anna knits - union jack tea cosy update 5

The London Olympics are in full swing, so it is fitting that I finally finished my union jack tea cosy! The pattern is available as a free Ravelry download here.

I am giving this cosy to my friend Mara who is movie to the UK for grad school this fall. Everyone in England uses an uber patriotic tea cosy, right?

This was a really fun project that I highly recommend to anyone looking to practice intarsia, but I am also glad to be done. Time to sit back and watch some gymnastics!

You can see my progress here, here, here, and here. 

patterns, etc. - union jack

Since I have been a little slow with my union jack tea cosy - (I ran out of red yarn and I'm waiting for a new yarn shipment!) - I decided to post some union jack products instead. In addition, the London Olympics are coming up, so this post is a great way to get in the spirit!

I love this union jack gift wrap and gift tags by Sophia Victoria Joy. I originally saw it on the blog Paper Crave, which always has great posts.

If I didn't already have plans this weekend, I would love to take this Jubilee Jamboree Pillow Class at the Cambridge craft shop Gather Here. 

You can see my union jack tea cosy progress here, here, here and here. 

anna knits, etc. - union jack tea cosy update 4

I have been very busy with starting a new job, but I wanted to give an update on my union jack tea cosy. After taking a little break from knitting, I finally got around to finishing one of the interior pieces.

Now I just have the second interior piece to knit, and the edges to sew up, and I'll be done! Since I may need to order more Cascade Cotton Rich DK Yarn in Rococco Red (3646) - or just some new yarn for other fun projects - I was excited to see that Royal Yarns is having a summer sale! Coupon code: Thanks.

You can see my progress here, here, and here.

garter stitch, etc.

My union jack tea cosy project has reignited my love of garter stitch. It is a quirky and fun stitch that I often forget to use.

  

I am happy to see that garter stitch is becoming a trend for the fall. I came across this sweater in a British Vogue, which I picked up while waiting for a connection at Heathrow. It is a cashmere rollneck, worn back to front, from JW Anderson.

I also love this electric blue sweater from AlisaDesigns on Etsy. 

 

I might have to whip up a chunky, garter stitch infinity scarf like this one by Andrea Sanchez for next winter! Pattern available for free on Ravelry. 

  

anna knits - union jack tea cosy update 3

Despite packing my knitting up for my trip to Brussels and Amsterdam, I did not get anytime to knit while away. I usually knit on the plane, but I was too busy this time reading the hilarious book The Year of Living Biblically by A. J. Jacobs. 

Since coming home though, I've made a some progress on my union jack tea cosy. I finished the two outside panels - done with intarsia! - and now just have to knit the two inner pieces. 

You can see my progress here and here. The pattern is available as a free Ravelry download here. 

travel, etc. - knitting bag

I am going to Europe tomorrow for a week! I will be visiting Brussels and Amsterdam. Since I am travelling on the plane alone, I decided to bring some knitting. Here is how I pack up a project:

Step One: Pack up knitting bag. Mine is a free bag I got from Clinique. I like that it zips. Usually it holds all my knitting, but I am using particularly long needles for this project.

Contents:

Step Two: Pack scissors and tapestry needle separately if you plan to carry on your bag. I put mine in my liquids baggie.

Step Three: Zip the bag up (as best you can) and pack it in your carry-on.

I am being very ambitious and taking my Union Jack tea cosy, which has a lot of intarsia. I really want to finish the project, and once I complete this second flag piece, I just need to make two plain red layers. See my Union Jack tea cosy progress here and here.

Wish me luck! I'll be back June 19th.

anna knits - union jack tea cosy update 2

So I finished the first panel of the Union Jack tea cosy I started yesterday. I had a lot of time to knit today, and it actually is going faster than I anticipated. You can see my progress via my last post here.

Here is how the back looks after I sewed in the many, MANY loose ends. 

I am a little late on the Jubilee celebrations, but I'll hopefully be done by the Olympics! With London in the news so much this summer, there are some great items for sale that incorporate the British flag. I particularly love this Union Jack Lips Mug by MUGGIN' Mugs on Etsy. 

 

Only three more panels + a pom pom to go! Wish me luck.

anna knits - union jack tea cosy update 1

Inspired by the Queen's Diamond Jubilee, I finally started my Union Jack tea cosy. Despite the challenging intarsia, I think it is going well so far. I first saw this pattern, which is available as a free Ravelry download, on the knitting blog one sheepish girl, which has some adorable pictures of her Union Jack tea cosy process. Let's hope mine comes out as nice!

I am using Cascade Cotton Rich DK Yarn in Rococco Red (3646),  Navy (2625), and White (8001), which I bought from Jimmy Beans Wool.

I am not used to knitting with cotton yarn, but I like the clean lines it's producing.

Here is how the back looks:

* I used this video from Melissa of the blog Life gets in the way of my Knitting! to help with learning garter stitch intarsia. (Very helpful!)

* I used this video to learn to make pretty bobbins. 

Speaking of British things, check out this great slideshow of Queen Elizabeth's life from Time Magazine:

  PRESS ASSOCIATION / AP