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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.]

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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?

Knit and Felt Some Tabi Style Slippers

The felted slipper craze that began last year doesn’t seem like it’s fading away. The Sailor Slippers, often striped knit and felted slippers made with super bulky yarn, because the project of the moment late last year (check out more knit slipper options in this post all about sailor slippers) and they’re still consistently popular with knitters.

Which makes sense because they are fun and fast to knit, and seeing them go from this giant thing to something that actually fits a foot feels a little magical. 

I have always loved felting (in fact my first book was about felting knitting) and it’s always fun for me to see people rediscover this technique. 

If you’ve knit enough plain slippers to fit all the feet you know, maybe it’s time to stitch up some tabi style slippers instead. 

Maymade Knits has designed these cute tabi ballerina slippers, made with bulky yarn and felted. They’re worked flat at first and then in rounds, and are available in 10 EU sizes (the Internet tells me add 31 to your American shoe size to get your EU size). The designer says the slippers are meant to have a close fit and you should choose a size a little smaller than your foot for the ideal fit. 

The pattern includes a video tutorial along with the written pattern. 

You can grab this pattern on Ravelry. The same designer has her own version of the striped felted slipper as well, called Sarah’s Striped Slippers. These are worked in super bulky yarn and have a contrasting foot and a striped body. These are knit flat and seamed and there are 7 size options available. Check that pattern out here if you’re looking for a more traditional slipper shape. They also look roomier so you can wear them with socks if you like. 

[Photo: Maymade Knits]