File:Bottle Holder.jpg

There's a story about this bottle holder...

Once upon a time, i decided i needed a holder for the weird water bottle i had 'cuase it was awkward to carry around. And since it wasn't a standard size or shape, i had no pattern. i generally prefer to have a pattern to make things 'cuase when i try to make them without one, Bad Things Happen.

But on this occasion, i decide to give it a go. And i thought to myself, "Self, it would probly be a good idea to make this bottle holder with an insulative fiber" and so i went to my infamous stash & hunted about. Finally came across some wool of mysterious origins but seemed disposable enough that if i messed up the project, nothing would be wasted.

So, i was set! i had my yarn, i had my bottle & off i went.. first, i crocheted the base which was just a basic circle... and then i decreased it in a manner that caused it to cup & cover the bottom of the bottle.. from there, i just kept fitting & refitting it to the bottle, increasing & decreasing as necessary so's to fit its odd contours. when i got to the last bulge at the top, i added in a strand of fishing line (4lb, i believe), for added strength with the thought that most of the strain of the weight of the bottle would be about there. The rest of the holder & the strap were crocheted with yarn & fishing line in that manner.

..and then it was finished! It was a little tricky to slide on & off but i was pleased with it in spite of some stretchyness involved.

And then One Day... i spilled something on it & thought, golly, i need to wash that or it'll get stinky. But it's wool! it'll shrink! So i stuck it in my front loader washing machine (with the rumors in my head that you can't Really Felt (and no, i hadn't ever felted anything at that point in my career) anything with a front loader) and used cold water & figured it would be fine. But no! it *did* shrink! it *did* felt! but only mildly & gee golly, it actually fit *better* post-felting! Sure it was slightly harder to get on & off again, but it didn't do that stretchy thing any more & seemed to be even more insulative. And besides, i always had Woozle:Woozle around to take it on & off if my hands couldn't do it >.>

It has since survived a few more washings & is still going strong!

The End