Crocheting Coffee Cozies the Goldilocks Way

Alpine Coffee Cozy for chunky yarn.

I want a coffee cozy that fits just right: one that improves my grip on a full cup of steaming hot java.

If it doesn't fit the cup snugly, it slides around and interferes with a secure grip. 

If a cozy is too cozy, however, it's tricky to slip onto a full cup without splashing oneself. This is why my crochet coffee cozy patterns tend to include exacting instructions for the foundation rows.

I'm like Goldilocks when it comes to crocheted coffee cozies! Feel free to be less exacting while crocheting one, and later, if like Goldilocks you'd like your cozy to fit just so, try one of these tips:

Not-Cozy-Enough Coffee Cozy?

• Tighten up the bottom edge with a round of slip stitches. (Pictured: close up of slip stitch reinforcement)
• Fit it over a cardboard sleeve that usually comes with the cup (just keep one handy and reuse it.)

Overly-Cozy Coffee Cozy?

• Wet it and stretch it. If that doesn't loosen it enough, you can do what my friend does: 
• She drinks mostly large iced drinks and purposely makes the bottom rim of her cozies too small for the cup. This causes its bottom rim to curve under the cup. The cozy absorbs the condensation from the cup (especially if the cozy is cotton), which makes the cup dripless. In other words, the cozy becomes a portable coaster. 

Click here and here for some snug-fitting examples that I freelanced for magazines. You might like my coffee cozy newsletter issue #54, "How and Why of Crochet Coffee Cozies" :)