Crochet Ripple Tea Cosy

I am having an affair, yes a hot and steamy affair.

No sillies, not with a person but with tea cosies, I have developed a strange affinity for these rather old fashioned woolly creations. I bet everyone of us can remember going to grannies for tea and following a scrumptious meal the teapot would arrive at the table proudly sporting a it’s jacket, perhaps a little stained here and there from the years of faithfully keeping the brew warm.

Do you remember the ones that were rippled? Looked a bit like an old fashioned jelly mould. I think they were knitted, usually in two colours, each vertical roll in an alternate colour? I have been in search of a pattern for such a tea cosy and ripple was one of the search words I used when I found this pattern, being a lover of stripes I couldn’t resist whipping one up.

Isn’t it a bit sad that so many of us just stick a bag in a mug instead of making a proper brew? Is it because of the pressures of life today and we are always in a hurry? Tea drinking should be an art to be savoured and swooned over. You coffee drinkers have enjoyed a revolution in how your beverage is served with a choice in variety coffee beans not to mention the flavoured syrups, full fat/non fat milk, frothy, with chocolate on top or cream, hot or cold. Need I go on to make my point?

You might have guessed by now that I am not a coffee drinker at all, tea is most definitely my favoured beverage. The first year I went to Yarndale I wandered into Skipton and came across The Russian Tea Shop, I was in heaven. The front of the shop was filled with gifts and there was a range of teas that you could buy like I have never seen before. Each variety was displayd in a little pot so you could see and smell it before deciding what to buy.

Once you had made your choice your chosen leaves would be decanted from one of these beautiful wooden cannisters. At the back there was a tea shop where I enjoyed the best cuppa I have ever had. I selected Russian Caravan tea from the menu and it was served on a tray with a sand timer, I had to let the sand run through twice before pouring out my tea to ensure that it would be perfectly brewed.

When I went to Yarndale this year I was saddened to see the Russian Tea Shop had closed, I had been looking forward to visiting this lovely establishment again and trying a different tea.

Anyway back to the project in hand.

I feel obliged to show you a close up of the giant pom pom atop my Ripple Tea Cosy as it took me a whole afternoon to create this.

I had the idea in my head that in would be funny to finish this project off with a huge fluffy ball. So I set too using the largest size in my pom pom set and using all the colours from the stripes wound the yarn to make a pom pom. It was so HUGE! It was beyond amusing. The reason it took me all afternoon was I had to cut in down and if you have ever had to do this you will know that you have to snip, snip away reducing the size and keeping it circular as you go. Have you ever tried to cut a circle in 3D free hand?

I know that it’s not really a giant now but if you could have seen it, it was half the size of the tea pot itself!

The pattern is free on ravelry here if you fancy making one for your own brew.