Getting Cozy

I've been watching quite a lot of BBC this past week (laid up as I have been with a breathing issue), and one thing I kept seeing, during all the breakfast scenes, was these little eggs in cute egg cups, that the folks at the table would nonchalantly whack with a spoon, remove the top, and scoop out the partially boiled eggy goodness inside.

As someone with lots of eggs, and a modest collection of milk glass egg cups, I had a mild epiphany:  "Hey.  I should try that!"

I am not sure why I've never tried eating eggs this way, but...well, I just never had.  You know what?  Eggs boiled in the shell are excellent.  I highly recommend them.

So after playing with how long to cook the eggs for (I personally like a 2 1/2 minute egg, cooked by bringing the egg in a saucepan of water to the boil, removing from heat, and covering the hot pot for the entire cook time), and perfecting my toast soldier making (necessary for dunking), I soon found that I needed some way to keep my egg hot until I sat down to eat it with toast, coffee, etc.

Hence, the Chicken Lady's Egg Cozy!

This uses very little yarn, so it is perfect for using up the scrap bit left from making that aran sweater or pair of worsted weight mittens.  I recommend using wool, because it is fabulous for retaining heat, although you really could use what you have on hand.  I had about half a skein of egg-yolk yellow Lambs Pride (colorway is called Goldenrod), so I used that.  I haven't measured actual yardage yet, but it can't be more than 25 yards...probably much much less than that, actually.

Using U.S. size 7 needles, cast on 30 stitches using the long tail cast-on method.   Knit three rows.

Pattern row:  Knit three stitches, *p1, k1* across row to last three stitches, knit 3. (This is seed stitch, by the way, which makes a nice bumpy tight fabric--perfect for heat retention!)

Repeat pattern row until the width measures three inches.  Knit three rows, then cast off.

Fold in half lengthwise, to make a "squared" pocket.  Sew up the sides of the pocket.

Tah dah!  The Chicken Lady's Egg Cozy is complete, ready to keep your eggs warm.

(P.S.  If you are using super fresh eggs like I have all the time, putting a spoonful of baking soda in the water really helps loosen the egg from the shell!)