Big Red

I loved doing the Coffee Couture so much, I turned around and did it all again but bigger and redder.

It's my Dad's birthday tomorrow. 67 he'll be and finding a gift is increasingly difficult. His plunger is the 12 cup size, so I did some maths and added two extra cable patterns and cast on 100 stitches. I did an extra half a pattern repeat in length as well.

This yarn wasn't as thick as the first lot, so the cosy is a little more stretched out. After sewing the ribbing together I picked up 22 stitches along one edge leaving a little room for the handles, double ribbed for 5 rows, chucked in 3 yo button holes in the next row, then two more double rib rows and cast off in rib. This band could have been a little longer, but it will do.

I finally got to use these very cute wooden Scottish Terrier buttons again. I bought a heap of them at the Lisa Ho factory outlet in Sydney years ago and the last time I used them was on cot doona covers for the twins who turn 13 next month.


A workmate pointed out today that we could use a cosy on the plunger at work. Do you reckon I could just knit these until the end of the KAL?

Coffee Couture

Coffee Couture by Megan Longhurst from Yarn 6.

MATERIALS: Just under 50g of an 8ply recycled from an op-shop jumper.

ALTERATIONS: None, but I'm tossing up about picking up some of the side stitches and making a button placket for added warmth.

It's a lovely quick knit. Perfect for last minute gifts. Not that there's anything last minute about this one - it's a 2008 Christmas gift for coffee loving friends. Oh, and I've added the pattern to Ravelry if you want to queue it.

I've got to make another of these, but larger, this week for Dad's birthday on Thursday. Will cast on tonight.

Progress and a vote

There has been some progress but not when it comes to pattern reading. Obviously, fatigue and counting rows isn't a good combination. Remember kids, fatigue kills your counting ability.

When I got to the third cable I found that I'd mis-counted the previous rows and that the cables were now hopelessly erratic. Pull out again? Nah, just went with a few more anarchistic cables. This is the coffee pot cosy as it currently stands.

Then I started to think that a bit of red always look nice against charcoal. And what about a button? So I produced this:
I-cord and wooden button enhancement. Good or not good?

And then there's the question of steeking. This is what the cosy looks like if I tuck down the cosy edge. I could steek it for a slimmer interpretation.


Steek or don't steek?

Issue 6: Coffee Couture by Megan Longhurst

Well, here I go, project No. 1.

I confess that I've already knit this up once already and, as is my usual wont, completely failed to take into account that I'm a loose knitter (what a hussy!) and ended up with a coffee cosy that was cosy in name only. It kinda slumped off the pot and onto the table. The sad thing is that I suspected that the gauge was too big as I was knitting the cosy up but optimistically thought that the knitting gods would intervene. Ya'd think I'd get a clue after 4 years of knitting loosely, huh? Not to worry, a quick frogging later and going down a needle size, we're back in the running and I think this will be much tighter fitting product.

Alterations so far: I'm going to do this project monchromatically as I'm trying to knit purely from the stash, which contained just one ball of Cleckheaton Country. I've decided that this charcoal will also hide coffee stains admirably : )

I'm feeling a little risque: how about doing a steek where the pot's lip will be? Thoughts?

Kate