This was my first knitted project using some of my (among my) first handspun, spun on my Kundert spindle or my Ashford Traveller. I was leery of planning a larger project with my handspun until I tried a small one. I wanted to see how my handspun would feel and react when it was pulled and twisted by the action of knitting. Also, because these yarns are among my first handspun, they are variable in weight. Each yarn varied between 6 to 9 wpi, so I wanted a project that could “tolerate” this variation.

Inspiration - Contigo travel mugs don’t spill, but they do get hot when hot liquids are poured into them. Aha! I decided I’d make an earth-friendly, reusable band to protect my hand, rather than those tacky cardboard holders.

The pattern instructions go into more detail about the fibers I used and the amounts, but this little cosy took me only about 35 yards. If a spinner/knitter wanted a cosy to cover more than a hand-sized section of the mug, (s)he could just add some more rows. At this gauge, that’s quick and easy to do.