This is the revised version of the little white dog tea cosy.
‘Alfie the Spoodle Puppy’ tea cosy
You’ll need 4x50g balls of Passioknit Cassowary, in
White. Knit throughout with two strands together.
Alternatively, you could use 1 strand of 8 ply woollen yarn together with 1 strand of fluffy yarn.
One pair of 6 mm knitting needles.
2x double pointed 6mm needles, used for knitting
the I-cord for the tail.
2 crystal eyes.
A black flock nose.
A small amount of polyester fibre-fill.
The tea cosy measures 20 cm wide and 16 cm high when laid flat.
Cosy body
Use two strands of Cassowary worked together throughout the project. This will
produce a firm thick fabric; perfect for keeping the tea in your pot nice and
warm.
Back
With 6mm needles and two strands of
yarn, cast on 26 stitches,
Work for 10 cm in garter stitch (knit every row).
Start decreasing: Row 1. K2, K2tog, K to the last 4 stitches, K2tog, K2.
Row 2. Knit.
Repeat these 2 rows till 22 sts remain.
Tie a length of coloured yarn around
the thread that lies between the 11th and 12th stitches.
This marks the position where the tail will be attached later.
Continue decreasing as before, until
14 stitches remain.
Next row; (K2, K2tog) x3, K2. (11 sts)
Next row; K2, K2 tog, K3, K2 tog, K2 (9 sts)
Cast off.
Front
With 6mm needles, and two strands of
yarn, cast on 26 stitches.
Knit 2 rows. Mark the positions for
paws by tying a length of coloured yarn on the thread between the 9th
and 10th stitches, and between the 17th and 18th
stitches.
Continue knitting until the work measures 10 cm.
Start decreasing: Row 1. K2, K2tog, K to the last 4 stitches, K2tog, K2.
Row 2. knit.
Repeat these 2 rows till 22 sts remain.
Tie a length of coloured yarn on to
the thread that lies between the 10th and 11th stitches.
This marks the position where the centre back of the head will be attached
later.
Continue decreasing until 14 stitches
remain.
Next row; (K2, K2tog) x3, K2. (11 sts)
Next row; K2, K2 tog, K3, K2 tog, K2 (9 sts)
Cast off.
Stitch the
front and back together by joining 2½cm at the base. Leave a 10cm gap each side
for the handle and spout, then join across the top.
Head
Using 2strands of yarn together, cast on 20 sts.
Knit 4 rows
Next row, K1, (increase in next st,
K1) to the end of the row. (30 stitches).
Continue, knitting every row without
shaping until the work measures 6 cm.
Decrease on each row as follows:
Row 1. K8, K2 tog, K10, K2 tog, K8
Row 2. K8, K2 tog, K8, K2 tog, K8
Row 3. K8, K2 tog, K6, K2 tog, K8
Row 4. K8, K2 together, tie a
coloured yarn onto the thread between the 9th and 10th
stitches. K4, tie a coloured yarn onto
the thread between the 13th and 14th stitches, K2
together, K8. These two pieces of yarn mark the position of the eyes.
Row 5. K8, K2 tog, K2, K2 tog, K8
Row 6. K2, K2 tog, knit to last 4
stitches, K2 tog, K2.
Repeat this row till 10 sts remain.
K2 tog all along next row, (5 sts)
Cast off. Tie a coloured thread on the middle stitch of the cast off row. This
marks the position where the nose is attached.
Fold the head in
half, so that the two side edges are together.
With a length of
yarn, sew along the outer edges of the work from the nose marker on the cast-off
edge, all the way along the side edge. Leave the cast-on edge open. With a 60cm
length of plain yarn in a matching colour, sew a running stitch around the cast
on edge, leaving it open.
The marker on the
cast off edge is the spot to place the nose. The side seam of the work is the
lower edge of the head. On the upper side, the eyes and the nose are positioned
to form a 4cm equilateral triangle. The markers will help find the approximate
spots, but it’s a good idea to make some small adjustments to the positions to
give a cute appearance. Attach the nose and eyes.
Using some
polyester fibre, stuff the head quite firmly, and close by pulling the ends of
the running stitch. Fasten, but don’t cut off the excess yarn. To give the face
a bit more shape, with a darning needle, and one piece of yarn at a time, take
a small stitch, entering from the back of the head through to the front, next
to an eye, on the nose side, and return the needle to the back of the head. Repeat
for the other eye. Pull the threads just enough to give the face a friendly
expression. Fasten off. The remaining ends of the yarn can then be used to
attach the head to the body.
Position the centre
back of the head on to the marker on the front side of the body. Squash the
head a little with your fingers, and sew onto the body, leaving the top half of
the head free.
Tail
Using a pair of double pointed needles, cast on 3 sts, and work an I-cord for 8
cm.
In case you need reminding of how to do an I-cord, it goes like this......
knit 3, don't turn your work, just push it across to the other end of the
needle, and K3 again. Just repeat this for the length required, and cast off.
Attach to the back of the cosy in the marked spot, or where it looks right to
you. The tail will curl a little by itself.
Ears
Using two strands of yarn, cast on 6 sts. Knit one row. Second row, increase
one stitch at each end; 8 sts.
Knit 4 rows.
Start decreasing.
In the middle of each row; decrease one stitch per row until 3 sts remain.
Knit 3 rows. Cast off.
To place the ears, first measure 3cm vertically up from the top of the eye. Pin
each ear in position, 3-4 cm above the eye; adjust slightly to give a pleasing
appearance. The ears are sewn on with the cast-off edge pointing to the outside
of the face; when sewn; flip over.
Paws
Cast on 10sts with 2 strands of yarn together, on 6mm needles.
Knit 6 rows.
Cast off.
Join side seams, run a gathering stitch around the top, pull tight; stuff with
the tails of the yarns...the paws are little and this is probably enough
stuffing. You can add a bit of polyester fibre fill if you think it needs it.
Run another gathering stitch around the open end, pull tight to form a ball.
Attach the paws to the front of the cosy at the marked spots.
