Pretty Funny Tea Cosies

July 1, 2015
Here is a sense of knitting fun and frolic that you simply won't find from an American author. Australian knitter and author (Wild Tea Cosies, plus two others) Prior rules the crafting tea-cosies niche, a strange yet comforting segment of needlework. Yet what she does here (and previously) is turn the conventional straightforward patterns upside down. Sure, she starts with three basicsstraight rib, curvy, and picot edgethen morphs into such concoctions as Happy Feet, Fruitopia, and Tutti Fruitti Ears. Be warned: these 25 patterns are definitely for the experienced knitter, with such techniques as double knitting, cords, and smaller needles. Directions are well composed, with color photographs and charts (as needed) to guide. Best yet are her out-of-the-cosy projects; imagine bright colors and ombre hues in clothes hangers, scarves, and pot holders. With a colloquial, sometimes jargony style, Prior always amuses.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2015, American Library Association.)