Lovebird tea cosy
Pour yourself a cuppa with Tea Cosy Folk’s lovebirds tea cosy – complete with tweet-heart soulmates!
Tweet, tweet! Love is in the air and on top of our tea this issue. Starting with a sweet scalloped edging, use simple stocking stitch and garter stitch to create the base of your cosy. Then add the final touches with two chirpy pals, made up of individual pieces and six love hearts.
Note Before you begin divide Yarn A into two balls so that the yarn can be used double thickness and knitted up as a single strand.
TEA COSY
FRONT AND BACK (MAKE 2) Cast on 70 sts using 5½mm needles and Yarn A held double. Row 1 *K1, cast off 3 sts; rep from * to end. [28 sts] Row 2 Knit. Starting with a K row, work in st st for 22 rows. Leave these stitches on a holder.
TEA COSY TOP
Proceed to work across the Tea Cosy Front and then Tea Cosy Back, joining them together as folls: Row 1 *K5, k2tog; rep from * to end. [48 sts] Row 2 Purl. Row 3 *K4, k2tog; rep from * to end. [40 sts] Row 4 Purl. Row 5 *K3, k2tog; rep from * to
end. [32 sts]
Row 6 and every foll alt row Knit. Row 7 *K2, k2tog; rep from * to end. [24 sts] Row 9 *K1, k2tog; rep from * to end. [16 sts] Row 11 *K2tog; rep from * to end. [8 sts]
Break off the yarn and thread the end through the remaining stitches and through the loop of the yarn itself, then draw up the knitting tightly and fasten off.
With the Front and Back right sides together, sew about 9cm from the finishing- off point, down the side seam, towards the cast- on edge. Repeat for the other side of the Tea Cosy.
At the bottom of each side seam, sew about 2cm upwards. The holes are left for the teapot handle and spout.
Put this part of the Tea Cosy onto the teapot, it’s easier to sew things into place when the Tea Cosy is on a teapot.
HEARTS
(MAKE 6) Cast on 8 sts using 4mm needles and Yarn C. Row 1 (RS) Kfb, K2, (Sl1wyib) twice, K2, kfb. [10 sts] Row 2 ( WS) P4, (Sl1wyif) twice, P4. Row 3 K4, (Sl1wyib) twice, K4.
Row 4 Purl. Row 5 Skpo, K6, k2tog. [8 sts] Row 6 P2tog, P4, p2tog. [6 sts] Row 7 Skpo, K2, k2tog. [4 sts] Row 8 (P2tog) twice. [2 sts] Row 9 K2tog. [1 st] Fasten off.
Sew 3 hearts onto both the Front and Back of the Tea Cosy, evenly spaced out, 4 rows up from the scalloped edging.
BIRDS
(MAKE 2) Note it is advised that you sew everything onto the Birds before you sew them onto the Tea Cosy.
BODY
Cast on 8 sts using 4mm needles and Yarn B. Row 1 *Kfb; rep from * to end. [16 sts] Row 2 Purl. Row 3 *K1, kfb; rep from * to end. [24 sts] Row 4 Purl. Row 5 *K2, kfb; rep from * to end. [32 sts] Starting with a P row, work in st st for 5 rows. Row 11 *K2, k2tog; rep from * to end. [24 sts] Starting with a P row, work in st st for 3 rows. Row 15 *K1, k2tog; rep from * to end. [16 sts] Row 16 Purl. Row 17 *K2tog; rep from * to end. [8 sts]
Break off the yarn and thread the end through the remaining stitches and through the loop of the yarn itself, then draw up the knitting tightly and fasten off.
Fold in half, with the right sides facing, so that the row ends are together. Then sew the row- end edges together, starting from the drawn- up point, to the cast- on edge.
Turn right sides out and stuff. The cast- on edge of the Body is the bottom.
HEAD
Cast on 28 sts using 4mm needles and Yarn F. Knit 2 rows. Row 3 (K2tog) twice, K20, (k2tog) twice. [24 sts] Row 4 Purl. Row 5 *K2, k2tog; rep from * to end. [18 sts] Row 6 Purl. Break off Yarn F and join in Yarn G. Row 7 K6, (kfb) 6 times, K6. [24 sts] Starting with a P row, work in st st for 7 rows. Row 15 *K1, k2tog; rep from * to
end. [16 sts] Row 16 Purl. Row 17 *K2tog; rep from * to end. [8 sts]
Break off the yarn and thread the end through the remaining stitches and through the loop of the yarn itself, then draw up the knitting tightly and fasten off.
Fold in half, with right sides facing, so that the row ends are together. Then sew the row- end edges together, starting from the drawn- up point, to the cast- on edge.
Turn right sides out and stuff.
Note The seam of the Head runs down the front.
Pin the neck to the Body so that the cast- on edge of the centre- back rests on Row 15 of the Body, and the centre-front of the neck rests on Row 11 of the Body.
BACK
Cast on 9 sts using 4mm needles and Yarn D. Starting with a K row, work in st st for 6 rows. Row 7 Skpo, K5, k2tog. [7 sts] Starting with a P row, work in st st for 3 rows. Cast off.
Pin the cast- on edge of the Back to the centre- back of the Body, directly below the neck cast- on edge. The cast- off edge of the Back panel should rest on the last increase row of the Body. Sew into place.
TAIL
Cast on 14 sts using 4mm needles and Yarn D. Starting with a K row, work in st st for 4 rows. Row 5 (Skpo, K3, k2tog) twice. [10 sts] Row 6 Purl. Row 7 (Skpo, K1, k2tog) twice. [6 sts] Starting with a P row, work in st st for 3 rows. Row 11 (K2tog) 3 times. [3 sts]
Break off the yarn and thread the end through the remaining stitches and through the loop of the yarn itself, then draw up the knitting tightly and fasten off.
Fold in half, with right sides facing, so that the row ends are together. Then sew the row- end edges together, from the drawn- up point, to the cast- on edge.
Turn right sides out and flatten with the seam on one side.
Pin the Tail to the bottom- centre of the Back panel and sew into place.
WINGS
(MAKE 2) Cast on 6 sts using 4mm needles and Yarn D. Row 1 Kfb, K1, (kfb) twice, K1, kfb. [10 sts] Row 2 Kfb, P3, (kfb) twice, P3, kfb. [14 sts] Row 3 Knit. Row 4 Kfb, P5, (kfb) twice, P5, kfb. [18 sts] Starting with a K row, work in st st for 4 rows. Row 9 (Skpo, K5, k2tog) twice. [14 sts] Row 10 Purl. Row 11 (Skpo, K3, k2tog) twice. [10 sts] Row 12 Purl. Row 13 (Skpo, K1, k2tog) twice. [6 sts] Starting with a P row, work in st st for 3 rows. Row 17 (Sk2po) twice. [2 sts]
Break off the yarn and thread the end through the remaining stitches and through the loop of the yarn itself, then draw up the knitting tightly and fasten off.
Fold in half, with right sides facing, so that the row ends are together. Then sew the row- end edges together, from the drawn- up point, to the cast- on edge.
Turn right sides out and flatten with the seam on one side.
With the seam down, pin and sew the Wings to the Bird, with the top of the Wing on the first couple of rows of the neck cast- on.
BEAK
Cast on 8 sts using 4mm needles and Yarn H.
Break off Yarn H and join in Yarn C.
Row 1 K3, cast off 2 sts, K2. [6 sts] Row 2 P2tog, P2, p2tog. [4 sts] Row 3 Skpo, k2tog. [2 sts] Row 4 P2tog. [1 st] Fasten off.
Sew in ends, pin the Beak to the Bird's face and sew into place.
EYES
(MAKE 2) Cast on 8 sts using 3 mm needles and Yarn H.
Break off the yarn and thread the end through the remaining stitches and through the loop of the yarn itself, then draw up the knitting tightly and fasten off.
Bring the cast- on ends round to meet each other and sew together to make a circle. With a length of black DK yarn, embroider on a circle using chain stitch, blanket stitch, or a preferred stitch.
Sew the Eyes to either side of the Head, about 1 st away from the corners of the Beak.
BIRD FEET
(MAKE 2) Cast on 5 sts using 3 mm needles and Yarn E. Row 1 Cast off 3 sts, slide the last st from the RH needle back onto the LH needle, cast on 3 sts, cast off 3 sts, slide the last st from the RH needle back onto the LH needle, cast on 4 sts, cast off remaining sts.
Sew in ends and sew to the bottom of the Bird.
FINISHING
Position Birds on top of Tea Cosy and pin in place. Sew Birds to Tea Cosy at bottom of Body and base of Feet. Weave in any remaining ends.
NEXT ISSUE, REVAMP YOUR SOFA WITH CHLOE WEBSTER’S STYLISH CUSHION. ISSUE 170 IS OUT THURS 22 FEBRUARY.