Free Pattern: Storybook Animal Cozy

Dare: Make a can cozy inspired by a favorite childhood memory.

Growing up, some of my favorite memories are listening to my parents read to us before bed or during long car rides. They read dozens and dozens of books aloud, even when they were barely awake themselves. We would plead for another chapter to know what happened next.


This cozy is inspired by some of the favorite stories I heard while growing up. I was always particularly drawn to animal characters. The wolf face is inspired by Kapu, the black wolf in Julie of the Wolves by Jean Craighead George, and White Fang by Jack London. The mouse is inspired by mouse detective Hermux Tantamaq in Time Stops for No Mouse by Michael Hoeye and its sequels, or Ragweed by Avi (but not it's sequel Poppy!!). The polar bear is inspired by Iorek Byrnison, the wise armored bear in the His Dark Materials trilogy (the first book, The Golden Compass, being the most well-known) by Philip Pullman. I imagined the boy's face to represent Pip from Charles Dickens' Great Expectations, but it could also be Huckleberry Finn or Sam in My Side of the Mountain.

And finally, the yellow background and speckled borders are inspired by the mythical Dust in the His Dark Materials books.

I wanted to include something from every story -- like the Sammy Keyes books, Amelia Bedelia, Star Girl, Ruby in the Smoke, The Black Stallion, The Boxcar Children, The Wind in the Willows, Island of the Blue Dolphins, the Vesper Holly adventures, Hatchet -- there are so many good ones. Maybe they will be inspiration for a larger project in the future. :)

PATTERN

Materials
Worsted weight scrap yarn
US 5 straight needles (worked flat)
Embroidery needle

CO 50 stitches.
Beginning with WS row, work k1, p1 rib to end.
Begin a knit row of chart at bottom right corner.
Continue to work chart back and forth in stockinette stitch.
After last row of chart, work k1, p1 rib to end.

BO all stitches and leave a long tail with yarn.


This is a Crafter's "Truth or Dare" post!  what's that?

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