Knitting a Tea Cosy
For those of you who read Rhonda Jeans Down to Earth blog, you’ll be familiar with the fact that from time to time she organises swaps amongst her readers. I’ve watched these from a distance so far and often it’s gotten to the end of the swap and I’ve wondered *why* I didn’t have more faith in myself and taken the punt and signed up for a swap partner.
In fact, it was her very first swap of knitted dishcloths that got me knitting with needles in the first place. I didn’t sign up (because I didn’t believe I could knit) but watching others share their creations prompted me to give it a go and by the end of the swap I was wishing I had joined in.
The next couple of swaps she did were napkins and aprons which were definitely beyond my sewing abilities (which doesn’t say much for my sewing abilities does it? 
).
This time, she has hosted a swap for tea cosies. Not only that but she provided some links to patterns. I decided it was time I bit the bullet and signed up. Once signed up, there was no going back and I HAD to make myself a tea cosy (well, not for me but you know what I mean….don’t you?)
Well…..it seemed like a good idea at the time!!!
In eagerness, I printed off the pattern. It said “size 6 needles”. Hmmm….I have size 4 and size 4 1/2. No size 6 needles. Will that matter? Can I just knit on my 4 1/2’s. What’s 1.5 in the grand scheme of things????
Alrighty, next step. Wool. Oh, I guess I’m going to need some of that. But I don’t live near shops. Doh!!! Why didn’t I think of that before.
Well, I have some wool. But that means I can’t give my partner a choice of colours. Does that make me a bad swap partner???? 
Alright, let’s just bite the bullet and use the needles I have and the wool I have and start knitting… and unravelling…..and knitting…..and unravelling. We’re not really off to a flying start here.
The swap partners are announced. I feel REALLY bad for the person who has ended up getting me for a swap partner. We’re supposed to get in contact with each other. I can’t contact my partner. I feel too embarrassed. I feel terrible. WHY did I say I could do this? Am I insane?
Oh yeah, and one tiny little other thing. Your tea cosy should be for a 6-8 cup pot. Okay. Quick glance at the pattern suggested. It says for 4-6 cups. So now I have needles that are too small AND a pattern that is too small!!!!
All to knit my first EVER tea cosy!!!! 
This aint going quite how I was hoping….
DEEP BREATH. Just start knitting. There’s HEAPS of time. Just add in a few stitches here and a few rows there and see how it looks at the end. If it’s no good, you can start again. You have PLENTY of time.
Famous last words thoughts. Thursday 7th February rolls around. Madly start stitching the thing together. It’s supposed to be in the mail by Friday 8th February. What am I going to do if it’s no good? Can’t think about that now. Just stitch it together.
There! Done! Does that look enough like a tea cosy to pass? Dunno….what does a tea cosy look like?
Try it on a pot. What pot? I don’t have a tea pot. Yet. I have a sort of tea pot. Not shaped the same but you do make tea in it. Where is it? Haven’t used it in like 10 years. Do we still have it?
Oh, yeah, here it is. Slip the cosy on. Doesn’t really fit. This teapot has no spout. It’s more like a tea jug. And it holds about 4 cups. Maybe.
Fingers crossed. Doesn’t look *awful* so hoping it’ll be alright.
Final touches. Add the words tea to one side. Make it a little more “fancy”. Kind of. Looks nice. Letters are even. I’m happy.
DISASTER!!!! The Bomb comes out of the office with sparkly purple stuff all over his fingers and a sad look on his face. “I touched your thing”, he wails. Heart in my throat. Don’t want to look.
I think it’s ruined. Trying not to cry. Console the 4 year old who is devastated. He can see that he’s wrecked mummy’s “thing”. Try to tell him it will be alright while inside I’m screaming “it’s ruined”. Now what am I supposed to do? It’s supposed to go in the mail TODAY!!!
Farmboy to the rescue. Scrapes the fabric paint off with a knife. I can touch it up. It doesn’t look as neat and even as it did before. The perfectionist in me wants to cry. 
Can I still send this to a total stranger? I don’t know if it’s the right shape or size and NOW the lettering is slightly smudged.
I hope she’ll understand. 
It’s made with love. It should keep the teapot warm. It has the imperfections to prove it was made with loving hands and not some distant machine. Does that count for something?
Anyway…. here it is. Please ooh and ahhh and tell me it looks great. Or not.
I’m really sorry Cate. Hopefully next time you get a REAL swap partner and not just a wannabee. And I REALLY hope you like it and don’t just feel like you should pretend, just to be nice to me and all…
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It’s a very nice thing. And you have some very nice blogs. Well done.
When I was knitting a tea cosy for that swap, my son (he is eight) asked “what are you knitting?”. I said “a tea cosy”. “What’s that?” he asked. “A beanie for a tea pot” I say. “No, what is it really” he says. I show him a picture. He had a good laugh.
Oh, I think it is fantastic - and who has a cosy for a 6-8 pot anyway - you have it for a 4 cupper, so you and a friend can while away an hour or two.
And the additional gift is this post.
I think it looks very cute and homey…I can’t knit so didn’t enter this one or the dishcloth swap. My basic sewing skills and a litle help fomr a friend allowed me to enter the napkin swap. After that I had the confidence to do the apron one as well
I knew I wouldn’t have the time to do a sewn tea cosy, but I look forward to the next swap :))
Lightening,
Don’t worry! I couldn’t find wool so I made do with cotton yarn and borrowed size 6 needles. It sorta fits my 6-8 cupper round belly teapot.
And have I posted it yet?
hmmmmm…..no.
I will do that Friday when I get paid.
You’re not a bad swapper, honest
LOL
Good lord woman there’s no need to worry!
Your tension is good, it’s neat, tidy and looks great
Just keep knitting, you’ll gain confidence as you go
Your tea cosy looks lovely. Such a funny story about making it and the troubles that followed. I know those moments only too well.
ooooo ahhhhhh
seriously, it looks great! You are not a bad swap partner and I can testify that your dishcloths would have been swap worthy too!
tell the perfectionist to build a brigde and get over it. Your tea cosy is perfect because like everything else you do, you put your all into it.
Wow that sure looks good to me! If nothing else you will always have many memories of the experience! So will your little one and farmboy too.
I’m not sure what I could swap with you but you can always practice again as my teapot which is used every night for supper, is cosy-less! Just kidding! Maybe I could find you some cotton yarn - let me know!
LS
It looks better than any tea cosy I might have attempted if I were a knitter.
Aw, don’t be too concerned!
At worst, you can knit a few dangly bits and stitch them to either side and tell her it’s really a beany for some hip young bogan to wear with his hoodie!
Cheers!
It looks good. I am still working on my one, hope to get it away this weekend.
I think it looks great - love the color!
I had the same sentiments when I read about Rhonda Jean’s swaps and I keep thinking “maybe next time”!! So I know exactly where you’re coming from. I can also understand your concerns and your perfectionist tendancy. However I must congratulate you on you decision to go ahead anyway!! I think it looks good and your knitting is neat and even, so oooohhh aaahhh, well done!!!
Love the way you wrote about your adventure too!!
Oh if I had a tea pot and if I had tea I’d be very pleased to snuggle it up in your gorgeous cosy!
Who is to say what a cup is - I have giant cups (more like jugs really) so what would be a 6 cupper cosy to some would be a 2 cupper one to me
Awww…..you’re all too kind.
Sorry I’ve been a little bit slow in responding to comments and visiting other blogs these past few days. We’ve just got back from Adelaide (yes, my last 2 posts were prewritten before I went). 
Lightening,
The way you were describing your tea cosy in the blog, I expected to see a picture of disaster! I know, you thought it was a disaster. The picture couldn’t be further from a disaster - it’s beautiful! Kudos to you for jumping in and participating, I know Cate will smile everytime she uses it, and will have a great story to tell as well. First tea cosy with it’s own history!
Meri
Lightening if there was ever a page that i needed to read to be cheered up, then that page is your blog page. I have tears in my eyes from laughing with you along your tea cosy journey and then I get to the picture to see what looks like a very cute pink beanie for a teapot (*i liked that description Ann, hope you dont mind me borrowing it). Now, Maybe if I find the half a teddy bear I managed to knit (and muddle cause i somehow missed reading a paragraph of the instructions somewhere in the middle of the bear lol) THEN you can see how much nicer your knitting really is and that you should take more pride in your achievement (oh and I have heard in person how fantastic your dishcloths are and how a certain person is in No Way letting her children have her pretty new “knitted by Lightening” dishcloth!) So SMILE WOMAN - YOU DID GOOD!!!!