Thank goodness for tea cosies

There’s nothing I like to knit more than a tea cosy. It’s becoming something of a joke amongst my friends, but I don’t care. It’s so satisfying knowing that when you give the gift of a tea cosy, you’re not only giving a beautiful object, but a highly practical item that means the receiver of the gift need never suffer cold tea again! I liked the pattern I used for my Grandma’s tea cosy last Christmas so much that I’ve since made two more in that style to ensure the toastyness of tea in the South East region would no longer be at risk.

One blue and white one as a wedding gift for Catherine and Will…

… and one red and white one for Mandy to match her checked table cloth.

Now I just need to get round to making one for me.

 

Strawberry teas forever

Once upon a time, way back in February, Queen Sarah of Knit Club had a birthday (only a birthday of low numbers you understand for Queen Sarah is youth personified). Being Princess of Knit Club I searched high and low throughout the kingdom for a gift to do her justice, but alas a suitable present could not be found. Just when all hope was lost, I remembered Queen Sarah was the proud owner of a beautiful green teapot that made a delightful brew, but remained naked and bereft of a suitable cosy. But where would I find a tea cosy fit for the royal pot? Queen Sarah had often mentioned how wonderful a strawberry tea cosy would be, so off I went in search of one.

But all the available patterns would not do, they just weren’t strawberry-y enough. In the end I used all my Princess of Knit Club skills and made up my own pattern. The result was the strawberryiest of strawberries anyone in the whole kingdom had ever seen. Now Queen Sarah’s teapot need never be naked again and we’ll all live knitting happily ever after!

Using 4mm needles and two strands held together of Patons Diploma Gold DK in a juicy red, I cast on 64 stitches and divided them evenly between four double pointed needles and joined for knitting in the round. (I thought I’d try this method of making a tea cosy instead of knitting two sides and having to sew them together at the end).

- K 1 row around
- P 1 row around
- K 6 rows around
- *K all stitches on first two needles, then turn and purl all stitches back to the start. (Now you’re knitting in two halves to leave the holes for the spout and handle).
- Do 13 more rows in stocking stitch, ending with a knit row* (if you have the tea pot in front of you, make sure this is enough rows to allow for the spout or handle hole). Cut off yarn leaving a long enough tail to sew in later.
- Join in yarn at start of the third needle and repeat above instructions ** for all the stitches on the third and fourth needles.
- You should now have the same number of rows on both pairs of needles.
- Continue with the yarn you’ve just been using, join back together and K 4 rows (in the round again).
- Now for the decreasing: K6, K2tog around
- K 1 row around
- K5, K2tog around
- K 1 row around
- K4, K2tog around
- K 1 row around
- K3, K2tog around
- Change to green yarn, K 1 row around
- K2, K2tog around
- K1, K2tog around
- K2tog around
- K2tog around
- Continue knitting around with these stitches until the strawberry stalk is long enough. Cut off the yarn and using a large sewing needle thread through the remaining stitches and pull tight. Thread down through the middle of the stalk and tie off inside the cosy.
- Use yellow yarn to sew on little ‘seeds’ keeping the yarn at the back and following the ‘v’ shape of the knitted stitches.

For the leaves I adapted Bonnie Sennott’s Mountain Laurel Leaf pattern, which I found on Ravelry, making some of the leaves longer  and thinner and some of them shorter and fatter. I sewed them on at the base of the stalk and hey presto, the cosy was finished. No annoying seams, just a warm and snuggly teapot and a very happy Queen Sarah!

Just like Grandma used to make

We all love our Grandmas very much, but when it comes to getting them presents for Christmas they can be awkward so-and-sos! “Oh I don’t need anything, my love,” they say or “Just spending time with you is a present enough.” But we all know full well that if, come Christmas day, they didn’t get given anything, they’d be in a sulk until Easter.

So I was relieved when, on a visit to Grandma’s in the Autumn, I noticed that her tea cosy was looking a little worse for wear. Here was something she genuinely needed and it meant I could tick one present off the list. I wanted to make a tea cosy that matched the old design as much as possible, so was thrilled to find this Traditional fluted tea cosy by Yasmin, who also associated the design with her Nan, lovely!

I made a few modifications, like using 5mm needles to accommodate the slightly chunkier wool I used for one of the colours (King Cole Waves Multi in Pampas). My second wool was dk weight so I held that double and it seemed to work out. I also cast on 30 less stitches so I had less folds to fit a 2 cup pot. I finished the cosy off with a flower.

Here’s my Grandma with her new tea cosy on Christmas day. She may be 90, but she can still have a giggle! Happy Christmas Grandma x

Tea cosy tastic!

The curse of the knitter is to always end up giving away their creations. But after Sarah and Harriet bought me a delicious mint green tea pot for my birthday, I was determined to clothe it in a cosy without delay even though I was due to make two other cosies for gifts!

I adapted the cross rib stitch hat I made in the winter and chose a cheap DK yarn in pretty shade of greeny blue from my local wool shop. Here’s how to do it:

1. On 4mm needles, cast on 51 stitches or a multiple of 3 to fit (mine’s a 4 cup pot)
2. K2, P1, K2, P1 to end of row
3. P2, K1, P2, K1 to end of row
4. Repeat steps 2 & 3 until you have enough ribbing, I did 6 rows.
Work the rest of the cosy in cross rib stitch:
5. (right side) p1, Tw2R, p1, Tw2R to end of row
6. k1, p2, k1, P2 to end of row
Tw2R = knit into front of 2nd stitch, don’t slip off, come back round and knit into first stitch then slip both off together.
7. Knit until you have 16-18cm then start to decrease as follows:
8. (right side) P1, K2tog, P1, K2tog to end of row
9. K1, P1, K1, P1 to end of row
10. P1, SSK, P1, SSK to end of row
11. P the whole row
12. K2tog through back of loop for the whole row
13. P the whole row
14. K the whole row
15. Break the wool and thread back through remaining stitches, pulling tightly to gather.
16. Repeat steps 1-15 to make the other side
17. Sew together using matress stitch leaving holes for the spout and handle.
18. Finish off with a pretty button or whatever you fancy!

I’m a little tea cosy…

What can you knit in the summer months when it’s too warm for scarves and there’re no recent babies to make blankets for? Tea cosies! I got the idea from Sarah who’d made a beautiful tea cosy for her friends’ wedding in February and I knew just the person who’d appreciate such a wonderful item. My friend Paula holds tea in the very highest esteem, her love of the comforting beverage is almost sacred, and I knew she’d have a teapot, so I set to work on a chunky, multi-coloured striped number especially for her birthday. I used this fantastically easy pattern from castoncastoff and it knitted up in no time. Using two strands of DK wool means that the tea cosy is nice and thick so it keeps your tea even warmer and the huge pompom on the top is the finishing touch.

It looks very fetching in Paula's kitchen...

... but even better as a hat!