Tea and Knitting

There are many combinations of things in this world that just pair beautifully together. Chocolate and espresso, beer and pretzels, and cheese and wine are just a few food pairings that I am fond of. (The food list could be very long, so let's move on to color) Navy and white, pink and brown, and gray and cream can all be pleasing to the eye.  But my favorite combo, a truly perfect match made in heaven, is knitting and tea.

This isn't a new concept by any means... it's probably as old as tea... or knitting... which ever you like.
And at some point down the line, the two collided. Here is what they produced: the tea cozy.

Ribbed and Ruffled Tea Cozy

Sheep Carousel

XxX Anniversary Tea Cozy 

Tea Pot and Mug Cozy

There is such an abundant variety in styling for tea cozies today. Color, shape, stitch pattern, yarn choice, the list goes on and on. But here's the thing, in the USA, do knitters use tea pots and tea cozies? We are primarily coffee drinkers. And coffee drinkers (as well as tea drinkers) do like their mugs, so the cozy relocated from the pot to the cup. What a glorious array of mug cozies are  available on Ravelry! I am partial to the cabled ones, but look at some of the neat little huggers out there.

Leaf Cup Cuddler

Mug Hugger

Pick a Pocket Cozy

Steek This Coffee Cozy

Braided Mug Cozy

And for all of you French Press users? Knitters did not forget about you either!

French Press Foulard

French Press Cozy

French Press Cozy

This year I plan to finally make a tea cozy for my Spode tea pot (a wedding gift from my lovely English relatives nearly 8 years ago), which I find myself pulling out of the china cabinet more often lately. In addition, I have queued up a few mug cozies to make for me! I made many many many over the years to give away for Christmas and birthday presents. I think it is about time that I keep one at home.

And you? What will it be... tea or coffee?

Home, Sweet Home

Gee, it's been a while hasn't it? Well, at least I've had a great big distracting reason!

One month ago today, my husband and I purchased our first house. To my fellow homeowners (or home renters) then you know how all of those little projects around the house add up and take over all of your time. Throw in tons of unpacking, taking care of 2 wee ones, knitting up samples, writing patterns and who knows what else... well, let's just say my plate has been quite full the past two months.

I have a few more things I need to wrap up in the next week or so. Once I get all of that done, I will come back to the blog with full force sharing pictures, projects, patterns and more.

In the meantime, say hello to my new home. We love it! And bonus, a cute kiddie park is only 3 blocks away!!

Double Giveaway

I have decided to give away Tweet-Tweet to two lucky readers. One left a comment, Amy, and the other, Lee, sent me a message via Ravelry.  I will contact you both tonight to get you the pattern.

Happy knitting!!

Checking In...

Today is the last day that you can put yourself in the running for receiving my newest pattern, Tweet-Tweet. I do believe that there might be lots of very busy or very sleepy readers out there (like me). If you are having trouble posting a comment - then please send me a message via Ravelry  (at Mooch) to let me know and I will add your name to the list.

Life has been extremely hectic around my household this past month. I had a birthday, over which I was very sick. I also released two new patterns. And yesterday was my baby's 1st birthday and his party. I can hardly believe he is one already! Where has this year gone?

The next month will prove to be even crazier than the last. We have another family birthday, a big family event, Easter and we are moving! Yep, my husband and I have finally bought our first house. Plus, I have some big knitting-related deadlines to work on (sorry, can't share the fun news about that for a while). Oh, and did I mention I have a cold... again? Ugh. So needless to say, you may not hear from me too much for the next month. But don't worry, I'm out there... cleaning, wrapping, Easter-egg-hiding, packing, unpacking, knitting, writing and coughing.

I will leave you with a few pictures of my super adorable now-one-year-old baby boy where the absolute latest pattern I just released this week. Check back again this week to find out more about the pattern, Baa-Baa, for a chance to win a free copy.

Tweet-Tweet

The birds are out and about chirping quite happily in my neighborhood these days. I have to say that I am glad to hear them. As much as I love winter, I love spring even more. The reality is, however, that spring is still pretty cold here. (Well, technically it is still winter, but that fickle Mr. Groundhog predicted otherwise.)

So to help shoo winter away, welcome spring with open arms, but stay warm... I give you Tweet-Tweet.

This sweet cap features a plump little robin, single rib brim, and a cheerful pom-pom. It is knit flat to accommodate for the intarsia motif. The robin's beak, eye and legs are embroidered on the knitted fabric, which adds a little three-dimensional effect to the bird. The hat was knit using Quince & Co.'s worsted weight yarn, Lark.

My nearly-4-year-old daughter, Emma, is the cutie. She loves all things pink. So she was very happy to model for the pictures and a receive a new cap too.

You can purchase my new Tweet-Tweet pattern on Ravelry and/or Etsy...

But! This week I am going to give away one pattern to a reader. So leave a comment at the bottom of this post by Sunday, March 10, and I will select one comment using the online random number generator to be the recipient of this new pattern.

Happy knitting!

Kni Lit

When you aren't busy with work, family, cleaning or (hopefully) crafting... what can you be found doing?

On the rare occasion, I can be spotted curled up in bed with a good book. I enjoy many genres of literature, but my favorite is Knit Lit. Not sure if that is a real term, but if it isn't, it should be.

Knit Lit is (are you ready for this?) fictional literature with a story centered around knitting. Ta da! I know, it is a very original title. Perhaps the protagonist owns a knitting shop or seeks out knitting for comfort or maybe a murder victim is found with knitting needles in her hand at the crime scene. Get it?

Below is a rough list of the many Knit Lit novels available. I have not read all of them, so I will not be reviewing all of them. However, I have read several. So over the next few months in between posts about current projects and publications, I plan to share reviews on a few of these novels. Some are very very good and are definitely worth picking up at your local bookstore or library.


Mystery:
Knit One, Kill Two by Maggie Sefton (also in her Kelly Flynn series: Needled to Death, A Deadly Yarn, A Killer Stitch, Dyer Consequences, Fleece Navidad, Dropped Dead Stitch, Skein of the Crime, Double Knit Murders, Unraveled, Cast On, Kill Off)
Death by Cashmere by Sally Goldenbaum (also in her Seaside Knitters Mysteries series: Patterns in the Sand, Moon Spinners, A Holiday Yarn, A Fatal Fleece. The Wedding Shawl)
While My Pretty One Knits by Anne Canadeo ( also in her Black Sheep Knitting series: Knit Purl Die,  A Stitch Before Dying, Til Death Do Us Purl, The Silence of the Llamas


Heavier Fiction:
The Knitting Circle by Ann Hood
The Friday Night Knitting Club by Kate Jacobs (also in this series: Knit Two, Knit the Season)
Casting Off by Nicole R. Dickson
Knitting by Anne Bartlett


Lighter Fiction:
The Beach Street Knitting Society and Yarn Club by Gil NcNeil (also in the Beach Street series: Needles and Pearls, Knit One Pearl One)
Spinning Forward by Terri Dulong (also in the Cedar Key series: Casting About, Sunrise on Cedar Key, Postcards from Cedar Key)


In the meantime, happy reading!

Pattern Preview

Two new patterns of mine will be released in the next week. Here is a little photo preview...

 

More to come... so stay tuned!