Chihuahua Tummy Rub Tea Cosy Design Sketch

I must start with an apology for the pencil colours in the sketch. My brown pencils appear to be thin on the ground, and the ones I do have lean more towards orange than anything convincingly dog‑like.

Rest assured, these colours won’t be making an appearance in the finished cosy. For the knitted version I’ll be using Stylecraft Special DK in mocha and camel, which will give the Chihuahua a much more natural look.

This tea cosy is designed to fit a teapot for one that holds a pint. The idea came from a TeaCosyFolk fan who asked if I could create a Chihuahua cosy as a Christmas gift for her friend. Dog tea cosies are always popular; we do love our four‑legged companions and I thought this request was a lovely one to work on.

I’ve sketched the cosy to look like a Chihuahua lying on its back, ready for a tummy rub. It’s a pose most dogs seem to adopt at some point, usually with great enthusiasm. There’s something very endearing about that complete trust and the sheer joy they get from a tummy tickle.

The tricky part of the design is going to be the back legs and the tail. The back legs are a surprisingly awkward shape when you try to translate them into knitting, and the tail needs to be unmistakably tail‑like. I’m keen to avoid it being mistaken for anything else, so I’ll be paying close attention to the shaping when I knit the final version.

Once the cosy is knitted up in the proper colours, I think the whole character of the design will come together beautifully. It’s a charming idea, and I’m looking forward to seeing this little Chihuahua ready for its tummy rub in yarn rather than orange pencil.









Tags: knitting