More tea cosies and a mat

Just a few more tea cosies! These are all patterns that I have used before and liked.  Probably time to try some new designs now...

Although I am still obsessed with tea cosies, I came across some yarn in my stash the other day that inspired me to have a go at making a bath mat.  I found this t-shirt yarn in a charity shop a couple of years ago and snapped it up.  Bargain! The pattern was free  and found during a Ravelry search for bulky rugs. I am using an 8mm hook, largely because I couldn't find a bigger one.  Probably would have gone for 10mm if I could have found it. However , the fabric is nice and firm and should result in a fairly durable rug.  Not sure if I have enough yarn to complete the pattern and may have to improvise a bit towards the end.

Alfie seems to approve of it so far!

More Tea Cosies

Just thought I would post a few more tea cosies. They have been flying off the needles lately .
I found this pattern for a crochet cabled tea cosy online after much searching.  I haven't done crochet cables before and really wanted to have a go,  It was quite interesting to do and gives a really lovely effect. The yarn was some old Patons dk that I found in a charity shop recently.

 Another new technique for me was smocked effect knitting.  I enjoyed this one greatly and think it looks pretty good.  It has a nice traditional feel to it.  I used a ball of Rowan Creative Worsted that I bought in a  sale years ago. The original plan was to knit a hat but I never got round to it.

This simple granny square tea cosy pattern is brilliant and looks really effective in a colour run yarn. I guess it would look great with contrasting colour rounds too but who enjoys sewing all the ends in. I have used an acrylic yarn for this design so far - Yarnfair from Wilkinsons. The colours are very nice and it is also a reasonable price. When I manage to find that odd ball of Noro Silk Garden lurking in my stash there could be a posh version of this design coming up.

 

Another favourite design of mine is the Buddha's Knot No Sew Teacosy - also a free pattern. It's really easy and that little i-cord knot on top just finishes it off nicely.  When I found this amazing rainbow yarn in Hobbycraft I knew it had to become one of these. I am keen to get hold of some more of this. It makes for a very cheerful little cosy. Enough to brighten up the dullest of mornings!

I also made up this cosy in some of the Yarnfair striped yarn.

This yarn is only dk so I held it double.  Luckily the colour runs weren't hard to match up and it worked quite well.
Lastly today, this granny square teacosy is fairly cute but I hated all the sewing up. I think I would also prefer it more random colours for a scrappy look.

I am still considering options for today's teacosy. Maybe another knitted one...

Tea Cosy Crazy

It has been a long time since I posted on my poor neglected blog.  I have , of course, still been knitting, crocheting and crafting at my usual rate. I have also been doing quite a lot of sewing lately and have finally grown to love my overlocker.
Anyway, I have become just a bit obsessed with tea cosies over the last month and have been making at least one a day.  I find these projects are just the right size to be achievable in one day and also to try out a variety of new stitches and techniques. It is not easy to find tea cosies in the shops and it is hard to beat a beautiful handmade one.
My obsession started when I finally got around to making up this lovely sheep tea cosy kit that I bought from Woolly Chic a couple of years ago.

He is just adorable and keeps the teapot very warm.  The loopy crochet was fun to do and I think he has real character.  I am thinking to make another one using black yarn - or maybe a whole flock.
After this successful project I started looking up patterns for more cosies and found plenty online and in old magazines. I also bought "The Big Book of Tea Cosies" from Amazon and feel inclined to knit every single pattern as they are all such interesting designs.
This simple granny crochet design is fast becoming one of my favourites.  It is so simple but looks very effective in any number of colours.  also, it's a great pattern for using up scraps of yarn.

 This, one is a basic knitted rib cosy.  The fun part is topping it with a whole load of knitted flowers and leaves.

 The cherries add a nice to touch to this seeded rib cosy.  I gave this one to a friend for her birthday recently.  Planning to make some more like this.

 The traditional ruched cosy is really good for keeping the pot warm as it makes for a very thick fabric. Never hurts to stick a pompom on top of a tea cosy!

 More flowers on top...

 This little number has cables and is gathered in at the top with an i-cord drawstring trimmed with pompoms.

 Cosy tweedy cables...

 This one is a bit of a hoot!

This is just a selection of the tea cosies that I have made so far.  I think there are going to be plenty more and will try to post more regularly.