Doonan Darlings

They came

They knitted

They went

Six Sassy Sisters sat stitching for two days.

Yep, that's them...
Karen May
Joyce Su-lin
Jane Francis
Krystle Simone
Sandy Sue
Glenda Mary

Thank you for playing tea cosy so nicely with me in the hills of Doonan.

We learned.....

Slip knots
Long Tail cast ons
Knitting in the round with one set of circular needles
Knitting in the round with two sets of circular needles
Continental knitting
Fair Isle knitting
Picot hem
Kitchener Cast off

AND we....

Practiced our 8 times table.


There are a lot of smiles captured from last workshop and this.

What a treat you are - Wonderful Workshop Women.

Please do come again.

Wonderful Workshop Women

Damn!  I love this moment in the two days playing tea cosy with you.

The moment when the fruits of your labours blossom into fully fledged Nutty Knitted Tea Cosies, the moment when you relax into great big joyous smiles.

Photo:  Mother and daughter, Lorraine and Nadine.

The minute mother-to-be, Tanya, took comfort in the lounge chair, Wes The Opportunist took comfort in her lap.

We were very serious about our work in the tree tops.

Yes we were.

Bronwyn, Anne, Lesley and Maree - proud Tea Cosy Guardians.

And last minute cancellations mean favourite sisters can come.  Hey Rhonda - Terrific Assistant Teacher you.  Ta muchly for all.






I don't know about you lot, but I had a fabulous two days.

Thank you all for playing tea cosy so nicely with me.
Loani

Australia's Biggest Morning Tea Official Daffodil Tea Cosy

Australia's Biggest Morning Tea

One has donned the lofty title (to go with One's lofty stature) of 

Queensland Ambassador 

again this year 

and has designed a new and improved...

Official Daffodil Tea Cosy

 Download the

FREE Pattern

and get knitting Knitters!!! 

to raise $$$$ for the Cancer Council's biggest funest fundraiser of the year.

The French

It seems zee French like tea cosies too.  Just a little bit mind.  They are mostly coffee drinkers but they do love something quirky.

And to prove it, Claude from Fleur de Lin et Bouton d'or as organised a competition.

Best go over there for a look/see.

Naturellement, Claude came to moi to ask my advice on tea cosy books.  What was I to say but.....

Fous Fous Fous!

Life gets in the way of.....

Sometimes LIFE gets in the way of TEA COSY workshops....

.... sadly.....

for those who have had to cancel.

BUT

.... happy.....

for those who may now be able to come.
This is Jenny and Julie from Miles - a workshop I did there last year.... Just two fab days and LOOOK what they made.

SO

Fri 12 and Sat 13 APRIL
there are now TWO places available.

Fri 26 and Sat 27 APRIL 
there are now TWO places available.

for the 'At Home' workshops in the the hills of Noosa, just a five minute drive from Eumundi, Sunshine Coast, North of Brisbane.

Morning tea, lunch and afternoon tea catered on both days.

Wool supplied.

Learn continental knitting, Fair Isle knitting, knitting in the round, a new way to cast on and off and all sorts of fab techniques.

All for just $190.00

email me ASAP to find out more details

Far Too Long

Tis FAR too long between posts.

One blames Facebook.  Yes yes.  One has blamed Facebook before.  Important to have Facebook though - to have something to blame.

Tammy Shanter in these glorious colours, came off the needles a couple of days ago.

He'll travel as part of the Portraits of a Tea Cosy exhibition (take a look on the website if you haven't already)

And here he is top down.

one improved on the pattern in the book - yes that book - HTCCTW.  No don't ask me how.

One did not WIN the Diagram Oddest Book Title of the Year Award.   One came second - worth only a little mention here somewhere lost in a post - not worth a post all of its own.

Oh and here is One's Red Cardie.

Very 60s don't you think?

It is the Stella pattern by Jenn Jarvis made from Cascade 220 to be found on Ravelry.  Too lazy for a link. Pop over and find it yourself!


Might even make it again.

Yes yes that is a penis gourd hanging there on the mirror.  The Bloke's penis gourd - along with his other manly thing - his Aussie Rules scarf.

Shortlisted!

One has been SHORTLISTED for an AWARD!

Yes One has!

The (UK) Bookseller 

Diagram Oddest Book Title of the Year Award

And the 6 finalists are...

Was Hitler Ill? by Hans-Joachim Neumann and Henrick Eberle

Lofts of North America: Pigeon Lofts by Jerry Gagne

God's Doddle: The Life and Times of the Penis by Tom Hickman

Goblinproofing One's Chicken Coop by Reginald Bakeley

How Tea Cosies Changed the World by Loani Prior

How to Sharpen Pencils by David Rees

and YOU get to VOTE

HERE

A shortlist!!!!!

Who'd a thunk!

One is now suffering a sort of Tourette's syndrome ...

spasmodically breaking out in riotous giggles for no apparent reason.

and you can read about it in the

UK Telegraph

The Same but Different

 Now DON'T get excited!

No there is NOT another tea cosy book!

But there is a UK edition of How Tea Cosies Changed the World.

The BookPeople have published How Tea Cosies Changed the World under a different cover and title.

How about that.

Neat.

One is pretty sure that Betty the Burlesque Dancer is pretty chuffed about it too.

One gets another little edition to add to One's collection of editions.

Not Forgotten

Trumpet Flower 

Free pattern

One has been very neglectful of One's blog lately.

One has gone over to the other side (facebook) but One has not forgotten.

The fabric at the back is garter stitch with needle and thread weaving.  Makes it look like a sumptuous tweed fabric no?!

The Numbers Game

Very Important Numbers

20  There are twenty new petite objets d'art pour les tea cosies to make.  For a proper exhibition in a gallery (or eight) with plinths and down lighting and didactics etc.

74  There are seventy four voice recordings to transcribe for said exhibitions - tea cosy guardian stories gathered from six towns across three states during 2012.

1  There is one book to propose to a  publisher.

4  That would be book number four.  Perhaps we are heading to the Golden Hands Encyclopedia of Tea Cosies after all.

6  There are six Craft and Quilt Fairs in six cities around Australia and NZ to prepare for. 

2  There are two April 'at home' workshops to look forward to.



AND SO WHAT HAS ONE BEEN DOING?

One has been making scarves!  Well, ONE scarf.  Sunita's Double Knit New Yorker with Woven Windows.

6    OK .... so there ARE tea cosies on the boil .....six cosies done and dusted and patterned! 

14   Fourteen to go.  



0   None, zero, zilch can be shown here.  Not for ages.  Zeeez eeez particularly difficult for One who secretly thrives on tea cosy love.

OK, so not so secretly.

In tact

Due to very bad behaviour on New Year's Eve in 1978 and ALSO in 1979.....

...One has gone to (One's own) bed - sober - well before midnight on the 31st December every year since. But not before watching the Edinburgh Military Tattoo.

Happy New Year.  See you safe and sound and with decorum in tact in the morning.

 

Things One Learnt this Christmas

And it ain't even Christmas yet.

• One ought to check the age of the glucose syrup for fungus before One starts cooking
• Plastic spatulas melt in boiling toffee
• If the recipe says 'baking tray', One ought to use a baking tray and not a square cake tin 
• Third time really is lucky

Things One still has to find out

• If thick praline can be sharded as well as thin praline.

 Things One knows for sure.

• The sponge cake for the trifle is DELICIOUS (if a little blurry) (No One has not yet begun tippling, yet.)

Eat.  Drink.  Be merry.  Stay safe and don't forget the Queens Speech.

WIld Man Braves Stick Insect in Noosa

Ctenomorpha chronus.  The stick insect that is.  On our verandah yesterday.  With the Wildus Blokeyai.

Back to Basics

 One is loike a pig in the proverbial at the moment...

designing
designing
designing

making making making

dreaming dreaming dreaming

One cannot show you the knitted contraption that will make this tea cosy WILD, so One made a large pompom for a little showing off.

Noice all on its own.

Indooroopillly Libary Talk

One will be chatting and showing and telling NEW tea cosy designs at the ...

Indooroopilly Library,
Indooroopilly Shopping Centre
Indooroopilly

Indooroopilly
Wooloomooloo
Goondiwindi
Oodnadatta
Cunamulla

Woy Woy
Kurri Kurri

Errrr where was I.

Oh yeah.
Indoorooopilly Library.

Next Week
Thursday 22nd November.
6.30 - 7.30
at Indooroopilly Library
BRISBANE

There's FOOD!  And tea and coffee.

BOOKINGS
Important to reserve a place
Phone the library (07) 3403 8888