Knitted funny water bottle case «Caterpillar»

This cheerful caterpillar can become a practical companion for your walks — it can be used as a holder for a water bottle or as a cover for your umbrella. Some time ago, I designed a crocheted version of this caterpillar, and now it is time for its knitted companion. The textured “eyelash” yarn adds a special charm and gives the caterpillar a wonderfully playful appearance.

You will need the following materials to knitting:

– any yarn of your choice 100 gr / 350 m

– textured “eyelash” yarn 50 gr /160 m

– spokes 2,5

– a sewing needle, a pair of scissors, hollow fiber, transparent all-purpose glue, a piece of white felt and 2 small black buttons for eyes, a small piece of hook & loop tape

Abbreviations:

CO – cast on 

K – knit   

P – purl    

inc – increase   

dec – decrease   

When knitting, I only used two knitting needles and sewed the pieces together at the end. Therefore, my odd rows consist of knit stitches and my even rows consist of purl stitches. However, if you want to knit with three or four needles, then knit all pieces continuously with knit stitches.

My water bottle measures 26 cm (10¼ in) in height and 7 cm (2¾ in) in diameter. Please note that your bottle and chosen yarn may differ from mine. For this reason, I recommend checking the size of your work as you go and adjusting the number of stitches and rows if necessary to achieve the best fit.

BODY:

Start knitting with the main yarn.

Cast on 10 stitches onto one knitting needle.

1. 10 inc = 20 K

2. 20 P

3. (1 K, 1 inc) х 10 = 30 K

4. 30 P

5. (2 K, 1 inc) х 10 = 40 K

6. 40 P

7. (3 K, 1 inc) х 10 = 50 K

8. 50 P

9. (4 K, 1 inc) х 10 = 60 K

10. 60 P

11. (5 K, 1 inc) х 10 = 70 K

12. 70 P

13. (6 K, 1 inc) х 10 = 80 K

14. 80 P

15. 80 K

16. 80 P

17. 80 K

18. 80 P

19. 80 K

20. 80 P

21. 80 K

22. 80 P

23. 80 K

24. 80 P

25. 80 K

26. 80 P

27. 80 K

28. 80 P

Change to fluffy yarn.

29. 80 K

30. 80 P

31. 80 K

32. 80 P

33. 80 K

34. 80 P

35. 80 K

36. 80 P

37. 80 K

38. 80 P

39. 80 K

40. 80 P

41. 80 K

42. 80 P

43. 80 K

44. 80 P

Change the yarn to the main one.

45. 80 K

46. 80 P

47. 80 K

48. 80 P

49. 80 K

50. 80 P

51. 80 K

52. 80 P

53. 80 K

54. 80 P

55. 80 K

56. 80 P

57. 80 K

58. 80 P

59. 80 K

60. 80 P

Change to fluffy yarn.

61. 80 K

62. 80 P

63. 80 K

64. 80 P

65. 80 K

66. 80 P

67. 80 K

68. 80 P

69. 80 K

70. 80 P

71. 80 K

72. 80 P

73. 80 K

74. 80 P

75. 80 K

76. 80 P

77. 80 K

78. 80 P

Change the yarn to the main one.

79. 80 K

80. 80 P

81. 80 K

82. 80 P

83. 80 K

84. 80 P

85. 80 K

86. 80 P

87. 80 K

87. 80 P

89. 80 K

90. 80 P

91. 80 K

92. 80 P

93. 80 K

94. 80 P

95. 80 K

96. 80 P

Carefully fasten off the remaining stitches, fasten the thread securely and then cut. Sew the piece together.

When using eyelash yarn, the wrong side often creates a fuller and more interesting texture. That is why I chose to make the wrong side the outer surface of the cover—it gives the piece a much more caterpillar-like appearance and adds extra character to the finished design.

HEAD

Cast on 6 stitches onto one knitting needle.

1. 6 inc = 12 K

2. 12 P

3. (1 K, 1 inc) х 6 = 18 K

4. 18 P

5. (2 K, 1 inc) х 6 = 24 K

6. 24 P

7. (3 K, 1 inc) х 6 = 30 K

8. 30 P

9. (4 K, 1 inc) х 6 = 36 K

10. 36 P

11. (5 K, 1 inc) х 6 = 42 K

12. 42 P

13. (6 K, 1 inc) х 6 = 48 K

14. 48 P

15. (7 K, 1 inc) х 6 = 54 K

16. 54 P

17. (8 K, 1 inc) х 6 = 60 K

18. 50 P

19. 60 K

20. 60 P

21. 60 K

22. 60 P

23. 60 K

24. 60 P

25. 60 K

26. 60 P

27. 60 K

28. 60 P

29. 21 K, 6 inc, 6 K, 6 inc, 21 K = 72 K

30 72 P

31. 72 K

32. 72 P

33. 72 K

34. 72 P

35. 72 K

36. 72 P

37. 72 K

38. 72 P

39. 21 K, 6 dec, 6 K, 6 dec, 21 K = 60 K

40. 60 P

41. (8 K, 1 dec) х 6 = 54 K

42. 54 P

43. (7 K, 1 dec) х 6 = 48 K

44. 48 P

45. (6 K, 1 dec) х 6 = 42 K

46. 42 P

47. (5 K, 1 dec) х 6 = 36 K

48. 36 P

49. (4 K, 1 dec) х 6 = 30 K

50. 30 P

51. (3 K, 1 dec) х 6 = 24 K

52. 24 P

53. (2 K, 1 dec) х 6 = 18 K

54. 18 P

55. (1 K, 1 dec) х 6 = 12 K

56. 12 P

57. 6 dec = 6 K

Transfer the stitches onto a needle and pull them tight. Cut the yarn, leaving a small tail for further work. Sew the piece together. Stuff the piece occasionally while sewing.

NOSE

Cast on 6 stitches onto one knitting needle.

1. 6 inc = 12 K

2. 12 P

3. (1 K, 1 inc) х 6 = 18 K

4. 18 P

5. (2 K, 1 inc) х 6 = 24 K

6. 24 P

7. 24 K

8. 24 P

9. 24 K

10. 24 P

11. 24 K

12. 24 P

13. (2 K, 1 dec) х 6 = 18 K

14. 18 P

15. (1 K, 1 dec) х 6 = 12 K

16. 12 P

17. 6 dec = 6 K

Transfer the stitches onto a needle and pull them tight. Cut the yarn, leaving a small tail for further work. Sew the piece together. Stuff the piece occasionally while sewing.

NECK

This piece serves as the connection between the head and the main body section of the cover (the caterpillar’s body). If your body section was worked with a different number of stitches, be sure to cast on the same number of stitches for this piece as well. Likewise, check whether the number of rows is suitable for your bottle and adjust it if necessary. In my case, this number of rows was sufficient to cover the height of the bottle cap.

Cast on 80 stitches onto one knitting needle.

1. 80 K

2. 80 P

3. 80 K

4. 80 P

5. 80 K

6. 80 P

7. 80 K

8. 80 P

9. 80 K

10. 80 P

11. 80 K

12. 80 P

13. (6 K, 1 dec) х 10 = 70 K

14. 70 P

15. (5 K, 1 dec) х 10 = 60 K

16. 60 P

17. (5 K, 1 dec) х 10 = 50 K

18. 50 P

19. 50 K

20. 50 P

Carefully fasten off the remaining stitches, fasten the thread securely and then cut.

These are the main pieces I made for the size of my bottle. The neck piece is tall enough to fit the height of the bottle cap and should match the circumference of the main cover piece at its wider edge. Before assembly, it is a good idea to check that both pieces fit together properly and make any necessary adjustments.

Now shape the eye indentations.

Round 29, where the increases were worked, marks the placement of the eye sculpting stitches. Between the cheeks, count 6 stitches and mark the positions of the two eyes. Each eye indentation spans 5 stitches. In the photo, the locations of the sculpting stitches are indicated with pins. Insert the needle through the bottom of the head and bring it out at the first marked point for the eye indentation, keeping the yarn inside the piece. Then insert the needle at the second marked point, 5 stitches away, with the yarn running across the outside of the work. Bring the needle back out through the bottom of the head. Gently pull the yarn to create a clearly defined eye indentation. Repeat the same process for the second eye. Take your time with this step, adjusting the tension gradually until you are happy with the expression of the face. Even a small change in the depth of the indentations can give your caterpillar a different personality.

Sew the neck piece to the underside of the head, attaching it by the narrower end.

Position the nose between the eye indentations and sew it securely in place.

Cut two eye shapes from a small piece of white felt. Using a tiny drop of glue, attach them inside the eye indentations. Then sew the two black buttons onto the felt pieces to create the eyes. The size and placement of the buttons can subtly change your caterpillar’s expression, so feel free to experiment until you achieve a look that you find especially charming and full of personality.

EYEBROWS (2 pcs)

Cast on 20 stitches onto one knitting needle.

1. 20 K

Carefully fasten off the remaining stitches, fasten the thread securely and then cut.

Sew eyebrow strips along the top outline of the white felt.

MOUTH:

Cast on 15 stitches onto one knitting needle.

1. 15 K

Carefully fasten off the remaining stitches, fasten the thread securely and then cut.

Choose a suitable position for the mouth strip and sew it in place. By placing it slightly closer together or farther apart, you can subtly change the shape of the smile and give your caterpillar its own unique expression.

LEGS (2 pcs)

Cast on 110 stitches onto one knitting needle.

1. 110 K

Carefully fasten off the remaining stitches, fasten the thread securely and then cut.

As a decorative element to imitate the caterpillar’s legs, sew the long strip to the main body piece, arranging it in gentle folds as shown in the photo. Perhaps these little looped “legs” may even prove useful one day for attaching a small accessory or adding your own creative touch to the finished piece.

To create a closure for the cover, attach your preferred fastening to the front of the neck section. You may use hook-and-loop tape, a snap fastener, or a decorative button—whichever best suits your design and personal taste.

You can add a handle to make the case easier to carry.

Cast on 60 stitches onto one knitting needle.

1. 60 K

2. 60 P

Carefully fasten off the remaining stitches, fasten the thread securely and then cut.

Sew the handle loop onto the back of the head.

Your cheerful caterpillar is now ready for new adventures. I hope it accompanies you on many pleasant walks and brings a little extra joy to your day wherever you go.