Nobunaga's Tea Kettle Cozy Oda Nobunaga began unifying his country, Japan, in the 16th Century. Though he didn’t see his efforts come to fruition, Japan did become unified. During this time, the tetsubin style tea kettle came into being. Given its flatter shape, it was easy to pack up and carry in a bag--a portable, personal tea kettle. It’s complete fantasy to see Nobunaga pouring his morning cup of tea from a tetsubin, but a fun thought to imagine. I wanted to develop a cozy specifically for this style of tea kettle, though it can be altered for a rounder tea kettle.

Notions: ~ Scrap yarns, heavy worsted weight (8-9 WPI): Approximately 40 yards ~ Size US 9 needles ~ Ribbons/I-cord/Scrap yarn for tying the cozy ~ Tetsubin or other tea kettle for sizing

Abbreviations: RS/WS: right side of fabric/wrong side of fabric M1: Make one stitch by picking up the bar between stitches in the row below the current row, placing it onto the needle, then knitting into the stitch. K2tog: Knit two stitches together knit-wise as if one stitch. Decrease by 1 stitch. COPYRIGHT 2014 JENNIFER BEAMER EXPERTLY DYED: ART BY SCIENCE

Gauge: 3 stitches per inch in garter stitch

Dimensions: 7 in (length) x 6.75 in (width), unstretched. It is best to make the cozy with negative ease to prevent the cozy from obstructing the opening of your kettle.

Pattern: Cast on 20 stitches. Row 1 (RS): Knit. Row 2 (WS): Knit. Increase row: K1, M1, knit to last stitch, M1, K1. You’ll now have 22 stitches. Row 4: Knit. If desired, begin switching colors. For color continuity on the right side of the fabric, always add in your new color on Row 1 (RS). Increase row: K1, M1, knit to last stitch, M1, K1. You’ll now have 24 stitches Row 6: Knit. Continue rows 1-2 as desired until you reach the halfway point. If you are making stripes, begin knitting the colors in reverse order to have mirrored stripes (like this: A B C D C B A). I made my stripes in the following pattern: Light green: 4 rows Dark green: 2 rows Brown: 2 rows Dark brown: 4 rows Dark yellow: 4 rows Yellow: 6 rows White: 4 rows COPYRIGHT 2014 JENNIFER BEAMER EXPERTLY DYED: ART BY SCIENCE

then repeated in the opposite order, ending with 4 rows of light green. When your cozy is ready to switch back to the second to last color, begin the following rows: Row 1 (RS): Knit. Row 2 (WS): K1, K2tog, knit to last 3 stitches, K2tog, K1. You’ll now have 22 stitches. Switch to last color (if you were switching colors). Row 3: Knit. Row 4: K1, K2tog, knit to last 3 stitches, K2tog, K1. You’ll now have 20 stitches. Row 5: Knit. Row 6: Knit. Bind off. Weave in ends. Put your kettle into the center of the cozy. Fold up the sides around the cozy and hold in place with spare yarn. Thread ribbons/yarn/i-cord through the first 3 stitches down the side of the fabric, tying both the start and end of the cozy together like a shoe. Do the same on the opposite side. When it needs to be washed, just untie the cozy and slip it off. To alter the cozy pattern to fit your kettle, the best option is to use the kettle as a model as you knit. The cozy is meant to be stretched over the surface so as not to obstruct the opening of the kettle. As you knit, measure the stretched length over one half of the surface. Once you hit your halfway mark, indicate that in your pattern notes and begin the last half of the cozy.

COPYRIGHT 2014 JENNIFER BEAMER EXPERTLY DYED: ART BY SCIENCE