Leaf cord and bottle topper

I wanted to jazz up some home made liquor as a present - how better than to adorn it than with knitting?! This option is a mint vodka in a one-glass wine bottle so I prepared an i-cord with mint leaves on each end - all knitted in one piece (no seams!). I am also working on a lavender vodka and aiming to do lavender ended i-cord... watch this space! This is perfect because it takes a matter of minutes and only a smidgen of your stash yarn. You can adapt it to the right size for whatever bottle/jar/item you wrap it around. Hey, you can even ammend the beggining and end and be more creative than my leaf and lavender - let me know how you get on! Christmas is sorted for hundreds of years with a variety of knitted up drinks, preserves, bath products and so on! Enjoy!

So, first for the cord...
Using two 2.75mm double pointed needles and DK yarn...
Make slip knot
row 1 - P1
row 2 - KFBF - Knit in the front, without sliding stitch off needle knit in the back, and then the front again before sliding off (1 stitch becomes 3)
row 3 - P3
row 4 - K1, M1R, K1, M1L, K1
row 5 - P5
row 6 - K1, M1R, K3, M1L, K1
row 7 - P7
row 8 - K7
row 9 - P7
row 10 - SKP, S2KP, K2TOG
row 11 - P1, P1tbl, P1
row 12 - K1, K1tbl, K1

Now knit a 3 stitch i-cord - instead of turning after row 12, slide stitches to the other end of the needle, and knit, pulling thread tightly behind. Keep knitting and sliding, knitting and sliding and the cord will look like the type you get on knitting dollies.

Once i-cord is long enough to wrap round bottle in a loose 'tear drop' shape, then K1, pick up a top stitch from row 5 of the i-cord and K2TOG (middle stitch plus stitch you picked up) and K1. Do 4 more rows of i-cord. Now time to do the final leaf (back to turning work each row rather than sliding). *

row 13 - K1, K1tbl, K1
row 14 - P1, Ptbl, P1
row 15 - K1, [M1R, YO, K1tbl, YO, M1L all in one stitch], K1
row 16 - P7
row 17 - K7
row 18 - P7
row 19 - K1, SKP, K1, K2TOG, K1
row 20 - P5
row 21 - K1, S2KP, K1
row 22 - P3
row 23 - S2KP
Cut yarn and thread through last stitch.

Weave in both ends up the leaf being careful not to pull too tight and flatten the pointed ends, and pull into the centre of the i-cord through to the middle of the loop.

Voila!  A pretty present presto!

 * if that all sounds too complicated, you have several options - continuing as simple i-cord and then moving onto the leaf. Partway through weaving your ends in then use the yarn to pop a small stitch joining both ends of the i-cord to hold together. Or, you can keep doing your i-cord much longer and once piece is knitted then tie in either a knot or bow around the bottle. The world is your oyster.
And for the leaf topper

Using four 2.75mm double pointed needles and DK yarn...

Cast on 24 stitches, 8 per needle
rounds 1 - 7 [K2 P2] rib
round 8 - knit
round 9 - [K1, K2TOG] (you will have to slip stitches from one needle to the next to allow the K2TOG)
round 10 - knit
round 11 - K1, K2TOG
round 12 - K2TOG until last stitch
round 13 - K2TOG
Place remaining 3 stitches on one needle and do 5 rows of i-cord.  Then follow leaf pattern rows 13 - 23.