# Crochet Hug Mug Cozy Free Crochet Pattern
This one melts my heart every single time: a mug cozy with two tiny arms that wrap around your mug in a hug, complete with little mittens. Those crocheted hands and red buttons make it the sweetest accessory for the Christmas table — and kids absolutely adore it. It’s a simple project with a big payoff in charm.
What you’ll need
- 4.00 mm (G) crochet hook
- Acrylic yarn in light brown, red, and white
- 4 buttons (to match the 4 buttonholes)
- Yarn needle and scissors
Pattern notes: The body is worked back and forth entirely through the back loops only, which gives it a lovely ribbed texture. The pattern is easy to adjust — just measure your own mug and go.
The pattern
The mug body:
With light brown yarn, first measure the height of your mug — mine was 4 inches, so I started by chaining 14. (Add or remove chains to match your mug’s height.)
Work back and forth in rows through the back loops only for 5 rows. Then make the opening for the mug handle: chain 13 and slip stitch into the last stitch. Chain 1, then continue crocheting back and forth in rows exactly as before, right past where you made the opening.
Here’s the key part: don’t keep going until the two ends meet. Instead, attach the white yarn and crochet all the way around the entire body. Repeat once more so you have two white rows framing everything.
When you reach the first end again, make your buttonholes: *chain 3 (skip 3 stitches), slip stitch into the next stitch* — repeat from * three more times, and you’ll have 4 buttonholes. Fasten off, then sew the buttons onto the opposite side where the holes line up.
The arms (make 2):
With light brown yarn:
- R1: Ch 2, then work 6 sc into the 2nd chain from the hook. (6)
- R2–8: Sc in each stitch around. (6)
- R9: Attach white yarn, sc in each stitch around. (6) — the cuff!
- R10: Attach red yarn, sc in each stitch around. (6) — the mitten begins
- R11: 1 sc, skip 2 stitches, 3 sc. (4) — this leaves a gap for the thumb
- R12–14: Sc in each stitch around. (4)
- R15: Decrease twice. (2)
Fasten off.
The mitten thumbs:
Attach red yarn to Round 11 right where you skipped those 2 stitches. R1: Sc in each stitch around. (4) R2: Decrease down to 2 stitches. Fasten off and sew the open end closed.
Assembly:
Sew one arm to the left side of the mug body and one to the right, positioning them so they look like they’re giving your mug a big hug.
A few tips from my hook
- Stuff the arms very lightly (or not at all) so they drape naturally around the mug.
- Try the body on your mug before you sew the buttons on — handle openings vary a lot between mugs.
- This is a fantastic stash-buster: those arms and mittens use almost no yarn.
A hug you can drink from — what’s not to love? Happy hooking!
