Time for Tea

We've had an exceptionally, early mild spell of weather and the garden has burst into bloom thinking that it is Spring. It isn't and today the skies are grey and the temperature has dropped about eight degrees. Real spring isn't for a month or two yet! It got warm enough to sit out on the back verandah a couple of times though.

I slammed my middle right finger between the freezer door and the sharp-edged shelf above it. Then a couple of days later I sliced a fraction too much off my left thumb while I was chopping stuff to cook. The two injuries stopped me from knitting for quite a few days because they were right where the wool goes over the finger and the thumb moves the needle. But all is well now.

Here are the makings of a tea-cosy knitted in the Daffodil pattern from here It's a very forgiving and stretchy pattern and is easy to fit to any teapot by adding or dropping a tier of flowers.
For this three-cup teapot, I'm doing three tiers in flower colours and then a reduced tier in green. I will be doing nine flowers which is a cast on of 120 stitches.

I adjust the basic pattern by varying the number of flowers or the number of tiers and then I finish off the top to suit whatever colours I have used. The pattern is written for 4 ply but in Oz that is usually baby wool and therefore "baby colours" so I got some 5 ply Paton's Bluebell and some 5 ply Heirloom in more suitable colours. It's a real plasure to knit fine wool on small guage needles and produce dainty and pretty items once in a while. This pattern grows really quickly because the number of stitches decreases rapidly during each tier of flowers and all of a sudden it's done.


I finished it off with a green calyx and stalk. I think I shall call it "Foxglove" Most of the ones I have knitted before have resembled a particular flower and have had floral names.

It is being modelled on a teapot that I hope is about the same size as the recipient and I shall post it off to friend tomorrow so that they can give it to a friend of theirs.

Now I suppose I should get back to the dark green cardigan, or the silk/wool scarf or the black fuzzy wuzzy bolero!

Cardigan it is! It has got a second sleeve started already.
Good knitting and cheers to all,
Gillian