Tea Cozy

I used to be incredulous when knitters posted photos of projects they'd completed in the past year that they somehow had forgotten to post along the way. "When will I finish something and forget to post about it?"

Oops - here it is! I was working on this in secret to give to a good friend for her birthday in April (yep, 8 months ago April). I was knitting, finishing, stitching and beading right up until the birthday day. Don't know why I didn't take photos when she received it, or as we've used it, or when I put all the info on Ravelry...no good excuse. It just didn't happen until today.

So here for your enjoyment is the April Tea Cozy. I used info from "hynyknits" on Ravelry to make this cozy with Noro yarn, using the same decrease sequence as a hat. I tailored this cozy to the pot it would be used on since the pot was an unusual shape (shorter & squattier than some pots). I added an additional two inches of pattern before beginning the decrease sequence so that I could have a flap to insert inside the cozy to cover the back side of the stitchery (photo below)

The cozy is all I wanted it to be - bright, fun, cheery, visually stimulating, textured, incorporating stitchery & beading, good finishing. A product I'm thrilled with and glad to share with you today.



I used 2 skeins of Noro yarn for the cozy. I unwound, cut and rewound the second ball so that it started with a color segway I was at when my first ball finished. This technique made both balls look like one super huge ball of Noro. A colorful yarn to knit with. This is my second project with Noro yarn and I've enjoyed the self-striping aspect of Noro. A comfortable yarn to hold and knit.



I freehanded all the stitchery details around this cozy. This little section is my sunny Arizona spot complete with cactus, sun bursts and flowers. Very fun.




It's hard to see in this photo but I wanted to show you my inside finishing. Since I was stitching the patterns & beads using Aida embroidery thread I had a tangle of threads on the inside of my cozy (the "back" of the stitchery). I cut felt rectangles 2 inches high and laid them over the inside of the cozy. I stitched the figures & beads THROUGH the felt, giving is a little more structure and oomph so it could hold the weight of the beading. When I finished stitching, I folded two inches of the cozy inside, covering the felt & back of the stitches. I whip-stitched it into place. The cozy now has an extra layer of thickness which surrounds the middle of the tea pot - good for keeping heat longer. The smooth inside line is almost unnoticeable and there is a beautiful neat interior to the cozy. I'm thrilled with how the inside finished up.