With winter on the horizon, it’s soup and stew season. What better to protect your hands from hot bowls of yummy soup than a free crochet bowl cozy pattern? Whether you’re serving hot soup straight from the pot or reheating leftovers in the microwave, a crochet bowl cover is perfect for keeping fingers and tables safe from toasty temps.
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Crochet Bowl Cozy Pattern Inspiration & Information
As the weather gets colder, we start looking for all the warm and cozy things. You know, big cups of hot tea and cocoa, chunky crochet blankets, and homemade soups. It was from this desire for soup that the Brooklyn Bowl Cozy crochet pattern was born. I set out to make an quick and easy crochet bowl cozy with a handle for easy carrying.
This new free crochet pattern uses simple stitches in the round to create a soup bowl cozy that’ll fit bowls between about 5.5 and 7 inches.
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What is a bowl cozy?
Before we learn how to crochet a bowl cozy, you might be wondering what it is and why you need one. A crochet bowl cozy (or cosy) is a cute cover for your bowls. My husband calls them “upside down bowl hats.”
Basically, it’s a bowl-shaped potholder that protects your fingers when you microwave soups, stews, and curries. Pretty handy, right?
How long does it take to crochet a bowl cozy?
Bowl cozies are a quick and easy project! This is a one hour crochet bowl cozy, so you’ll be done crocheting before The Great British Baking Show is over.
How do you use a microwave bowl cozy?
Place your bowl into the cozy before you microwave it, so it’s already got a little potholder to protect your hands. If you don’t want to microwave your cozy, pull your bowl out of the microwave and place it in when your food is done.
We keep a stack of crochet bowl cozies near the microwave so we don’t have to worry about burnt fingers and hands when taking out hot dishes. They’re also great for carrying food from the kitchen to the dining or living room table.
Can you microwave a crochet bowl cozy?
If you’re wondering if you can put a crochet bowl cozy in the microwave, the answer is YES. The Brooklyn Bowl Cozy pattern is crocheted with 100% cotton yarn, so it’s heat-safe and won’t melt in the microwave. It’s way easier to use if you put your cozy on before microwaving, otherwise you’re still handling a hot AF bowl.
I read in another post that bowl cozies get too hot when you microwave them, so I put mine in the microwave oven to test this theory. After heating up a can of Campbell’s Chunky Chicken Noodle in a microwave-safe Fiesta bowl (about 3:30 on high), the bowl cozy was warm, but not too hot to touch. Yay!
Keep an eye on the crochet bowl cozy if you’re microwaving something for a super long time, but otherwise you’re good to go.
What do you need to crochet a microwaveable bowl cozy?
The Brooklyn Bowl Cozy is a beginner-friendly crochet pattern, so you won’t need any fancy supplies or tools to make one. In addition to yarn, you’ll need a J 6.0 mm crochet hook (the cute pink one in the pics is from WeCrochet’s Dots set), a stitch marker to mark the first stitch of each round, a tapestry needle, and scissors.
What yarn to use for a crochet bowl cozy?
Worsted weight cotton yarn (like Dishie from WeCrochet) is my favorite yarn to use for kitchen projects (like the Flower Towel Topper). Dishie cotton won’t melt in the microwave (like an acrylic yarn might) and it’s much more reasonably priced than other natural fibers (like wool). Plus, you can throw it in the wash when your bowl cozy gets covered in tomato soup splatter.
The pattern is worked with two strands of Dishie held double, which makes a thicker bowl cozy than one strand alone. Samples shown were made with Dishie cotton yarn in Azure, Verdigris, and Lilac (leftover from the Lilac Potholder pattern).
Yarn Substitutions
For those of you that don’t have Dishie cotton, you can substitute for a similar 100% cotton worsted weight yarn like Lily Sugar n Cream or Premier Home Cotton.
How to Crochet a Bowl Cozy or Cover
Here are all the pattern details you’ll need to crochet your own Brooklyn Bowl Cozy.
Supplies / Materials
- 132 yards of Dishie cotton yarn (held double) – samples use Lilac, Verdigris, and Azure
- or 132 yards of a similar #4 worsted weight cotton yarn (held double)
- J 6.0 mm crochet hook
- Stitch marker
- Tapestry needle
- Scissors
Gauge
4 inch diameter: Rounds 1 – 6
Finished Size
The Brooklyn Bowl Cozy will fit bowls between about 5.5 – 7 inches across.
Finished cozies measure 8 inches square and are 1.5 inches deep.
Abbreviations / Techniques
- magic ring or magic circle
- ch – chain
- sc – single crochet
- dc – double crochet
- tr – treble crochet
- sl st – slip stitch
- st(s) – stitch(es)
- RS – right side
- WS – wrong side
- invisible join
- increasing
- weaving in ends
NOTE: This pattern utilizes US crochet terminology.
Pattern Notes – Crochet Bowl Cozy
- ch 1 and ch 2 don’t count as st(s)
- Pattern utilizes crochet shorthand. “2 sc” means to crochet two sc in one st, “sc 2” means to crochet one sc in each of the next two stitches.
- This bowl cozy is crocheted in continuous rounds until the end of Round 14. Round 14 is joined and Round 15 is turned.
- To customize the bowl cozy’s depth, add more sc rounds between Rounds 8 – 13
Free Crochet Bowl Cozy Pattern
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magic ring with two strands of yarn
ROUND 1 (WS): ch 1, 8 sc into magic ring (8)
ROUND 2 (WS): 2 sc into each st around (16)
ROUND 3 (WS): *2 sc, sc* eight times around (24)
ROUND 4 (WS): sc, 2 sc, *sc 2, 2 sc* seven times, sc in last st (32)
ROUND 5 (WS): *2 sc, sc 3* eight times around (40)
ROUND 6 (WS): sc 2, 2 sc, *sc 4, 2 sc* seven times, sc in last two sts (48)
ROUND 7 (WS): *2 sc, 5 sc* eight times around (56)
ROUNDS 8 – 13 (WS): sc around (56)
If you want a taller/deeper crochet bowl cozy, add more repeats here.
ROUND 14 (WS): *2 sc, 6 sc* eight times around, join to first st with sl st (64)
ROUND 15 (RS): ch 2 and turn, *[2 tr, ch 2, 2 tr] in the same st, tr 2, dc 11, tr 2* repeat four times (84)
Trim yarn and invisible join to first st. Weave in ends.
You’re done! Now you can use your microwave cozy, or crochet a few more for all your bowls (or friends).
Share Your Crochet Bowl Cozies!
I love seeing what you’ve crocheted!Use #youshouldcraft to show off your WIPs and finished crochet Brooklyn Bowl Cozies.
Regardless of your social media preferences, be sure to tag me (@youshouldcraft) in your posts so I can drool over your projects and re-share your work in my stories and on my feed.
And if you’re a Facebook person, share your work and connect with other crocheters inThe You Should Craft Crochet CommunityFB group.
Related Free Crochet Patterns
If you loved the Brooklyn Bowl Cozy crochet pattern, save it to your Pinterest boards.
Then, check out these other free patterns from the blog:
- Lilac Potholder
- Wagon Wheel Potholder
- Blossom Dishcloth
- Easiest Double Crochet Dishcloth
- Farmhouse Dishcloth
- Ripple Dish Towel
- Flower Face Scrubbies
- Cotton Face Scrubbies
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
These are the most common questions about crochet bowl cozies and covers.
Is crocheting a bowl cozy easy?
Absolutely! This pattern uses standard crochet stitches in the round and can be finished in about an hour. Then you can use your crochet microwave bowl cozy for all your favorite fall and winter soups. I’ve been riffing on this Zucchini Soup lately — it’s so good with fresh herbs from the garden.
Do you need two layers of batting for a bowl cozy?
This crochet bowl cozy pattern doesn’t use batting. Instead, the pattern calls for two strands of 100% cotton yarn and a 6.0 mm hook. This gives your stitches a tight weave and makes a thick crochet bowl cozy that doesn’t require a lining to be heat safe.
What kind of batting to use for bowl cozy?
While you might be used to using 100% cotton batting for a quilted bowl holder, this crochet bowl cozy free pattern allows you to skip the batting entirely.
Can you wash a crochet bowl cozy?
Yep! Read what your yarn’s label says, but most 100% cotton yarns can be thrown in the washer and dryer with your clothes or towels. I’ve been washing the Carrot Stitch Washcloth, Flower Face Scrubbies, and Berry Cabled Dishcloth in regular loads for years.
What’s another name for a bowl cozy?
You may also see these handy guys referred to as bowl covers, upside-down bowl hats (JK – that’s only in our house 😉), microwave bowl potholder, or microwave bowl holder patterns. Sometimes, “cozy” is spelled “cosy.”
Can you make a 15 minute crochet bowl cozy?
Maybe if you crochet super, super fast or use a really thick yarn, but otherwise it will take around an hour to crochet this microwave bowl cozy pattern.
