More about tea and cakes ...

A week ago, I mentioned a post from the lovely Pious Sodality of Church Ladies and the tea/barbeque their parish holds for young people. Here is a link to a further post about this program, including a link to the Archdiocese of St. Paul/Minneapolis brochure about this youth program.  If done properly, this program looks fabulous for our Catholic youth.

Hmmm .... looks like I'm going to have to look into this further .....

Domesticity: it's just getting cozier and cozier around here ...

Maybe it's the weather (rainy and low 50s) or maybe it's my new attempt at being more domestic, but I got up this morning and made:

Sourdough Raisin-Pecan Drop Biscuits!

I had these ready by 7:00 a.m., along with a nice cozy hot pot of blueberry tea, to tempt the kids up.  It's 7:43 and I've only got String Bean up.  Hmmm .... maybe I should blow the aromas into the boys' room?

Have a fabulous day!

Domesticity: we get cozy around here

The ambient temperature around here has been chilly in the mornings and evenings (we're talking damp and in the mid-30s/40s).  My kids don't like to get up on even the prettiest days, so when it's cold, they really don't want to get up.  Since my kids a little older now, we've decided to do something a bit different ... hot tea with breakfast!

I ordered this wonderful 8-cup BrownBetty teapot (from England, not made in China) and then proceeded to make a cozy and trivet to keep the tea warm while the kids drink it during the morning school hours.  This also looks so nice on the dinner table in the evenings for those who like a warming cup with dinner.

The trivet is an 8x8 piece of particle-board that I sanded smooth to avoid snagging the knitted "purse".  I also cut legs off an old pair of nylons and slipped the panty-part over the wood to make doubly-sure the wood wouldn't snag the knitting. 

With the teapot's cozy and trivet, I can make a pot at 7a.m., when I go to roust them out of bed, and the pot is still warm by 10 a.m., when they're finishing the last drop. 

The cozy is made with Lion Brand Wool (the red is doubled, while the winter-white is held singly and stranded across the back, giving a third layer of yarn in the garter stripes).  The trivet, is the same red yarn, but held singly, and comes off the 8x8 board for cleaning purposes (note the button to close the trivet cover -- you don't need it, but I thought it was cute.  The cozy and trivet both have a knitted on loop for hanging to dry when I hand-wash the items.

Cool, huh?

If you'd like a free copy of the cozy/trivet knitting pattern, please leave a comment with your email-addy and I'll email you a pdf of the pattern.  It's fun to knit and fits the Brown Betty beautifully!