When Dolly Parton passed away, I knew I wanted to create something in her honour. A few months earlier, my friend Ruth had made a Dolly cosy using parts from several of my patterns: Marilyn Monroe’s dress, the Crinoline body, Flamenco dancer arms, Beekeeper hair and the American Cowboy hat. It was brilliant.
I gathered those pieces and began to knit my own version. Along the way, I made improvements, shaping adjustments, smoother transitions and refined details. I added Dolly’s famous silhouette and a microphone. I wanted her to look glamorous, frilly and joyful, just as she always did.
This cosy is a tribute to her creativity, kindness and storytelling. It is also a tribute to childhood memories, car‑ride singalongs and the way domestic objects can hold emotion.
I hope knitters enjoy making her as much as I did. She is a little corner of the TeaCosyFolk world and a way of keeping Dolly’s spirit alive in knitted form.
Find the Dolly Tribute Tea Cosy knitting pattern here...
Article by Suzy Cowper, knitting designer and entrepreneur at TeaCosyFolk
