Blooming Grove Tea Time Cosy

A Critical Role-inspired knitting pattern

This tea cosy was designed with Caduceus Clay from the Mighty Nein in mind. The half pink, half green base (in Critical Sheep’s D10 Worsted 😍) is reminiscent of his pink hair and his green armor, with easy to knit vine and berry motifs signifying the Wildmother. The dead leaves, mushrooms, and bugs bring a little piece of his home, The Blooming Grove, to tea time. The pattern contains instructions on how to knit up mushrooms, leaves, and bugs, but you could also add found objects (like crystals and skulls) or knit your own pieces of nature into the top to make a unique creation all your own!

About This Pattern

This tea cosy is inspired by Caduceus Clay of the Mighty Nein and is part of the Crit Knits collection of knitting patterns.

The Mighty Nein of Critical Role seek out Caduceus Clay in the temple of the Blooming Grove, and find a seven foot tall, gray firbolg with pink hair. He’s jovial, kind, and offers them some tea before they even introduce themselves. They find that Caduceus, a follower of the Wildmother, believes in the natural order of things and uses the leaves and mushrooms from the earth of the graveyard around this temple to make his own special blends of tea.

This tea cosy was designed with Caduceus in mind. The half pink, half green base is reminiscent of his pink hair and his green armor, with easy to knit vine and berry motifs signifying the Wildmother. The dead leaves, mushrooms, and bugs bring a little piece of his home, The Blooming Grove, to tea time. My hope is that you’ll knit up the base and get really creative with the topper! I’ve given instructions on how to knit up mushrooms, leaves, and bugs, but you could also add found objects (like crystals and skulls) or knit your own pieces of nature into the top to make a unique creation all your own!

Crit Knits

This design is part of Crit Knits, a collection of 8 knitwear designs by myself and the awesome Christy Furlan.

Each of the 8 designs is inspired by a member of the Mighty Nein from Critical Role, Campaign 2 and uses stunning yarn from Critical Sheep, to layer on even more D&D fun. 
Follow myself and Christy on Instagram for more Crit Knits updates and releases.

Each pattern in the collection contains a coupon code for an additional Mighty Nein pattern, so if you’d also like to knit a Fjord-inspired pair of socks check out: Chosen of Uk’otoa, designed by Christy Furlan.

Coupon code for a Fjord-inspired pattern is available on the last page of the Blooming Grove Tea Time Cosy pattern.

About Critical Role

From CritRole.com: What began in 2012 as a bunch of friends playing in each other’s living rooms has evolved into a multi-platform entertainment sensation, attracting over half million viewers every week. Now in its second campaign storyline, the show features seven popular voiceover actors diving into epic Dungeons & Dragons adventures, led by veteran game master Matthew Mercer.

Pattern Details

Size

Unstretched, Circumference: 12”/30.5cm 
Fully Stretched: Over 21”/53.5cm 
Unstretched, Height: 6.5”/16.5cm 
Tea Cosy Base Panel: 6.5”/16.5cm x 6”/15cm

Measuring Your Teapot

Sample is shown on a 24oz teapot (6.5”/16.5cm tall, 14”/35.5cm circumference). Use a measuring tape around your teapot, not including the spout or handle, and then from bottom to top, keeping the lid on.

The Tea Cosy Base is really stretchy in circumference, so as long as your teapot is no larger than about 21”/53.5cm, you should be able to proceed with the pattern as written.

If your teapot is taller than 7.5”/19cm, I’d recommend adding extra rows to the Tea Cosy Base accommodate your teapot (there are notes in the pattern on how to easily accomplish this after Row 27). I had two test knitters with 8”/20.5cm tall teapots, one knit the pattern as written and another added one extra repeat.

Gauge

Gauge isn’t particularly important for this piece. As long as you get a fabric you’re happy with and your “Tea Cosy Base” pieces fit halfway around your teapot width-wise and up to the top of the lid length-wise, that’s all that matters! 

In Tea Cosy Base pattern with worsted weight yarn, unstretched: 
26 sts x 30 rows = 4”/10cm 

Toppings (leaves, mushrooms, bugs) with fingering weight yarn, unstretched: 
28 sts = 4”/10cm

Techniques / Skills Needed

• Long Tail Cast On (co)
• Knit, Purl Flat (k, p)
• Knit and Purl Through The Back Loop (k tbl, p tbl, kfb, kfbf)
• Cables (RC, LC)
• Bobbles (mb)
• Knit and Purl Decreases (k2tog, ssk, p2tog, s2kp2)
• Traditional Bind-Off (bo)
• I-cord
• Yarn Over (yo)
• Crochet Chain

Materials 

Needles and notions

• US 7/4.5mm needles or size needed to get gauge (for Tea Cosy Base)
• US 2/3mm double pointed needles (for working small pieces and in the round)
• 3.5mm crochet hook (or similar size for creating chains with fingering weight yarn)
• Tapestry needle
• Optional: Fabric glue
• Optional: Cardboard (5 sq in/12.5 sq cm)
• Optional: Floral wire, twist ties, or craft pipe cleaners for use in mushroom stems

Yarn 

The type of yarn used for this project should be one that is fairly smooth (no fluffy mohair or fun yarns) to show off the stitch pattern on the base and for more realistic-looking leaves, bugs, and mushrooms. I’d recommend acrylic or wool, but you could probably get away with any fiber content. If warmth is a concern for you and your tea, I’d recommend wool for its ability to trap in heat.

Tea Cosy Base

Critical Sheep ‘D10 Worsted’ (100% Superwash Merino, 218yds/200m per 100g skein); 2 skeins; sample uses colors Princess and Lifespring. Sample used about 30yds/27.5m of each color.

I used scrap fingering weight yarns for the “toppings” of the tea cosy. Dig into your stash and leftovers to find some appropriate colors! If you don’t have fingering weight yarns, you can try worsted weight, but make sure to go up a few needle sizes so that your knitting isn’t too tight!

Leaves (Green and Brown in Sample)

 Each leaf uses about 2.5g (approximately 11yds/10m) of fingering weight yarn, the sample has a total of 8 leaves in green and brown colors.

Small Mushrooms (Red in Sample) 

Each small mushroom uses about 1.5g (approximately 7yds/6.5m) of fingering weight yarn. The sample has 3 of these mushrooms in red.

Medium Mushrooms (Yellow in Sample)

 Each medium mushroom uses about 2g (approximately 9yds/8.5m) of fingering weight yarn. The sample has 2 of these mushrooms in yellow.

Bugs (Purple and Blue in Sample) 

Each bug uses about 1.5g (approximately 7yds/6.5m) of fingering weight yarn. The sample has 2 of these bugs in purple and blue colors.

Construction 

The tea cosy is made by knitting two flat, semi-rounded rectangles and then sewing those together. Feel free to knit your base pieces in one color or two different colors as in the sample, and if you know how, do not bind both pieces off so that you can kitchener stitch them together (a couple of the test knitters for this pattern prefered doing it this way).

Then you can either leave your tea cosy as is, or create toppings for it! Maybe you’d just like to add a pom-pom or, in the spirit of making this tea cosy as “Caduceus-y” as possible, you’re up for the challenge of adding all kinds of nature-inspired elements.

I’ve provided instructions for creating four types of toppings. To match the sample, you’ll knit eight leaves (4 in brown and 4 in green), three small mushrooms, two medium sized mushrooms, and two bugs.

Finally, there are a few tips for how to attach your toppings to the tea cosy in the pattern.