Two More tea Cosies for Towneley Hall

I have finally finished two more tea cosies for the Towneley Hall Burnley project. If you click on my blog title it will take you to Artyarn blog page and that will show you more photos of the tea cosies already made by different people and keep you up to date on what is going on next.

The first tea cosy was inspired by Spring and the sighting of the odd butterfly here and there when the sun comes out. My butterfly is meant to be a red admiral but I know that it's markings and colourings aren't right, so those of you interested in butterflies please accept my apologies. Call it artistic licence. I decided to embroider the stems as I am not much good at making crochet chain go quite where I want it to go. The flowers are just simple 5 petal flowers and I decided to stick with one colour rather than do a variety as in nature a stalk usually has the same coloured flowers in it. I was intending to make a bee instead of a butterfly but after three failed attempts I decided a butterfly was easier.

The second tea cosy was just an experiment. I made a mesh tea cosy and intended the thread ribbons through the spaces but they kept doubling up and folding over so I changed it to lengths of wool instead. I sewed all the ends in at the bottom edge but got so bored with all of the tails that I decided to tie the strands together at the top and give it a sort of top knot. I would like to try the ribbon threading technique on another project but I would have to make larger holes in the mesh or go out and buy some finer ribbons. Somewhere in my pattern stash I have a cushion that is made from threading 1" satin ribbon in and out of a mesh crochet and over itself in a criss cross to make a woven appearance. It is a very pretty technique. One of those things that you mean to make one day and of course never do so put the pattern away somewhere.

The day is somewhat dull but hot and muggy. I have chanced the washing on the line as it is bedding and it seems to be drying fast. I am keeping my eye out for the rain, My gardener lady is coming today and somehow she always manages to bring the rain with her. She mows the lawn and gives the weeds a pull once a fortnight.

Once she has gone I must try to go to the supermarket as I am out of food basics. I thought of ordering online but I might be out of the house on Tuesday and Wednesday so didn't know when to say I was in for delivery. That's the only problem with online ordering they don't always have time slots when you want them,

I am hoping to make another tea cosy and then it will be back to normal crochet after that.