In much the same vein as 'how much wood could a wood-cutter cut' etc, I do wonder 'how much tea can a tea-drinker drink when a tea-drinker works from home?'
These days it's Twinings Everyday Tea which I buy in boxes of 240 tea bags. It's a wonderful tea for a home-worker: full of colour and flavour, and something to look forward to on a very regular basis. I don't know how the Bloomsbury group (and that whole segment of society) managed to wait until set times to have a cup of tea - I couldn't bear to depend on someone else for my tea. It's the same with Mrs Miniver; I was quite amazed that on Christmas Day the family wakes up early and has to wait for the tea in bed to be brought to them. Make it yourself, I found myself saying. (But I also know that a lady's kitchen was often not her own.) This is why I like Dorothy Whipple's books so much - they have characters who go downstairs and put the kettle on themselves, like Jane in High Wages.
No wonder I included tea cosies in my knitting book. I got so fed up with patterns that said a cosy would fit 'an average tea pot' without giving the dimensions of an 'average tea pot', that I knitted five cosies for five different sizes of tea pot (XL, L, M, S, XS) and gave the dimensions. The smallest pot would make a very teeny tiny cup of tea more suited to a teddy bears' picnic, but the larger sizes cater for thirsty tea drinkers.
I
I took photos of my family of tea cosies on the photoshoot. The top one shows a little more of how it looked behind the scenes with all the flowers we used and a cat curled up on the settee. If I worked from this home, I think I would have all my pots and cosies out everyday so I could see them on my regular route to the kettle.
And the answer to 'how much tea can a tea-drinker drink'? I daren't say, in case either Simon or my dentist is reading.
Last time I counted it was 16 cups. It's a miracle home-workers get any work done at all.
Posted by: m | June 21, 2011 at 16:36
Must admit to a heavy 'tea habit' - to the point of having different teas for certain times of the day - Chinese Breakfast, Lemon Ginseng Green Tea followed in late afternoon by Earl Grey (multiple cups of each).
Lovely tea cosies - we are anxiously waiting for our copy of your book to arrive!
Posted by: Sheeps and Peeps Farm | June 21, 2011 at 17:03
I don't think they sell that tea over here :( It sounds nice.
Your cosies are so perky - the baby ones irresistible.
Posted by: Lisa | June 21, 2011 at 17:30
Which book can the cosy pattern be found in?
Posted by: debra peterson | June 21, 2011 at 17:33
I love these cosies, and I'm pretty sure it was their bright and cheery photos which convinced me that I needed to buy the book :) At least one of my friends/family members will be getting one of these for Christmas this year!
Posted by: Emma | June 21, 2011 at 17:39
I am interspersing my regular tea with a new discovery Redbush. It's got not caffiene and plenty of antioxidants. It's almost like real tea, just a little bit smokey.
Posted by: karen waterman | June 21, 2011 at 17:53
my tea of choice right now is http://www.celestialseasonings.com/products/chai-teas/honey-vanilla-chai-tea
my husband has resigned himself to buying 3 boxes at a time just to save extra trips to the store for more tea.
PS love your book on domesticity! It gave me such a sense of freedom to be who I am and not worry so much about dusty furniture or finger-printed windows and mirrors etc.
Posted by: Coralee | June 21, 2011 at 18:08
Those are some cute cozies, especially the little ones. And I have a little teapot that would just fit inside one of those! My favorite tea is Punjana right now. I buy it from a nice Irish lady who has an import business and it's very tasty.
Posted by: Suze | June 21, 2011 at 18:50
oh my god, those are the cheeriest things i've seen in a long time!! LOVE :)
Posted by: danielle | June 21, 2011 at 19:39
I cant wait to buy your book, i think your amazing and LOVE YOUR WORK!!!
Posted by: Linnie Joy | June 21, 2011 at 20:40
Adorable. I love the idea of having a family of teapots. I think my little teapot at work must get quite lonely. Maybe I should knit it something special.
My current favorite teas are all from Char Tea in Winchester: http://www.charteas.com/ If you are ever there you MUST stop in...hundreds of different kinds and you can smell them all. Right now I am drinking Sweet Osmanthus and it is so, so delightful. http://www.charteas.com/ProductDetails.aspx?p_id=213
As to how many cups of tea...I'm pretty much only limited by how often I can run to the restroom. :)
Posted by: melissa | June 21, 2011 at 20:42
Love the teeny tea cosy! I agree with Melissa - Char is well worth a visit, (and Winchester!) and they have a lovely range of cosies in the windows. I'm mostly an Earl Grey girl,(from the pot, in vintage china) but ring the changes with herbals/ fruit/ lapsang/ green/ roobush. Just reading about tea takes me to the kettle .......
Posted by: geraldine | June 21, 2011 at 21:15
I recently used a big teapot and cozy for my book club gathering, instead of just a mug at a time. I was so pleased with how hot the tea stayed. I do love "families" of things. I was the baby and always got the little one.
Posted by: LoriAngela | June 21, 2011 at 22:50
The tea cozies are wonderful!
Posted by: Eliz. K | June 22, 2011 at 03:08
The tea cosies are beautiful! I can't wait until I can get your book here in the USA! My friend, Penny, thinks I'm crazy to knit tea cosies, but I swear it keeps the tea hot so much longer - and it's so gratifying to be able to knit up something small, colorful, AND useful.
Posted by: Laura | June 22, 2011 at 04:33
Such wonderful tea cozies! Actually, I think the larger ones show off the knitting pattern the best. Can't wait to see your book. Your blog, with your gorgeous photographs, is always an inspiration and a pick-me-up.
Posted by: Kathy Rowe | June 22, 2011 at 05:23
One of the loveliest teas I've ever had comes from Murchie's in Victoria, British Columbia. It's called the Royal Jubilee blend and was first put out in 1977 for HM's Silver Jubilee.
Your cozies are lovely... If only one of us could knit!
Best,
Jake
www.dapperdreamy.blogspot.com
Posted by: Jake | June 22, 2011 at 06:56
The only trouble with my tremendous (teamendous? groan) tea drinking habit is the constantly having to get up and go to the loo when I'm in the middle of writing. Mind you, I suppose otherwise I might sit all day and never move.
Posted by: Rachael (Tales from the Village) | June 22, 2011 at 14:35
I love these cozies and the behind the scenes shot! Also, thank you for giving the dimensions! It always irked me when it said 'an average tea pot,' too. This will be so much better!
Posted by: Katherine of Kitten's Lost Her Mittens | June 22, 2011 at 15:01
I am a big swiller of the brew also - a minimum 5 cups a day even in the heat. I switch from Yorkshire Gold, Barry's, Typhoo or whatever I can find here that looks fresh.
The queen of tea drinkers must be the folks in the movie Vera Drake - that giant pot constantly being refilled!
Posted by: patty | June 22, 2011 at 15:54
Did you know that if you leave a tea cosy on a table, everyone will surrepticiously try it on?! Rare Tea Company RAF tea (from Sainsbury's) is a particularly delicious brew.
Posted by: Liz | June 22, 2011 at 16:55
I am mainly a coffee drinker, decaff, but also love Lapsang Souchong and Twinings Moroccan which is minty and delicious. I have already knitted one cosy just to see if I could and it worked a treat. Will be making more colourful one for Christmas. My version is sort of greyish but I've cheered it up by adding bows in different colours here and there...threading yarn through with a crochet hook and then making ends into a bow. Looks okay!
Posted by: adele geras | June 22, 2011 at 17:37
The answer to your tea-drinking question is "an awful lot!".
Chris
Posted by: Chris | June 22, 2011 at 21:15
Love the cosies but I honestly drink tea so quickly that I've never felt a need for one.
Tea is such a comforting drink. It takes two mugs of Earl Grey in the morning to stir me into action then there is a brief dalliance with coffee mid morning before returning to tea for the rest of the day. I like Moroccan mint tea and I drink pots of rooibosch (brought 8 boxes of it back to France recently) and before bed it's always lemon verbena tea made with fresh leaves from the bush in the garden. It seems to help me sleep.
Posted by: Angela Bickerton | June 22, 2011 at 22:42
I love those photos. So cute. Great job!
Posted by: Elizabeth | June 23, 2011 at 06:07
Not just home-workers! I'm in an office of eight and there is always a round being made despite the kitchen being at the other end of the building! Yesterday morning I'd had four cups by 11am! Eek!
I've rediscovered Jasmine tea. The smell and flavour holds so many memories of a childhood in the far east.
I'm quite proud though that I've converted my non-tea drinking husband to tea. Its usually a twinnings breakfast, earl grey or clipper every day tea in our house. Although the husband wont touch earl grey!!
Posted by: Mrsbris | June 23, 2011 at 11:39
Hello Jane!
I, and like what seems like a thousand others in the blog world have bought a copy of your gentle art of knitting book and I wanted to tell you how much I love it!
It wasn't available in New Zealand for aaaaages after it came out in the UK so I bought it online because I just couldn't wait and I'm reading it in bed hoping to inspire knitterly dreams!
I was reading about your cabled socks and do you know what? THe way you explained it made it seem like I could knit them, so as soon as I've finished my latest pair, I'm going to wind my ball of bright pink alpaca sock yarn and have a try! Thank you so much and I'll be enjoying following your blog from now on!
Love Alice XXX
Posted by: Alice | June 25, 2011 at 20:30