Crochet Tea Cosy

What exactly is it that makes a tea cosy so pleasing?  Is it the nostalgic reminder of a bygone age when every home in the land had at least one?  Is it the association with hot, comforting, freshly brewed tea?  Or is it simply the fact that all tea cosies, regardless of style or shape look like rather comical hats?  I'm not entirely sure but I often find myself lusting over tea cosies, despite not even owning a teapot at the moment.

 It was my mum's birthday at the weekend and she'd asked me for a new teapot to replace her broken one.  I duly located a pretty teapot, four cute cups and saucers and a vintage style tin to store them in, but the set just didn't feel complete without a tea cosy.  So, with approximately 12 hours to go until I was due to see my mum, and 8 of those hours to be spent asleep, I decided to have a go at crocheting a tea cosy.  As my mum's teapot was an unusual shape, I eschewed the many tea cosy patterns available online and winged it, adapting my pattern as I went.

I'm rather pleased with the results...

 

'Seriously? You're taking photos of a teapot when I'm right here?'

I used cluster stitch, increasing and decreasing as necessary according to the shape of the pot.  When I'd finished, I edged the cosy in single crochet and added a vintage button and chain stitch closure under the handle.  The only part I didn't edge was the spout opening as I liked the way it looked.  The beauty of bulkier stitches, such as cluster, is that they work up in no time, making this an enjoyable, speedy little project for an evening.

I hope you like it and as I'm planning to rectify my lack of teapot shortly, I am pretty sure I'll be making another one in the near future!

Jenny

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Tea + Embroidery

This time last year, I had just completed my first ever embroidery.  It was done freehand, featured applique, was a present for my mum's birthday and had a tea theme.  Never one to push the boundaries too far, I have once again completed a tea-themed, freehand embroidery featuring applique for my mum's birthday.  She asked me for a teapot and some nice teacups so I though this would be a nice accompaniment to her pretty new crockery.

And get this, it's BACKED so it looks all neat and pleasing.  I don't know why the back pleases me almost as much as the front but it does.

I love embroidering by hand - there is something very soothing and mindless about it - but I am itching to try freehand machine embroidery.  I didn't think a birthday present needed at short notice (my mum's birthday is on Sunday) was the best place to practise this but I will be frantically seeking advice on here and Twitter when I do have a go!

Jenny

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My 2013 goals: A progress report

Like so many others, I tend to start the year full of good intentions and excitement for what lies ahead, only to have the long, cold, miserable months of January and February sap all my motivation and positivity.

This year, I set a few goals on New Year's Day.  Some were kind of vague, some more specific and all seemed manageable.  Ten weeks on, I thought it was time to look back and see how I've done so far...

Go vegan two days a week

Fail.  Kind of.  I have definitely eaten a lot more vegan meals this year but I haven't stuck to two completely vegan days every single week.  On the whole, though, a large proportion of my food and drink has been vegan so I think I've done OK.  

As always, tea is my biggest struggle as I just can't drink it with soy milk!  Maybe if the weather ever warms up, I'll find it easier to forgo the several piping hot mugs of Yorkshire Tea I need to get through the cold days of winter.

Learn a language

Yes!  I am currently learning Italian and (I think) it's going rather well so far.  I can count, I can order a meal, I can introduce myself...that's enough to see me through a few days next time I'm in Italy, yes?  I'm loving learning a language again and Italian feels much more natural to me than Spanish did when I started learning that a few years ago.  Maybe it's the language's similarities with French, the fact that I well and truly left my heart in Rome or just that I am much more into Italian culture (and food).  

Make more time for friends

Yes!  It's so hard getting everyone together but I've definitely made more of an effort so far this year by being more flexible and shifting my schedule around to enable me to see friends more.  I've also got a couple of roadtrips lined up to make sure I don't leave out those friends who are further afield.  

Try a new recipe every week

Kind of.  I haven't consciously tried a new recipe every single week but looking back, I reckon I've just about tried 10 new recipes this year.  So I'm saying "yes".  I've made fresh pasta, a first for me, stepped out of my lasagne rut, made chocolate souffle for the first time and had a few cooking experiments turn out very well.

Get back to nature

Fail.  I've definitely spent a lot more time outdoors so far this year as I'm now working from home again.  Most of this has been spent on the Wirral coast, though, and what I really wanted to do was get out to North Wales and the Lakes, climb mountains, stumble over scree piles and wade through muddy streams (I know, I don't seem the type, but I really am).  In my defence, it's been bloody cold and snowy so far this year and I don't think my boyfriend would take too kindly to being dragged up Mount Snowdon in heavy blizzards so this goal will have to wait for slightly warmer weather.  I really don't want to be one of those people who has to be airlifted to safety by Mountain Rescue, the shame.

I'll stick to the beaches for a few more weeks, I think.

Write, write and write

Yes!  It is definitely true that you get out what you put in, especially in the world of freelance writing.  I've been amazed by the volume of work out there and am plodding along, building up a nice little portfolio of writing while gaining experience in different topics and kinds of content.  

Complete all my un-finished projects...

Meh.  I've completed some, but started about 20 more.  That's OK, though.  This goal was more wishful thinking than anything else and the fact that I finally finished my little bluefinch embroidery after many, many months is good enough for me.

On balance, I think I'm quite pleased with my progress and it's come as a pleasant surprise to realise I am well on the way to accomplishing several of my goals for 2013!

Jenny

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Lavender stuffed crochet heart

A lovely Mother's Day heart for my lovely mum...

The heart is based on a pattern from The Complete Guide to Crochet from the people who publish Inside Crochet.  I don't usually buy crochet magazines but I couldn't resist this massive issue with 43 patterns!

I used a finer yarn and smaller hook than the pattern suggests as I didn't want it to be too big.   After stuffing with the filling and lavender sachet, I added a little loop as I think it 'll make a really nice hanging heart.  I'm going to make one for my Gran as well as a little Mother's Day gift so I'd better get a move on as I'm seeing her tomorrow...

Wishing a very happy and relaxing Mother's Day to mums, mams, mothers and mummies everywhere!

Jenny

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Pretty stationery and the start of #PostCircle

As a child, I was obsessed with stationery. I was constantly writing, drawing and painting but I think the root cause of my addiction was the fact that my dad was head of supplies for Liverpool City Council. This meant he had a constant supply of free samples of the latest stationery and craft goodies from companies all over the world.  Pretty cards from Germany, Japanese writing paper, felt-tips from Hong Kong, stamps, stickers and glitter - my childhood pen-pals must have thought an explosion had taken place in Paperchase when they received my letters.

As an adult, my stationery addiction has been absorbed by my craft habit but my love of sending and receiving letters has been woefully neglected. I have one pen-pal I've been writing to since I was about seven but other than that, the last time I wrote letters with any regularity was when my friends and I were scattered around the country at uni. We agreed it would be a nice touch to exchange handwritten letters rather than just email and I'm so glad we did as I've now got a lovely box of letters documenting that important time in our lives.

When the lovely Anna of the delightful Miss Beatrix blog announced she was setting up a Post Circle, I joined immediately. The idea is that members exchange letters, notes, cards and anything else they want via post.  After collating short completed surveys from everyone, Anna separated us into groups of six. Each group is named after a woodland creature (such a cute touch!) and I'm in the fox group, or #TeamFox as I'm insisting on calling it.

 Once I was in a group, my thoughts soon turned to stationery. Like any self-respecting craft fanatic (I really feel that should be one word. Crafanatic? Craftanatic?) I already had washi tape, cards, glitter and stamps, but this was the perfect excuse to buy some writing paper for the first time in years!

If you'd like to join in the Post Circle, drop Anna a line and maybe one day we'll be sending each other  pretty packages of loveliness!

Jenny

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Work in progress - Granny Square Blanket

The amazing throws and afghans made by tweeters and bloggers I follow always impress and shame me. I've been crocheting for about five years now and, despite not touching a hook at all for  three years in the middle of that time, I really feel I too should have a home full of pretty, jewel-coloured, welcoming, handmade blankets.  In my early days of crochet, I did once make a blanket. It was simply an enormous granny square in bottle green and I used it to cover one of the hideous armchairs in the rented flat I lived in at the time. Presumably, I left the blanket in said flat, as I've never found it since.

Previously deterred from making a proper, full-size, grown-up blanket by the knowledge that my fickle nature and short attention span would soon see it abandoned and forgotten, I decided to just try and give it a proper go. 

I'm just going to hook up a few squares whenever I have a bit of spare time but I'll keep doing all my other projects as usual to stave off boredom. 

 

 

 



Have you got any tips on staying motivated on a large project?  If you've made a knit or crochet blanket, how long did it take you? 

                                                                             Jenny
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The hunt for cruelty-free sheep wool

Just because I'm incapable of writing about animals without a super-cute picture

In my early days of crocheting I had the vague idea that, despite being a vegetarian and animal lover, using wool from sheep was OK as the sheep weren't harmed.  I imagined them roaming around the countryside freely (like the sheep you see all over the mountains of North Wales and the Lake District), being rounded up for a haircut once every few months, then happily ambling back off for a bit of grazing.  

Of course, when I think about it now, it seems really naive to have ever thought that an industry as huge as the global wool industry would be this humane.  At the time, I just didn't really put that much thought into it, but as soon as I did, I stopped buying sheep wool.

I don't have a problem with wearing wool from animals at all, but I do have a very big problem with the way commercial wool is obtained.  If you want to read up on the treatment of sheep in the wool industry, the Vegetarian Society is a good place to start.  Peta also have some useful info.  

I try not to bring upsetting facts into this blog, partly because I hate having distressing images and information sprung upon me without warning and partly because I believe people should find out things for themselves and make decisions within their own moral framework.  I do think at the very least, however, we should be aware of what we're wearing or crafting with.

Briefly:

• 70% of the wool used in clothing comes from Australia, where the practice of mulesing is still common

• Around one third of UK wool is skin wool, taken from slaughtered sheep, mainly lambs.

It was an easy decision for me to stop buying wool as there was no way of telling where it came from or how it was obtained.  Although there are plenty of alternatives out there, I've been looking for cruelty-free sheep wool for a couple of years now and it's depressingly difficult to find.  I am sure there must be plenty of specialist independent companies, humanely shearing their sheep and giving them the best possible life, but I've only found a handful.  I'm personally not comfortable using wool from sheep destined for the plate, so I've left out suppliers whose sheep fit into this category but I know there are many British farmers out there who give their flocks a good life before slaughter.

If you want to dress and craft cruelty-free, here are some of the options:

Cruelty-free wool

Based in Wisconsin, Homestead Wool  sell dyed/undyed/spun/unspun wool, refer to their sanctuary as a 'retirement village' and introduce you to all their animals.  Can I just say, I LOVE this website?

Insouciant Hair are another US company who sell yarns from rescue sheep.

Selling yarns via etsy, Wild Wool Farm not only allows you to see pictures of the sheep or goat your wool has come from, but also to 'adopt' them for a month.

The Farm Animal Sanctuary, based in Worcestershire, sells fleeces from rescue sheep ready to be spun into yarn.  This really appeals to me but I haven't got a clue how to start with spinning....one day maybe...

Finally, they don't sell yarn, or house sheep, but I came across The Goat Sanctuary during my research and had to mention them!  I'd never heard of this place before but it's now on my list of places-to-visit-on-a-random-Saturday (if my poor, long-suffering boyfriend agrees).

Clothes

I haven't bought anything from here personally, but Izzy Lane is proof that it is possible to run a successful business based on compassion for animals.  The sheep in Izzy Lane's flocks live out their natural lives in a sanctuary, cared for by shepherd Ernest.

The same flocks also provide wool for The North Circular.  While their handknitted goods are way out of my price range, I admire the ethos behind the company and think it's great that they've received so much press attention.

Alternatives to sheep wool

All yarn stores and craft shops will carry alternatives to sheep wool.  Here are the most common:

Cotton

Cotton is great for crocheters and I use it for a variety of projects.  It's smooth, strong and available in every colour imaginable so it's brilliant for home decor and accessories.

Tencel

Tencel is made from wood pulp and is fully bio-degradable.  It's wearable, drapes nicely and is generally considered more environmentally friendly than other materials.  It's also said to be “soft as silk, strong as polyester, cool as linen, warm as wool, and as absorbent as cotton", quite an endorsement!

Bamboo

I love working with bamboo yarn but it can be hard to find yarn which doesn't also contain wool from animals.  When I do find 100% bamboo, or a bamboo/cotton mix, I snap it up!  Bamboo is gradually becoming more popular and easier to find.  The picture below is of a bamboo/tencel mix and shows the lovely sheen natural fibres can produce:

Bamboo/tencel mix from Etsy

Linen

Linen is made from flax and when knitted or crocheted can make really luxurious clothes and accessories. Linen usually becomes softer the more it is worn making it ideal for cardigans and jumpers.

Synthetics

Aah, the knitter's enemy.  Acrylic, nylon and polyester yarns can be bought from around 99p a ball and can be very unpleasant to work with if you buy the really nasty stuff.  There are some decent synthetic yarns on the market, however, so don't be put off.  A lot of big, chunky acrylics can be really soft and enjoyable to work with, giving a great end result.  Similarly, some of the pastel coloured acrylics meant for baby clothes are lovely and soft.  When buying synthetics, it's generally best to buy in person so you can see what the yarn looks like close up and avoid that horrible cheap look!

Banana yarn

Banana yarn has similar properties to silk and is often dyed in an array of vibrant colours.  It can look really dazzling and many banana yarns have a luxurious sheen making them a great choice for a statement scarf or accessory.

Banana yarn image from Pinterest

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While I'm happy with my cotton and bamboo most of the time, I would like to have more options when it comes to cruelty-free wool.  I'd love to buy wool knowing it came from a happy, well-looked after sheep who was humanely sheared and wasn't going to be sent off to slaughter.  If you know of, or come across, any companies or individuals who sell cruelty-free wool, please let me know!

Jenny

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