De-Stashing

I have been on a tear lately to use up my yarn stash. (Probably because the basket is overflowing making no room for any new yarns.) In that vein, I decided to make these adorable little beer cozies. They don't use much yarn at all and I get to feel like I have made the best use of my stash. Win, win. And just in time for tail-gate season too! Notice these are in Colts colors.

I would never have come up with these on my own, but the first time my knitting instructor met my son, she asked him what project he might like to make. He stood by the bins and bins of yarn and thought. Finally he said, "I think I'd like to make a beer holder." Just like that. As if it was the most natural thing for an eight-year-old to say. Thank heaven Maureen is the mother of boys and thought it as funny as I did! So when I found this pattern in a book (Knitting with Balls) at Half Price Books, well, it was as if the Universe was telling me what I needed to do.

I used Jelli Beenz yarn, which is a wool/acrylic blend. Perfect for a wet surface. I also decided to do a different pattern on each one, so they would not only serve as insulators (for the beer and your hands), but also as a sort of marker, so you know which beer is yours. Here are some close-up views: