Size

Fits a Bodum Chambord 1 litre coffee plunger with the main part (not including the lid, plunger or frame) that is about 18 cm tall with a circumference of about 31 cm.

Abbreviations

ss	slip stitch
ch	chain
dc	double crochet (US single crochet)
htr	half treble (US half double crochet)
st	stitch
ST	Special Turn (see below)
DCT	Double Crochet Turn (see below)
MC	Main Colour
CC	Contrast Colour

Experience Level

Advanced (or Adventurous Intermediate)

Materials

1 x 50 g ball (2 oz) of double knitting wool (light worsted) in the Main Colour (This colour is positioned around the plunger, handle and spout holes. Choosing a dark colour helps to hide the inevitable)

1 x 50 g ball (2 oz) of double knitting wool (light worsted) in the Contrast Colour

50 cm hat elastic in a colour to blend with MC

4 mm (US G/6, UK/Canada 8) crochet hook, or whatever size you need to obtain gauge

Wool darning needle (blunt)

1 x locking stitch marker, coilless pin or bobby pin to hold free loops while working with the other colour.

Gauge

18 htr = 10 cm, 6 rows of htr = 6 cm (the fabric draws in lightly so measure over several rows).

How to do the Special Turn (ST)

Work the last htr of the row and do NOT turn.
Work one tight little ch.
*Insert your hook from far side to near side through the front loop (it is in fact the back loop in a moment) of the last stitch worked, yarn over hook and draw through the loop. Now turn. Yarn over hook and draw through both loops on hook, firmly. Work a firm dc into the side of the stitch just completed. Work one normal ss into the side of the last dc. You have now made a substitute for the first htr of the row.

How to do the Double Crochet Turn (DCT)

Work one tight little ch.
Insert your hook from far side to near side through the front loop (it is in fact the back loop in a moment) of the last stitch worked, yarn over hook and draw through the loop. Now turn. Yarn over hook and draw through both loops on hook.

Special Notes - Please read before commencing the pattern.

This pattern is written using metric measurements and British terminology. US equivalent terminology is given in the Abbreviations section.

1 inch = 2.54 cm

It is best to pull the yarn from the centre of the ball. To help make yarns easier to untangle put both balls in a ziplok bag. Feed the tail out each side of the opening and 'zip' the middle portion closed (leaving a gap at each side that allows the yarns to flow freely).

Work through the BACK LOOPS of all stitches unless instructed otherwise.

Leave long tails for weaving in later or crocheting over as you go. I weave or work over the tails down the entire length of the row. The length of tail you need will therefore depend on how tall your coffee plunger is.

The back ridge of the ch is the single bump on the reverse side of the ch. That is, the side that does not have a smooth “V”.

When working ss into the back loop of other stitches make sure each ss is the length of a full ch. Do not allow the ss to become tight and small unless instructed otherwise.

When changing from dcs to htrs and from htrs to dcs make the 3 htrs next to the dcs successively taller or shorter so that the change in height for the row is gradual rather than abrupt. This creates a smoother curve for the top of the cosy.

You can easily change the size of the handle hole to suit your coffee plunger by joining more or less stitches at each end of the last row.

You can make the cosy for a taller or shorter plunger by increasing or decreasing the starting chain and doing more or less htrs. For wider or narrower plungers do more or less dcs and ss and/or more or less stripes to go all the way around.

Crab Stitch is also commonly called Reverse Double Crochet, Shrimp Stitch and Corded Stitch. It is done by working dcs from left-to-right instead of right-to-left. *Insert hook in the designated stitch to the right from front-to-back, yarn over hook and draw through a loop allowing the hook to come forward and up so that the new loop is sitting to the left of the original loop on the hook. Yarn over hook and pull through both loops on hook. Repeat from *. In this pattern it is worked in every other stitch so lengthen the starting loop on the hook slightly for each stitch.

I leave a hole at the top of the cosy for the knob of my plunger to poke through. If you don't want a hole run a tail through the edge stitches all around a couple of times and draw up securely before tidying away the end.

Instructions

With MC, ch 42 a little bit loosely, ST (starting from * and working into the back ridge of the ch).

Row 1: 1 htr into the back ridge of the next 31 ch, dc into the back ridge of the next 5 ch, ss into the back ridge of the next 5 ch, 1 ch. (42 stitches including the ST). It is correct that the row graduates in height. Put final loop on locking stitch marker.

Remember from now on to work in the back loops unless instructed otherwise.

Row 2: Using CC, pull a loop through the second-to-last st of the last row. 1 ss into each of the next 3 sts, 5 dc, 32 htr, ST.

Row 3: Using CC, 31 htr, 5dc, 2ss, work one more ss but do not pull through final loop on hook. Put both loops on a locking stitch marker and bring CC yarn to the near side. Turn.

Row 4: Using MC, 2 ss (one is into the same place as the CC emerged for Row 2), ss through the 2 free loops of CC held on the stitch holder and remove locking stitch marker, 2 ss, 5 dc, 32 htr, ST.

Row 5: Using MC 31 htr, 5 dc, 5 ss, 1 ch. Put final loop on locking stitch marker.

Repeat Rows 2 to 5 three more times (you have done 17 rows).

Opening for Spout

Lid Portion

Row 1: Using CC, pull a loop through the second-to-last st of the last row. 1 ss into each of the next 3 sts, 5 dc, DTC.

Row 2: Using CC, 4 dc, 2ss, work one more ss but do not pull through final loop on hook. Put both loops on a locking stitch marker.

Row 3: Using MC, Using MC, 2 ss (one is into the same place as the CC emerged for Row 2), ss through the 2 free loops of CC held on the locking stitch marker and remove it, 2 ss, 5 dc, DTC.

Row 4: Using MC 4 dc, 5 ss, 1 ch. Put final loop on locking stitch marker.

Rows 5 and 6: Repeat Rows 1 and 2 and put the MC free loop on the locking stitch marker too.

Body Portion

Row 1: Starting with a new tail of CC (use the other end of your ball of yarn) leave a long tail and do 1 ch. Leave 4 stitches unworked on Row 17 (counting from where Row 1 of the Lid Portion ends), 1 htr into each st to the end, ST. You should have 28 stiches.

Row 2: Using CC, 27 htr. Fasten off.

Row 3: Starting with a new tail of MC (use the other end of your ball of yarn) leave a long tail and do 1 ch. 28 htr into each st to the end, ST.

Row 4: Using MC, 27 htr. Leaving a 3 metre tail, fasten off.

Row 5: Starting with a new tail of CC (use the other end of your ball of yarn) leave a long tail and do 1 ch. 28 htr into each st to the end, ST.

Row 6: Using CC, 27 htr. Fasten off.

Closing the Opening

Using a fresh tail of MC make a section of 6 ch with a 15 cm tail at each end.

Go back to the loops on the locking stitch marker and remove the MC loop. You will now recommence working with this end of the yarn.

Row 1: Using MC, 2 ss (one is into the same place as the CC emerged for Row 2), ss through the 2 free loops of CC held on the stitch holder and remove locking stitch marker, 2 ss, 5 dc, skip first chain on the 6-ch section, 1 htr into the back ridge of the next 4 ch, skip the last ch, 28 htr, ST.

Row 2: Using MC 31 htr, 5 dc, 5 ss, 1 ch. Put final loop on locking stitch marker.

Now continue as you did before the Opening for Spout. After you have done a couple of rows undo the single chain at each end of the 6-ch section and, using a wool darning needle, use the tails to strengthen the join at each endof the gap before weaving the tails in.

When you have completed 16 rows from the spout hole (the closing row and 15 more) it is time to make the opening for the handle.

Opening for Handle

Joining Row: Take the beginning edge of the cosy and bring it up to align with the last row you have worked so that the beginning edge is farthest from you. In a moment, after you turn, it will be closest to you. Take the MC loop off the locking stitch marker and put it on the hook.

This next manoeuvre is easier, after you've done the first st, if you face the base of the cosy away from you. Then you will 'join' into the edge on your right and 'work' into the edge on your left.

Using MC and keeping in pattern and (doing an ss, dc or htr as would be usual if this were not a joining row), *remove the hook from the loop, insert hook under both loops of the corresponding st on the beginning chain from underneath, put loop on hook again and pull it through (yes, you are pulling it 'downwards' – or from the 'outside' to the 'inside'), work next st . Repeat from *for a total of 15 stitches. Work 22 htr without joining. Work last 5 htr by joining as described above. Be very careful to match the stitches to the corresponding starting ch. If you end up with an uneven join at the bottom of the cosy look to see whether you joined one too early or one too late to the starting ch for the last 5 htr. Undo them and redo them to get them aligned correctly.

Bottom Trim

Round 1: Using MC from where you finished the Joining Row start with 1 ch and do one round of dc all around the bottom of the cosy. 3 dc are worked across the bottom of each stripe. Try to pick up two strands of yarn when you insert your hook for each stitch to get a tidy finish. Join to the first dc with a tight little chain.

Round 2: Work Crab Stitch into every other stitch all around. It should fit evenly if you did 3 sc at the bottom of each stripe. If it doesn't then feel free to fudge one stitch somewhere, nobody will notice. Leaving a 2-metre tail cut the yarn, draw through the final loop and pull down through the base of the first st of the round to the back of the work.

Handle Hole Trim

Thread the 2-metre tail of yarn onto a wool darning needle and weave it on the inside of the work up to the opening for the handle hole. On the last row worked do 1 ss into the front loop of every stitch of the opening to the top of the opening. Put the cosy on your plunger and evaluate whether you need to do a row of ss down the other side of the handle hole as well. Or perhaps the gap is a little large for your liking and you would prefer to do a row of dc all the way around the gap. Crocheter's choice.

Spout Hole Trim

Using the long tail of MC left in place from making the spout hole work 1 row of ss or dc all around the spout hole doing 3 dcs for each stripe under the spout, 1 ss into the back loop for each st on the sides of spout hole and 2 dcs for each stripe across the top of the spout hole. Put the cosy on your plunger and evaluate whether you need another round. On my cosy I did so I put another round with ss everywhere except for dcs over the top of the spout – all worked in the back loops and skipping the corner stitches on the second round because the hole gets smaller and I did not want it to ripple.

Finishing

There are no seams. Run hat elastic through the base of the first round of dcs of the Bottom Trim. Check the fit on your plunger and tie off with a very firm square knot being sure to leave 5 cm long tails. Do the same around the edge of the hole at the top of the cosy so that it will spring back after multiple trips over the plunger's knob.

Ue a wool darning needle to tidy away the elastic ends on the back of the work. I find it works better to run them along the stripes than run them back through the same edge.

Now just put the kettle on and tidy away the yarn ends that you did not crochet over as you went along. Run them through the base of the stitches on the inside for more-or-less the full length of a stripe if you can. For the tidiest result run them down the middle of a stripe of the same colour rather than where the MC and CC meet.

When you trim off the tails leave them 1 cm long, provided they are far enough away from an opening that they will not show. This prevents “pokies” (tails that work their way through to the right side).

By now your kettle is whistling and your cosy is ready for its first plunger of coffee. Take a well-deserved break and enjoy!