Tea cosy

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

A tea-cosy is a cover for a teapot, traditionally made of cloth or wool, which is used to insulate the tea, keeping it warm whilst it brews. Cloth tea cosies often have padded inserts, which can be removed and washed separately.

Tea cosies are often available in matching sets with other items such as tablecloths, oven gloves or aprons. Cloth tea-cosies are may be embroidered, perhaps to compliment a fine set of china. Some have been made with hidden pockets to be filled with fragrant herbs or flowers, similar to a potpourri.

Tea cosies in fiction include the eponymous item in Edward Gorey's The Haunted Tea-Cosy: A Dispirited and Distasteful Diversion for Christmas.

Many tea cosies in Britain are hand-knitted and subsequently resemble woolen hats, even featuring a bobble on top. According to comedian Billy Connolly, if a man is left alone in a room with a tea cosy, and he does not attempt to wear it, he should not be trusted.