Beltie Tea Cosy

The Belted Galloway tea cosy is going to be a little belter!

Beltie Tea Cosy was asked if I would design a Beltie Tea Cosy. After Googling it I discovered that a Beltie was a nickname for Belted Galloway cattle, so called because it has a white belt around its middle.

The Beltie is perfect for a tea cosy, because this breed of cattle is big and chunky and a round teapot will be great to make this beast look meaty. I shall be making a Beltie cow tea cosy, so there won't be any intricate detailing to knit.

Living in Scotland, the Beltie had a woolly coat to withstand Scottish winter conditions. It's not quite as long as highland cattle hair, but it is noticeable plush. I shall be designing the Beltie with King Cole Cuddles Chunky, to give the cow a lovely woolly hide.

Now, I realize that my sketch looks like a large lamb, but that is because you can't see the head shaping from the front. I do knit better then I draw! Below the cow will be green grass with a couple of thistles to remind you of its Galloway connections. The sturdy legs will come down from the body over the grass, to make the cow look like she's stood. At the back I shall give my Beltie a long bedraggled tail.

I don't foresee any real challenges in this tea cosy except for the yarn. In my experience fluffy yarn is hard going to knit with, and you have trouble to count stitches left. And the yarn tends to not want to unravel if you do need to frog it. However, these experiences were with a DK version of fluffy yarn, maybe a chunky fluffy yarn will be easier going - only time will tell.






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