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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

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Apple Knitting Patterns for Fall and Back to School

It feels like it’s too early to be thinking about back to school, but as I write this my daughter has just a couple of weeks of summer left! So let’s get in that school and fall knitting spirit by looking at some apple knitting projects. 

If you have a 22 needle circular knitting machine, knitting an apple is one of the easiest things you can do. I have an apple pattern over at Our Daily Craft that will take you just a few minutes to knit and they’re a great addition to your fall decor. 

Apple hats are a classic, and whether you want to knit a hat that looks like an apple or one with apples on it, we’ve got you covered. For hats that look like apples check out the rolled brim version from Emma Crochet Design 4 U, which uses worsted weight yarn and comes in sizes for kids of all ages; and the ribbed brim version from Hand Knit Hugs. This one also calls for worsted weight yarn and comes in four kids sizes. Both include a stem and leaf. 

If you’d rather have apples on your hat, try the Red Apple Hat from Little Red Window. This one is sized from newborn to 2T and calls for four colors of worsted weight yarn. 

How about apple socks? You’ll find Ariel Chang’s Apple Picnic Socks as a free download on Ravelry. These use three colors of sock yarn and come in three sizes. Stone Knits also a pair of stripey apple socks that show the inside of the apple. These also have three sizes but they use six colors total, with the main color being a self-striping yarn. 

If you want a little apple accessory for the house, the apple potholder from Nifty Knitter Designs is cute and a great way to practice double knitting. It uses two colors and you’ll find the colors in the reverse on the other side. The pattern only uses about 50 yards of each color of worsted weight yarn, so it’s a great use for odd balls, too. 

Once you’ve got your double knitting skills sorted you can also try the double knit apple scarf from Crow and Chai Shop. The Winter Apples scarf is shown in red and gold, but you can use whatever colors you like. There are apples, stars and random stitches in the design, which calls for DK weight yarn. There’s also a matching fingerless glove pattern.