How to Knit a Tea Cozy – Intermediate and Beginner-Friendly versions
This pattern was originally published in 2020. It has been fully updated for 2026 with clarified instructions based on readers feedback, and improved seaming guide and FAQ section.
There is something undeniably ‘tidy’ about a well-dressed teapot. Whether you’re preparing for a cozy Valentine’s Day breakfast or looking for a meaningful handmade gift, a knitted tea cozy is the perfect project for clearing out your yarn stash.
In this tutorial, I’m sharing two ways to knit a heart-themed cozy. We’ll cover a beginner-friendly relief pattern for those who love simple knits and purls, and an intermediate cabled heart version for a touch of architectural detail.
Grab your measuring tape and a favourite ball of wool—let’s ensure your tea stays warm and your table stays stylish.
Materials & Tools
- 2 knitted squares or rectangles, with a small garter stitch edge (3 to 5 stitches). You can use the edge as a guide for sewing the blocks together, and it will also prevent it to rolling inwards around the spout and handle. If you can, knit them with a super wash wool yarn (see the FAQ section for more details). The size will depend on your teapot. For the tea cozies in this post I used the VALENTINES and LOVE patterns for the beginner version, and the CABLED HEARTS patterns for the intermediate version, with the eyelet row included as explained below.
- Measuring tape.
- Tapestry needle.
- Scissors.
- Safety pin.
- Approx. 28” (71 cm) of ribbon, or extra yarn to make a cord of that length.
How to measure your teapot to decide the size of your squares
Before starting to knit, you need to measure carefully your teapot to ensure your squares will have the correct size.
- The width
Measure the circumference of your teapot, in its widest point. The width of your knitted squares should be around half of that measurement.
- The length
The length of your squares should be at least 1.5-2” (4-5 cm) longer than the measurement from the base of your teapot to the mid top point.
- Knit your squares
Now that you know their needed size, knit 2 squares. Don’t lose the yarn ends! You can use those to sew the sides of your cozy.
Note: If you are using old squares (this is a perfect way to make use of leftovers from a blanket project!), try to choose some that have a similar number of rows. That will make them easier to align and seam.
The main difficulty of a tea cozy will be given by the difficulty of the knitted squares.
How to make a Teapot Cozy: Beginner Version
A beginner knitter starts the craft journey mastering four techniques: casting on and binding off stitches, knits and purls. The fifth step in the learning process is usually seaming, progressing from one-piece works like potholders, dishcloths or scarves, to larger ones like sampler blankets.
This teapot cozy tutorial is a great place to start gaining confidence into that fifth technique. I show you below how it’s done.
Joining your blocks with 4 seams
To make the teapot cover you need to join together the top and bottom parts of your squares, leaving holes to accommodate the handle and the spout. The length of each seam will depend on the teapot, but usually you’ll need to seam around 1” (2,5 cm) at the bottom, leave 3.5 or 4” (9-10 cm) of open space, and seam around 3.5 – 4” (9 to 10 cm) at the top. I show you below a step-by-step guide for the seam.
Edge-to edge seaming
The best and easiest way to join squares with garter stitch edges is using an “edge-to-edge” seam. This is a flat seam that uses the little side knots left by the garter stitch edges as a guide.
1. Align your blocks
Place your blocks side by side, with the right side of your knitting facing up.
2. Join at the top
Thread your needle with the yarn end of one block and insert it front-to-back into the first stitch of the second block.
3. Pull
Pull the yarn tightly to secure.
4. Back to the first block
Insert the needle back-to-front into the first stitch of the first block.
5. Pull and back to the second block
Pull your yarn tightly and go back to the second block, inserting the needle back-to-front into the next little “bump” and pull again.
6. Repeat
Keep working like this, alternating from one block to the other, until you reach the place where your handle or spout should be.
7. Try it on
This seems looks perfect. Place your joined squares over the teapot to check that you reach the right length for the seam. If so, secure the seam, and cut and lose the yarn end.
8. Make the other three seams
This seam needs to be longer. Keep working on each seam, checking its length every time by covering your teapot.
9. Seaming results
When all seams are finished, your tea cozy will look like this. Now we need to focus on the fastening.
10. Fastening
Using a safety pin, insert some ribbon or yarn cord at the middle of one side, around 1.5” (4 cm) below the top edge.
11. Run the circumference
Work a running stitch with your ribbon around the circumference of the cozy, until you almost reach the starting point, about 1 inch (2.5 cm) before.
Final results
Remove the safety pin and it’s done. Pull the ribbon or cord to secure the tea cozy, make a bow knot, and enjoy!
How to make a Teapot Cozy: Intermediate Version
For the intermediate tea cozy I used both versions of my CABLED HEARTS dishcloths. And, unlike the beginner version, I included instructions to make an eyelet row at the end of each block, to secure the cozy top.
1. Take the measures of your teapot as instructed.
2. Knit your blocks but, before binding off your stitches, work the following rows:
- (Eyelet row): k2, *yo, k2tog* repeat from * to * until you have 1 or 2 sts left, and then knit those normally.
- Knit 5 more rows.
- Bind off all sts, leaving a long tail for sewing.
3. Join your squares as explained in the beginner version (edge-to-edge seaming), checking that each seam fits correctly around the teapot spout and handle.
4. Use a safety pin to pass a cord or ribbon through the eyelet row you did, starting at the middle of one side:
5. When you reach almost the starting point (1 inch before) remove the safety pin, pull the cord to secure, and make a bow.
Use this yarn stash buster project to make gifts for your loved ones this Valentine’s Day!
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
What is the best yarn for a tea cozy?
Since a tea cozy’s job is insulation, 100% Wool or a Wool-Nylon blend is best. Wool is naturally heat-resistant and will keep your tea hot much longer than cotton or acrylic. I recommend a “Superwash” wool so you can easily wash away any inevitable tea splashes!
Do I need to block my tea cozy?
I highly recommend it! Blocking (especially for the Cabled Heart version) helps open up the stitches and ensures the cozy sits flat against the teapot. Simply soak in lukewarm water, squeeze out the excess, and pin it to shape until dry.
Why do you call it a “cozy” instead of a “cosy”?
It’s the classic “tomato, potato” debate! “Cozy” is the preferred American spelling, while “Cosy” is used in the UK and Australia. No matter how you spell it, the result is the same: a warm pot and a stylish kitchen.
Is this pattern suitable for beginners?
Yes! The Heart Relief + “LOVE” version uses only knit and purl stitches, making it perfect for your first project. If you are new to cables, the Cabled Heart version is a great “next step” project with clear charts to guide you.
Fun Fact!
In the Harry Potter book series, Dobby the house elf wears a tea cozy for a hat. Well, that is until Hermione learns how to knit, remember? Then he uses more…
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Thank you sooo much. Well done, commendable.
Don’t worry too much about how other countries spell words, we get the idea…LOL
Thank you! I’m so happy you like it 🙂
Hugs to you
How ingenious is this? Easy, easy. Love it, love it. Thanks for sharing with we tea-people of the world.
Thank you, Melanie! Haha, since I’m also a tea-loving person you can expect more tea cozy patterns in the future from me 😀
Thank you so much for this. Can’t wait to try. Thank you again.
I’m happy to hear you like it! xo
This is going on my needles as soon as I get home from work. I go through the craziest maneuvers to keep my tea warm!
Thank you! Regina
I’m happy you like it, Regina! I also find it useful to knit another wool dishcloth to use placemat below my teapot.
Hugs to you!
That is a good idea! Thanks again, and thank you for the follow!
😀 Right back at you!