Wednesday, October 21, 2009

How I came to love tea and their cosies


You can never have enough cosies
Originally uploaded by sukigirl74

I was first introduced to tea time
and all it's grand traditions
through the English side of my family.
Every summer our family and
my aunt's family would visit my
Great Aunt for two weeks at her
place by the beach.
Twice a day we were summoned
to tea time by the ringing
of an outside bell.

The grownups including my grandmother
would carry the trays of teapots,
teacups and slices of cake.
We children would carry the
trays of cheese and crackers
and pop since we weren't
old enough for tea.

During the rest of the year
we often didn't get to see our relatives
because we were scattered across the country
so these times were very special to us.

The teapots at these gatherings were
covered in knitted, well worn cosies.
They looked like hats that
our mothers
had popped on them,
and unlike us, they accepted
their adornments without struggling.

Years later I visited England,
and saw all the beautiful cosies there...
it brought me back to those wonderful days.
I bought my first teacosy (made of cloth)
and since then have made a point
to indulge in teatime at least once a day.


Related post: My first knitted cosy



8 comments:

martha brown said...

I asked for a new tea cozy for my birthday... we'll see if anyone ever listens to me :) Yours are so pretty!

Mette (Mettuska) said...

What a nice tradition! I don´t have any tea cosies but they look really cute! You asked how many sock I have knit. Well, I knit my first pair maybe three years ago. I haven´t counted but perhaps about 40 pairs :) Socks are so easy to start and carry with you but now I´d really want to make somthing bigger.

sukigirl said...

Thanks Martha and Mette!

Mette, 40 pairs! That's amazing!
I think I'll try socks one more time, this time on circs. That way I have a better chance at making 2 the same size :0)

Unknown said...

I really love tea cosies too :-) they are so reminiscent of yesteryear. Your pitures and passion have inspired me to come up with a new pattern. I'm feeling a bit yarn deprived so it will take a couple of weeks but I'll let you know.
Have a great Day :-)

sukigirl said...

Aileen, I'm glad to hear my cosies have inspired you.
I think people either 'get' cosies or don't so it's always nice to see another affectionado!
Please let me know when you do make your pattern, I'd love to see it!!
hugs suki

Anonymous said...

What a neat childhood memory. I would love to experience a real English tea. Love your collection of tea cozies. There is something so attractive & comforting about teapots and cozies, I don't know why.

I'm working on crocheting the Rosy tea cosy (like you middle right one). Started it last year, got confused, put it away; now I've figured it out and am getting close to finishing. Finally! Yay!

sukigirl said...

Thanks Dawn, I agree that there is something so soothing about tea and cosies (perfect name for them).
What's that expression....
'Nothing can't be solved by a cup of tea.'

I love that Rosy posy pattern. I made mine in acrylic and it still looks so nice. But I would love to make it again in soft greens in a nice wool.
Let me know when you have finished yours :0)

TheAwakenedSoul said...

Oh, your tea cosies are so pretty! I love the pleated one. I'm making one myself right now. They are so much fun to knit! They look like little sweaters. Thanks for sharing.

Crochet Max from the Wild Things

 Who doesn't love Max!! I'm really happy with this cute little guy Pattern by Carla Mitrani  You can find her on Ravelry  Max Patter...