Cozy Cottage Gift Box

Some special gifts deserve extraordinary packaging.  Present yours in a gift box unlike anything they’ve seen before.  After the festivities are over, it serves as a decorative treasure keeper they can use and display however they like.

Choose to dress it up with the optional big bow, or maybe you’d like to embellish it in your own way. Use it for Christmas, birthdays, Mother’s Day, or any other time you want to wow your recipient.  (It could even house an engagement ring!)

It’s plush and padded, so fragile, precious things will be protected.

This pattern uses some uncommon techniques and a unique construction.  I hope you enjoy the process of creating yours!

Click here for downloadable PDF

Abbreviations:

Techniques:

Roof
With Color Midsummer Night or Olive Branch

Cast on 30.

Row 1 (WS): Sl1, p to end.
Row 2 (RS): Sl1, k to end.

Rows 3 -28: Repeat Rows 1 & 2 13 more times.

Row 29 (WS): Sl1, p to end.
Row 30 (RS): Sl1, p to end.

Rows 31-58: Repeat Rows 1 & 2 14 times.
Row 59 (WS): Sl1, p to end.
Row 60 (RS): Sl1, p to end.
Rows 61-90: Repeat Rows 1 & 2 15 times.
Row 91 (WS): Sl1, p to end.
Row 92 (RS): Tuck row (see techniques section at beginning of pattern)

Rows 93-114: Repeat Rows 1 & 2 13 times.

Row 115 (WS): Bind off in purl.

Fold Roof in half at purl row.  The other purl row will be in the middle of the top of the roof.  The tuck row will be in the middle of the underside of the roof.

Make a sandwich of one piece of Peltex 70, one piece of batting, and another piece of Peltex 70 and slide it all the way into the roof.  Make another sandwich and slide it in.  The two stabilizer sandwiches will be separated by the purl row that goes down the middle of the roof.

Using Roof color and a large-eye yarn needle, stitch the roof together at the three open sides.  Stitch a few tacking stitches at the center to separate the two halves and keep the stabilizer sandwiches each in their correct half of the roof.

House
Piece 1 of house

With Color Rolled Oats or Cactus Flower
Cast on 20.

Row 1 (WS): Sl1, p to end.
Row 2 (RS): Sl1, k to end.

Repeat Rows 1 & 2 10 more times.

Row 23 (WS): Sl1, p to to end
Row 24 (RS): Sl1, p to to end

Next row 25 (WS): Sl1, purl, pm, cast on 15 using the Knitted Cast On Method (see techniques section at beginning of pattern, with video)

Row 26 (RS): Sl1, kfb, k to end

Row 27 (WS): Sl1, purl to one stitch before marker, slip stitch before marker, sm, p to last two sts, pfb, p1.

Repeat rows 26 & 27 5 more times (12 sts inc’d).

Row 38 (RS): Sl1, k2tog, knit to end
Row 39 (WS): Sl1, p to 1 st before marker, sl1, p to last 3 sts, p2tog, p1.

Repeat rows 38 & 39 5 more times (12 sts dec’d)

Row 50 (RS): Bind off 15.  Purl remaining 20 sts, pm. Cast on 20

Row 51 (WS): Sl1, purl to marker. Slip the stitch after the marker. Purl to end

Row 52 (RS): Sl1, knit to end

Repeat Rows 51 & 52 10 more times for 22 total rows.

Repeat Row 51 one more time.

Row 74 (RS): Bind off 20 stitches before the marker.  Remove marker in order to bind off the last st. With the remaining 20 sts-
k1, sl1 k1 psso, knit to last 3 sts. K2tog. K1.

Row 75 (WS): Sl1, purl to end.

Row 76 (RS): Sl1, sl1 k1 psso, knit to last three sts. K2tog. K1.

Row 77 (WS): Sl1, purl to end

Repeat Rows 76 & 77 until 4 sts remain.

Row 86 (RS): Sl1, k2tog, k1.
Row 87 (WS): Sl1, p2.
Next row : bind off 3.

Cut yarn

Piece 2 of house
Using same color yarn as Piece 1

Cast on 20 sts
Row 1 (WS): Sl1, p to end of row
Row 2 (RS): Sl1, k to end of row

Rows 3-22: Repeat Rows 1 & 2 10 more times
Row 23 (WS): Repeat row 1 one more time

Row 24 (RS): Perform a tuck row. Pm.
With the wrong side facing you and in your left hand, and the empty needle in your right hand,
Cast on 15 using the knitted English method.

[See my video Knitted Cast On Method]

Row 25 (WS): Sl1, pfb, p to first m, sm, sl1, sm, p to end.
Row 26 (RS): Sl1, k to first m, sm, p1, sm, k to last 2 sts, kfb, k1.

Rows 27-36: Repeat Rows 25 & 26 5 more times (12 sts inc’d).

Row 37 (WS): Sl1, p1, p2tog, purl to first marker, sm, k1, sm, purl to end.

Row 38 (RS): Sl1, knit to one st before first marker, sl1, sm, p1, sm, sl1, k to last 3 sts, sl1 k1 psso, k1.

Rows 39-48: Repeat Rows 37 & 38 5 more times (12 sts dec’d).

Row 49 (WS): Bind off 15, p to end, removing markers as you come to them.

Row 50 (RS): Sl1, k to end
Row 51 (WS): sl1, p to end

Row 52 (RS): Perform a tuck row.

Row 53 (WS): Sl1, p to end, flip over work and cast on 20 sts with knitted method.

Row 54 (RS): sl1, k18, sl1, pm, p1, pm, knit to end.

Row 55 (WS): sl1, p to marker, sm, k1, sm, k1, sm, p to end

Row 56 (RS): Sl1, k to first marker, sm, p1, sm, k to end

Repeat Rows 55 & 56 9 more times.

Row 75 (WS): Bind off 20.  Purl to end, removing markers. 

Row 76 (RS): Sl1, k1, k2tog, k to last 3 sts, sl1 k1 psso, k2
Row 77 (WS): Sl1, p to end.

Repeat Rows 76 & 77 6 more times (6 sts remain)

Row 90 (RS): Sl1, k2tog, sl1 k1 psso, k1
Row 91 (WS): Sl1, p to end

Row 92 (RS): Sl1, k2tog, k1.
Row 93 (WS): Sl1, p2

Row 94 (RS): K3tog

Fasten off

Assemble the two house pieces by placing Piece 1 with the Wrong Side up and laying Piece 2 on top of it with the Wrong Side down.  Begin stitching all the sides closed.  Cut pieces of Peltex and batting that are the same size and shape as the five pieces that comprise the house.  Make layered sandwiches as in the roof, and slide them into each spot.  Put some tacking stitches at the junctures so they stay put.  After all the stabilizer is secure and it is stitched all the way around, bring the sides, front and back to stand up vertically, while the base/floor stays down flat.  Stitch up the four corners to keep the walls up and together.

Then place the roof on top of the house and stitch it on, but leave half of the roof unstitched, so it can be opened.

Door
Cast on 6
Row 1: Sl1, p to end
Row 2: sl1, k to end

Rows 3-12: Repeat Rows 1 & 2 5 more times.

Row 13: Repeat Row 1 again
Row 14: Sl1, k2tog, k1, sl1 k1 psso, k1
Row 15: Sl1, p to end
Row 16: Sl1, k2tog, k2
Row 17: Sl1, p to end
Row 18: Sl1, sl1 k1 psso., k1
Roe 19: Bind off in purl st

Wreath
Crochet 6 ch

Join with a sl st in the first ch to create a ring.
Working into both loops of chain, work 2 scs in each stitch (12 sts)
Join to connect with a sl st in the first st of the round.
Fasten off.

Door frame
Ch 30
Ch1 (counts as first stitch), sc 9, 2 sc in next stitch, sc 2, 2 sc in next stitch, sc 2, 2 sc in next stitch, 2 sc, 2 sc in next stitch, 10 sc.
Fasten off.

Using Fern Frond and a large-eye yarn needle, sew wreath to door, then sew door to house front. Then sew door frame to house front around door.


Garland
Ch 162
Row 1: sc across
Row 2: (Ch 8, connect to the 4th of the 8 ch with a sl st. Ch 4. Sl st into 6th sc of previous round) repeat 26 more times. Fasten off.

Stitch the garland on to the roof, all the way around.

Vines
Measure a length of yarn that is a few inches longer than your garland. Double the yarn on itself, then do that two more times so you have a length of yarn with four strands.

Weave it through the garland, starting near a back corner.  When you make it back to where you started, tie the vine strands together under the roof, and tuck in/ weave in the tails.


Bow
Cast on 3.
Row 1: Sl1, p2
Row 2: Sl1, k1, m1r, k1 (4 sts)
Row 3: Sl1,p3
Row 4: Sl1, k1, m1r, k2 (5 sts)
Row 5: Sl1, p4
Row 6: Sl1, k1, m1r, k3 (6 sts)
Row 7: Sl1, p5
Row 8: Sl1, k1, m1r, k4 (7 sts)
Row 9: Sl1, p2, k1, p3

Row 10: Sl1, k1, m1r, k to end (8 sts)
Row 11: Sl1, p2, k to last 3 sts, p3

Repeat Rows 10 & 11 until there are 24 sts.

Row 42: Sl1, k across
Row 43: Sl1, p2, k to last 3 sts, p3

Repeat last two rows 58 more times

Row 160 (RS): Sl1, k1, sl k1 psso, k to end
Row 161 (WS): Sl1, p2, k to last 3 sts, p3

Repeat last two rows until 3 sts remain
Bind off on RS

Bow loop
Cast on 7
Work stockinette stitch slipping first st of each row for 16 rows. Bind off.

Fold bow as shown below and wrap bow loop around center to secure.  Using a tapestry needle, stitch both ends of bow loop together.  The seam should be on the back of the bow near the bottom. You can rotate it if needed.  Sew the bow to the house roof along the connective seam you just sewed.