I don't drink tea, but ...

We're gearing up now for the Marie Curie day. Fliers are going out; Maureen is working on black and white bags; Caroline has made a gorgeous cupcake tea-cosy; raffle prizes are starting to arrive from our suppliers.

This year I WILL make a tea cosy. How about this?

This is a vintage pattern made up in Rico Poems yarn. The colours are much more vibrant than the photo shows.

The question is, what can I turn this into? The original had leaves and flowers on the top.

The stitch could be bells, or maybe scales.

Perhaps it's a volcano? Or a firework? If I can't decide, how can I finish it? And I've even made a lining.


Sewing up is one of the things we're often asked about at the shop - or at least, people say they are disappointed in their own attempts. We are planning a workshop on finishing techniques. I promise: if you block your work properly, it will be easier to sew up, and the result will be much more professional. Please do NOT iron your work, whatever it says on the pattern. You'll just lose the texture you've lovingly created.

If anyone wants, I can write about how to block on here.

One of the tools of finishing is the sewing-up needle. I like blunt-ended ones, and I have a range of sizes for different weights of yarn. Maureen is very pleased with the plastic needles with a turned-up end, which she uses on fashion yarns. And new in stock we have:

These are new from Clover: easy-thread needles for yarns that are bobbly or thick-and-thin, or just for those of us who are short-sighted. These are mine, but I haven't tried them yet.

The last photo doesn't do justice to the subject, but it gives you an idea of how many pieces of fudge we have for Friday. We might send some to Scotland, to Sally's husband, but otherwise it's for us - and the customers, of course.

I've had one piece, to taste, and it's delicious: lemon meringue pie fudge. If you look very carefully, you might see white streaks of meringue. Pity I can't share the flavour!