Sometimes it’s all about getting Cosy

Teapot Cosy, that is!

Tea cosy for Aoife in violet and green

Earlier this month, while the ladies and I were out to lunch, “A” mentioned that she wanted to buy a teapot cosy – but that “J” talked her out of the purchase because it was too expensive – something like 30 Euros! In the process of the discussion, I said you know, for that, I could make you one – just give me the yarn. After some further discussion, a couple days later, I went and checked out patterns – and emailed a few to “A”. We both agreed on this one:

because it was fairly simple – but yet looked quite complex. I’ve never made a tea cosy before (in the USA we generally don’t have teapots quite like they do here in Ireland / UK where its actually a part of the culture) but I think it turned out quite fine – especially with my added touch of the flower. I made it out of scrap yarn that I had – a beautiful dark violet and pale green. What do you think? I’m thinking it looks a bit “basket” ish in these colors.

Tea cosy

On a side note – this pattern had two new stitches for me – the Spike Double Crochet (pictured below) and the reverse single crochet (which blew my mind until I looked it up on youtube!). I always like it when I can add new stitches to the ones I already know.

Tea cosy stitches close up

Otherwise, Just wanted to send a shout out to “H” who let me borrow her teapot for the model & size testing since I don’t have one.

Oh – and one more thing – In the US, we spell it COZY, but being that this is for an Irish teapot – it’s the British spelling all the way – COSY!

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Happy New Year 2012

This year, rather than go into the Dublin City center to have some crazy party and trouble getting back out, I went over to Paddy’s flat for the New Year’s Eve celebrations. It was a grand party, with plenty of people, a bit of foosball, and one interesting tradition that I was familiar with from living in Germany – the fortune telling by melting lead over a candle. I have been wanting to explain this – and it’s slightly amusing that I had to come to Dublin – to see a German tradition in action.

The spoon and lead

Basically, what happens is that you buy this package of lead that is in various “lucky” shapes. These are things like coins, pigs, mushrooms, etc. (I’m not sure why some are lucky – but each culture has their own connections). You take the spoon and hold it lightly over a candle and get the lead warm until it melts…

Melty Melty little lead

Once the lead is melted, you quickly pour it into a bowl of ice water (you can see the ice water in the bottom here)

New Year 2012

The lead quickly hardens – and then you pluck it out.. and try to determine what shape your lead piece has taken –

Is it a flower?

Is it a butterfly?
That's a lump of lead!

Is it a blob or a thumb’s up?
Rock on!

Once you kind of determine what shape it is – you look on the back of the package and get your “fortune” for the next year –

Fortunes on the box

some of which are quite amusing – even if you have to translate from German.

About the time this was complete, it was time to pop our head out the door for the New Year’s count down, and midnight kisses all around. Welcome to 2012 – the end year of the Mayan Calendar. Here’s hoping it’s a great one!

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Jedward Candy Bar

Things that make you go humm.

Folks, Jedward has come out with a candy bar. It just makes me want to cry, because it’s so painfully pop culture, punny, laughable and sad all at the same time. Someone else bought it for me as a gift, and my first thought was that I *Had* to blog about it and post pictures, because this is something that is lost in translation (and I’m sure didn’t make it across the pond). So here they are.

Jeward candy bar 4 (Jedward Twin Bars - Popping Chocolate Bars)
Jedward candy bar – twin “popping” chocolate bars

Jedward "popping" candy bar 3 (Full on, Crazy, Jeadly!)
(yes, it says that it’s FULL ON, Crazy, JEADLY)

Jeward "poppin" candy bar 2 (want to Meet Jedward?)
Want to Meet Jedward? Get the golden ticket! (Thank Goodness I didn’t get the ticket.)

For those of you who don’t know who Jedward is, let me explain (although I’m not sure there is any explanation for these two). They were twin contestants on “x factor”, which is basically the “American Idol” for Britain and Ireland. They’re 17 year old blonde teenagers who, for lack of a better word, are stupid – and famous for it. They can’t really sing, and they (like Bieber fever) are everywhere here in Ireland and one doesn’t really know why. You can’t get them gone. They’re on TV (doing ads for a local cell phone company), starring in Celeb Big Brother House, and earlier this year – were Ireland’s entry for the Eurovision song contest (please don’t get me started on the contest).

They’re voted one of the year 2011’s most annoying…

and deservedly so.

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