My tea is cosy
I’m not sure how we found the pattern. I think I was looking for strawberry images to use to make a Christmas tree ornament for Berry. Yes, we’re like that. We found some faux-Robeez in Target with strawberries on them and we were delighted to buy them for her. We’re going to do it until she’s old enough to protest.
Anyway. So I was looking for strawberry clip art/line drawings. And I found a pattern for a strawberry tea cosy. I had to have it. But I don’t knit.
Fortunately, I’m related to one of the world’s most fantastic knitters. (Ah, flattery, flattery. It works on my Mum.)
I got this in the mail today. It deserves the humongo-sized photo treatment.
Just looking at it makes me happy.
Kevin gave me the awesome tea pot for Christmas. It’s a Made in England traditional Brown Betty. And it holds 8 cups of tea. I drink a pot every day.
Now my tea is cozy.
And we’re not alone in wanting to cover Berry with fruits. In the card Mum sent with the tea cozy she wrote, “P.S. What do you think about making one as a rather cute winter hat for Berry?”
Obession #54: Crocheting
I was supposed to go to bed early yesterday. I didn’t. I stayed up way too late, instead.
Why?
My new obsession. Duncan’s babette blanket.
I don’t know how I came across a web site about it. But I did. And it stole my sanity. I can’t tell you how many hours I’ve spent (often at 3 a.m., rocking Berry) thinking about the next square I’m going to make or what color combinations I like best together.
It started out as 20 balls of yarn, purchased with some “frivolous” birthday money while vacationing in Florida at my mum’s.
Since then, it’s been slowly growing into squares of lovely, intricate, fine cotton crochet. I’m honestly surprised that I can make something this pretty.
Duncan loves it and asks about his “blanket squares” often. I try to keep him out of my crochet bag, but he’s figured out how to work the zippers.
This is where I was a few days ago. I know, I have many months to go. My goal is to finish it by Duncan’s birthday in July. I’ve actually created a few more squares since then.
What kept me up late last night was drawing a diagram for putting the finished squares together. Finally, between last night and nap time today, I have a finished drawing. I know exactly how many of each size squares I need to make. And I know approximately how big the whole thing will be. Big. Maybe not big enough. But big.
I also know I have…oh, a lot of squares left to go.
Here are the stats:
I’m using DMC Senso cotton yarn and a size D 3.25 mm crochet hook. I’m making squares with 4, 6, 8 and 12 rounds. The finished size for each square is (or should be) as follows:
4 rounds – 3″
6 rounds – 4.5″
8 rounds – 6″
12 rounds – 9″
Actual sizes vary. For the 4 and 6 round squares, I’ll be using a 3 mm hook. Otherwise they don’t match up with their multiple equivalent (e.g. 3 4-rounds don’t equal 1 12-round square).
For the complete babette blanket, I’ll need a total of (good God!) 128 squares in each of these sizes:
4 rounds – 44
6 rounds – 60
8 rounds – 16
12 rounds – 8
I think I’ve made about 17 squares so far…
I’d get back to it right now, but I’ve decided to make Duncan a “June dress” tonight as he keeps begging us to put his blanky/a purple pillowcase/a kitchen towel/whatever around his waist so he can pretend to be June from Little Einsteins.
I’ll get back to it shortly, though, no worries there. At least it’s a healthier obsession than, say, eating tubs of ice cream. It is an obsession, though. I’ve gone so far as to join the Flickr babette group. But crocheting keeps my hands busy and relaxes my mind. Both good things.