Crochet Tea Cosy

Crochet Tea Cosy

Being new to crohet I wanted to make simple items that I could use around my home. I thought a tea cosy would be good but then struggled to find an easy to follow pattern online. I finally found a brilliant tutorial at http://crochethealingandraymond.wordpress.com/2010/11/16/granny-tea-cozy-tutorial-hurray/

Luckily I remembered some advice my friend Anna gave me about crochet patterns, American patterns have single crochet which doesn’t exist on British patterns! So that means on an American pattern a SC (single crochet) becomes a DC (double crochet) and a DC becomes a TR (treble crochet).

This is a useful page I’ve just found online http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_crochet_stitches

Instructions for crochet tea cosy

This will fit most standard UK teapots.

See photos below You don’t need to change colour every row. If you continue with the same colour do not finish off at the end of every row.

Foundation row:

Ch 72, TR into 2nd chain from hook, TR to end of row.

Turn Ch 3, miss the first two stitches and 3 TR into the next stitch *miss two stitches, 3 TR into next stitch* Repeat until the end of the row, 1 TR into the last stitch of the foundation chain. Fasten off wool.

Row two:

Fold the piece of crochet in half to find the centre point. Join the new colour into the TR clusters either side of the centre using a slip stitch. CH3 (counts as 1 TR). 2 TR into the same chain space, 3 TR into each of the next chain spaces along the row until the end, 1 TR into the end space. Fasten off and repeat on the other side.

Continue this row until you have reached the spout and handle of your teapot.

I did 7 rows in total. To keep the edges straight you need to alternate the rows with a 3 TR cluster and a chain space.

On reaching the top of the spout join the next colour with a slip stitch in the space nearest to the edge.

Ch 3 (counts as 1 TR) and make 2 TR into the same space, then 3 TR into each space until you reach the spout edge. Make 2 TR into the very edge gap then join the 2 sides by making 2 TR into the edge space on the other side. Do these stitches tightly so that it doesn’t look loose on completion. Carry on to the end of the row making 3 TR clusters, join the two edge 3 TR clusters with a slip stitch.

Start decreasing:

Ch 3 (count as 1 TR) then 1 TR into the same space, make 2 TR clusters all around the row except in the spaces where you joined the spout and handle edge, just leave these spaces empty. At the end of the row join with a slip stitch.

On the next row we decrease quite a lot. Make sure your stitches are nice and tight. Ch 3 (counts as 1 TR) , 2 TR into same space, into the next chain space make 2 TR, into the next space you need to make 2 TR, then 3 TR into the next space. Repeat 3 TR, 2 TR, 2 TR until the end of the row and join with a slip stitch at the end of the row.

Next row Ch 3 (counts as 1 TR) 1 TR into same space. 2 TR into each space until the end of the row, join with a slip stitch.

Next row, Ch 3 (counts as 1 TR) then 2 TR, continue making 3 TR into every second space until the end of the rown, join with a slip stitch.

Next row, Ch 3 (counts as 1 TR) then 1 TR, make 2 TR into every chain space until the end of the round.

On my two tea cosies I’ve finished off differently. Know it’s not very helpful but I didn’t make a note of what I actually did. I think I used my judgement and carried on decreasing using TR stitches.

I used a scallop edging on the bottom of the teapot. Slip stitch into one of the ends, miss 2 stitches and make 5 TR into the next stitch, miss 2 stitches then make a slip stitch into the next stitch, miss 2 stitches and make 5 TR into the next stitch, miss 2 stitches and make a slip stitch. Continue this to the end of the row.

I used one of the chain spaces as my button hole, on one tea cosy I made a small ball of wool to use as a button, on the other I used a contrasting button which I attached with a couple of stitches using a large needle threaded with wool.

I hope this all makes sense. I’m giving you the link to the original instructions I found online at the bottom of this page as this includes an edging and how to finish off the top of the tea cosy. (Just remember it’s using American crochet instructions).

Have fun and enjoy your tea cosy!

Simple to make if you follow the instructions, the second one took me about 3 hours to make over a couple of evenings. The roses take a while but they’re definitely a lovely finishing touch to these tea cosies.