"I'm A Little Teapot" Knitted Tea Cozy

"I'm a little teapot, short and stout;
Here is my handle, here is my spout.
When I get all steamed up, then I shout;
'Tip me over, and pour me out!'" - The Teapot Song

As mentioned in a previous post, tea cozies are a lovely way to keep a teapot warm. This one is knitted using the Fair Isle technique to make the words of the song show up on the lines, but it can also be knitted without using Fair Isle if one wishes to leave the words off. But knitting in the words is just so much fun...

You can buy the pattern here. 

One change I made to the original pattern: The whole thing is supposed to be knitted in the round, and the openings for the spout and handle are supposed to be cut into the knitting, literally, with a pair of scissors, and not be bound off or anything. My mother tried this when she made the cozy, and it ended up being a huge mess and going very badly. My alternative was to knit the tea cozy in two separate panels, then make two I-cords (instructions included with pattern) to tie them together around the pot. The sides do require blocking when you make it this way, but it came out very well, as seen in the picture above.

Good luck!