Granny Square Flower Pot Cozy

This post brought to you by iBulb. All opinions are 100% mine.

When I was first learning to crochet and spent hours browsing Ravelry for ideas and inspiration (which sure makes it sound like I no longer spend hours browsing Ravelry . . . not so), I noticed--and enjoyed many a giggle at the expense of--a funny crochet trend. Crocheters crochet everything. Whether it has a purpose or not, is useful or worthless, is pretty or ugly, or is just flat-out ridiculous, you can find a crocheted version of a.n.y.t.h.i.n.g. Seriously. Anything. And I would laugh sometimes at the 'silly' things people crocheted--toilet paper? (a gag gift, I hope and pray) amigurumi poop? (for realsies--google it) male anatomy inspired lip gloss case? (don't look that one up . . . just take my word for it. yikes.). If you can dream it up, I swear to you, someone has crocheted it.

This project falls squarely under the heading of 'Crocheted Items I Once Might Have Laughed At But Now Embrace.' Because what early-crochet-days-Rachel didn't know, crocheter-Rachel-of-today now understands: crocheting brings joy, and calm, and peace, and plain old homey comfort. So why not crochet something just for the love of crocheting, even if it might seem a little silly to those who haven't seen the light? This may not be your most typical crocheted item, but it was a pleasure to make and the crochet goodness puts a smile on my face.

All this intro to say: I crocheted a flower pot cozy, and I'm not sorry.

When I got an offer to write a blog post about potted bulbs, I jumped at the chance. Everybody loves a little flowery goodness, and with spring still a distant (hopefully not too distant) dream, it seemed like the perfect opportunity to bring a touch of warmth into my life. These tulip bulbs will make a lovely Easter gift for a friend, and the little crocheted pot cozy adds a bit of handmade love, I hope. I love that the bulbs can be replanted later--a much longer-lasting gift than cut flowers. Perfect gift that can be held onto and treasured. And bonus points since potted bulbs are easy to find (I picked mine up at the grocery store, but you can find them also at flower shops, garden centers, home improvement stores, etc.).

I used my favorite color combo for my crocheted flower pot cozy: purple and green. These were my wedding colors, so although I love them together all the time, I've loved them even more since my wedding. I always try to include a little purple/green combo in my home decor somewhere, as a reminder of that day. (Awwwwwwwwgag.)

The cozy was easy and quick to pull together--I used scrap yarn from my stash and did just two rounds of a granny square (I haven't made a tutorial for these, but you can just google 'granny square tutorial' and find plenty of instructions and videos. Don't be intimidated by them--they aren't very difficult!).

Then I used more of the purple yarn to stitch them together by hand to form a circle. 7 squares was a perfect fit for my flower pot.

Then just slip it on your pot, and you're ready to give it away as a lovely springtime gift, or make it in colors to coordinate with your home to keep yourself. I'm excited to pass this flower pot along to a friend as an Easter present. 

(I know this is far from my most detailed tutorial--if you have any questions about this project, I'm happy to help. Leave any questions in the comments or email me: maybematildaquilts [at] gmail.com)

For more bulb inspiration and ideas, visit the Dig Drop Done pinterest page.