Coronation Tea Cosy

Just in time for the King's Coronation I knitted a tea cosy in patriotic colours - red, white and blue.

That should keep the teapot warm while I'm watching the Coronation on TV in a couple of weeks.  Isn't time flying by!

I've also got this Union Flag cross stitch which I made ages ago.  I love it!  You can read more about it on a previous blog post here.

Perhaps French Fancies weren't the best choice of cake!

Love, Liz

Tiny knitted Christmas stockings

I have had a great time knitting these cute little Christmas Stockings.

I got the pattern from Jean Greenhow's Christmas Special book - full of lovely little Christmas knits!  Check out the link to see some of the other patterns in the book.

I call this guy my drunk Santa - he won't sit up properly - no matter where I put him!!!!!

Each of these stockings only took about an hour and a half to stitch and are just about four inches high.  I tried to make each one different from all the others.  I'm hopefully going to make them into a little garland for across my mantlepiece.

I've had this pattern book for years, but I think that it is still available to purchase.

Love, Liz

Knit your man some pants!

Yes, you really could ... if you wanted to!  That is according to this wonderful vintage knitting and crochet magazine "Woolly Comforts".  I think it dates from the early 1930s and was an offshoot of Weldon's Practical Needlework magazine.

Don't they look very scratchy? 
If these knitted pants don't appeal, then how about knitting the man in your life some golf gloves!  Just the thing to impress his golfing buddies.

While the knitted garments might not appeal, there are some very glamorous models.

Even the advertisements are lovely.

My favourite picture of all is the cover girl!  She looks as if she might just be wearing knitted pants!

Love, Liz

A tumble of tea cosies

I don't know what the collective noun for tea cosies is, but tumble seemed appropriate in this case!

I emptied out my work bag to see what else was needing to be completed from last year and all of these tea cosy pieces fell out!  I can't believe I put them away without sewing them up.  (Actually I hate sewing up the bits and pieces I've knitted or crocheted.)

So, that will be my job for the rest of the afternoon - putting these blinking things together!  I can't believe that there are even a couple of pom poms in there.

The completed grey and pink tea cosy is one I knit last week while staying at my Son's flat in Glasgow.  It just needs a pom pom and it is complete, at least it is sewn up.

Ah well, once they are done I can start a new project.
Love, Liz

They took me a year!

At last some completed knitting projects!  Both, I'm ashamed to say, were started in January 2018 and both were just finished yesterday - a whole year later!

First my pink, grey and black scarf which I started last January to go with a lovely pink winter jacket which had been my Christmas present.  I had hardly done any of it before I abandoned it to the work bag.  However, taking it up again started my renewed pleasure in knitting and I'm glad I got around to finishing it.

The second abandoned project which I found in my knitting bag was half a tea cosy!  Lots of shades of green to used to make this.  Didn't take long to complete the other half.  Have you spotted that it does not yet have a pom-pom?  I've misplaced my pom-pom maker, so may have to go back to the old fashioned way of making pom-poms - two circles cut out of cardboard - remember doing that?

It is very satisfying to complete projects, especially when they have been waiting around for ages to be finished.  Have you got any unfinished work that has been languishing for a while?

Love, Liz

The comfort of knitting

I'd forgotten just how comforting and relaxing knitting could be.

I started this scarf in January - then put it away unfinished.  Yesterday I looked it out, surprised at how little I had accomplished before I gave up.  I haven't done any knitting since then.  But that has changed!  Sitting this morning in the quiet - just knitting, it occurred to me how peaceful and relaxed I felt. 

My worries, thoughts, dreams, anxieties were all being knit into this scarf, leaving me somehow comforted and feeling much more relaxed.  I had forgotten the peace that comes with creating.  The scarf is far from perfect - just like my life.  But both are works in progress! 

Liz

Guess what I'm knitting?

Can you guess what it's going to be yet?

Of course it's one of my tea cosies.  Love knitting with these colours - soft creamy beige and lovely shade of pale blue.

It will be finished by the end of the week if anyone is interested - just email me for details.

Love, Liz

A lot of tea cosies!

A lot of my knitted tea cosies to show you today - I've been busy!

I love putting different colours together and seeing how they turn out.

I especially like this yarn which has little flecks of different colours through it - just adds a little bit of  texture and interest.

Which is your favourite colour combination?

Which would go best with your kitchen?

Love, Liz

Patterns from the 50s

These vintage knitting patterns are two I inherited from my Mum.  She was always knitting.

So cute!  They probably date back to the 50s or early 60s.

I love the little knitted sailor's collar on this sweater.

This pattern has obviously been well used.  My brother or myself must have had one of these knitted jumpers.  I didn't have a shop-bought jumper till I went to secondary school!

Wish I had the patience to knit these!  Tea cosies are about all I can manage.

Love, Liz

Unusual colour combination

This hand knit tea cosy is a bit different.  I choose colours to match a lovely kitchen I saw in a magazine, although, of course, I forgot to keep the picture of the kitchen.  It is knit in lime green, white and black yarn.

The lighting in my kitchen was not very good for taking photographs today, so I'm not so pleased with the way they have turned out.

Of course this colour combination reminded me of dark chocolate mints - luckily I had some in the cupboard!

I quite enjoy knitting unusual colour combinations.  What do you think?

Love, Liz

Hot, Hot, Hot!

Unfortunately no hot weather here in Greenock!  I'm talking about this tea cosy!

I've knit it in bright orange and hot pink - what do you think?  Too garish?

I'm sure it would look great in someone's kitchen.  It is just waiting for a new home.

Hope you are getting some decent weather where you are.

Love, Liz

Back to the 70s with a tea cosy

Going back to the 70s with my latest knitted tea cosy.

 Used a mixture of browns, yellows and oranges to bring it together.  Of course I had to look out some 70s music to go with it!

Remember any of these albums?  The Carpenters - loved them.

The Islay Brothers and Leonard Cohen - quite a contrast!

If you'd like to buy this tea cosy then email me - my email address is on the right sidebar of my blog.  First come, first served!  All my hand knitted tea cosies are machine washable at 40 degrees.  Unfortunately I cannot take orders for tea cosies knit in the colours of your choice at the moment.

Sorry I've not blogged for ages - it has been a difficult month and I've not been in the mood for blogging.  Nobody died, so it's not the end of the world and one or two good things have come out of it - I've learned a lot about the nature of friendship and I've been spending a lot of time knitting!  Sometimes it is good to just take a step back and remind yourself of what really is important in this life.

Love, Liz