anna knits - octopus tea cosy

At the beginning of the summer I was asked to make an ocean inspired tea cosy. Well, it took me the entire summer, but I've finally finished! Enter the octopus tea cosy; modeled after a design on Ravelry by the user Cephalopot. It fits a large, six-cup tea pot.

For the octopus, I used this pattern by Hansi Singh via Ravelry. While the pattern calls for worsted weight yarn, I opted for Kambgarn sport / 5 ply yarn in Rosebloom and Glacier Green, which I had bought in Iceland (read about my trip here!) with size US2 double pointed needles. This of course made the octopus smaller and more delicate, which I liked. You can see more pictures of the octopus, including execution pictures, here.

For the tea cosy itself, I used this pattern by the blog Cast On Cast Off. It is a modified ribbed pattern, which I thought kind of mimicked an ocean rock. I knit it with Cascade 220 Heathers in Dark Charcoal, color no. 4002, which has a nice color variation going on, making it look more earthy, or rock-like in this case.

I then embellished the tea cosy with a seaweed design made using tambour crochet. You can learn how to tambour crochet here. I used a left over green yarn that I had gotten second-hand, so I don't know its specs.

While this project took me a while, it was a lot of fun to knit. I like knitting amigurumi (see my pug, bulldog, tea cup), and the tea cosy itself was quick and easy. Tea cosies are great because you are encouraged to be creative. I'm currently brainstorming ideas for my next tea cosy, so let me know if you have a fun idea!

anna knits - spiral top tea cosy (large)

If there is one thing Nemo the storm is good for, it is knitting. I finished this spiral top tea cosy today. It is a large (6 cup) tea cosy. You can get the free pattern for the small (2 cup) size here -- I plan to update the pattern for medium and large pots this weekend!

This is made with Cascade 220 yarn from Jimmy Beans Wool.

knitting, etc. - beehive knitting

I love this beehive tea cosy I saw on Etsy:

I found a free pattern for a similar tea cosy on Ravelry here. The bees really make the cosy though.

While I haven't knit anything in a beehive pattern yet, it's something I'd like to try. This hat in a beehive shape - though it is called wurm! - is also fun:

Writing this post is making me want honey... time for some tea!

anna crochets - tea cup pincushion

Finished my tea cup pincushion! I don't have any pins to put in it, but it is cute to look at.

I used leftover Rowan Cashsoft Yarn from my knit pug project with a 3.75mm hook. 

Here are the pieces before I sewed it all together:

The pattern is a free download from Lion Brand Yarn which you can find via Ravelry here. I was lucky to find a series of youtube videos explaining how to make this project. Here is the first video:

And here is part 2, part 3, and part 4. 

crochet, etc. - tea cup pincushion

I found this free pattern for a Tea Cup Pincushion from Lion Brand Yarn via Ravelry, and I am excited to give it a try.

The only amigurumi, which is a japanese term for a crocheted or knitted stuffed toy, I've ever made was this knitted pug, which I was very happy with.

anna knits - knit ornament update 1

I started on a knit ornament from the book 55 Christmas Balls to Knit by the Norwegian duo Arne & Carlos.

I decided on white and navy blue yarn, which was leftover from some mittens I knitted this past winter.

I decided on a pig design for my ornament, which I think will turn out super cute. 

Time to drink some of the Kusmi tea I got for my birthday, and keep knitting!

anna knits - spiral top tea cosy

Done with another spiral top tea cosy! I mentioned in an earlier post that I was working on a neon yellow tea cosy for my Etsy store. Between then and now, a buyer asked for it specifically, so this neon yellow cosy is not for purchase. There is still another super cute, spiral top tea cosy available though. Get it while you can!

You can also download the pattern for this spiral top tea cosy for FREE here.

Here is how the neon yellow cosy turned out:

I wrap my tea cosies for gifting in a little tissue paper and yarn, and attach one of my business cards with a personalized note on the back. I made my business cards with Avery business cards from CVS.

All the pictures are taken with my iPhone using Instagram, and the collages are made using the iPhone app Pic Collage.

See my Ravelry entry on this tea cosy here. 

tea, etc.

Judging from the amount of time I've spent talking about tea cosies on this blog, you have probably already figured out that I am a huge fan of tea itself. I used to drink a lot of coffee, but in the past few years I have transitioned over to tea.

I love an afternoon of catching up on old magazines, and enjoying a pot of tea. (Notice the butter cookie left over from Easter for which I blogged the recipe here!)

In this blog post I am going to talk about one of my favorite types of tea: Kusmi Tea. I love both the taste and the packaging of this tea brand. I was first introduced to it in Paris, where Kusmi is based. They have stores there filled floor to ceiling with a colorful array of their signature boxes and tins. It is expensive tea, but worth it. 

I haven't tried many flavors, but I am particularly found of the Detox blend.

I hope to get some loose tea from Kusmi soon and use the tin for spare change or jewelry. 

While on the topic of tea, I love this crocheted pin cushion by Sheepish Knit Crochet.

The weather is still cool enough to enjoy a hot pot of tea here in Boston, but I'm looking forward to transitioning to iced tea for the summer months!