Brrrrrringing back hot water bottles

Boy, is it chilly this week! Ahhh sunshine, hurray, spring has sprung! WRONG! Time to freeze again. Don't pack your woolies and cashmeres away just yet, there is still a lot of cold to weather before we're out of the meteorological woods. *Sigh* I am so over cold toes and finger tips.

The only warm spot on my body right now

For the record, I am already layering my husband's 100% wool Shetland sweaters and wearing LLBean's sheepskin slippers aaaaaaand have the heat cranked up to the max, so this is an emergency!
Since my Doxie lap warmer isn't always willing to service my frosty legs (and what about my feet and hands, anyway?), I dug out two hideous water bottles I keep "stored" at the bottom of the laundry hamper for just such an emergency.

Close-up of presh pawsitude

These water bottles are not cute. They are the drugstore, on sale, bought in a fit of "every household should have one of these" standard boring water bottles with some sort of icky, highly flammable cover.
A cute water bottle cover is the kind of frivolous need, that always makes its list waaaaay down the list of things to buy. I was reminded of my annual missed opportunity when I spotted cashmere covers on OneKingsLane the other day, but they were rather boring and frankly, overpriced. And I always seem to see felted wool versions at Christmas markets, yet somehow I always neglect to pick one up... But, an emergency this is - so...off to Etsy we go!

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This cable cashmere cover definitely looks cute and cuddly. Being handmade is always a bonus! But at more than $60... it would most likely get pushed back down my must-buy list.

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This one could be cute, but I'm not in love with the yellow buttons and the wrinkly seams (look, I'm type A, ok?). The inside is an adorable vintage floral fabric, but it's not visible when in use... Ok forget cashmere, I'll make due with wool...

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Bingo! I love this virgin wool one, crafted from beautiful Pendleton dress stewart tartan wool. I looooove tartan blankets and Pendleton makes the best wool ones. In fact, I asked for a dress steward Pendleton wool blanket (preferably monogrammed) for Christmas but nada... Unfortunately, at $175 ... my budget creaks and a regretful veto comes out.

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Jeoweo on Etsy has a nice selection (pictured above). My pick would be the orange and pink stripe fleece or the grey and charcoal brown stripe wool, except I am not loving the leaves. I'd rather have a nice flat black velvet bow on the pink/orange a la Kate Spade or a pink applique elephant (or yellow bee?) on the grey/charcoal.
Failing that...I may attempt to upcycle one of my own cable cashmere sweaters if this cold snap continues! Then I can customize til my heart's content and frostbite is averted. Do any of my readers have experience or hints for sewing with knits? The whole unraveling and bunching dilemma scares me...