Free Crochet Mug Cozy Pattern — Easy Scrap Yarn Gift

Give your morning cup a sweet little makeover with this free crochet mug cozy pattern. Lovely as a gift and lovely to keep, it adds a handmade charm to your coffee routine — and makes a hot mug comfortable to hold, too. Best of all, it works up quickly from leftover yarn, so it’s the perfect small project — and an easy handmade gift for teachers, neighbors, and coworkers.

If you need a handmade gift and you need it fast, start here. This free crochet mug cozy pattern is the quickest make in the Evergreen Collection — an hour’s work, a few scraps of cotton, and it’s finished.

But the reason I keep making it isn’t speed. It’s that a crocheted cozy wrapped around a pretty mug, with a bag of coffee and a gift card tucked alongside, looks far more thoughtful than the time it actually took.

Mine stays home, though. It dresses up the mug on my desk that holds my crochet hooks, and it makes me happy every time I look at it.

Why You’ll Love This Crochet Mug Cozy Pattern

It’s a fantastic scrap-yarn project, and you only need a small amount of each color — so dig through your stash and grab those leftovers you’ve been saving “just in case.” 🙂

Because it’s worked in simple stripes, the color options are endless: narrow stripes, wide bands, festive Christmas shades, or soft neutrals. It’s lovely in classic red and cream as well.

What makes it look special is the texture. The granny spike stitch gives the cozy a soft, raised surface that doesn’t just dress up your mug — it protects your hands from the heat, too.

And it’s genuinely easy. A simple one-row repeat, so if the granny spike stitch is new to you, this little cozy is a great place to practice.

Finally, it looks fantastic just sitting out as a bit of holiday decor.

Part of the Evergreen Christmas Collection

The Evergreen Christmas Collection is five free crochet patterns designed with holiday gifting in mind: a lovely washcloth and towel set, a placemat with a matching napkin holder, a mug cozy, a wine cozy, and a cozy blanket. Each one uses the same granny spike stitch, so once you’ve made one, the rest fly by.

The full pattern is free right here on the blog — just keep scrolling.

If you’d rather have an ad-free printable PDF, the complete Evergreen Collection is available now in all my shops — five patterns plus printable gift tags. Individual patterns are available too in my Etsy and Ravelry shops.

Free Crochet Mug Cozy Pattern — Granny Spike Stitch

RECOMMENDED YARN: Any #4 worsted-weight cotton yarn works. I used: Hobby Lobby’s I Love This Cotton Yarn. Colors shown:

• Forest Green (Yarn A)
• Serene Spa (Yarn B)
• Parchment (Yarn C)

YARN SUBSTITUTION

• Lion Brand Yarn Cotton Hemp
• Paintbox Cotton Aran Yarn
• Premier Yarns Home Cotton

YARDAGE: About 36 yards total

HOOK: 5 mm or the hook to meet the gauge.

GAUGE: 2” square = 5 rows x 12 ST (pattern stitches)

FINISHED MEASUREMENTS: Approximately 10 in. long × 3 in. wide when laid flat. It fits a mug with a 4–5 in. diameter.

ABBREVIATIONS

• CH: Chain
• ST: Stitch
• STS: Stitches
• SL ST: Slip stitch
• SC: Single crochet
• HDC: Half double crochet
• DC: Double crochet
• SSC: Stacked single crochet
• YO: Yarn over
• SK: Skip
• Rep: Repeat

Pattern notes

• TERMINOLOGY: Written in US terms.
• DIFFICULTY: Easy.
• This pattern uses the granny spike stitch. Keep your tension even for the best finish. Photos are included, and there are lots of video tutorials on YouTube if you’d like to see it in motion.
• SPECIAL STITCHES
  • Double crochet Spike Stitch: YO, insert hook into the indicated stitch from the row below, YO, pull up a loop to the height of the current row, YO, pull through 2 loops, YO, pull through the remaining 2 loops.
  • Stacked single crochet (SSC): Work 1 SC in the 1^st ST, then insert the hook into the left vertical bar of the SC just made, YO and pull up a loop, YO, and pull through both loops. Watch this YouTube tutorial if needed.
• CHANGING COLORS
  • Complete the last stitch until 2 loops remain on your hook. Yarn over with the new color and pull through the last 2 loops. Cut the old yarn and continue with the new color.

Crochet the Evergreen mug cozy

Note on the fit: This cozy is written to fit a standard mug. Mugs vary quite a bit, so measure around yours before you start and add or remove stitches in multiples of 4 as needed

With yarn A, CH 40

Row 1: SC in 2nd CH from hook and each CH across, turn. (39 ST)

Row 2: SSC, *CH 1, SK next 3 ST, 3 DC in next ST; rep from * across until 2 ST remain, SK next ST, DC in last ST. CH 1, turn.

Note: Keep your tension nice and even throughout the pattern.

Row 3: HDC in first ST, CH 1, SK next 3 ST, *DC in next CH-1 SP, DC spike st in the middle SC from the row below, DC in same CH-1 SP, CH 1, SK next 3 DC; rep from * across, ending with DC spike st in the middle SC from the row below, DC in same CH-1 SP,  HDC in the last ST. Change to yarn B, CH 1, turn.  Cut yarn A.

Rows 4-5: With yarn B, repeat Row 3. At the end of Row 5, change to yarn C. Cut yarn B.

Row 6-8: With yarn C, repeat Row 3.

Row 9: With yarn C, HDC in first ST, *SK next ST, HDC in the next ST, SK next ST, DC in next CH-1 SP, DC spike st in the middle DC of the 3 DC from the row below, DC in same CH-1 SP; rep from * across. End with a HDC in the last ST.  Cut yarn C.

Note: Weave in all ends before crocheting the mug cozy’s straps.

Crochet the straps

1. Lay the crochet piece flat, with the right side facing up. Using yarn C, SL ST in the bottom right corner to attach the yarn. SC in the same ST, CH 12, then SL ST in the top corner,
2. *CH 1, SL ST in the next ST; repeat from * across the top edge to the corner.
3. CH 12, then SL ST to the bottom left corner. Fasten off.
4. Weave in all ends, and you’re all done!