Mrs.

Bunny Rabbit Tea Cozy

Mrs. Bunny Rabbit is ready to keep your teapot warm, whilst adding a whimsical
decorating touch to your kitchen or dining room. This tea cozy will fit a medium teapot
and is somewhat flexible in fit. Thanks to my sister, who suggested the idea for this
cozy.

I have designated this pattern a free Ravelry download. If you appreciate my pattern, I’d
love for you to consider “paying it forward” by visiting my giving page at:
www.canadahelps.org/en/pages/knit-a-wish/
where all donations go to the Terry Fox Foundation, which raises money for cancer
research in Terry’s name.

Please contact me before using my pattern for teaching purposes or creating a kit
based on my pattern. shannonbayknits@gmail.com

©2016 J. J. Waugh All Rights Reserved Page 1 of 10

This project is not particularly difficult in terms of the knitting skills required. However,
some may find it challenging in terms of the amount of detail and assembly required.

Gauge for the worsted yarn is 20 st. to 10 cm on 4mm needles.

Gauge for the fingering yarn is 26 st. to 10 cm. on 3.25 mm needles.

Components are worked flat and seamed together.

You will need:

Yarn
light worsted yarn for the dress: about 100 yards (or 45 grams). I used Cascade 220
Superwash

worsted yarn: about 22 yards (or 10 grams). I used Cascade 220 Heathers in colour
8401: Light Grey Heather for the head, outer ears & hands

fingering yarn 78 yards (or 18 grams). I used Cascade Heritage Silk in colour 5618:
Snow Raw White for the apron and inner ears

small amount black yarn (no heavier than worsted weight) for embroidering the nose,
mouth (and eyes, if not using safety eyes)

small amount of fingering or sport yarn in desired colour for the flower

Needles
Three pairs of needles: 4mm, 3.75mm and 3.25mm.

Notions
pair of safety eyes (if desired, instead of embroidering the eyes)
polyester fibrefill, enough to stuff the head
tapestry needle large enough to accept worsted yarn (for sewing seams)

Directions: dress front

Using size 4mm needles and light worsted yarn in the colour chosen for the dress, cast
on 33 stitches. Make the cast-on knot about 16” from the beginning of the yarn, so a
long tail of yarn remains for sewing up the picot hem later.
Row 1-6: Work in stocking stitch (knit one row, purl one row) for six rows.
Row 7: k1, *yarn forward, knit 2 tog. Repeat from * across entire row.
Row 8: purl
Row 9 - 14: work in stocking stitch (knit one row, purl one row) for 6 rows.

©2016 J. J. Waugh All Rights Reserved Page 2 of 10

Directions: dress front (continued)
Row 15: (increase row)* k 8, make one by picking up horizontal thread
between last stitch worked and next stitch, using left hand needle
(from front to back) and knit into the back of it; repeat from * twice
more, then end k9. You should have 36 stitches on your needle.
Row 16: purl
Row 17 - 44: work in stocking stitch (knit odd numbered rows, purl even
numbered rows)
Row 45: *k4, k2tog. Repeat from * across entire row; 30 stitches now on needle
Row 46: purl
Row 47: *k3, k2tog. Repeat from * across entire row; 24 stitches now on needle
Row 48: purl
Row 49: *k2, k2tog. Repeat from * across entire row; 18 stitches now on needle
Row 50: purl
Row 51: *k1, k2tog. Repeat from * across entire row: 12 stitches now on needle
Row 52: purl
Row 53: k2 tog. across row; 6 stitches now on needle
Slip 6 remaining stitches to other needle. Cut yarn, leaving a 14” tail to use in finishing.
Thread the tail onto a tapestry needle, and run the needle through the 6 remaining
stitches, slipping them off the knitting needle. Pull tight and set aside.

Make the dress back exactly the same as the dress front.

With the wrong side facing, fold the hem of each section up along the line of holes
created in row 7. There will be a “sawtooth” edge along the bottom of the skirt. Use the
long tail to sew the hem in place (on the wrong side). When finished hemming, do not
cut the yarn - it will be used to sew front to back after the arms and head have been
added.

Directions: hands and dress sleeves

Make two alike.
Using 3.75mm needles and worsted yarn in the colour chosen for the head and hands:
Cast on 8 stitches. Leave an 8” tail to use later when sewing up hand.
Row 1-4: work in stocking stitch (knit one row, purl one row).
Row 5: k2, make 1 (as in row 15 of dress), k4, make 1, k2. (10 stitches)
Row 6: purl
Row 7: k3, make 1, k4, make 1, k3 (12 stitches)
Row 8: purl
Break yarn. Switch to light worsted yarn as used for dress, leaving 10” tail.
Row 9-12: work in stocking stitch (knit one row, purl one row…)
Row 13: k1, *yfwd., k2tog. Repeat from * to last stitch, k1.
Row 14: purl

©2016 J. J. Waugh All Rights Reserved Page 3 of 10

Directions: hands and dress sleeves (continued)
Row 15-20: work in stocking stitch (knit one row, purl one row)
Row 21: knit into front & back of first & last stitch of this knit row (14 st.)
Row 22: purl
Row 23-26: work in stocking stitch (knit one row, purl one row)
Row 27: knit into front & back of first & last stitch of this knit row (16 st.)
Row 28: purl
Row 29-34: work in stocking stitch (knit one row, purl one row)
Row 35: cast off; cut yarn, leaving 10” tail for sewing up

To finish: fold up along eyelet holes to create “sawtooth edge” and sew in place on
wrong side, using dress-coloured worsted tail. You will have to fold the hand out of the
way while sewing. This creates the fancy lower edge of the sleeve that overhangs the
hand.
Fold sleeve with right sides together and sew hand and sleeve seams, stitching through
the very edge stitches. Be careful not to catch up the fancy sleeve edge in the seam
(tuck it inside).
Now turn right-side-out and fold sawtooth edge down over the hand.
Make another sleeve/hand the same.

Directions: head
Using 3.75mm needles and the worsted yarn chosen for the head/hands
cast on 8 st., leaving an 8” tail for sewing up later.
Row 1: knit into front and back of each stitch (16 stitches)
Row 2: purl
Row 3: *k into front & back of stitch, k1. Repeat across row (24 stitches)
Row 4: purl
Row 5: knit
Row 6: purl
Row 7: k1, *make1, k3. Repeat from * until 2 stitches remain; make 1, k2. Note that on
this row, “make one” uses the method described on row 15 of the dress.
Row 8: purl (32 stitches)
Row 9-20: work in stocking stitch (knit one row, purl one row)
Row 21: k2 tog. across row (16 stitches)
Row 22: purl
Row 23-26: work in stocking stitch (knit one row, purl one row)
Row 27: k1, *k2 tog. 7 times, k1 (9 stitches remain)
Slide stitches back onto l.h. needle. Break yarn leaving a 10” tail. Thread the tail onto a
tapestry needle, and run it through the 9 remaining stitches. Pull up tight. Turn work
inside-out and sew up seam for about 1”. Take one backstitch to secure the yarn, but do
not cut. You will need it to finish sewing up after the face is embroidered and the head is
stuffed.

©2016 J. J. Waugh All Rights Reserved Page 4 of 10

Directions: head (continued)
Turn head right-side-out, and thread the yarn left at cast-on onto the tapestry needle.
Run the yarn through the 8 cast-on stitches and pull up to form a tight circle. Turn inside
out and sew seam from both ends until there is about a 1 1/2” gap in the middle.
Now it is time to place the safety eyes, (or embroider eyes) and embroider the nose &
mouth. Sometimes it helps to loosely stuff the head when planning the placement of the
eyes, nose & mouth. Use tissue or paper towel - something that won’t get caught in the
stitching. This step can require some trial and error, and can easily take as long as the
actual knitting of the head. For the nose, I use a slightly Y-shaped stitch, and add two
almost horizontal stitches for the mouth. When you are sure that you are happy with the
face, stuff the head and close the bottom seam (from the outside). Keep the yarn tails
for sewing the head to the dress.

If you are embroidering the eyes, this might help a bit.

Poke two large-headed pins through a couple of ovals of
paper, or use a couple of stickers to experiment with the
placement. Once you know where the eyes are going to
be, duplicate-stitch 2 stitches horizontally (about half-way
between ears and nose). Then stitch a wide V below the
eye using 2 stitches: from one corner of the eye to below
the centre of the eye, and from the other corner of the eye
to below the centre of the eye. Now repeat with a wide
inverted V above the eye. Finally, stitch one dot using
white yarn near the top of the eye, to give it some life.

Directions: outer ears (make 2)

Using 3.75 mm needles, cast on 5 stitches, leaving a 6” tail.
Row 1 - 4: work in stocking stitch (knit one row, purl one row…)
Row 5: k1, make 1, k3, make 1, k1 (7 stitches)
Row 6: purl
Row 7: knit
Row 8: purl
Row 9: k1, make 1, k5, make 1, k1 (9 stitches)
Row 10: purl
Row 11 - 14: work in stocking stitch (knit one row, purl one row)
Row 15: k1, slip one, knit one, pass slipped stitch over, k 3, k2 tog., k1
Row 16: purl
Row 17: k1, slip one, knit one, pass slipped stitch over, k1, k2 tog., k1
Row 18: purl
Row 19: slip 1, k1, pass slipped stitch over, k1, k2tog.
Row 20: purl
Row 21: slip one, k2tog., pass slipped stitch over. Cut yarn & fasten off.

©2016 J. J. Waugh All Rights Reserved Page 5 of 10

Directions: inner ears (make 2)
Using fingering yarn & 3.75mm needles, cast on 3 stitches
Row 1 - 4: work in stocking stitch (knit one row, purl one row)
Row 5: k1, make 1, k1, make 1, k1 (5 stitches)
Row 6: purl
Row 7: knit
Row 8: purl
Row 9: k1, make 1, k3, make 1, k1 (7 stitches)
Row 10: purl
Row 11: knit
Row 12: purl
Row 13: k1, slip one, k1, pass slipped stitch over, k1, k2tog. k1
Row 14: purl
Row 15: slip 1, k1, pass slipped stitch over, k1, k2tog.
Row 16: purl
Row 17: slip 1, k2tog., pass slipped stitch over
Cut yarn & fasten off., leaving a 10” tail for sewing to ear back.

Finishing ears:
Darn in leftover yarn at tip of ear backs, hiding it on the wrong side.
Lay ear lining on outer ear, wrong sides together. Thread the long tail
of yarn from the tip of the lining onto a tapestry needle, and use this thread to sew the
lining in place, using a whip-stitch from underneath the end of each row of lining, down
through a stitch on the inside of the outer ear, and back up through the next - go all the
way around, stretching the lining a little if needed. The edge of the outer ear will curl
under enough to hide the stitching. To hide the end of the yarn used for sewing up, run it
down between the ear and the lining about an inch,over a stitch and back to the tip,
back down between ear & lining about 1/2”, back to the tip, snip and give a little tug so
the yarn recedes between the ear & lining.

Assembly: head, arms, dress

Ears:
Using the worsted yarn tail at the base of each ear, sew the ears in place, with the lower
edges approximately even with the centre back of the head. Whip stitch over the bottom
edge of the ear; take some deeper stitches up the first side edge for about 1/2”; run yarn
through back of head to the other side of the ear, and sew that edge for about 1/2”. Take
a couple of stitches back and forth under the fabric to secure the end, and trim very
short, so the yarn end recedes inside the head.

©2016 J. J. Waugh All Rights Reserved Page 6 of 10

Assembly: head, arms, dress (continued)
Arms:
Place dress front and back, right sides together, and use leftover yarn tail to sew down
for 8 stitches (or about an inch), beginning at the gathered stitches at the top, and
stitching through the very edge loop of each stitch.
Take one arm and fold it so the seam is underneath (rather than along one edge).
Tuck the arm inside the skirt, with the cast off edge even with the edges of the seam
you have started. Continue to sew the seam, sewing through the dress front and back,
as well as the cast-off edge of the sleeve. Take 3 more stitches, and finish off.
Work the second side the same. Peek inside to make sure the arm seams match (If
the seam of the first arm is facing up, place the second arm with the seam facing up, so
they match). It doesn’t matter if they face up or down, just as long as they are the same.

Hem:
Turn dress inside out (right sides together) and use the yarn remaining from sewing up
the hem to tack front & back together for just the width of the turned-up hem (about 5
stitches).

Head:
Place the cozy on the teapot and plan how you want to position the head. Use the yarn
tails left from the head to stitch the head in place.
Take one stitch through the dress, the next through the head until you have gone all the
way around. Then take the cozy off of the teapot and run the tails to the wrong side.
Take a few stitches near the centre for stability, running the yarn through both the dress
and the head, and fasten off.

Directions (apron)
Using 3.25 mm needles and fingering yarn, cast on 41 stitches (leaving 12” tail for
sewing hem later) and work hem of apron the same as rows 1-14 of dress front.
Row 15: knit
Row 16: purl
Row 17: k1 *yarn fwd, slip 1, k1, pass slipped stitch over, k5, k2 tog, yarn
fwd, k1. Repeat from * across row
Row 18: purl
Row 19: knit
Row 20: purl
Row 21: k3 *k2 tog., yarn fwd, k1, yarn fwd, slip 1, k1, pass slipped stitch
over, k5. Repeat from * across row, ending with k3 instead of k5
Row 22: purl
Rows 23 - 38 Repeat rows 15-22 twice more.
Row 39: *k2 tog., k1. Repeat across row, end with k2tog. (27 stitches)
Row 40: purl
Row 41: cast on 60 stitches at beginning of row, knit across. (87 stitches)

©2016 J. J. Waugh All Rights Reserved Page 7 of 10

Directions: apron (continued)
Row 42: cast on 60 stitches at beginning of row, knit across. (147 stitches)
Row 43: cast off 67 stitches loosely, knit across (80 stitches)
Row 44: cast off 67 stitches loosely, knit across (13 stitches)
Row 45: knit
Row 46: k3, p7, k3
Row 47: knit
Row 48: k3, p7, k3
Row 49: k4, k2 tog., yarn fwd, k1, yarn fwd, slip 1, k1, pass slipped stitch
over, k4
Row 50: k3, p7, k3
Row 51: knit
Row 52: k3, p7, k3
Row 53: knit
Row 54: k3, p7, k3
Row 55 - 58 knit every row
Row 59: cast off. Fold hem and sew as described for hem of dress.

The ruffled shoulder straps are made separately and sewn on.

Directions: ruffled shoulder straps (make 2)

With 3.25mm needles, cast on 7 stitches, leaving a 12” tail for sewing.
Row 1: knit
Row 2: p5, turn, k5
Row 3: p5, k2
Row 4: k2 p5
Row 5: k5, turn, p5
Row 6: knit
Rows 7-18 repeat rows 1-6 twice
Row 19: knit - increase by knitting into front and back of 4th & 6th stitch
Row 20: p7, turn, k7
Row 21: p7, k2
Row 22: k2, p7
Row 23: k7, turn, p7
Row 24: knit
Row 25: knit - increase by knitting into front and back of 5th & 8th stitch
Row 26: p9, turn, k9
Row 27: p9, k2
Row 28: k2 p9
Row 29: k9, turn, p9
Row 30: knit

©2016 J. J. Waugh All Rights Reserved Page 8 of 10

Directions: ruffled shoulder straps (continued)
Row 31-42 repeat rows 25 -30 twice but omit increases
Row 43: k4, k2tog., k2, k2tog., k1
Row 44-48 repeat rows 20-24
Row 49: k2, k2tog., k2, k2 tog., k1
Row 50 - 54: repeat row 2 - 6
Row 55 - 66: repeat rows 1 - 6 twice.
Cast off. Cut yarn, leaving a 12” tail for sewing. Make a second shoulder strap.

Apron finishing:
Decide which side of the frills you would like to show - I like to sew them on reverse-side
showing. Sew approx. the first 3 pattern repeats along the edge of the bib. (The rest of
each frill will go over the shoulder to join the apron ties.) When you have both frills sewn
to the bib of the apron, put the cozy on the teapot before beginning the next step.
Position the top of the bib 3/4”-1” below the neck seam.

Run the apron ties under the arms, just at the lower edge of the side seams. Stretch the
first one just a little so you can make it look like a 9 as in the photo. Pin in place, and
sew neatly to the dress.
There are no tails to use for sewing this time, so cut a 15” length of the fingering yarn.
Begin by leaving about 4” at the side seam, and you can hide this end in the side seam
later. Sew in the “groove” just below the top edge. Place the second apron tie as in the
second photo, pin & sew in place.

Now, sew the shoulder ruffles in place,

gathering slightly at the top of the
shoulder. Tack the apron skirt in place
at the top and bottom side edges, a little
narrower at the waist than at the bottom
edges.

©2016 J. J. Waugh All Rights Reserved Page 9 of 10

Directions: flower
Using 3.25 mm needles and fingering or sport yarn in colour desired for the flower, cast
on 7 st.
Row 1: knit into front & back of every stitch (14 stitches)
Row 2: purl
Row 3: knit into front & back of every stitch (28 stitches)
Row 4: purl
Row 5: knit into front & back of every stitch (56 stitches)
Row 6: purl
Row 7: cast off.
Roll up to create flower shape and sew in place using yarn tails.
Use 12” of yarn in colour that matches hands. Sew up and down through
one hand, 1/4” from the tip, leaving a 4” tail. Sew through the flower, up and down
through the other hand, back though the flower, tighten as desired, knot and darn in the
ends on the underside of the hand.

Congratulations! That was a lot of work, but I hope it

was worth it.
You are welcome to hand-knit this cozy for yourself or for gifts. You may also sell
finished cozies which you have hand-knit, yourself, using this pattern.

Please do not attempt to sell the pattern itself, as that is not my intention.

Feel free to knit a cozy for charity (they are a popular item in silent auctions) and I’d love
for you to leave a comment on Ravelry when you do. Remember to post your finished
projects on Ravelry too - I look forward to seeing them.

Safety reminder:
This cozy is not a toy. When using it with a hot teapot, it must be kept out of the reach
of children.

©2016 J. J. Waugh All Rights Reserved Page 10 of 10