- The materials you use for your holder will affect the strength and usefulness of the holder. Cotton yarns work best for this type of project, because the cotton will absorb any condensation on the bottle. Cotton also works well because it does not have much elasticity, so any stretching that occurs will be due to the stitches used, not from the yarn itself. The hook that you use should be the size indicated on the yarn label or one size smaller, as you want a tight, sturdy fabric.
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The first part of the holder that should be made is the bottom. This can be done by crocheting a simple circle, starting with either the magic adjustable ring method (see link in Resources) or by crocheting about five stitches and joining with a slip knot to form a circle.
The bottom should be made with single crochet, as this stitch is tighter than other crochet stitches and will create a stronger bottom. A strong, tight bottom will make the entire holder strong, and it will resist wear and tear more than a loose bottom.
To make a flat circle, start with six or eight single crochets into the starting loop, joining the round with a slip knot. Increase each round by your starting number of stitches to keep each increasing round even and flat. Adding more or less stitches per round will cause the circle to ripple.
Once the bottom is done, crochet the sides by making each successive round the same number of stitches, with no increases or decreases. There is more freedom of stitches with the sides, as they are not as important to the strength of the piece as the bottom. Continue with single crochet, or you can vary the stitches with mesh or other designs. As long as the number of stitches stays the same, the sides will be straight.
When the sides reach the top of the water bottle, either stop or add a handle. The handle can be as long or short as you want, but it should be made of single crochet to make the strongest strap possible. A weak strap has a higher chance of breaking at an inopportune moment. Because single crochet is a close, tight stitch, it will stretch less than other stitches. If you want little or no stretch in your strap, fasten off at the end of the side and start a new piece for the strap. Crochet stretches more lengthwise than width-wise, so a strap crocheted as four or five rows of many stitches will stretch less than many rows of four or five stitches.
