Tea, anyone?

Cheery Cherry Tea Cozy on 8-cup teapot

Oh, teapot cozies, how I love them! Quick to knit as a hat, but with ample opportunities for delightful camp- and quirkiness.

This is my favorite yet: The Cheery Cherry Tea Cozy (Ravelry link). Plump little cherries burst forth against their background of robin's egg blue, edged with chocolate brown. And the grassy green of the leaves is echoed by the vine-like, I-cord, drawstring closure. What fun!


I was inspired to design this little cozy almost two years ago, when we moved into our current home -- a little cottage in Western Maryland. The three big windows in the kitchen let in the afternoon sun, and provide excellent squirrel watching opportunities for the kitties (see top photo).

The pale aqua on the walls just cried out for bright red (my favorite kitchen color). And I've always loved cherry motifs. It was only a matter of time before these ideas took physical form -- and a matter of, well, more time before I charted and test knit the pattern.

The Cheery Cherry Tea Cozy is a quick knit -- you don't have to work the chart on the back. In fact, you could skip the intarsia altogether, and embroider the cherries, stems, and leaves in duplicate stitch. How you approach the colorwork is up to you. Remember, knitting is fun, right?

Cheery Cherry Tea Cozy on 4-cup teapot

I'll be finalizing this pattern over the weekend, and will post it for sale on Ravelry in the next few days. You can purchase it directly from me (knitsix@gmail.com).

Just in time for that piping-hot, freshly brewed cup of relaxation we often crave during the holiday season. Or perhaps for gift-giving, for a very special person -- the kind you'd drink tea with while chatting about this and that.

Meanwhile, happy knitting and baking and shopping and merry-making and, well, you know...

Tea, anyone?

Cheery Cherry Tea Cozy (a new pattern & preliminary photos)

Finally! A tea cozy cute enough to display on your tea pot year-round...

Cheery Cherry Tea Cozy, drying after a very light fulling

My favorite kitchen designs come from Scandinavia, which often feature ruby red, snowy white, and robin's egg blue. I also happen to like cherries -- always have.

So when we moved into our cottage with its pale aqua-blue walls, there was only one thing to do: Hunt down yards of retro cherry fabric, a perfect-red throw rug, a bunch of yarn (of course!) and get creative.

The result (well, one of them), you see before you... A lovely tea cozy with a draw-string top, juicy intarsia cherries, and chocolate-brown trim. Makes me hungry just thinking about it!

Another view of Cheery Cherry Tea Cozy, sans tripod

Cheery Cherry comes in two sizes to fit classic tea pots. The sample above was made with Ella Rae Classic Wool in light blue and dark brown, a few yards of red and green from my stash, and US#7/4.5 mm circular needles.

The intarsia pattern is straightforward, and you have the choice of knitting cherries on both sides, or only on the front. You could also work the cherry chart on one side and a stranded or embroidered pattern on the other. The options are limited only by your imagination.

Want some Cheery Cherries of your own? The pattern will be available for purchase and immediate download on Ravelry no later than Wednesday, 2 December.

Just in time for last-minute holiday gift knitting (yes, it's that quick and easy).

Meanwhile, to my US (and expat) readers, and to everyone else who celebrates tomorrow's holiday: I wish you and yours a safe and happy Thanksgiving Day. May it include some quiet time for relaxing with your knitting, crochet, or other artistic endeavor. Enjoy!


(BTW: Sorry for the poor photo quality...I can't find my tripod, and my camera is having issues dealing with reds. I'll post some better photos when the cozy is dry and I can put it on my tea pot.)

Cheery Cherry Tea Cozy (a new pattern & preliminary photos)