Wednesday, March 26, 2014

This and That. Ends with Cuteness.


As tired as I am of the cold weather and winter (which is still here, regardless of it being a lot sunnier overall than last month at this time), I do love that I can still really enjoy a hot cup of tea for the moment, inside and out, as I use it to warm my hands up as well as my insides. I'm most definitely not a 'hot drink' drinker once the weather turns and ice tea isn't quite the same so time is running out for this little pleasure. :)

I took inventory of my loose/bag teas in January (written down on paper no less!) and, well, that was sobering. *ahem* I swore I was going to stop buying any for a long while............and OF COURSE  I didn't stick to that, but I really have been a more judicious in my purchases since then. Except I've recently fallen down a bit on that though as I've discovered the new-to-me Harney & Sons tea line. Oh my! Such nice teas! And they come in these brilliant little tins that I have no idea what to do with but, gosh, they are pretty. These are my three latest (all fairly 'fruity' ones) but my favorite so far is the Hot Cinnamon Spice which tastes like a robust black tea with a Hot Tamale candy melted in it. If you like that kind of biting cinnamon taste, it's dead on.

Finished stitching the last of the three stockings in this L*K pattern book and finished them off with a bit of flossing cording which, I have to say, I really have no love for stitching on. It takes so much time if you want to do it neatly and hide your stitches. So.....much.....time......

My favorite of the three is the 'Noel' one. I like the holly border/beads at the top. Second fave though is the sampler one.

My finishing, as always, is fraught with one mishap or other - as you can see I, uhhhhhh, sewed one inside out on the back. Whoops? I had some thoughts as to patiently ripping it out and redoing it..........and then those thoughts vanished into the wind because I plain ole don't care enough about it. lol

Until flowers and pretty things start popping up outside, I'm going to have to fill in the color gaps in my life with brightly colored yarn, I think. It's only fair, right? The one in the back (Poste Yarn from Simply Socks Co.) might be a tad too neon even for me. (There is no such thing, of course, but I'm trying to picture that as socks and it makes me laugh EVERY TIME.)

Well, there. I broke the streak of posting only once a month. *bows* I'll finish this off with a couple new pictures of the 'kittens' because they haven't been around the blog in a long while. 

 (You can't comb out the curlies. You can but they are right there again an hour later. It's like the worst magic trick ever.) 

(Livvy and her 'chinny chin' aka goat's beard.)

Kittens. Ha! At almost nine months, they aren't kittens but definitely not adults either. What they are is HUGE. And PUFFY. With fur. Oh_so_much_fur! Does that LOOK like a belly that is combed out every other day? ARGH. The bald spots are from where I've had to cut knots out. You just blink a few times a knot forms on these guys. I really hope their fur 'settles down' and gets less sticky as they get older otherwise they are going to be SHAVED BALD for the summer! lol

15 comments:

Anonymous said...

I had some of that Blueberry Green Tea the other day. I really liked it, especially the fragrance while it was brewing!

I found myself in the tea aisle at Fresh Market today. There were oh so many temptations, but I came home with no tea. My cabinet is fairly full.

Love the first kitty picture. It's like he is saying, "you don't LIKE my curlies????" Such a handsome boy.

Beth said...

My goodness - you are practically British with your love and appreciation of tea! Hey, I think your neon yarn would be perfect for springy / Eastery socks! Your little L*K stockings are darling - your finishes are always fab (inside out or not)! Thanks much for the kitty photos they look sweet beyond belief and as though they might be non-stop trouble as well!

Margaret said...

Wow, the kittens are so pretty! The fur -- wow! Mia hates being combed or brushed. lol! Love love love your LK stockings!!! So so cute! Love that yarn too. Yum! And tea? Well, I'll take the tins. :D

Sweet Sue said...

Darling stockings, I'm like you - have to be in the mood for the fussy cording. Cute puff balls:) You might try Pinterest for neat ideas for re-purposing tea tins, never know what ya might find there:)

Sarah Beth said...

Wonder if there is a cat conditioner..leave in of course that will keep the knots from forming. These guys must have lots of trouble with furballs

Vickie said...

Sweet, little stockings. No one will look at the back anyhow. ;)
Wow! And I thought the poodles were high maintenance.

Anne said...

What a delightful post full of things I love!! Those teas look yummy and the tins will always come in handy...great haberdashery storage in my opinion! I adore the little stockings you made and I can't tell that the fabric is inside out...just thought it was part of the look. You "kitten"s are huge, like Titus! Full of fluff everywhere...we eat it all the time..Yum!

Annie said...

Tea would sound good right about now. Getting warmer, but still a wicked wind out there.

Your stocking finishes are adorable. I love the center one best. Sewing the cording on is definitely a drag, but it does look really nice. And the back side of the fabric was an intentional design element, right?

You must have cat hair everywhere. They are the furriest cats in town I bet! They look very huggable.

Maggie said...

Don't get me started on tea, i have a cupboard full, love it :-)

I love, love, love the LK stockings so cute, but not as cute as those kitties! they are beautiful (and they know it of course, lol)
My Molly is long haired and yes we have had to cut knots out too, last time i got DH's head shaver on her, did the trick, but don't tell DH :-)

Jackie's Stitches said...

I'm not a tea drinker but those tins are gorgeous!

Your kitties are just precious! I can't imagine how much time combing them takes.

Hope to see some neon socks soon!

Carol said...

Cuteness, indeed (and not just at the end of your post!). The kitties are so big--can't believe how fluffy they are. Did you know they would be that furry when you got them, Melanie? Wow--lots of upkeep on those babies :)

And those stockings are wonderful--beautifully stitched and finished. I would never have noticed the backing inside out if you hadn't pointed it out. I've done the same thing on a Halloween ornament, too, and just left it :)

I often wish I was a tea drinker, but I don't drink anything hot--even coffee. People always ask how I get started in the morning. The honest answer is chocolate :)

Hope it's warming up up your way!

Delusional Knitter said...

That stocking looks just fine, unless you said it, I just thought it was a different fabric. Those kittens are BEAUTIFUL!! What lovely faces!

geeky Heather said...

I LOVE LOVE LOVE Hot Cinnamon Spice. I love it so much I had to order the green tea version because the hubby is kinda meh about it, and I really shouldn't drink an entire pot of black tea by myself. Often. Or always. I adore those stockings! I think my favorite is your third favorite, LOL!! Sweet kitties...if only I hadn't developed this silly allergy to you!

Kellie from Indiana said...

Your finishes are still so pretty! Im the same way if I make a mistake. Sometimes after a couple days Ill get the ripper out. I am usually glad I did. The kitties are just gorgeous. My dog's fur is the same way. Its a long coat and matts easily. But theres so much hair I can cut knots and it is not noticeable. Glad to see you posted twice this month, thanks for sharing!

Julie said...

Awwww kitty pics always lovely to see, they are so adorable, remind me so much of my angel kitty Mr Moe, he too was a knotty one, and sorry to say it never got any better.
Super wool, nice colour and such pretty stocking finishes too.

I know a lady who uses a tin like your tea tin and makes a hole in the lid and puts her ball of wool into it and threads the end through so she can knit, her kitten likes to unravel wool and this way it seems to leave it alone a lot better.