Knitting and Sewing Kit Activities

One of the great things about knitting is that you can knit anywhere – while watching television, on the train while traveling to work, during your coffee break or whenever you have a free moment and idle hands. Likewise, with sewing, as the tools and materials are easily transported.

You can knit anything from wool sweaters to tea cozies. As children we knitted woolen squares which Mom then sewed into large blankets for our beds. We made these squares using a garter stitch, which is the easiest of knitting stitches to learn. Mom made sure that we each had our own sewing box.

Making your own tea cozy

This task for a speedy knitter will take only 4 or 5 hours, otherwise you just work at your own pace until the job is done so it may take a full week or more. The cost of the wool you require (double knit) is approximately $5 but you can reuse wool from an old sweater too.

Place both sides of the tea cozy face down and iron them flat on the ironing board. They should be covered with a slightly damp towel before ironing with a hot iron. Then sew up the sides of the cozy along the outside seams. Use large stitches as you want to retain gaps for the spout and handle of the teapot. Finally, sew the roof part and overstitch it to strengthen it before turning the cozy inside out.

Place the cozy over your teapot (use an empty teapot as you will have to maneuver the handle and spout through the gaps in the seam). Mark the position before removing and firmly sew up the remainder of the seam. Double stitch the gaps to strengthen them. This stitching will resemble a button hole when completed. Next get out your needles and sewing kit because you can then decorate the surface with embroidery stitches and create a decorative pattern of your choice on the cozy.