I love cake cozies and I LOVE mosaic color work. So when lighting hit and I felt the urgent need to make a two-color mosaic cake cozie I did not even try to resist. Now I have two matching cozies made from leftover yarn from the stash.

Two might not be enough for me. We’ll have to see.

These bags are for keeping your yarn cakes, your wound up yarn, safe and together and tangle free.

A friend taught me the value of these babies. I admit when she finished her first one and showed it off at knit night, I was skeptical. Then she made me one and I was HOOKED. So was pretty much everyone else in our little circle of knitters. Before long we were all making them. At least three crafters from that group went off and designed their own cake cozies. So if you are looking at these pics and thinking that its a waste of knitting, I understand. I used to be you. Now I want one for every project I work on. I betcha if you make one, you’ll make a few more.

With a cake cozie I can take my project anywhere and the yarn cake will never disintegrate into a massive tangle. The loose end on the outside of the ball never works its way free and wraps itself around my needles or anything. Best of all? These little bags are kitty-proof. That’s right. Feline Overlord can’t get in there. Ha!

Since it was a friend who taught me the value of cake cozies, I feel I should mention that it was Barbra Walker who taught me how easy mosaic knitting is. If you have never tried it, you’ll be delighted at how simple it can be to create elaborate color patterns. Here are some of the basics of mosaic color work:

• The knitter only works with one color at a time.
• The knitter switches color every two rows/rounds.
• Stitches from the previous row/round are slipped instead of worked and that brings the old color into the row/round with the new color.

The mosaic pattern I used on theses cozies is a modification of Mosaic 16 from Mosaic Knitting by Barbra Walker. Its probably found in one of her four treasuries of knitting patterns as well.

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Carry Your Cakes – a free knit pattern

What you will need:

Two colors of worsted weight yarn – 150 yds of Main Color (MC) and 50 yds of Contrast Color (CC). I used Lionbrand  Wool-Ease.

Size 6 double pointed needles. You can try magic looping with a circular but the start to this bag is so small (only 6 stitches) that double points are easier. Since the whole project only takes a few hours to work, I never bothered to switch over to a circular needle.

Stitch markers (up to 9) if you’re inclined to use them to keep tract of repeats.

Abbreviations:

k – knit

p – purl

kfb – knit into the front loop of the next stitch but do not slide off the left needle. Then knit into the back loop of that same stitch. Then slide off left needle. (an increase)

Sl – slip a stitch purl-wise

k2tog – knit the next two stitches together (a decrease)

ssk – slip next two stitches knit-wise one at a time. Then knit them together (a decrease)

YO twice – yarn over the needle two times (a double increase)

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With MC, cast on 6 sts using Judy’s magic cast on. Join to work in the round.

Set up round: k

Making the Pinwheel base

Round 1: kfb in each stitch (12 sts)

Round 2: *k1, kfb* repeat to end (18 sts)

Round 3: *k2, kfb* repeat to end (24 sts)

Round 4: *k3, kfb* repeat to end (30 sts)

Round 5: *k4, kfb* repeat to end (36 sts)

Round 6: *k5, kfb* repeat to end (42 sts)

Round 7: *k6, kfb* repeat to end (48 sts)

Round 8: *k7, kfb* repeat to end (54 sts)

Round 9: *k8, kfb* repeat to end (60 sts)

Round 10: *k9, kfb* repeat to end (66 sts)

Round 11: *k10, kfb* repeat to end (72 sts)

Round 12: p

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Making the Mosaic Sides

Notes:

• I recommend setting a stitch marker every 12 stitches to keep track of repeats.
• All slipped stitches are made with the working yarn held to the back of the work.
• Odd numbered rounds are worked with knits. Even numbered rounds are worked with purls.

Knit 2 rounds. Then join in CC but do not break MC.

With CC

Round 1: *Sl2, k3, Sl3, k3, Sl1* repeat to end

Round 2: *Sl2, p3, Sl3, p3, Sl1* repeat to end

With MC

Round 3: *k2, Sl1, k1, Sl1, k3, Sl1, k1, Sl1, k1* repeat to end

Round 4: *p2, Sl1, p1, Sl1, p3, Sl1, p1, Sl1, p1* repeat to end

With CC

Round 5: *Sl2, k5, Sl1, k3, Sl1* repeat to end

Round 6: Sl2, p5, Sl1, p3, Sl1* repeat to end

With MC

Round 7: *k6, Sl1, k5* repeat to end

Round 8: *p6, Sl1, p5* repeat to end

With CC

Round 9: *Sl2, k3, Sl1, k5, Sl1* repeat to end

Round 10: *Sl2, p3, Sl1, p5, Sl1* repeat to end

With MC

Round 11: *k2, Sl1, k1, Sl1, k3, Sl1, k1, Sl1, k1* repeat to end

Round 12: *p2, Sl1, p1, Sl1, p3, Sl1, p1, Sl1, p1* repeat to end

With CC

Round 13: * k5, Sl3, k3, Sl1* repeat to end

Round 14: * p5, Sl3, p3, Sl1* repeat to end

With MC

Round 15: *Sl1, k11* repeat to end

Round 16: *Sl1, p11* repeat to end

With CC

Round 17: *k1, Sl1, k3, Sl3, k4* repeat to end

Round 18: *p1, Sl1, p3, Sl3, p4* repeat to end

For Rounds 19-30, work Rounds 3–14 again.

Knit 2 rounds with MC. Break CC.

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Making the Top Eyelets

Remove stitch markers from previous section and set new stitch markers every 8 stitches.

Note: when working Round 3, the first YO from previous round is knitted; the second is purled.

Round 1: *p1, k6, p1* repeat to end

Round 2: *p1, k1, k2tog, YO twice, ssk, k1, p1* repeat to end

Round 3: *p1, k3, p1, k2, p1* repeat to end

Round 4: *p1, k6, p1* repeat to end

Work Rounds 1-4 a total of three times. Then bind off.

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Making the Tie

Using CC, make 24 inches of I-cord. Thread through eyelets and use to draw the bag closed.

Weave in all ends and pop in a yarn cake!

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Hope you like your cake cozie as much as I like mine. While you’re here, we have other free patterns to check out. Enjoy!