I was lucky enough to be able to interview Shobhana again to help promote her newest book YARNplay at Home. For those of you who are looking for ways to be able to add really cool knitted accessories to your home, this is definitely the book for you.

Let’s talk about cozies! First of all I’m curious to know how you came up with the idea for the French Press Cozy?

When I was compiling the project list for this for this book I asked my blog readers what type of cozy pattern would they most like to see in a book and many of them requested a French press cozy. It’s something that I had been thinking about designing for a really long time. There are so many amazing teapot cozies, but I had never seen one for a French press. I think it’s very modern take on the cozy.

Is this how you drink your coffee?

Not really. I’m more of a one cup in the morning drinker. Actually, it’s one bowl. I have my coffee in a Babar latte bowl. I use my cozy to store my French press. It looks great sitting on my kitchen counter. Also, it gives a bit of cushioning in case of a fall!

I dyed the pretty colorway for this pattern in your book; can you tell me how you came up with the idea for it?

I think, at the time, I was using a lot of reds and pinks in the book, so I needed to branch out and chose a different colorway for this. I’ve always loved blues and greens together. This colorway, Blue in Green, reminds me of summertime, green grass, and swimming pools.

If you were to knit this cozy which of your colorways would you choose? Or which of colorways would you suggest to knitters who want to knit this project?

Well everything in my kitchen is black or silver so I would probably go for something that would fit in and look nice and sleek. Really anything with black probably. In terms of recommending it for other people? I would say go with what you like. You could either go for something that blends in or take advantage of this project to make it pop with color on your counter!

What are some of the other cozies in the book?

There’s a CD cover cozy. I came up with this idea a while back when I was broke and needed to come up with a unique and inexpensive birthday present. I love to give mixed CDs to my friends. And I love it when I receive one with a great cover. Since graphic design isn’t really my thing, I decided to knit a cover. I made it with leftover Koigu scraps. It was a bit hit! You want to use a fingering or sport weight yarn for this one.

There’s also a wine bottle sweater (cozy). This was a quirky idea that popped into my head. I think cozies should have a sense of fun. You could make one to dress a bottle of wine that you’re taking to a dinner party or you could use it to decorate an empty wine bottle. This one uses an arrant weight yarn.

Which yarns do you think are best for the cozies?

I suppose it depends upon how you intend to use them. I can’t imagine that mine will need to be washed very often, so I’ve chosen yarns that I love regardless of the care factor.

Do you think that stripy yarn or variegated yarn looks best with the cozy patterns?

Either would work well, it’s just a matter of what turns you on, really.

I love how the Blue in Green came out almost like a swirly pattern! Was it fun to knit with hand-dyed yarn where you didn’t really know how it would turn out?

It was exciting! You custom made this color for me and, I have to tell you, I was stunned at your ability to give me the exact colors that I requested. From the moment that I cast on, I knew that it would be really lovely.

If you could pick one project from your new book to be your most favorite one, what would it be and why?

I’ve already talked about my favorite afghans. of the smaller projects my favorites are the Ooh La La French Press Cozy and the Chain Maille Curtain.

What do we have to look forward to from you in the future!?

I’m hoping to create some one of kind pillows to sell on Etsy. Stay tuned!