DIY & Crafts
February Quick Knit: Mad Hatter's Tea Cosy
DIY & Crafts
February Quick Knit: Mad Hatter's Tea Cosy
February is just the right time for a huge pot of tea and, oh, about a million episodes of your favourite TV show, isn't it? (Nerd alert: I'm working through the seventh of nine seasons of "
The X-Files.") I drink a lot of tea, often when I'm knitting. So for Christmas, I asked for and received a lovely old-fashioned
Brown Betty teapot. She's a real beaut, big enough to hold several large servings of steaming hot Earl Grey.
The only trick is keeping all that tea nice and toasty. I made a cute quilted tea cosy a few years ago, but, sadly, it's about two sizes too small. I've been stuffing it as far over the teapot as it will go, then wrapping the bottom in tea towels – functional but not attractive. So this week, I decided to use up some of my
yarn stash and knit up an improvised tea cosy. Honestly, it's really just a hat. I made a
Rose Hill Hat a few years ago, and this cosy is a riff on that pattern: I cast on extra stitches, skipped the bobbles (ugh – I hate making them) and switched colours partway through for a cute colourblock effect.
Cool, eh? I figure a little blocking and a bit of garnish on top is in order. I think a pretty two-tone pom-pom will do the trick. I'm going to try out
this technique for making one. Here's my "pattern," in case you feel like making one of your own. I used leftover worsted wool – black and blue-green Cascade 220 – and size 8 needles.
Mad Hatter's Tea Cosy
The only trick is keeping all that tea nice and toasty. I made a cute quilted tea cosy a few years ago, but, sadly, it's about two sizes too small. I've been stuffing it as far over the teapot as it will go, then wrapping the bottom in tea towels – functional but not attractive. So this week, I decided to use up some of my
yarn stash and knit up an improvised tea cosy. Honestly, it's really just a hat. I made a
Rose Hill Hat a few years ago, and this cosy is a riff on that pattern: I cast on extra stitches, skipped the bobbles (ugh – I hate making them) and switched colours partway through for a cute colourblock effect.
Cool, eh? I figure a little blocking and a bit of garnish on top is in order. I think a pretty two-tone pom-pom will do the trick. I'm going to try out
this technique for making one. Here's my "pattern," in case you feel like making one of your own. I used leftover worsted wool – black and blue-green Cascade 220 – and size 8 needles.
Mad Hatter's Tea Cosy
- CO 128 sts. Place marker, and join in the rnd, being careful not to twist sts.
- K 1 rnd.
- Alternate K and P rnds to make 3 garter ridges (6 rnds total).
- K each rnd until piece measures 7 inches from CO edge, switching colours whenever the spirit moves you. (This cosy would look great in stripes!)
- *K2tog, K12, SSK; repeat from * to end of rnd. (112 sts remain.)
- K 1 rnd.
- *K2tog, K10, SSK; repeat from * to end of rnd. (96 sts remain.)
- K 1 rnd.
- *K2tog, K8, SSK; repeat from * to end of rnd. (80 sts remain.)
- K 1 rnd.
- *K2tog, K6, SSK; repeat from * to end of rnd. (64 sts remain.)
- K 1 rnd.
- *K2tog, K4, SSK; repeat from * to end of rnd. (48 sts remain.)
- K 1 rnd.
- *K2tog, K2, SSK; repeat from * to end of rnd. (32 sts remain.)
- K 1 rnd.
- *K2tog, SSK; repeat from * to end of rnd. (16 sts remain.)
- *K2tog; repeat from * to end of rnd. (8 sts remain.)
- Break yarn. Weave tail through remaining sts and draw hole closed.
- Weave in tails.
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