My internet is still down, but I just had to post this shot of some lovely sock yarn I just found. Now I’m sat petting my new purchase in a lovely little tea shop. Hmmmm there is a lot to be said for this mobile blogging on your phone.
Mara @ Fantasiamusings and ramblings on crafting and life… |
Knitting, Tea and Photography–What’s not to like?
Last weekend Maytheweed and I made a little baby road trip to Lavenham to visit Knit Cafe and play with our cameras. Naturally we headed straight for tea and knitting.
As we arrived it was difficult to decide what to concentrate on first – tea or yarn shopping! What a fabulous idea to combine a cafe and a yarn shop. They didn’t carry the worlds greatest selection but it was all lovely yarn, and the atmosphere was very friendly.
I was really tempted by some of the Manos but in the end I was seduced by some Araucania sock and Debbie Bliss dk. I’ve been a little despondent by the selections of sock yarn available recently with nothing really catching my eye – this little beauty sorted that! I’m resisting the urge to immediately cast one with it though as I need to finish the socks currently on my needles.
The Debbie Bliss cashmerino dk has been combined with some more Araucania sock yarn to make another set of fingerless mittens. I love the pair I made from the Manos yarn but it’s simply not hard wearing enough. I’ve finished the first mitten and I’m about half way through the second (I’m hoping to get them finished for next weekend) and I’ll take some shots and post them next week.
Above is the horrid socks I’m currently working. I didn’t get that yarn at the knit cafe and I’m resisting the urge to bin it in favour of some of the loveliness I got there. After our tea and yarn shopping we wandered around the town with our cameras and I’ll post up about that later as well. However, if you’re ever in the area I strongly recommend calling into the Knit Cafe for a cuppa and some cake.
Hmmm… Time for a cuppa tea
Anyone who is a regular reader will know how much I love a cup of tea. I even have different cups / mugs for different occasions. I was recently told this is a very ‘British thing’ which is fair enough. So why am I rambling on about this? Well last week while out for lunch (and many cups of tea) with a friend I spotted this in a charity shop window.
Now how could I resist?
The writing reads
Wet nose and twitching paws
Shiny tail and doggie snores
It could have been made with Jake as the model. He even sleeps on the floor in that exact position. Best of all it’s actually china. I’m so enjoying drinking my Ceylon tea out of it. Hmmm….
I like my morning routine….
I do. I know it’s silly but I have things timed down to an art. My beasties know the routine as well and it allows me to get to work in a relatively ‘sane’ frame of mind. Except…
is now in pieces because
had an ill timed jump up onto the kitchen worktop. Now I would love to be mad at Fire the cat, but I can’t as he didn’t do it deliberately. Yet I am upset. I searched through my cupboards but no suitable replacement could be found. All my other mugs and cups are for drinking tea later in the day and so just don’t do the job right.
I suppose I’d better explain that before I start to sound like some sort of freak! The shape of the cup alters the speed at which tea cools. All my other mugs are comparatively tall and narrow at the rim giving a much smaller surface area at the top when compared to the over all volume of this fabulous amber nectar. If I use any of my other mugs/cups my tea stays to hot for me to comfortably drink before I have to leave for work.
So I’ve been looking for a replacement cup with just the right proportions, but no luck. It appears that this shape is out of fashion at the moment… sob…
The closest I’ve been able to find was hidden at the back of my cupboard (a gift from someone who meant well)…
and forms one of these cup and teapot sets
(I’ll pause now to allow the screams from Maytheweed to pass me by)
So this is now my morning cuppa. And what exactly is wrong with this I hear you ask? Well you can’t tell from the photo but that cup is TINY and ahem check out the colour…… I can honestly say it’s the only thing in my cottage that is pink. If you love pink, good for you, but I just don’t. Lilac yes, blue, yes, black red green yellow, yes…. but I simply can’t get my head around pink 
Always time for tea…
There is something quintessentially English about drinking tea. It doesn’t matter where the tradition started, or where this wonderful plant is grown, as a nation we’ve made it ours. Oh coffee is popular and I have nothing against it – except I’m allergic so it makes me rather sick. There is always some at home for visitors, but for me it has to be a lovely cup of tea.
I usually have at least two varieties in the cottage so I can choose the one that best suits my mood. My favourite is Assam. Fabulous colour and a taste to dye for, especially when you’re soaked through and in need of warming up. Ceylon is delicate and easy going, perfect for a chilled out Sunday morning. Darjeeling is one I can take or leave dependant upon my mood. English Breakfast is an outstanding all rounder it’s impossible to object to. You get the idea.
All that said, how you drink tea is important as well. A plastic mug just won’t do. I know some people insist upon bone china, but given my beasties it’s rather impractical. Hence my choice is a decent ceramic mug or cup. I prefer a cup but sometimes only a mug will do as volume is important.
Enter my new breakfast tea cup and saucer. I found them in a charity shop recently and just fell in love. I love the colours and bold brush strokes. I also love the shape of the cup which will allow my tea to cool quickly so I can drink it all before I have to leave for work. The walls of the cup are thick enough to give it plenty of strength, but the over all effect isn’t chunky.
Of course it doesn’t just have to be for breakfast…… It works equally well when I get in from work. Speaking of which I do believe it’s time to put the kettle on again for another cuppa……
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