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Tea-Loving Character Actress Starts Line of Tea Cozies

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go on tea cozyI am a big fan of tea, but I have to admit that I do not own a tea cozy. I have an electric tea kettle and brew my cuppas one at a time. But I love the look of a knitting-bedecked teapot, so I can definitely see the appeal of the Go Ons, a line of tea cozies designed and knit by Pauline McLynn.

If you don’t know who that is you’re probably not a fan of British television. McLynn is an actress and author probably best known for her role as the tea-loving Mrs. Doyle on the Father Ted series. The cozies are named for a favorite line of that character, “a go on!”

McLynn says she learned to knit from her mum and her gran could knit aran-patterned hats from the designs in her head. The cozies are a little less fancy than that, but they are each unique and many have beads, bobbles or novelty  trim on them as well as being handknit.

The cozies cost between 50 and 90 euro and are sold in small (2 cup), medium (4 to 6 cup) and large (6 plus).

[Photo by Pauling McLynn.]

Comments

  1. Am sure they are delightfully knitted but frankly at those prices, I think the jokes on whoever buys one lol

Have you read?

Go Back to the ’90s with this Set of Knitting Patterns

If you want to feel personally attacked by a collection of knitting and crochet patterns as I was, check out the “90s Mod Inspired” pattern lookbook from Yarnspirations. 

It’s actually a great collection of patterns for folks who want to stitch up that Y2K look again (or for the first time). There’s an oversized, striped grandpa cardigan! A (crocheted) plaid messenger bag! A boxy argyle vest, and a rolled hem sweater the likes of which I bought in a store in the ’90s and knit a replica of later. 

There’s also a section of “Prep School” patterns (think “Clueless,” they’re even called things like “As if” and “Betty”) including a granny square tie and crocheted wrap skirt, and a knit cabled pullover, beret and cardigan with blocky stripes. Other sections include casual collegiate, punk and mod, and academia. 

Some of the patterns repeat among the sections but there’s a nice selection for people who want a little throwback for their back to school and fall wardrobes. 

Since I had this sweater, we’ll take a closer look at the Caron Cropped Stripy Sweater. The one I knit from a pattern of my own devising in the mid ’00s was tonal blues, but this one calls for two colorways of Colorama Haze, a fuzzy self-striping worsted weight yarn. 

The pattern comes in six sizes, with chest measurements ranging from 39 to 60 inches (that’s 99 to 152.5 cm). Clearly that’s a lot of ease at the lower sizes, since the smallest size is meant to fit an actual chest measurement from 28-34 inches, or 71-86.5 cm. 

The sweater is a modified drop shoulder worked flat in pieces and seamed. That means the stripes probably won’t match around the body but it’s still a classic look. This one does have ribbing at the neckline, where the original sweater I owned and my re-creation had rolled hems throughout, but you can do it either way depending on your preference. 

Do any of these projects remind you of clothes you might have worn or knit in the past? I’d love to hear about it!