Finished: Mug Cozy with Hot Chocolate

Are you all finished with your holiday shopping? I like to give homemade gifts to my friends and family, and it's even better if I can make them myself! Just in case you're struggling for ideas, here's one that I made this. (Don't forget the memory candles from last year either!)

Here's one that I'm so, so pleased with. I only took up knitting a few weeks ago, and really, I only took up crafting a year ago, so the fact that I was able to make this and it turned out so well makes me so happy and proud.

I was looking around for a cable coffee cozy when I found the Hugs and Kisses pattern from Twisted Fibers Design (the link goes to the etsy shop, as the website went down last week). Unfortunately, the cup I picked out for my friend is much larger than a regular coffee cup, so through trial and error, I set about enlarging the pattern. If anyone's interested, let me know and I'll write up the pattern for you!

As I mentioned, I was looking for cables and when looking at the finished product, I didn't notice that it wasn't cable like I was expecting, but an XOXO pattern. How perfect to give to one of my friends!

Here's a better shot of the finished pattern:

 Once I finished the cozy, I had to come up with buttons. It was my first time using buttons in anything, and I really hated the experience. Who knew finding buttons perfect for your project would be so difficult? And who knew that once you found appropriate buttons, they'd be so expensive??

I shrugged it off and bought some overpriced buttons, only to discover that the color looked awful with my orange yarn. So I painted them. You can see the original color on the bottom right:

After securing the buttons, I made cords to secure the cozy to the cup. There was a bit of a design flaw in my pattern because the bottom of the mug was narrower than the top. I made up for that by making the second cord smaller than the top, which helped secure the cozy in place.

But you can't just give an empty mug to someone!

I couldn't find cellophane paper, so I cut up a sandwich bag to make it stand on end like cellophane would. I added enough hot chocolate mix for the mug and marshmallows and secured it with twine. Just so there was no confusion, I cut out a cardboard gingerbread person and wrote instructions on the back.

And there you go! I think it's just perfect!