Fika tea cosy by Viveka Velupillai

Fika tea cosy

Knitting
February 2023
DK (11 wpi) ?
27 stitches and 30 rows = 4 inches
in Felted Fair Isle
US 6 - 4.0 mm
405 - 427 yards (370 - 390 m)
One size
English
This pattern is available for £5.00.

Fika is a Swedish word that is nearly impossible to translate because it embodies a whole concept. It is not only a tea/coffee break (with munchie), but a social thing, a shared moment of taking a breather, of enjoying, of togetherness.

This pick-me-up tea cosy is knitted oversized and then felted down hard to make it thick and insulating. The frilly brim is done by holding both colour strands at the same time, making the stitches twice as thick. The same goes for the top loop, which is an i-cord loop. The cosy features a simple fair isle pattern, making this an ideal project for beginners to fair isle and knitting in the round.

Yarn
This tea cosy is knit in DK (double knit) yarn.

Needle size
4mm.

Tension
27 sts and 30 rounds over Fair Isle pattern in the round (after felting) = 10 cm.

Size
Finished circumference: ca 56 cm (at the widest part)
Length: ca 24 cm (including brim)
Size can be adjusted by using larger or smaller needles. Size can also be adjusted by felting more or less, but that will of course also affect how insulating your cosy is.

Techniques
knitting in the round, decreasing, stranded colour work, chart reading