Perfecting the classic – a go-to tea cosy

You would think that after spending a few months last year creating some new tea cosy patterns, I might have expended all my creative energy in this area. Ah no, not at all. Christmas brought a new energy and I made a rather nice grey and colour-pop collection for close friends (here). I also did a rethink on a classic Debbie Bliss design for some close chums – let’s call them Mr and Mrs S. If you are a knitter you know there is some love in this design – there is a little bit of  cable, a soft double knit yarn, but most importantly it is practical. This design really got me thinking. If you are a daily user of the teapot then this ‘cabriolet’ version makes it so easy to refresh the pot with hot water. Fitted on the classic ‘Brown Betty’ design of teapot it is a very snug satisfying fit. Over Christmas this design whirred round in my little brain. I wanted to make a crochet version. A go-to design which would look snug, be easy to make and the perfect answer for any commission requests.

So this is version one – in cotton, lovely colours but a bit baggy. The buttons will be removed from this and then thrown away.

Version two much better with an attached top section, and I have removed the crab stitch edging at the bottom – improved.

As I was perfecting version two a request appeared. A Norwegian friend of Mr and Mrs S had admired their Christmas Brown Betty tea cosy, and they wondered if I could make a similar one for her as a gift. Well this was a perfect opportunity to work on version 3 with a variegated yarn. I am now very happy with this design. This is a wonderful luxury for some one who designs – making two or three version – not racing the process and enjoying coming to the final version. I just need to write it down!