More Tea Cozies

With my manuscript in, I've taken a few days off to a) re-catch the bad cold I got right after the holidays, b) get strep throat on top of it and c) find ways to make use of my time since I'm stuck at home. To that end I've gone back to making felted tea cozies.

I know I need to diversify, but for now it's tea cozies. So what does "felt" mean? Have you ever ruined a nice wool sweater by washing or drying it? That's what felting is. You shrink it until the knit is no longer flexible. And for you guys reading, this is where it gets really hot and wild and zzzzzzzzzzzzz Guys, just go read ESPN, this will bore you.

The green, black and red plaid was from a holiday sweater that had big, obnoxious geese on the front. But who wants a goose on your cozy?

The pink plaid was a Gap wool turtleneck. The second, plain one looks kinda like a conehead. I may have to use this as a hat. But the openings on the side make it look like it's made for a Nordic horn hat like you'd see in Ride of the Valcheries.

Gals, this is the fun one. I made this red one from one of a wool knit sweater you'd find at Talbots. Tailored with a lapel and pockets. It was a beeotch to get right but I lovehow it turned out. It's for a friend whose color scheme is red and gold and who shops at Ann Taylor. Or as she said, "bebe sport isn't my bag, baby."

Now I've got to get back to writing ....

A Tea Cozy that's A Hat, a Sweater that's a Tea Cozy

When Larry and I were in New York, there was a street fair on Columbus near our apartment. I remember most street fairs as being a mix of one or two cool things, along with booths selling Verizon phones, irregular sheets and last year's Tommy Hilfiger socks.

I was drawn to a booth selling hats. And lo and behold I found a Tea Cozy that's Really a Hat. Handle, spout and all. Being the tea lover I am, I couldn't resist. it was soft, cute, and the colors perfectly matched a "cashmere" scarf I'd just bought at a booth one block down. I wore it to lunch that day, not thinking what it was like for Larry to sit next to a woman with a tea pot on her head. I got some looks. Mostly chuckles and "you go girl." But a few, 'Run Away" as well.

Well you decide.

It's fall, and the few days of cooler weather prompted me to get out my knitting. When I was working on "My Name Is Earl," the actress who plays Earl's mother showed me what she'd done with felting. Ever thrown a wool sweater into the laundry by accident, and it came back the size of a Barbie suit? Well, with felting you do it on purpose. The actress old wool sweaters at the thrift store, felted them, and then used them as fabric. She'd sewn baby booties to give to orphanages.

This was the coolest thing. Especially, I thought, since sewing a tea cozy out of felted wood would be a lot faster than knitting and felting, which I'd already done. They take HOURS.

So last weekend I sewed a tea cozy. Made from an old sweater I found at the Salvation Army and felted.

Voila. With autumn here and Christmas gifts coming, I've got work to do.

Speaking of Christmas gifts, you may have heard of the Advent Conspiracy, an organization that is trying to take the consumerism out of Christmas. Instead of blowing wads of cash on useless items, make gifts for each other (They provide a list). Then donate the money you saved to a favorite charity.

Some of you may be getting a felted tea cozy from me. Or a felted hat. Or wallet.

You've been warned.