Wine Bottle Bag / Cozy pattern

Here is the pattern for the wine bottle bag / cozy! I made a Booga Bag as my first felting project last month, then Tone (AKA Hobbygasa) translated this wonderful pattern into English from Norwegian for me! She is just so nice!! She said it was a free pattern that was very popular with knitters in Norway, and she thought it would be fun to get it started here in the States as well! I LOVE this pattern; it's fun, quick, and has endless possibilities, plus I think it would make a great gift idea.

Wine Bottle Bag / Cozy

Materials:
I used worsted weight wool yarn and used one whole 50-gram ball and just a teensy bit of a second one.
(Knit Picks Wool of the Andes in Amber Heather)

Cast on 7 stitches on three US size #10-1/2 double pointed needles.

Increase every stitch in the first round (14 st total)

Then increase every third stitch, every other round, until you have 42 stitches.

In the next round, increase approximately every 8 stitches so you end with 46 stitches.

Knit approximately 75 rounds, so that the body of the bag measures about 13-1/2 inches, not including the bottom section in the measurement.

Then divide the stitches so that you have 23 stitches on each of two needles and now you're ready to knit the handle. Knit together the two first and two last stitches on the right side rows until you have 7 stitches left. [I did a SSK on the beginning of the round and K2tog at the end, to give the sides more of a slant.] Then knit about 15 more rounds. Do the same for the other side of the handle. Knit together the two sides using the 3 Needle Bind-off, or bind off and sew them together, whichever you prefer.

Felt it in the washing machine until it fits on a standard size wine bottle, then put a nice bottle of wine in it until it has dried completely. Hobbygasa said that sometimes you have to really squeeze it in to make it fit!

You can leave it as it is, or have fun decorating it any way you want!