you only pay for what you want, and for that you get the 50% discount).
The Basic Level and Premium Level plans give you the KAL pattern as part of your paid membership. (i.e. pay once and get all the patterns at 100% discount).
KnitHeartStrings membership on ANY of the plans (i.e. even at the no-charge Limited Content level) gives you access to member-only protected content. (i.e. non-members will not be able to see certain tutorials developed especially for the KAL).
An overview side-by-side comparison of the New Membership Options and Features is posted here.
Hope this helps! Please ask again if anything is unclear.
Odd I did not get any notice of change and it says free for basic and premium members from feb 5 – 25
Irish Coffee Cozy pattern is available to KnitHeartStrings Basic Level and Premium members as a FREE DOWNLOAD February 5 – 25. Be sure that you are logged in so you see the Download Link rather than the Buy button.
I f
Hmm … we’re now February 6th and I am logged in, but I seem unable to find the ‘download’ button. Maybe I’m on the wrong page?
Hi Jessica,
The KAL pattern for February is not free for the Free Limited Content membership level, which is currently what your account shows.
Sorry if you had missed the important announcements in December and January about the change in membership options. i.e. your Introductory Special (which actually ran since Jan 2012 – yikes! I think that might be a record for an introductory period, lol) coming to an end.
The free download button now shows up for Basic Level and Premium members. Since you must have missed reading the announcements about the changes, you might also not know about the new Basic level. I added the mid-tier Basic level as a lower-cost option for members who didn’t want/or weren’t ready to upgrade all the way to Premium.
However, as a Free Limited Content member, you can still participate in the KALs without charge (i.e. you can follow along and get a lot of tips, techniques, extra’s). And I do now offer the discounted price if you want the monthly pattern. When you brought up the KAL pattern page, you should have seen a 50% off discount coupon (which you can apply in your shopping cart before checking out to Paypal to bring the cost of Feb’s pattern down to $2.75). Did you see that? That way you get a significant discount as a KAL participant during the offer period and then can download the pattern.
(or you can do a paid Basic membership level which costs about $2 / month at the lowest level and continue to get the monthly pattern for free).
Does this answer your question? Let me know if there is anything else I can help you with.
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