My daughter loves a hot water bottle. During the winter months, it is a permanent feature of her days at home, as well as her nights. Her old original 'Emily' hot water bottle, one of my very first designs for my old LibbyTDesigns website back in 2007, was getting a little worn out with all this use, so I promised to design her a new one. In the end, she had quite a large part in the design process and I let her lose with my chart software. This is what we created together. I hope you enjoy knitting it and using it as much as we did.

From next week, I will be releasing kits for this pattern, so keep your eyes peeled. I'll be posting on facebook and twitter when they are ready to despatch.

Materials
1 x 50g Libby Summers Fine Aran, shade 862 (shown as Yarn G)
1 x 25g Libby Summers Fine Aran in each of six other colours. As shown, these are Yarn A (101), Yarn B (890), Yarn C (107), Yarn D (110), Yarn E (107), Yarn F (109)
Pair 5mm[US8] straight needles
One small button
Darning needle and pins for sewing up

To fit
(2 litre bottle) 20cm/8 in. wide, narrowing to 12cm/4¾ in. x 33cm/13 in. high.

Tension
It is important to check your tension before you start as this item needs to fit properly.  Using 5mm needles, cast on 20 sts and knit 12 cm/4¾in in stocking stitch.  Then place work on a flat surface and measure 10cm/4in across and 10cm/4in high.

The tension for this pattern is 18 sts and 24 rows to 10cm/4in square measured over stocking stitch using 5mm/US size 8 needles.

Abbreviations
st(s) stitches
k = knit
p = purl
RS = right side
WS = wrong side
Skpo = slip one stitch, knit one stitch, pass slipped stitch over. This creates a left leaning decrease. If you know another technique that creates a left leaning decrease, you can use this instead.
K2tog = knit two stitches together. This creates a right leaning decrease. If you know another technique that creates a right leaning decrease, you can use this instead.
Dec = decrease
Inc = increase
Kfb = knit into the front of the stitch, and then, without slipping the stitch off the needle, knit into the back of it. Then slip the stitch off the needle. This adds one stitch.

NOTE
This pattern creates squares of colour and texture as in a patchwork blanket, but the squares are knitted together all in one piece so there is no sewing up afterwards - just sewing in of ends! For the spotty squares, use the stranded method of carrying yarns across the back of work. For the hearts and flowers use the intarsia method. For help with these methods, see the colour sections of Anyone Can Knit or google ‘Intarsia’ and ‘Stranded Knitting”. Note that you must knit the first row of the moss stitch and basket stitch squares for a clean line between the colours on the right side of your work. The first and last stitch of every WS row is knitted, to create a good selvedge for sewing up.

Front
Cast on 41 sts using Libby Summers Fine Aran Yarn G and 5mm/US size 8 needles and long tail cast on method. 

Foundation Row: Purl.
Now work from chart from row 2 to row 57, joining in new colours as required, and weaving ends together at vertical colour joins using the intarsia method.*

Change to yarn G and knit 4 rows, casting off 2 sts at beg of each row. Your first row will be a RS row. When you have completed the 4 rows, you will have 37 sts

Work in panel rib pattern with side shaping as follows:

Row 1 (RS): Skpo, k to last 2 sts, k2tog. 33 sts
Row 2: P2, (k1, p3) rep to last 3 sts, k1, p2.
Row 3: As row 1. 31 sts
Row 4: P1, (k1, p3) rep to last 2 sts, k1, p1. 31 sts
Row 5: As row 1. 29 sts
Row 6: (K1, p3) rep to last st, k1. 29 sts

Repeat rows 5 and 6 until work measures 18 cm/7 in. from beginning of cable pattern, ending with a WS row.

Inc Row (RS): Kfb, k to last 2 sts, kfb, k1. 31 sts
Next Row: As row 4 above.
Next Row: As Inc Row above. 33 sts
Next Row: As Row 2 above.
Next row: As Inc Row. 35 sts
Next row: P3, (k1, p3) rep to last 4 sts, k1, p3.

Knit 3 rows, casting on 2 sts at beginning of each row. When you have completed the 3 rows, you will have 39 sts.

Next row (buttonhole row): Cast on 2 sts, k16, k2tog, yf, k to end. 41 sts
Cast off knitwise on the RS.

Back
Work as for Front until * is reached.  
Change to Yarn G and knit 4 rows.  Cast off knitwise on RS.

Making Up
With right side facing you, fold panel rib section of front over so that right sides are together and four rows of garter stitch at the beginning of this section match up with four rows of garter stitch at the end.  With wrong side facing you, place back piece on top of front piece, making sure that cast off edge of back piece comes above the four rows of garter stitch on front piece.  Pin in place.  Sew pieces together using back stitch, leaving flap opening.  Turn right side out. Sew button in place at centre top of back.

© Libby Summers Ltd. Please do not sell this pattern, knit up for sale or use for any profit making activities. Thank you. For more details about the copyright on knitting patterns please click here.

A while ago, a long time customer (who has become a friend) asked me if I would design something for her and her friends to knit and sell at a forthcoming village event this spring based around a celebration of the honeybee. I expect that most people are now aware of the many threats to the long term survival humble honey bee, which has massive consequences for our food supply. It is estimated that a third of all food production is pollination dependent, but pollination is not just important for the food we eat, but also for other wildlife. You can read more about the importance and the role of bees here. Because I am passionate about the cause of the honeybee, I was excited to get involved with this bee-related event.

The request for a bee related knitted design coincided with my sister giving me a chunk of honeycomb from her very own bees. I was fascinated and inspired by the beautiful pattern that the bees had created, and so I decided to base my 'bee' design on this honeycomb pattern.

I will update my blog with further news about the forthcoming bee event, but in the meantime, if you would like to knit your own honeycomb hat, then here is the free pattern below. You can buy the chunky yarn for this pattern here on my website. Use the coupon SAVEOURBEES to get 20% off the yarn (Coupon expires 10/03/15). If you felt like making a donation to a bee related charity as a thank you for the free pattern then here are a couple of suggestions:

The British Bee Keepers Association 
Bumblebee Conservation Trust

Instructions
Cast on 50 (58, 62, 70) sts using 6.5mm [US10.5] needles.
Work in rib patt as folls:
Row 1 (RS): (K2, p2) rep to last 2 sts, k2.
Row 2: (P2, k2) rep to last 2 sts, p2.
Rep 2 row patt until you have worked 13 (15, 17, 19) rows in rib altogether ending with a RS row.
Next row (WS): (P12 (14, 15, 17), M1) rep to last 2 sts, M1, p2. 54 (62, 66, 74) sts
Change to 7mm needles and work in honeycomb pattern as folls:
Row 1(RS): K1, (T2F, T2B) rep to last st, k1.
Row 2: K1, (p1, k2, p1) rep to last st, k1.
Row 3: (K2, p2) rep to last 2 sts, k2.
Row 4: As row 2.
Row 5: K1, (T2B, T2F) rep to last st, k1.
Row 6: As row 3.
Row 7: As row 2.
Row 8: As row 3.

Work in pattern until honeycomb pattern measures 14 (16, 18, 20) cm ending with Row 3 of pattern.
Next row: (P2tog, k2tog) rept ot last 2 sts, p2tog. 33 sts
Next row: (K1, p2) rep tp last st, k1.
Next row: (Skpo) rep to last st, k1. 16 sts
Thread yarn through rem sts, draw up tightly and secure on WS of work. 

Making Up
With RS facing, and starting at the top, sew up side seam using mattress stitch, switching the sides around so that you sew on the WS for the last half of the rib section, so that when you fold the brim over, the seam is on the inside.  Make a pompom and sew onto top of hat.

© Libby Summers Ltd. Please do not sell this pattern, knit up for sale or use for any profit making activities. Thank you. For more details about the copyright on knitting patterns please click here.