Today, I want to show you how to make this two-cup teapot tea cosy that features a direwolf on both sides:

I recently put the tea cosy together as a birthday present for a friend, who is a huge Game of Thrones/Song of Ice & Fire fan like me.

I have tried to make this pattern friendly for newcomers to intarsia knitting, but please ensure you understand how to cast-on/cast-off and the differences between knitting and purling (and how to do them) before attempting this pattern.

Please do not use this pattern for commercial purposes.

Skills used

Materials and tools

A pair of 4mm (US 6) knitting needs

One 100g ball of double knit grey wool (gauge: 22 stitches over 30 rows creates a square of 10cm x 10cm)*

One 100g ball of double knit black wool (gauge: 22 stitches over 30 rows creates a square of 10cm x 10cm)

A tapestry needle for sewing up

One stitch holder

Scissors

Something to count rows (I like to use the County Plus app on Android, but a traditional row counter is also fine, so is pen and paper)

* 50g balls of yarn will quite probably work, I just couldn’t buy any smaller balls when I made this originally

Prep and tips

I advise that you create several butterfiles, as they are known, before you begin knitting:

Two in the grey

Three in the black

Rather than using the whole balls of wool attached to the project.

You’re not meant to carry colours horizontally when doing intarsia, however there are times where it makes sense to do so. When there is one stitch in a different colour before you switch back to what you were using (like in Row 11) you should go back to the black butterfly you were using, as switching to a new one at this point will just create a hole.

When intarisa starts, remember to read chart right to left on odd numbered rows, then left to right on even numbered rows.

Odd numbered rows, when facing you, show the right side of the work and will be the outside of your finished tea cosy.

The wrong side of the work will inevitably look messy before you start tidying it up much later on.

The pattern

With the 4mm needles, cast on 36 stitches in the grey wool.

Row 1: Knit one, purl one to end.

Knit one, purl one to end. Row 2 : Purl one, knit to end - these first two rows form moss stitch.

: Purl one, knit to end - these first two rows form moss stitch. Rows 3-6 : Continue these in moss stitch, with row 3 starting knit one, purl one and so on.

: Continue these in moss stitch, with row 3 starting knit one, purl one and so on. Row 7 : Switch to black wool, knit row.

: Switch to black wool, knit row. Row 8 : Purl row - rows 7-8 form stocking stitch.

: Purl row - rows 7-8 form stocking stitch. Rows 9-10 : Continue in stocking stitch.

: Continue in stocking stitch. Row 11 : Continue stocking stitch, knitting 10 stitches then start intarsia (chart below, follow right to left, as this is an odd-numbered row). After stitch 15, knit renaming 11 stitches of row. All intarisa is done as stocking stitch.

: Continue stocking stitch, knitting 10 stitches then start intarsia (chart below, follow right to left, as this is an odd-numbered row). After stitch 15, knit renaming 11 stitches of row. All intarisa is done as stocking stitch. Row 12 : Purl 11 stitches, then continue following chart (as this is an even numbered row, follow left to right).

: Purl 11 stitches, then continue following chart (as this is an even numbered row, follow left to right). Rows 13-25 : On odd numbered rows, start with knitting 10 stitches, follow chart, after intarsia, knit 11 remaining stitches. On even numbered rows purl 11 stitches, follow chart, purl remaining ten stitches.

: On odd numbered rows, start with knitting 10 stitches, follow chart, after intarsia, knit 11 remaining stitches. On even numbered rows purl 11 stitches, follow chart, purl remaining ten stitches. Rows 26-28: Starting with a purl row, work three rows in stocking stitch in black wool (use whichever butterfly you’ve got at the beginning of row 26)

Row 29 : Knit 4 stitches, then knit two together - do this six times until 30 stitches remain.

: Knit 4 stitches, then knit two together - do this six times until 30 stitches remain. Row 30 : Purl.

: Purl. Row 31 : Switch to grey wool. Knit.

: Switch to grey wool. Knit. Row 32 : Purl.

: Purl. Row 33 : Knit 3 stitches, then knit two together - do this six times until 24 stitches remain

: Knit 3 stitches, then knit two together - do this six times until 24 stitches remain Row 34 : Purl.



: Purl. Row 35 : Knit 2 stitches, then knit two together - do this six times until 18 stitches remain.

: Knit 2 stitches, then knit two together - do this six times until 18 stitches remain. Row 36 : Purl.

: Purl. Row 37 : Knit 1 stitch, then knit two together - do this six times until 12 stitches remain.

: Knit 1 stitch, then knit two together - do this six times until 12 stitches remain. Row 38 : Purl.

: Purl. Row 39 : Knit.

: Knit. Row 40 : Purl.

: Purl. Transfer remaining stitches to stitch holder.

Weave in loose ends of intarsia using a tapestry needle and any loose ends of yarn down the sides, bar the remaining wool end of wool on stitch holder, which you should cut from butterfuly, leaving 15-20cm of wool.

Instructions continue below chart.

Then follow the above steps up to and including Row 40 to make the second side.

Then, with the second side still on a needle, weave in loose ends as before.

Making up

Now make up the tea cosy by putting the right sides of the work face-to-face (so you can only see the wrong sides where all the change overs in yarn can be seen and so on), and begin by threading the remaining loose end of one side through the stitches on the holder and then through the stitches still on the needle, pulling tight once everything has gone through.

Take both side off needle/holder. Sew up around this top stitch area as you want, taking care to sew down to end of grey wool on either side.

Then line up bottom parts of sides and, again, use some grey wool to sew up just the height of the bottom grey section on both sides.

Push the right sides of the tea cosy into view.

That’s it

You should now have a two cup teapot cosy with holes on either end large enough for the spout and handle of a two-cup pot.

If you attempt this pattern, I’d love to see how it came out. You can submit your pics here, alternatively you can Tweet them to me via @ek6891.

Ravelry member? You can add the project to your account here.