Knit a cuddly hot-water-bottle cover for unicorn fans to love. Pick your favourite colours and make bedtime magical! Why not use glitter yarn for the hair to add sparkle?

We will be knitting with chunky wool to make the cover robust and prevent it getting baggy with use. Thick wool also means fewer stitches, so this project can be completed fairly quickly.

Difficulty: Easy

Stitches used: kfb, k2tog, p2tog, sl1k, sl1p, sl1k2togpsso

You will need:
• 300g thick white wool for the body. I used King Cole Super Chunky, Shade 1758, “White.” The tension square on the packet is based on 10mm needles and gives a 10cm x 10cm square as 10 stitches across and 14 rows. I used 7mm needles, but my tension came out the same as theirs. If you’re using a different brand of wool, check the tension square on the packet, and if necessary knit a square to check. If it doesn’t come out right, try changing your needle size. This will avoid issues with your cover not fitting the bottle.
• 100g of a contrasting colour in the same weight yarn. I used King Cole Super Chunky Shade 3400, “Brass”
• Knitting needles – I used UK size 2 (7.0mm, US size approx. 10½)
• Large tapestry needle
• Two toy safety-eyes (mine were 26mm in diameter) or two black buttons
• 4 large poppers (press studs, snap fasteners). Mine were 1.5cm in diameter.
• Stuffing
• 2-litre hot-water bottle. I used a Cassandra-branded bottle measuring 20cm by 32cm including the neck. We recommend buying a white bottle so the colour won’t show through the gaps in your stitches.