# Egg Cosy X - Three Little Fishes



## FireballDave (Mar 18, 2011)

As a change from all the flags and logos, I thought breakfast addicts might like something a little different to play with.

*Three Little Fishes Egg Cosy*

*Materials:*
DK or similar weight yarn in Light Blue and Gold
Three 4mm _Jet Black_ seed beads
Pair 4mm (US size 6) needles
Bobbin wound with gold yarn onto which the beads have been threaded
Darning needle

*Tension/Guage:*
Not critical, but around 22 stitches across 4"/10cms will be fine

*Abbreviations and Special Instructions:*
*PB* Marked *** on chart: Position Bead.
Work as follows: Pattern to the place the bead is to be added. Bring the yarn forward between the needles to the front of the work, then slip the next stitch purlwise onto the righthand needle. Slide the bead over, letting it occupy the space left by the slipped stitch. Take the yarn back between the needles and to the rear of the work, knit the next stitch from the chart. The bead will be secured in position.
*K2tog*: knit the next two stitches together

*Instructions:*

With Light Blue yarn, cast on 41 stitches.
Work colour chart:
Rows 1 and 3: P1, (K1, P1) to end
Rows 2 and 4: K1, (P1, K1) to end
Rows 5 to 25: Stocking stitch - knit odd-numbered rows and purl on even-numbered.
_Including:_ 
row 9: (With Blue: K4, with Gold: K7, PB, K1) three times, with Blue: K2 
Row 17: (K2tog, K1) repeat to last two stitches, K2tog (27sts)
Row 19: (K2tog, K1) repeat to end (18sts)
Row 21: (k2tog, K1) repeat to end (12sts)
Row 23: K2tog to end (6sts)
Row 25: K2tog to end (3sts)
Break yarn and thread end through these 3 stitches, pull tight and secure.

*Finishing:*

Weave in ends and join side seam using mattress stitch.

Have fun!
Dave


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## siouxann (Mar 5, 2011)

This is very cool! I have saved all of your cosy patterns and will be trying them when I have a few vacation days next week. One thing I have never tried though, is following a chart, so please pardon this silly question. Are the codes always the same for knitting charts? Is a blankspace always K1 and a space with a dot in it always a P1? Or, does each designer use their own coding? I didn't know if there was a designing convention for charted work. (I confess to being an old dog who really does want to learn a few new "tricks".)


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## FireballDave (Mar 18, 2011)

siouxann said:


> This is very cool! I have saved all of your cosy patterns and will be trying them when I have a few vacation days next week. One thing I have never tried though, is following a chart, so please pardon this silly question. Are the codes always the same for knitting charts? Is a blankspace always K1 and a space with a dot in it always a P1? Or, does each designer use their own coding? I didn't know if there was a designing convention for charted work. (I confess to being an old dog who really does want to learn a few new "tricks".)


Glad you like it.

Your question regarding charts isn't at all silly. There is a convention for knitting codes but, as is inevitable, there are some variations between different publishers, designers and it also varies from country to country. For this reason, it is always a good idea to check the code key panel and read the chart in conjunction with the written instructions. Sometimes rib and garter stitch sections are not indicated on colour-work charts, persuading charting programs to combine stitch codes and colours can be a little 'difficult'!

I use the most common system in the UK, Commonwealth countries and the Americas. A blank square means knit on the right side, purl on the wrong side, as in stocking stitch. A dot means purl on the right side, knit on the wrong side, as in reverse stocking stitch. A bobble can vary, which is why I made careful notes for my _Flag of Europe_ design. An asterisk '*' always means 'special instruction' and there will be a note in the abbreviations, as with my _Position Bead_ instruction above. The biggest variations come with cables, you should always check the key carefully when they are being used because there are a number of systems in use.

Charts for flat knitting are boustrophedonic and read commencing at the bottom righthand corner with the first stitch of row one. Odd-numbered rows are read from right to left, even-numbered rows from left to right. It's easiest to think of the way a field is ploughed, the word comes from the Greek for 'ox-turning'.

Hope that helps
Dave


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## siouxann (Mar 5, 2011)

That is very helpful. Usually, no, ALWAYS if the pattern was given in the form of a chart, I ignored it as being gibberish. That has kept me from making a lot of really nice knitted items. I shall start small, with your cosies, and learn as I go. Thank you so much!


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## maryinvt (Feb 21, 2011)

Dave I love your little fish!!! They are so cheerful looking. I need to get upstairs in the yarn room and select some yarn to do one of these little happy pieces of art. I just love this one. I can imagine these sat upon the egg and the glee that it would bring to a childs face. Just wonderful.... just delightful. And as always your photos are always magazine quality pieces of art too. 
Mary in VT


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## sockteacher (Mar 22, 2011)

You are amazing. Too cute. Thanks for the tips on bead placement. Have a good week.


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## courier770 (Jan 29, 2011)

Dave, it's adorable.

One of the reasons I have come to like graph patterns,is that they seem to have far fewer errors than written patterns. I can't tell you how many written patterns I've found with multiple errors. Graph patterns? To date, I have not found one single error in any of them!


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## maryanne (Feb 20, 2011)

courier770 said:


> Dave, it's adorable.
> 
> One of the reasons I have come to like graph patterns,is that they seem to have far fewer errors than written patterns. I can't tell you how many written patterns I've found with multiple errors. Graph patterns? To date, I have not found one single error in any of them!


That is true. I also much prefer a charted cable pattern to a written one. For me it is much easier to use.

Dave that cozy is terrific.

I would like to thank you for introducing me to a word I have not seen before. Since I was small, I have always consulted a comprehensive dictionary to read all about a new word, it's origin, to which family group it belongs, it's etymology, etc. Since half my books have disappeared during my many moves, I no longer have any dictionaries and would like to ask a favor. When you have time could you send me just a few particulars on this word? If you can't I will totally understand and if you can I thank you profusely. Language fascinates me. Thank you

I forgot, the word, of course, is boustrophedonic.


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## askem1728 (Mar 28, 2011)

so sweet Dave thank you so much for sharing. my little one said that would make a really cute baby hat. hes only 8. i think i just might take his advice and try it.
thank you so much once again. 
your biggest fan. 
Andrea
p.s thanks for the smile


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## suecanknit (Apr 12, 2011)

Hi fireball Dav
My name is Sue and I live in Australia and was wondering seeing as you do so well in designing I was wondering if you could help design a tea cosy the shape of a yacht with the portholes and sails its for my sisterin law who would love it for her brother who lives in New Zealand.I would be greatful and willing to pay but also understand if you cant I have been thinking of it for a while now and just cant get my head around it


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## PurpleFi (Mar 26, 2011)

Love the fishes, but I would have to do two fishes as I am a Piscean and of course guess what colour it would be!!


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## siouxann (Mar 5, 2011)

Well, it finally got to be lunch time, so I can visit KP again. What a lovely word: boustrophedonic! I had never met that word before. I was a foreign language major, and the whole subject of language I find to be fascinating. Thanks!


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## maryanne (Feb 20, 2011)

siouxann said:


> Well, it finally got to be lunch time, so I can visit KP again. What a lovely word: boustrophedonic! I had never met that word before. I was a foreign language major, and the whole subject of language I find to be fascinating. Thanks!


I was too, in Spanish, I also speak fluent Cuban. I have a Cuban accent when I speak Spanish and know all the slang.When I was in Elem School, my dad taught me 5 or 10 new words on the days he was home. This included the root word, Greek or Latin, how it was used, all it'meanings, etc, I grew up in Miami from age 8, so i started learning Spanish from friends and neighbors. Before that, we lived in Tarpon Springs which has a large Greek population. Many of them did not speak English at that time and I learned a lot of Greek words. I have always been fascinated by languages and very interested in them.


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## Ragdoll (Jan 21, 2011)

Maryanne - a fun word site, if you haven't already discovered it, is Wordsmith.org.


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## maryanne (Feb 20, 2011)

Thanks, I'll check it out. Do you have a ragdoll? I do and I l love him to pieces. His name is Mr. Precious but that's a long story. He is a big fur ball with Siamese coloring and two types of fur, the angora type of undercoat and the long silky outercoat. Thanks for the link.


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## FireballDave (Mar 18, 2011)

To answer the easy question first...

Boustrophedonic comes from Classical Greece, but has Indo-European roots, so probably dates from the later era of the 'Air Gods'. The word is a composite of _bous_ for ox and _strophe_ for turning. As an English word it refers to ancient writing forms which were written as a continuous string and zig-zagged alternating direction on each line because of its resemblance to the action of an ox-plough working a field which describes a similar path.

The word is now being applied applied to knitting charts because they are read in the same manner, we start at the bottom left and zig-zag our way up to the top.

I first encountered the term when I was studying crytograms and cyphers in computing at school in the 1970s, they thought code-breaking would capture the imagination of young boys. Transpositional cryptograms were a popular puzzle-form in the mid-late C19th. A message such as, 'Meet me under the clock in Waterloo station', for example contains 36 characters excluding the spaces. If we write this as a continuous string in a boustrophedonic manner to create a 6x6 block then transpose it working the columns vertically, we end up with gibberish.

This type of code famously appears in Jules Verne's _Journey to the Centre of the Earth_ where the location of the portal that leads to the depths is coded in this manner. Many of Verne's readers would have been familiar with the device at the time he was writing.

That's as good an explanation as I can manage off the top of my head without hitting the book-stacks, I hope it will suffice for the linguists and logicians amongst you all.

Dave


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## FireballDave (Mar 18, 2011)

Next word to look at is _cosy_ itself. It came into the English language from a Scottish dialect, but is thought to have arrived in Scotland from Scandinavia. The Norwegian term _kose seg_, meaning 'to enjoy oneself', seems a likely source, but this is supposition since there is currently no conclusive proof or written evidence.

Dave


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## FireballDave (Mar 18, 2011)

maryinvt said:


> Dave I love your little fish!!! They are so cheerful looking. I need to get upstairs in the yarn room and select some yarn to do one of these little happy pieces of art. I just love this one. I can imagine these sat upon the egg and the glee that it would bring to a childs face. Just wonderful.... just delightful. And as always your photos are always magazine quality pieces of art too.
> Mary in VT


Thank you so much Mary, I thought it would be a fun motif, I'm glad you like it.

Dave


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## FireballDave (Mar 18, 2011)

sockteacher said:


> You are amazing. Too cute. Thanks for the tips on bead placement. Have a good week.


I'm glad my directions are clear enough to follow. There are other methods, but over stocking stitch this is the one I find easiest and most effective.

A tip for threading beads you might find useful. Take a length of floristry wire and fold it in half, pressing firmly. Put the end of the yarn into the 'V' and feed the ends of the wire through the beads and the yarn will follow. Floristry wire is readily available and a lot cheaper than beading needles, you probably have some in a drawer in your kitchen or scullery.

Dave


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## FireballDave (Mar 18, 2011)

courier770 said:


> Dave, it's adorable.
> 
> One of the reasons I have come to like graph patterns,is that they seem to have far fewer errors than written patterns. I can't tell you how many written patterns I've found with multiple errors. Graph patterns? To date, I have not found one single error in any of them!


Thank you so much.

I much prefer charts for colour-work, I find it helps to see what I'm trying to achieve. I still find it tricky to use a computerised charting program, but I'm getting better at it. I guess I'm a bit old-fashioned because I find it more relaxing to use graph paper and colouring pencils. I suppose I must haul myself into the twentieth century, but I'm not sure I'll live long enough to get to grips with the twenty-first!

Dave


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## FireballDave (Mar 18, 2011)

maryanne said:


> courier770 said:
> 
> 
> > Dave, it's adorable.
> ...


Thanks, I hope my explanation is good enough for your needs.


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## FireballDave (Mar 18, 2011)

askem1728 said:


> so sweet Dave thank you so much for sharing. my little one said that would make a really cute baby hat. hes only 8. i think i just might take his advice and try it.
> thank you so much once again.
> your biggest fan.
> Andrea
> p.s thanks for the smile


The motif could very easily be applied to childrens and baby clothes. If you use the method I suggest to secure them, they shouldn't come off to cause a choking hazard, although you might prefer to embroider the eyes.

Dave


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## FireballDave (Mar 18, 2011)

PurpleV said:


> Love the fishes, but I would have to do two fishes as I am a Piscean and of course guess what colour it would be!!


Purple fishes on green would look really good. It's one of my favourite combinations, but I'm sure you'll come up with something better!

Have fun
Dave


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## maryanne (Feb 20, 2011)

Thank you Dave, it certainly does suffice. How interesting. I knew the second half was Greek derived but couldn't remember the meaning, and the first half I hadn't a clue. I also knew of languages written from right to left, top to bottom, and so on, but i was unaware of a boustrophedonic type. Thank you so much, I think I learn something every day on the forum.

I also have a small question about something that interests me and requires no research, rather an opinion or reference. I would like to ask it at the tea party or if you'd rather and don't mind, I can PM you, no hurry.
Thanks again.


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## FireballDave (Mar 18, 2011)

suecanknit said:


> Hi fireball Dav
> My name is Sue and I live in Australia and was wondering seeing as you do so well in designing I was wondering if you could help design a tea cosy the shape of a yacht with the portholes and sails its for my sisterin law who would love it for her brother who lives in New Zealand.I would be greatful and willing to pay but also understand if you cant I have been thinking of it for a while now and just cant get my head around it


That's a tough one, I'll have to think how it could be managed. It's not a qestion of money, that's a boring subject, but I have a number of projects I'm working on, not all of which relate to knitting. This would almost certainly take more than a coffee break to solve.

However, it's an interesting problem in textile technology, I'll doodle over a pint tomorrow and see if a simple solution occurs to me, no promises though.

Please bear in mind, I'm not a professional designer, or any proper kind of expert on the subject, I wasn't formally trained in textile design. Most of my knitting is either because I can't find the jumper I like in the shops or, as with my eggs cosies, purely for amusement. I wouldn't describe my efforts as anything more than idly doodling with bits of yarn.

Dave


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## maryanne (Feb 20, 2011)

FireballDave said:


> Next word to look at is _cosy_ itself. It came into the English language from a Scottish dialect, but is thought to have arrived in Scotland from Scandinavia. The Norwegian term _kose seg_, meaning 'to enjoy oneself', seems a likely source, but this is supposition since there is currently no conclusive proof or written evidence.
> 
> Dave


 I believe it's just as good as any. after all the Norwegians did visit Scotland quite a bit ages ago. The Scots and Norwegians have the highest number of redheads per capita than any other countries.


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## FireballDave (Mar 18, 2011)

Thanks Courier, I try to come up with quirky ideas. With charts it's much easier to spot if there's a mistake, with written instructions it's very easy to mis-count or simply type the wrong number, finger-trouble is an affliction I sufferr from all too freqwuentlyy!

DAve


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## TammyK (Jan 31, 2011)

maryanne said:


> courier770 said:
> 
> 
> > Dave, it's adorable.
> ...


Maryanne - There are some great dictionaries online. Here's one that I use: http://dictionary.reference.com/


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## PurpleFi (Mar 26, 2011)

FireballDave said:


> PurpleV said:
> 
> 
> > Love the fishes, but I would have to do two fishes as I am a Piscean and of course guess what colour it would be!!
> ...


How about purple fish on aquamarine? Of course I'll have fun. My rule is if it ain't fun don't do it. My new suppply of purple yarn arrives from Deramores tomorrow. Hope your order was ok. Happy knitting. PurpleV


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## Jessica-Jean (Mar 14, 2011)

FireballDave said:


> scullery.
> Dave


Do you actually know anyone today who has such a room as a scullery?

The only scullery I ever encountered was in the boarding school I was banished to a few decades ago.


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## suecanknit (Apr 12, 2011)

Dave 
I am very greatful to you for even trying for a solution you seem like a guy who likes a challenge and you do such nice work I thought I would give you a try who knows maybe the pint will help.
I just want to thankyou once again for even trying but completely understand if you cant.Sue.


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## Ragdoll (Jan 21, 2011)

Maryanne...no, the mother cat was a pretty grey and daddy was a travelin' man. Her name is Midnight Blue and she was born feral. I use the name Ragdoll because I also like to sew, but am rather casual with my wardrobe. Tell about your ragdoll...is she affectionate? Are they a larger cat? Do they do well with other breeds of cat?


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## maryanne (Feb 20, 2011)

Thanks so much Tammy.I've added it to my favorites.


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## Alexia (Feb 28, 2011)

Dave. You're just brilliant. What more can I say. I have your patterns, thanks to your generocity, and I will make some for my daughter. She thought they were really cute. Her order is a bit tall though, so I would have to work on it. She wants ecru for colour with yellow roses, scalloped edges on the petals, and one green leaf on each side. Now I have the base and measurements thanks to you, and God help me with the rest. But I'm not sure about the scalloped petals. That remains to be seen. See what you've started!


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## Dreamweaver (Feb 1, 2011)

Love the 3 little fishies - I think this would be perfect for Sunday brunch served poolside. Now if I can only talk my husband into serving it, I can knit the cosies. Thanks, as always.


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## redhook (Feb 14, 2011)

Dave, you have been beautifully busy.


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## FireballDave (Mar 18, 2011)

Jessica-Jean said:


> FireballDave said:
> 
> 
> > scullery.
> ...


Yes I do, not everyone lives in houses that have been fully modernised. Perhaps I should have written scullery/utility room/wet room/laundry room, they all serve the same function. The name different people use for the same room depends on geography, culture, the age of the building and of its occupier.

I was largely brought up by people born in the period 1890-1920, I grew up with their terminology. It's interesting how Victorian conservatories, became sun-rooms and are now being marketed as conservatories again.

I probably should make more of an effort to keep up with current terminology, but I view it like most fashions; if I wait long enough, it'll probably come round again.


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## FireballDave (Mar 18, 2011)

Glad you all like the motif, have fun playing with it!


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## maryinvt (Feb 21, 2011)

FireballDave said:


> Thanks Courier, I try to come up with quirky ideas. With charts it's much easier to spot if there's a mistake, with written instructions it's very easy to mis-count or simply type the wrong number, finger-trouble is an affliction I sufferr from all too freqwuentlyy!
> 
> DAve


Yes.....Dave. . . .You absolutely ROCK!!!  
There you have been told twice in the same day.

Back to the sock..... back to the sock..... back to the sock


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## FireballDave (Mar 18, 2011)

Dreamweaver said:


> Love the 3 little fishies - I think this would be perfect for Sunday brunch served poolside. Now if I can only talk my husband into serving it, I can knit the cosies. Thanks, as always.


I like the way you think, good luck with the training!


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## Jessica-Jean (Mar 14, 2011)

FireballDave said:


> I was largely brought up by people born in the period 1890-1920, I grew up with their terminology. It's interesting how Victorian conservatories, became sun-rooms and are now being marketed as conservatories again.
> 
> I probably should make more of an effort to keep up with current terminology, but I view it like most fashions; if I wait long enough, it'll probably come round again.


You and me both! My grandmother was my primary caregiver (as it's phrased today) until I was almost 11. She fits right in that time-frame. The house didn't have a scullery, but it did have a vestibule. Not too many of those kicking around these days either.

Our house - and most of Montreal's older houses - has what I call an 'air-lock'. It's a space between the outside front door and the inside front door where maybe two or three people can stand. It's great for keeping the house cats in and saving on heating bills. In winter, boots are swapped for slippers in that space. It's too small, in my opinion, to rate being called a vestibule, and there's no room to hang coats.

As long as people understand the meaning you're trying to convey, why bother trying to 'keep up with current terminology'? Better things to do with your time, like knit or introduce new words into others' vocabulary!

I've just gone through the forums looking for the egg cosies I'd missed. I think I found them all, unless there are more than ten total. I've got them all in a single folder, to which I'll add any more you churn out. Someday, I'll make some.


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## maryanne (Feb 20, 2011)

I hope I remember this story correctly. It has been several years and I cannot remember exact names and terminoloy. I believe that it took place in the early or middle 1950's. I lived in the MO Ozarks for 17 years and learned about this from a PBS program about the Ozarks heritage produced by the U of MO, or MSU.

If you remember the Andy Griffith show, you must remember the Darlings. The mountain family AKA"hillbillies" of the father, four sons, and one daughter, who came out of the hills only for important business. They came to steal wives for the sons, betroth Charlene, fulfill charms to ward off evil, etc. and to play and sing traditional folk music. One of the sons, who never spoke a word on the show but picked and sang , later was a full professor of English at UM or MSU and it is he that told the story and wrote a book about it. 

It took place way,way back in the hills, He was a young man freshly out of college where he went on the GI bill. A new teacher was needed for a rural school that was very hard to get to and was an old one room schoolhouse. I'm not positive but I believe it had a pump and well, and an outhouse and no electricity. Parts of the rural Ozarks deep in the forest did not get electricity until after WWII, 
It took him a while to find it for some of the road was 
not even gravel, but more like a path in the woods. 

He met the children and the parents, and right away noticed something strange. They didn't sound or talk like Missourian's or other country folk he had known, and he was born and raised in Mo. Time went on and he noticed strange structuring and archaic words, and even words he did not know..and words they used that to him meant something entirely different. He began to keep a log and a diary, and he began to ask the families about their histories.

Most were of English descent, and had lived in this same place for generations, as long as anyone could remember. They rarely had contact with the outside world as they were very poor and it was difficult to get to a trading post or town. Really no roads and sometimes no bridges. They had no radio, newspapers, or books, other than bibles, King James version, I believe.

His conclusion was that they were speaking an Elizabethan Evolved Language that was closer to Elizabethan English than modern English. It fascinated him so much that he went back to college, became a professor and wrote the book. I wish I could find the book, it should be very interesting. Maybe with some research . Sorry this was so long.


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## askem1728 (Mar 28, 2011)

FireballDave said:


> askem1728 said:
> 
> 
> > so sweet Dave thank you so much for sharing. my little one said that would make a really cute baby hat. hes only 8. i think i just might take his advice and try it.
> ...


That was my plan not to use beads at all. even when i make toys i never use beads i always embroider my eyes on with a scrap piece of yarn. do you mind me taking your pattern and making it into a hat is what i really should be asking. sorry for not asking firstops: i just thought it was so neat that my 8 year old son thought it would make a neat baby hat.
Andrea from Canada


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## Jessica-Jean (Mar 14, 2011)

maryanne said:


> I hope I remember this story correctly. It has been several years and I cannot remember exact names and terminoloy. I believe that it took place in the early or middle 1950's. I lived in the MO Ozarks for 17 years and learned about this from a PBS program about the Ozarks heritage produced by the U of MO, or MSU.
> 
> If you remember the Andy Griffith show, you must remember the Darlings. The mountain family AKA"hillbillies" of the father, four sons, and one daughter, who came out of the hills only for important business. They came to steal wives for the sons, betroth Charlene, fulfill charms to ward off evil, etc. and to play and sing traditional folk music. One of the sons, who never spoke a word on the show but picked and sang , later was a full professor of English at UM or MSU and it is he that told the story and wrote a book about it.
> 
> ...


In my late teens, I became enamoured of the folk music records I could borrow from the Donnell branch of the NYC public library. While listening, I read all the notes that accompanied many of them. Many of the songs had been 'collected' by musicology students ... travelling through the back-country in Appalachia, where indeed the language used in both song and daily life was nearly frozen in the patterns that had arrived there with the first settlers from England. Most of the 'collecting' had been done just before widespread introduction of electricity, radio, and television. Chances are that the language has morphed quickly since those modern devices' arrival.

I get a kick out of the subtitling of the speech of some speakers of English-as-a-first-language when they're interviewed for some TV documentary or news show. Newfoundlanders, Australians, Indians (India, not North America) are the most memorable examples.

It's quite likely that many of us, were we to Skype or meet face-to-face, would have some difficulty understanding one another's spoken language ... at least until our ears attuned to the 'strange' rhythms. That's one of the neatest things about the Internet. We get to communicate without the nearly unconscious interference of prejudice - for speech, for gender, for skin colour, for handicap, or any of the many other things that sight and sound convey. Of course, that means we must 'speak' with courtesy.


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## FireballDave (Mar 18, 2011)

Jessica-Jean said:


> FireballDave said:
> 
> 
> > I was largely brought up by people born in the period 1890-1920, I grew up with their terminology. It's interesting how Victorian conservatories, became sun-rooms and are now being marketed as conservatories again.
> ...


Vestibule! There's a word one doesn't hear very often these days. In England we generally use the words 'porch' or 'lobby', to differentiate it from the 'hallway' of a house. The only place I would automatically use 'vestibule' to describe these days, would be the common area of an up-market apartment block where a porter sits at a desk.

Your airlock area is similar to our 'enclosed porches' which are a feature of suburban semi-detached houses. The houses were originally built with a small extended roof over the front doorstep. From the 1960s it became fashionable to enclose this, thus creating a small glazed 'lobby'.

The words for rooms is perpetually changing, in England it is frequently driven by estate agents and their desire to massage the ego of a potential house-buyer by using the most pretentious words possible to describe some pokey little hovel they are trying to offload. Their inventiveness never ceases to amuse and amaze me, in equal measure!

Although I worked mainly on commercial building projects, I sometimes photographed housing develpments, the 'show houses' were always a hoot. Visiting show houses is a sort of entertainment for many people, they have absolutely zero intention of moving, they just want to wander round new houses and pick up a few interior design ideas. A modern equivalent of 'carriage exercise'.

The way show houses are decorated is designed to give an air of 'gracious living' to a tiny modern house. Furniture is small, armchairs and sofas have low backs to make the living room/sitting room/parlour/drawing room (delete as applicable) look larger. The dining room table is undersized and set with dinnerplates the size of dessert plates for a party of Lilliputians. One can almost imagine a cook behind a green baize door, hard at work in the clinical kitchen. If it is being marketed as a 'family home', there will be no sign of children's clutter downstairs, but there will be cheery bedrooms, styled for six to eight yearolds, to which they presumably are to be banished, as if these were the nursery-wing of a grand house.

The entire effect reeks of nostalgia for some indeterminate 'Vicwardian' fantasy. Yes, at least one house-builder really does use that hideous term in its brochures. You can possibly imagine the building style, it's an exercise in 'rifling through the history books and slapping on the styles', to quote one architectural historian.

With regard to my egg cosies, there are only ten so far. The next to be posted is not yet charted, another is done on paper, two more exist as sketches in my 'ideas book' and need kicking around a bit in odd moments and another, is a vague notion based on a photograph of a building near where I live.

I'm amazed by the response to my little designs, I never really imagined people would file them away. I take it as a compliment, I'm just a bit surprised they appeal to modern people. My own archaic breakfast routine is viewed with some merriment by many of my friends, curiously they never refuse an invitation to join me though!

Have a great day
Dave


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## FireballDave (Mar 18, 2011)

askem1728 said:


> FireballDave said:
> 
> 
> > askem1728 said:
> ...


Good morning Andrea,

Go right ahead and slap my motif on anything you want, I laregely view my knitting as 'a sharing thing'.

Because the beads are on the yarn itself, they have to either physically break the yarn or unpick the piece to get them off. But we all know how very determined small children can be and how tricky their little fingers are. Safety caps on medicine bottles aren't the least bit 'child-proof', most of them are adult-proof; children have no sense of time when it comes to getting into things they shouldn't!

Dave


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## FireballDave (Mar 18, 2011)

suecanknit said:


> Hi fireball Dav
> My name is Sue and I live in Australia and was wondering seeing as you do so well in designing I was wondering if you could help design a tea cosy the shape of a yacht with the portholes and sails its for my sisterin law who would love it for her brother who lives in New Zealand.I would be greatful and willing to pay but also understand if you cant I have been thinking of it for a while now and just cant get my head around it


Still thinking... The problem seems pretty intractible as I regard my teapot on the breakfast table, the geometry simply doesn't work!

Dave


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## raedean (Apr 25, 2011)

precious!thank u for sharing.this is very cute and perky.


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## grampygran2 (Apr 16, 2011)

Hi Fireball Dave, I have read a lot of your posts but never commented only looking from afar so to speak. Your posts are great I look in on Friday nights sometime and see what your all up too, and your egg cosy patterns are fantastic. I have never followed a chart as I always think it is so hard to work out, and much prefer written patterns, so I can never imagine, ever writting one. Hats of to you.


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## maryanne (Feb 20, 2011)

Good Morning,, I did find an interesting article last night, but not the book. It is published by the White River Valley Historical Quarterly. (The White River is not too far from where I lived in the MO Ozarks.) The article was written by Steven MacDonald and appears in Vol 1,#11, Spring, 1964, entitled The Elizabethan Influence on the Ozark Dialect. Just google the title and it will come up along with several more. The name of the PBS program from Springfield, MO is Ozarks Watch.


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## PENGWIN (Apr 6, 2011)

PurpleV said:


> Love the fishes, but I would have to do two fishes as I am a Piscean and of course guess what colour it would be!!


PurpleV it has never occurred to me that you were a fishy person. Probably why we get on - you go one way, and I go the other and never knowing which way is which. You know how wishy washy I am. :idea:


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## Tonyalw (Mar 21, 2011)

Cute!


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## maryinvt (Feb 21, 2011)

FireballDave said:


> Next word to look at is _cosy_ itself. It came into the English language from a Scottish dialect, but is thought to have arrived in Scotland from Scandinavia. The Norwegian term _kose seg_, meaning 'to enjoy oneself', seems a likely source, but this is supposition since there is currently no conclusive proof or written evidence.
> 
> Dave


Hey Dave, my Oxford American Dictionary says "Cosy = cozy"
and cozy means warm and comfortable adj. (sort of like the week-end tea party) And as a n. a cover placed over a teapot etc. to keep it hot. I have always spelled it with a Z and take it that you have always spelt it with a "s".

Things get changed around. In genealogy it is hard to trace ones ancestors as many people that crossed over from Canada into the USA changed their last name so that they could start a new life. So here again words and letters were changed around.


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## LEE1313 (Jan 25, 2011)

Well Dave,
Once again a real cutie. Love the 3 fishes.
You are talented beyond my words.

You should be selling these and then you will have lot's and lot's more money to take yourself and your lad off for a vaca in the Alps again.

These designs are awesome. So well written even novices can manage to make them

Have a wonderful day,
Smiles, Linda


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## kippyfure (Apr 9, 2011)

no that's my cup of tea---thanks dave!!!!



FireballDave said:


> As a change from all the flags and logos, I thought breakfast addicts might like something a little different to play with.
> 
> *Three Little Fishes Egg Cosy*
> 
> ...


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## Kichi (Jan 22, 2011)

Dave, Absolutely darling and so different. Thanks for brightening my table.


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## Alexia (Feb 28, 2011)

Dave. I truly admire your aray of knowledge . It's refreshing to read all your comments and explanations on so many different subjects. Not forgetting your egg cozy patterns, of course. My daughter called me early this morning to ask if if I've started on them yet, and doubled her order from six to twelve. 

Have a nice day


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## FireballDave (Mar 18, 2011)

Alexia said:


> Dave. You're just brilliant. What more can I say. I have your patterns, thanks to your generocity, and I will make some for my daughter. She thought they were really cute. Her order is a bit tall though, so I would have to work on it. She wants ecru for colour with yellow roses, scalloped edges on the petals, and one green leaf on each side. Now I have the base and measurements thanks to you, and God help me with the rest. But I'm not sure about the scalloped petals. That remains to be seen. See what you've started!


Oh dear, sorry I've caused you so much work!

I'm possibly going to do something with flowers in the next couple of months, there's a note in my _roughbook_, you have been warned!

Dave


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## FireballDave (Mar 18, 2011)

grampygran2 said:


> Hi Fireball Dave, I have read a lot of your posts but never commented only looking from afar so to speak. Your posts are great I look in on Friday nights sometime and see what your all up too, and your egg cosy patterns are fantastic. I have never followed a chart as I always think it is so hard to work out, and much prefer written patterns, so I can never imagine, ever writting one. Hats of to you.


I'm glad you like them. Have a go with this chart, it's small and the motif only covers five rows, you might get to like them. I find having a picture helps, but I tend to think visually, it all depends on the way one's mind works.

Dave


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## FireballDave (Mar 18, 2011)

Kichi said:


> Dave, Absolutely darling and so different. Thanks for brightening my table.


Glad they work for you, I like to start the day on a cheerful note too.


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## FireballDave (Mar 18, 2011)

maryinvt said:


> FireballDave said:
> 
> 
> > Next word to look at is _cosy_ itself. It came into the English language from a Scottish dialect, but is thought to have arrived in Scotland from Scandinavia. The Norwegian term _kose seg_, meaning 'to enjoy oneself', seems a likely source, but this is supposition since there is currently no conclusive proof or written evidence.
> ...


I think cosy/cozy must be one of the many words we updated after the two countries separated. A lot of American spellings are the same as English in the C16th and C17th and were taken out by early settlers. Johnson's dictionary, which became the standard in England for well over a century, was only published in 1755. Johnson's spelling of words ended many of the regional variations in English and formed the basis for subsequent dictionaries. Many forms on the American side of the Atlantic were unaffected.

Dave


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## maryanne (Feb 20, 2011)

Flowers Dave? I certainly will look forward to that. You are so creative I can hardly wait to see.


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## siouxann (Mar 5, 2011)

There is a children's (I think) song about 3 Little Fishies that my folks used to sing to my brother. I found a link to it if anyone is interested. It says there is a video of the song if you scroll down the page. I have to go to a meeting and don't have time to preview it, but the words are cute, just like the cosy!

http://bussongs.com/songs/3_little_fishies.php


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## grampygran2 (Apr 16, 2011)

FireballDave said:


> grampygran2 said:
> 
> 
> > Hi Fireball Dave, I have read a lot of your posts but never commented only looking from afar so to speak. Your posts are great I look in on Friday nights sometime and see what your all up too, and your egg cosy patterns are fantastic. I have never followed a chart as I always think it is so hard to work out, and much prefer written patterns, so I can never imagine, ever writting one. Hats of to you.
> ...


Have downloaded the pattern already, thank you. Once I get round to them, ( have a few baby things on the go first, two new Gandbabies due end of summer) I think my Grandchildren will love them with their boiled eggs.


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## Jessica-Jean (Mar 14, 2011)

FireballDave said:


> ...'carriage exercise'.


Google gives me nothing for carriage exercise. Please, explain?



FireballDave said:


> The way show houses are decorated is designed to give an air of 'gracious living' to a tiny modern house. Furniture is small, armchairs and sofas have low backs to make the living room/sitting room/parlour/drawing room (delete as applicable) look larger. The dining room table is undersized and set with dinnerplates the size of dessert plates for a party of Lilliputians. One can almost imagine a cook behind a green baize door, hard at work in the clinical kitchen. If it is being marketed as a 'family home', there will be no sign of children's clutter downstairs, but there will be cheery bedrooms, styled for six to eight yearolds, to which they presumably are to be banished, as if these were the nursery-wing of a grand house.
> 
> The entire effect reeks of nostalgia for some indeterminate 'Vicwardian' fantasy. Yes, at least one house-builder really does use that hideous term in its brochures. You can possibly imagine the building style, it's an exercise in 'rifling through the history books and slapping on the styles', to quote one architectural historian.
> 
> ...


Thank you for my morning's quota of laughing out loud! (It may be two thirty in the afternoon, but I only woke up two hours ago and just finished my breakfast.)

I have forever wondered just what was meant by the term 'drawing room'; it didn't quite click as an alternative word for parlour.

On the subject of parlours ... In the houses I've visited in Syria, status of the home-owner and of the respect for or distance from the visitor seems to be judged by the number and elaborateness of parlours. A wealthy person may have three or even more parlours. The most used is the least fancy. Visitors in higher esteem (clergy, dignitaries of one stripe or another) are shown into the fanciest. It seems to be more important - in a strange face-saving way - to have multiple parlours for show, than to have more bedrooms so that siblings needn't be stacked like cord-wood on foam mattresses on the parents' bedroom floor! The whole phenomenon is beyond my understanding. I'd sooner divide up the wasted space of an extra parlour and let the kids be kids in their own spaces.

I may never knit one of your egg cosies, but the possibility is there. I save them, because they may be useful as quick gifts someday. I love that you've made charts for them! I can and do follow written patterns, but I often end up making some kind of chart for my actual knitting use. _So _much easier!

Thank you!


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## Paulaff (Mar 9, 2011)

Thank you so much for a great egg cozy! I have a 'thing' for egg cups & cozys. From reading some of the responses to this, do you have more patterns that you've shared?

Paula


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## FireballDave (Mar 18, 2011)

Jessica-Jean said:


> FireballDave said:
> 
> 
> > ...'carriage exercise'.
> ...


The term _drawing room_ is considered very old-fashioned these days, although I have a friend with an _upstairs drawing room_, but he is slightly eccentric!

The term is a shortened form of the C16th-C18th _withdrawing room_. It was a small private parlour to which family members and a couple of select friends could withdraw from the main room when entertaining a large party. It would also be used as an intimate space for receiving friends. During C19th the term drawing room came to mean a parlour. The notion of an upstairs drawing room came to mean a small sitting room attached to a private suite, usually a lady's, where she could entertain one or two very close friends to gossip privately over afternoon tea. This is very similar to your account of Syrian parlours.

My friend had an Aunt who would descend on his parents and stay for several weeks at a time and one of the upstairs rooms was converted especially for her. She would retire there for afternoon tea and to read. The house came to him and although he completely redesigned much of the house, he decided to keep this one and uses it to take a break from working in his study and to friends. He always describes his Aunt as 'slightly dotty', she must have been positively certifiable!

_Carriage exercise_ is a wonderful term and my somewhat arch use of it has to be taken in context of pretentious people casting their eyes over new houses as a sort of tourism.

The term predates afternoon tea, the 'Lady of the Manor' would ride out in her carriage to visit tenants on her husband's estate, ostensibly to check on their welfare, or more frequently her friends for gossip, cake and a glass of sherry. In Summer, young ladies would ride out and park their carriages near a cafe and waiters would bring refrefreshments to their carriages where they would entertain their friends. Society ice cream makers took to placing an announcement in _The Times_ when a fresh shipment of ice had arrived from Canada, the street near their establishment would be filled with carriages. Although the practice largely died out in the after the Great War, there are modern equivalents.

The term lingers however and is usually used, slightly _tongue in cheek_, to suggest a frivolous pastime for those with nothing better to do of an afternoon.

Dave


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## FireballDave (Mar 18, 2011)

Paulaff said:


> Thank you so much for a great egg cozy! I have a 'thing' for egg cups & cozys. From reading some of the responses to this, do you have more patterns that you've shared?
> 
> Paula


Glad you like it. There are a few more with different designs on the forum, if you click on my name you should be able to bring up a list of topics I have created. I usually post a link to the design so they form a chain. It appears some people are collecting them.

Dave


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## FireballDave (Mar 18, 2011)

maryanne said:


> Flowers Dave? I certainly will look forward to that. You are so creative I can hardly wait to see.


I very rarely use flower motifs, however I have a rough sketch I'm pondering.

Dave


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## PurpleFi (Mar 26, 2011)

Penguin said:


> PurpleV said:
> 
> 
> > Love the fishes, but I would have to do two fishes as I am a Piscean and of course guess what colour it would be!!
> ...


You, wishy washy, never! I suppose I could make us an egg cosy each in reverse colours. Do you think Dave would approve?


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## FireballDave (Mar 18, 2011)

LEE1313 said:


> Well Dave,
> Once again a real cutie. Love the 3 fishes.
> You are talented beyond my words.
> 
> ...


Thanks Linda, I'm glad the instructions are clear. I hope people enjoy making them and that they provide a way for novice knitters to expand their skills along the way.

Dave


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## KNITTWITTIBE (Jan 25, 2011)

FireballDave said:


> As a change from all the flags and logos, I thought breakfast addicts might like something a little different to play with.
> 
> *Three Little Fishes Egg Cosy*
> 
> ...


Awww Dave, the fishies are too cute!

:thumbup: Thanx for the receipt  ..... Hug, Ingrid


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## bellestarr12 (Mar 26, 2011)

Oh, Dave! I really like the flags, but I LOOOOOOVE the 3 little fishes, and that you share the charts!


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## PiperMum (May 7, 2011)

Oh now that is just plain TOO cute!


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## suecanknit (Apr 12, 2011)

Thankyou Dave
I can give you some ideas that I had in my head I visualise a triangle shape the point being the sails the bottom part of the cosy I somehow had more stitches after I cast on to make a gradual shaping which would be the bottom of the boat the cast off at this point,but dont know how many stitches,knit for awhile then cast on the stitches that I castof previously then knit the sails I guess my main problem is the maths,how many stitches to cast on and the amount of stitches to caston and cast off during the making of the cosy.I hope I explained myself clearly.Once again thankyou for trying and dont worry if nothing eventuates.Sue.


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## Jessica-Jean (Mar 14, 2011)

Paulaff said:


> Thank you so much for a great egg cozy! I have a 'thing' for egg cups & cozys. From reading some of the responses to this, do you have more patterns that you've shared?
> 
> Paula


April 17th: http://www.knittingparadise.com/t-7655-1.html

April 19th: http://www.knittingparadise.com/t-7850-1.html

April 26th: http://www.knittingparadise.com/t-8542-1.html

May 2nd: http://www.knittingparadise.com/t-9299-1.html

May 7th: http://www.knittingparadise.com/t-9812-1.html

May 9th: http://www.knittingparadise.com/t-10039-1.html

May 12th: http://www.knittingparadise.com/t-10437-1.html

May 14th: http://www.knittingparadise.com/t-10667-1.html

May 22nd: http://www.knittingparadise.com/t-11734-1.html

May 23rd: http://www.knittingparadise.com/t-11818-1.html

Above are the links to the ten egg cosy patterns that FireballDave has posted to date.


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## Jessica-Jean (Mar 14, 2011)

siouxann said:


> There is a children's (I think) song about 3 Little Fishies that my folks used to sing to my brother. I found a link to it if anyone is interested. It says there is a video of the song if you scroll down the page. I have to go to a meeting and don't have time to preview it, but the words are cute, just like the cosy!
> 
> http://bussongs.com/songs/3_little_fishies.php


Thank you so much Siouxann! That brought back memories; I remember hearing it on the radio as a little kid. :-D Thank you.


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## Jessica-Jean (Mar 14, 2011)

FireballDave said:


> The term _drawing room_ is considered very old-fashioned these days, although I have a friend with an _upstairs drawing room_, but he is slightly eccentric!
> 
> The term is a shortened form of the C16th-C18th _withdrawing room_. It was a small private parlour to which family members and a couple of select friends could withdraw from the main room when entertaining a large party. It would also be used as an intimate space for receiving friends. During C19th the term drawing room came to mean a parlour. The notion of an upstairs drawing room came to mean a small sitting room attached to a private suite, usually a lady's, where she could entertain one or two very close friends to gossip privately over afternoon tea. This is very similar to your account of Syrian parlours.
> 
> ...


As always, Dave, I learn from you.
All these years, every time I've heard 'drawing room' mentioned in a book or movie, I've had a mental image of sketch pads and soft pencils, and wondered why people would set aside a room for the sole purpose of drawing!Withdrawing room is much more logical!!

I can think of nothing less interesting than touring model homes. My husband had the devil's own time getting me to go along to view houses, when we were house shopping. I guess I'm never going to be listed among the practitioners of 'carriage exercise'; I'd rather knit!

Ice was shipped from Canada!!!??? Wouldn't it have been easier/closer to get it from Scandanavia? How many people became unemployed when refrigeration became available?

If all maiden aunts are 'dotty', then my mother's youngest is in good company, but I'll refrain from telling her.


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## askem1728 (Mar 28, 2011)

FireballDave said:


> askem1728 said:
> 
> 
> > FireballDave said:
> ...


thanks Dave. i did make the hat this afternoon. just need to finish the second one. the first one i embroidered the eyes on but the second one i don't think i will. i think i have the pattern written right now. i showed the first one to hubby and little one and they both seemed to think it looks OK. will post pictures tomorrow.
thank you once again for sharing your gift with us. egg cozys are next on the list. after i figure out how to sew Jamima Puddle Duck together.
hope everyone has a great night full of yarn fun
Andrea


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## askem1728 (Mar 28, 2011)

siouxann said:


> There is a children's (I think) song about 3 Little Fishies that my folks used to sing to my brother. I found a link to it if anyone is interested. It says there is a video of the song if you scroll down the page. I have to go to a meeting and don't have time to preview it, but the words are cute, just like the cosy!
> 
> http://bussongs.com/songs/3_little_fishies.php


thanks for jogging the memory. i use to sing this song to my little one and he's now 8. its such a sweet song
Andrea


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## askem1728 (Mar 28, 2011)

Jessica-Jean said:


> Paulaff said:
> 
> 
> > Thank you so much for a great egg cozy! I have a 'thing' for egg cups & cozys. From reading some of the responses to this, do you have more patterns that you've shared?
> ...


thank you Jessica-Jean i thought i was missing a few and i was
Andrea


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## askem1728 (Mar 28, 2011)

Bug thank you most of all goes to Dave. now i finally am brave enough to knit from charts more . all because you made it so simple for me to understand. 
thanks again
andrea


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## FireballDave (Mar 18, 2011)

Glad I've solved the puzzle for you, Jessica-Jean. The room set aside for drawing would be a North-lit attic, but that's another story.

Britain imported its ice from Canada and the Greenland shelf. The British Empire was approaching its peak and Scandinavia wasn't part of it. Britain in those days automatically looked first to its Empire for secure supplies.

In the country, large houses had 'ice-wells', these were large subterranean chambers lined with brick. Winter ice was packed into them and would remain usable for many months.

Possibly the most famous of the ice cream makers was Gunter's in Berkeley Square. Their note in _The Times_ 5th July 1827, read:

Messrs Gunter respectfully beg to inform the nobility and the gentry who honour them with their custom that this day having received one of their cargoes of ice by the _Platoff_ from the Greenland seas, they are enabled to supply their cream fruit ices at their former prices.

I have a print series from _The Illustrated London News_ in my ephemera collection depicting Canadian ice being cut and loaded onto ships. It was not just pastry chefs who relied on imported ice in Summer. The great wholesale markets like Smithfield for meat and Billingsgate for fish depended upon it. When the fish market moved from the City of London to its new location, the ground beneath the old market building began to thaw out. Given the puddingy nature of London clay, the restoration project became a massive preservation job to save the original building.

Dave


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## maryanne (Feb 20, 2011)

Thanks Dave. That's quite interesting, I still remember my grandmother.s ice box. I grew up calling refrigerators ice boxes as many in the south did. Some probably still do.


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## siouxann (Mar 5, 2011)

As always, a pleasurable history lesson. These arethe things that make history interesting - the personal sides. None of my text books had anything except the barest of facts. As a result, we never thought about how ice would have been transported, or what a drawing room was. I am completely fascinated by this forum, where an egg cosy can be the start of so much more! Thank you!!!


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## FireballDave (Mar 18, 2011)

PurpleV said:


> Penguin said:
> 
> 
> > PurpleV said:
> ...


You bet I would, the brighter the better!

Dave


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## FireballDave (Mar 18, 2011)

bellestarr12 said:


> Oh, Dave! I really like the flags, but I LOOOOOOVE the 3 little fishes, and that you share the charts!


They're a bit of fun and a good distraction from doing any work!


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## FireballDave (Mar 18, 2011)

siouxann said:


> As always, a pleasurable history lesson. These arethe things that make history interesting - the personal sides. None of my text books had anything except the barest of facts. As a result, we never thought about how ice would have been transported, or what a drawing room was. I am completely fascinated by this forum, where an egg cosy can be the start of so much more! Thank you!!!


I probably spend far too much time in libraries, museums and antiquarian print-shops, or generally mooching around towns and cities gazing at buildings and public art. I'm remarkably adept at finding ways of avoiding doing anything productive or worthwhile, idleness is my favourite art-form.

A side-effect has been the accumulation of a few bits of utterly useless and inconsequential trivia of zero practical value. One of my more charitable school-masters described me as, "Content to exist in a state of cheerful hopelessness"!

Dave


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## maryanne (Feb 20, 2011)

Yes, and Einstein's parents were told he was a hopeless idiot. It's never a waste to enrich your mind and your imagination.


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## FireballDave (Mar 18, 2011)

suecanknit said:


> Thankyou Dave
> I can give you some ideas that I had in my head I visualise a triangle shape the point being the sails the bottom part of the cosy I somehow had more stitches after I cast on to make a gradual shaping which would be the bottom of the boat the cast off at this point,but dont know how many stitches,knit for awhile then cast on the stitches that I castof previously then knit the sails I guess my main problem is the maths,how many stitches to cast on and the amount of stitches to caston and cast off during the making of the cosy.I hope I explained myself clearly.Once again thankyou for trying and dont worry if nothing eventuates.Sue.


It seems to be worrying you and you also seem very determined to have an answer. I must make one or two things clear, I am not a professional designer, I only idle away odd moments with knitting, it isn't a job. I have a passing interest in visual art and the notion of transposable motifs which can be realised in a variety of ways, pondering these is a pleasant way to defer doing anything worthwhile.

In your second message, you assessed me as, "... a guy who likes a challenge", you couldn't be more wrong! I detest anything challenging and assiduously avoid anything difficult, I'm heavily into conservation of effort.

When I first thought about the problem, I thought it was a joke, your second message made it look more of a test to put me on the spot, a kind of knitter's version of an academic blood-sport I am very familiar with. This third indicates you really do mean to show me up for the twit I readily admit to being and will not give up.

Others, far cleverer than I, have probably already worked it out, I can't. Your initial query was for advice, mine would be to slap a colour-work yacht motif onto a standard tea cosy pattern, it could be made to look quite good.

However that doesn't answer your question, so it seems I must jot down my thoughts as to how the problem could resolved sculpturally.

As I said, I'm not really the best person to ask. I would probably go to a large department store, buy a teapot, take it to their gift-wrap department and ask them to disguise it as a yacht, they're the experts at this kind of task. I would then dismantle their handiwork and use it as a maquette, transfer the shapes to knitter's graph paper and use that as the basis for my pattern.

Failing that, we need to go back to first principles of design and 'define the brief'. This needs to begin with an analysis of the forms you are attempting to combine. American architect Louis Sullivan's dictum 'form follows function' would seem to apply.

The form of a traditional tea pot is an oblate spheroid, similar to a grapefruit. There are good practical reasons for this:

The shape is is easy for potter's to 'throw', making them quick and cheap to produce in large numbers.

It is stable and doesn't easily topple over spilling its contents.

Round shapes have a smaller surface area and thus require less material to construct.

The small surface area in relation to volume means heat is retained within the pot and the contents cool less rapidly.

A yacht:

The hull needs to be sleek to cut through the water.

The outside surface is more important than the interior which is usually narrow and cramped.

The sails are large, light and thin, they are designed to catch the slightest breath of wind.

A tea cosy needs to be:

Thick to retain heat, like the lagging on a hot water tank.

Flexible to follow the contours of the pot.

Knittable.

I believe these to be the key relevant factors you need to combine, not an easy task. It seems fairly intractable to me, almost designedly so, hence my suspicions that this may be some kind of test question.

However, were I to wish to constuct such an item. I'd start by making a paper template. For this you will need a teapot, card, scissors and some _Blu-Tack_ or other pressure adhesive putty.

Looking at my own standard teapot, I can see how the hull could be made so the stern was at the handle end, extended across the lower part of the pot, tapering to a pointed bow beneath the spout. Cut this out and stick it to your pot. The two sails are right-angle triangles and need to extend up to a point well clear of the pot's lid so they taper elegantly and don't look dumpy. the mast is a simple coloured column separating the sails.

Do a mirror image on the reverse.

The stern of the yacht is easy enough since it is a simple band, or tab, extending beneath the handle. The points of the prow on both sides should meet, I would be tempted, were I to make such a thing, to use a press-stud to join them. This would make the cosy easier to put on and remove, it could also be undone when actually pouring from the pot and thus stop it getting in the way of the cup this, of course, depends on the length of the spout.

Now we come to the really tricky part. You now need to stick the mast tips to each other. This will leave two isosceles tringles extending from a base above the spout to the mast tip and from the handle at the stern.

Carefully remove the sections and lay them out. I would be tempted to knit it in two pieces with the isosceles triangles attached to the sails on one side with a slipped turning stitch, but you may decide to make four sections or have a far better solution of your own.

I am unhappy with my solution, I don't like negating the lightness of the sails with this clunky inelegant compromise. The two forms are so incongruous, I cannot conceive how they can ever happily combine.

I'm sure everybody is by now rolling around laughing at my stupidity, there's probably a simple solution that I'm too thick to have worked out. Like I said at the beginning, I'm not a designer, I think in terms of rendering the three-dimensional as flat planes unless I am creating a hanging scheme for an exhibition.

One final thought has occurred to me. Several potters produce rectangular tea pots, I have seen cosies shaped as buses for them. The shape would be ideal for a _Gin Palace_ type of modern yacht, or maybe a warship, now that would be entertaining!

Sorry, but that's about all I can come up with
Dave


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## Paulaff (Mar 9, 2011)

Thanks for the links, Jessica-Jean. I guess you're a collector of egg cozys too! I'm into tea cozys, also since I now use a teapot.


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## FireballDave (Mar 18, 2011)

maryanne said:


> Yes, and Einstein's parents were told he was a hopeless idiot. It's never a waste to enrich your mind and your imagination.


I'm no Einstein, not by any stretch of the imagination! When I was nine I was declared 'congenitally educationally sub-normal' by the local authority's psychologist. I think that means I'm thick!

Dave


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## siouxann (Mar 5, 2011)

FireballDave said:


> maryanne said:
> 
> 
> > Yes, and Einstein's parents were told he was a hopeless idiot. It's never a waste to enrich your mind and your imagination.
> ...


I prefer to think of you as a 'Renaissance Man'.


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## askem1728 (Mar 28, 2011)

FireballDave said:


> maryanne said:
> 
> 
> > Yes, and Einstein's parents were told he was a hopeless idiot. It's never a waste to enrich your mind and your imagination.
> ...


i know that has to be a wrong diagnosis. if i had have been your mom i would have argued that one till i went blue.
Andrea


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## maryanne (Feb 20, 2011)

I did not mean to compare you to Einstein, I quess I should explain. Einstein couldn't understand some very simple things, such as tying his shoes but he was a genius at physics. All brains are not wired the same, and that should be ok but it isn't. 

I havethree sons born in the early to middlel '60's. Their school experience was excruciating because each one has severe dsylexia, just as Einstein did. When they were going to school very little was known about it, and they were told they were lazy, dumb, their IG's were low, on and on. My oldest son loves History, and we watched every documentary we could. He once wrote a paper on England he researced himself with the help of a kind librarian. I helped him with spelling, but the words were his own. He made an A+ because he had a good teacher who worked with him and understood his problem. Next year he went to Middle School and was assigned to write a paper just like the one he had just written. He asked me if I thought he could use the same paper he had written and I said sure. I did not find out til years later that he made an F on it because the teacher told him it was written too well, he knew he was incapable of such good work and it had to be plagiarism. 

I always encouraged my children to be creative and spontaneous, and to express what they saw in things even if it didn't follow the mode, so I do not believe for a moment that you are scattered. 

My #1 son has become quite the historian, my #2 son had a haiku published when he was in the 5th grade and sculpts, my #3 son raised his two little girls by himself when their mother didn't want them, and my daughter was one of 17 students out of two counties who was given a special art scholarship. It was a precursor to a full scholarship to the College of the Arts in Miami.

My point is that when you put yourself down for what you do, it hits buttons with me and I remember how painful it was for my boys. I was a single mom and there was not much money for extras, but when there was, I tried to encourage and feed their muse, whatever it was.

We once took all the dining rooms chairs, put them in the living room, wove the whole thing with all different colors of my yarn, and left it there for at least a week. So don't put yourself down for "wasting time" or for being "unproductive."


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## FireballDave (Mar 18, 2011)

askem1728 said:


> FireballDave said:
> 
> 
> > maryanne said:
> ...


Not in my family!

My Father readily agreed, it amused him to describe me as, "not so much a little accident as an unmitigated disaster", Mother merely expressed mild disappointment with me.

Somehow I managed to pass the exams to get into a good school, the papers must been mixed up. They worked out I'm mildly dyslexic and came up with some coping strategies I use to this day.

I have the letter, it is framed on my study wall as a reminder that I should never think myself 'clever'.

Dave


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## maryanne (Feb 20, 2011)

I don't think there is any such thing as "mildly" dyslexic when it comes to the emotional damage and the blows to self esteem it renders. Studies have shown that dsylexics are statistically much higher in intelligence and artistic ability than average. There is also a high correlation of left handed and ambidexterous people in the family. A few years ago a gene for dyslexia was found.

My SIL is a severe dyslexic. He is also an art photographer who is in three major galleries and three major museums. He is the only photographer making glass plate photographs such as Matthew Brady did.

Neither he or my boys have outgrown any of their dyslexia. His parents gave him great support too.


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## FireballDave (Mar 18, 2011)

askem1728 said:


> siouxann said:
> 
> 
> > There is a children's (I think) song about 3 Little Fishies that my folks used to sing to my brother. I found a link to it if anyone is interested. It says there is a video of the song if you scroll down the page. I have to go to a meeting and don't have time to preview it, but the words are cute, just like the cosy!
> ...


I grew up hearing Frankie Howerd's entertaining version of the song from the 1940s:


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## FireballDave (Mar 18, 2011)

It's good to know your family found ways around their difficulties, I think dyslexics develop good memories so they only have to read things once. 

I know my jacket's breast pocket is on the left, that's a big help. I still mix up 'b' and 'd' when writing and I sometimes get 's' the wrong way round, the number '4' ends up the wrong way round too. I stick decorative typefaces up everywhere. Lots of people think it's a design thing, it's really so I can check which way round the letters go!

There's a lot to remember, I can visualise most things, but some never have really clicked with me. 

Dave


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## KNITTWITTIBE (Jan 25, 2011)

FireballDave said:


> siouxann said:
> 
> 
> > As always, a pleasurable history lesson. These arethe things that make history interesting - the personal sides. None of my text books had anything except the barest of facts. As a result, we never thought about how ice would have been transported, or what a drawing room was. I am completely fascinated by this forum, where an egg cosy can be the start of so much more! Thank you!!!
> ...


Love the school-master's discription, lol!

:thumbup:


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## FireballDave (Mar 18, 2011)

It was a pretty fair assessment, Ingrid. I never could see the point in getting upset or agitated, I tend to follow the stress-free rule: If at first you don't succeed, give up and do something that does work!

Dave


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## KNITTWITTIBE (Jan 25, 2011)

FireballDave said:


> It was a pretty fair assessment, Ingrid. I never could see the point in getting upset or agitated, I tend to follow the stress-free rule: If at first you don't succeed, give up and do something that does work!
> 
> Dave


I'm totally with you, Dave. There is absolutely no point in stressing, it doesn't make one iota at the ultimate end. Love the song "Be Happy, Don't Worry" ...

Ingrid


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## PurpleFi (Mar 26, 2011)

FireballDave said:


> PurpleV said:
> 
> 
> > Penguin said:
> ...


Thanks Dave, I'm working on it.


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## FireballDave (Mar 18, 2011)

With regard to that wretchedly infuriating yacht tea cosy problem. A thought has occurred to me, make it for a coffee pot, at least they have a vaguely similar profile!

Dave


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## askem1728 (Mar 28, 2011)

Not in my family!

My Father readily agreed, it amused him to describe me as, "not so much a little accident as an unmitigated disaster", Mother merely expressed mild disappointment with me.

Somehow I managed to pass the exams to get into a good school, the papers must been mixed up. They worked out I'm mildly dyslexic and came up with some coping strategies I use to this day.

I have the letter, it is framed on my study wall as a reminder that I should never think myself 'clever'.

Dave[/quote]

see you just proved your self wrong you are a very clever man to have found ways to remember. i use to mix up my b's and d's all the time till i learned to look at my thumbs. d' right thumb when printed and b' left thumb when printed and i used this trick for many years. i still to this day every now and then reverse numbers don't know why but i usually catch myself and fix it. one of the guys i use to work with is dyslexic and hes the one that has to correct all the verbatims in the surveys is use to have to read to people. he always flipped m's and w's he told me once. so your not alone Dave. we all love you no matter what and i would not trade you for anything. including a never ending supply of yarn.
Andrea


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## maryinvt (Feb 21, 2011)

FireballDave said:


> askem1728 said:
> 
> 
> > FireballDave said:
> ...


OOOoooo Dave that is terrible to have had parents like that.  But many of us have weakness in some areas and strengths in others. There are supposed to be 18 different avenues of strength. From math, to leadership, to the arts and many others. Some of us are always running to keep up with the others. But look at you now. There are over 20,000 people on this forum and almost half of them came in to view your tea party this past weekend. I will say it again as I did in one of my first post. You are a breath of fresh air. And the bright spot of this forum. I have never seen anyone shine like you do. Stay with what you are. God doesn't make junk. :wink: 
Happy knitting,
Mary in VT


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## maryanne (Feb 20, 2011)

I totally agree with Andrea, not for all the best yarn in the world. And Mary in Vermont too!

I too have my dyslexsic moments The weirdest is when i talk backwards. It usually happened when I was very busy at work and was constantly interrupted, I would turn a clause around as if I were translating German literally, and I would put an adjective behind a noun as in Spanish. 

I could understand the Spanish because I spoke it all day long, and could have been thinking in Spanish while speaking in English. As for German I only had a semester in college and never spoke it. Who knows, I reversed numbers too on those days.


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## FireballDave (Mar 18, 2011)

maryanne said:


> Thanks Dave. That's quite interesting, I still remember my grandmother.s ice box. I grew up calling refrigerators ice boxes as many in the south did. Some probably still do.


Ice boxes were used here too, I've seen them in the kitchens of many historic homes. In Victorian times, ice-sellers toured the streets delivering blocks of ice for them.

On the subject of ice. There was a plan during the war to tow an iceberg a little way South so it was near to the Atlantic convey routes and to smooth the surface to make an airfield so planes could protect the cargo ships from U-boats. This was never built, but a very large prototype model was carved by marine architects from a massive block of ice in a room above Smithfield Meat Market. The boffins really were inventive, but Britain was in a desperate situation at the time.

Dave


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## suecanknit (Apr 12, 2011)

Firstly I would just like to say I didnt mean to offend you in anyway you just seem to have a lot of knowledge about things I didnt want to put you on the spot and I was very serious about this as I am a professional knitter and this was one thing that I couldnt master and that bothered me as I always like a challenge but for 4months now I havent had a solution.
Having said that you have given me some new ideas that I hadnt thought of like drawing it on paper first and using it as a template.
I have a great passion and have had for a long time I take it very seriously.
Thankyou once again,Dave and when I finish the tea cosy I will send you a photo.I do love reading all you history and meanings to words keep it up,please.Sue.


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## FireballDave (Mar 18, 2011)

suecanknit said:


> Firstly I would just like to say I didnt mean to offend you in anyway you just seem to have a lot of knowledge about things I didnt want to put you on the spot and I was very serious about this as I am a professional knitter and this was one thing that I couldnt master and that bothered me as I always like a challenge but for 4months now I havent had a solution.
> Having said that you have given me some new ideas that I hadnt thought of like drawing it on paper first and using it as a template.
> I have a great passion and have had for a long time I take it very seriously.
> Thankyou once again,Dave and when I finish the tea cosy I will send you a photo.I do love reading all you history and meanings to words keep it up,please.Sue.


I'm not a professional knitter, that's why I looked at it as a question of cladding a solid form and suggested using paper technology. Simply drawing the templates won't work, the sections need to be cut out, stuck to a pot and then tailored.

There will be a hull section each side, one of which will have the 'stern tab' extension attached; two right angle triangles for the sails for each side, a total of four; two mast sections; and two narrow 'filler' isosceles triangles. If you look at a sailing yacht, you will notice the sails are not of equal size.

Once you have all the pieces the right size, you can then arrange them for knitting. From the initial casting on at the waterline, you will need to increase sharply on every row at the prow, less frequently at the stern. You will also need to make some evenly spaced increases along the length of the hull to accommodate the bowl of the pot, otherwise it won't fit properly. The press stud fastening under the spout means you will be able to produce a fitted cosy, which will still be easy to put on and remove. You will then cast off a fair numder of stitches at the deck level and on the next row cast back on nearly as many for the lower edge of the sail, depending on how large you need it to be. The leading edge of the sail will need to be beyond the point where the top of the spout joins the pot. Looking at the pot from the front, the base of the isosceles triangle shaped gusset will rest on the top of the spout and then taper until the two sides of the sail can comfortably join.

If you've never done this kind of thing before, it might be a good idea to try making some paper models, to get the hang of how this sort of methodology works. Although it isn't a yacht, I've just checked and see Paper Toys has just added a model of the _Santa Maria_, making this up could be a useful exercise.

http://www.papertoys.com/santamaria.htm

Their models are very good and well-designed, I have made a couple of their architectural models. Beware, they are addictive!

I can't calculate the stitches, I don't have the pot you intend using in front of me. I would go for a brick-shaped rectangular pot, rather than a traditional design, I am worried by the girth because it is the opposite of a yacht. I suppose you could make it as a catamaran, that would simplify things a lot!

Dave


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## maryanne (Feb 20, 2011)

Thanks again Dave, another unfamiliar word. I looked it up on the Online Dictionary. Boffin, British slang. scientist, researcher, origin unknown.

We had an ice man too. I was very small and I remember being fascinated by the huge block of ice and the ice tongs. I still occasionally use ice box instead of fridge, depends on whether I am speaking southern vernacular or modern non accented American English.

I am looking forward to the tea party and it's definitely time for iced tea (pronounced ice tea), no sugar, lemon wedge.


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## askem1728 (Mar 28, 2011)

FireballDave said:


> maryanne said:
> 
> 
> > Thanks Dave. That's quite interesting, I still remember my grandmother.s ice box. I grew up calling refrigerators ice boxes as many in the south did. Some probably still do.
> ...


thanks Dave never knew about that idea of using an iceberg like that. now that i think of it it could work. no actually it would have worked quite nicely as long as where they were going ti move it to didn't get to warm. leave it to you guys to think of something like that. also to think of the added protection that would have offered. i 'm gonna tell my dad this one tomorrow. he is a major WWII buff. i don't think he even knew of this idea.
thank you Dave for allowing me to learn something new. i love learning new things from you.
happy yarn fun
Andrea from Canada


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## Jessica-Jean (Mar 14, 2011)

FireballDave said:


> Ice boxes were used here too, I've seen them in the kitchens of many historic homes. In Victorian times, ice-sellers toured the streets delivering blocks of ice for them.
> Dave


_Only_ in Victorian times? I remember seeing horse-drawn wagons hauling ice in Brooklyn, New York. I was fascinated by the huge hooks used to manipulate the equally huge blocks of ice. OK, _I_ only saw them delivered to businesses, not to private homes, but some folks kept using ice boxes outside of the winter months. I remember being to visit one such house and exploring the ice box. It was winter, so the ice box was empty; everything that would have been in it was sitting outside on the window ledge. Being born in 1946, I'm guessing my memories date from the early 50's - long after the end of the Victorian era!

Thirty years later, when my fridge gave up the ghost, I remembered that window ledge and saved our stuff by setting it outside on the balcony.


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## Jessica-Jean (Mar 14, 2011)

maryanne said:


> I don't think there is any such thing as "mildly" dyslexic when it comes to the emotional damage and the blows to self esteem it renders. Studies have shown that dsylexics are statistically much higher in intelligence and artistic ability than average. There is also a high correlation of left handed and ambidexterous people in the family. A few years ago a gene for dyslexia was found.
> 
> My SIL is a severe dyslexic. He is also an art photographer who is in three major galleries and three major museums. He is the only photographer making glass plate photographs such as Matthew Brady did.
> 
> Neither he or my boys have outgrown any of their dyslexia. His parents gave him great support too.


Dyslexia is an inborn wiring of the brain; not something like thumb-sucking that one can be expected to grow out of. It is not an illness or disease. It is simply a difference.

I'm not sure if it's better or not to tell kids they are dyslexic. Maybe having the label will make them use it as an excuse for not achieving? (Two of my ne'er-do-well cousins come to mind.) Maybe it will enable their parents to accept their differences and encourage them?

In my case, it was never diagnosed until after retirement when I went back to school. What a revelation! Now I know why my b's and d's are often swapped; 
why any letter with a tail is likely to be written going the wrong way, especially if I'm stressed and hurrying;
why, when tired, my left hand will type d when it should have been my right hand and k; 
why I need to think _actively_ about which is right or left, which way to turn a screw-top lid or a screw ... the list is long!

This even entered into my knitting. As a child, I thought it was just fine to produce knitted fabric without turning the work; I thought I had discovered something wonderful! I just went in the other direction ... until I was roundly scolded for it! Now, I've gone back to that method, at least for short-rows. It's too much of a bother to stop, re-thread my fingers, turn the needles, and re-start ... for only a few stitches!

Handedness is also covered by dyslexia. My son and I are both willing and able to write - legibly - with either hand.

My grandmother thought me hopeless. My mother effectively abandoned me. None of the teachers twigged to it. They all just assumed I was dumb and supremely lazy. My SAT scores surprised everyone! A loud, wet *raspberry* to all such benighted parents and teachers!!

I just wish I could have know sooner; it would have been nice to tell to my mother. I might have been able to understand my son better, though I never for an instant believed his teachers' assessments of him as slow or behind. It's no wonder he thinks most teachers aren't worth their salt. That's why he has opted to teach children before they've acquired his attitude towards teachers; he's an early childhood educator = works in day-care with pre-schoolers.


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## suecanknit (Apr 12, 2011)

Dave,I am certainly going to try with the info you sent me to design at least a tea cosy once again there are more good ideas to play with.


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## FireballDave (Mar 18, 2011)

Jessica-Jean said:


> FireballDave said:
> 
> 
> > Ice boxes were used here too, I've seen them in the kitchens of many historic homes. In Victorian times, ice-sellers toured the streets delivering blocks of ice for them.
> ...


I know they were still in use beyond the Edwardian era. But the only examples I have personally seen were either in recreations of Victorian kitchens, or as exhibits in the V&A and other design collections. Similarly, I have seen C19th photographs and drawings of domestic ice-sellers. Apologies to anyone I confused.

Houses here used to be built with proper pantries which had a thick stone shelf positioned on the coolest side of the house. These were standard, even in quite small _between the wars_ suburban three-bedroomed semis and two-bedroomed maisonettes.

A proper pantry shelf is excellent for setting jellies and cooling off jams and preserves, eggs and tomatoes of course keep much better in such an environment.

The vast majority have been ripped out now, people cook less and are so used to the flavourless pap sold in their local _Palace of Hell_ they deem them superfluous to their needs. As you may have guessed, I disagree.

Dave


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## maryanne (Feb 20, 2011)

Jessica-Jean thank you so much for expanding on the subject of dyslexia. And please tell your son that I appreciate his becoming a teacher for the right reasons. So many in my family were teachers and were able to rescue some persecuted students from bad teachers. 

I was ambidextrous and had some minor LD problems in my first school years. I changed schools the middle of my second year. I couldn't do the math so the teacher yelled at me, shook me, and put me standing in the corner, I was either ignored or ridiculed by her for the rest of the year. It made me have a block about math til I had a teacher who taught me to love it.

I inevitably type k for d and vice versa. It's morning and I have done it all through this post. Thanks again.


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## PurpleFi (Mar 26, 2011)

I've finished the Pisces egg cosy. Just got to figure out the best way to photograph it as I've enlarged the fishes and one meets the other coming round the other side, if you know what I mean.


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## FireballDave (Mar 18, 2011)

PurpleV said:


> I've finished the Pisces egg cosy. Just got to figure out the best way to photograph it as I've enlarged the fishes and one meets the other coming round the other side, if you know what I mean.


Sounds great!


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## PurpleFi (Mar 26, 2011)

FireballDave said:


> PurpleV said:
> 
> 
> > I've finished the Pisces egg cosy. Just got to figure out the best way to photograph it as I've enlarged the fishes and one meets the other coming round the other side, if you know what I mean.
> ...


see Picture posting Pisces Egg cosy - thanks for the inspiration!


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## FireballDave (Mar 18, 2011)

For anyone interested, egg cosy xi is now on the forum at:

http://www.knittingparadise.com/t-12221-1.html

Hope you like it!
Dave


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## 2CatsinNJ (Jan 21, 2011)

Fireball Dave, you'd best keep making the egg cosies.One day, all of us who follow you here are going to show up for a proper full English breakfast....and bring our knitting ! ! !


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## FireballDave (Mar 18, 2011)

2CatsinNJ said:


> Fireball Dave, you'd best keep making the egg cosies.One day, all of us who follow you here are going to show up for a proper full English breakfast....and bring our knitting ! ! !


I usually produce a few dozen per year, as and when I need them. Designs are very much 'on a whim'. I must admit to being slightly bemused by all this interest. As for people following me, I have all the sense of direction of one of the goldfish!

Dave


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## FireballDave (Mar 18, 2011)

For anybody collecting these cosy patterns. There are two typing errors in number three _The Eggy Scrambler_. I have posted a correction and also re-posted the full pattern for anybofy who is printing them out.

Sorry for any inconvenience.

Dave


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## fibrefay (Mar 29, 2011)

Jessica-Jean said:


> Paulaff said:
> 
> 
> > Thank you so much for a great egg cozy! I have a 'thing' for egg cups & cozys. From reading some of the responses to this, do you have more patterns that you've shared?
> ...


Thanks, Jessica-Jean!
I was hoping someone would lead me to the list of Dave's egg cosies. I will tackle them one day and I have some designs floating around in my head that I could try. It's years since I've had a bolied egg, but I think these would be popular in an aged care centre. So interesting, for such tiny things!

Heaven help us if Dave decides to take on larger projects! I guess the next step is baby beanies and then adult beanies.

Now that's been done before! I mean a beanie knit-along! I have some pictures of wonderful artistic beanies of all kinds shown in a gallery or craft show somewhere. Darwin (Australia) also had the public submitting great beanies for some event years ago. Wonder if it is an annual event!


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## Jessica-Jean (Mar 14, 2011)

fibrefay said:


> Thanks, Jessica-Jean!
> I was hoping someone would lead me to the list of Dave's egg cosies. I will tackle them one day and I have some designs floating around in my head that I could try. It's years since I've had a bolied egg, but I think these would be popular in an aged care centre. So interesting, for such tiny things!


Hi Fay,
There have been at least two more since that list:
May 26th Egg Cosy XI - Monaco: Race to the Chequered Flag http://www.knittingparadise.com/t-12221-1.html

May 28th Egg Cosy XII - Egg Cosy XII - Protect Your Egg! http://www.knittingparadise.com/t-12523-1.html

I don't think there've been any later ones.

My first official job, with a paycheck, was part-time in the kitchen of a nursing home. I doubt anyone ever had a really hot meal there; it just took too long to get the plates from the kitchen to the rooms. I never did breakfasts, but I think your idea of providing them to such folks is a great one.


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## fibrefay (Mar 29, 2011)

FireballDave said:


> For anybody collecting these cosy patterns. There are two typing errors in number three _The Eggy Scrambler_. I have posted a correction and also re-posted the full pattern for anybofy who is printing them out.
> 
> Sorry for any inconvenience.
> 
> Dave


Thanks for the error correction, Dave.

Wow! Your description of how to go about achieving the Yacht Tea Cosy is quite technical. I'm sure you deserve a good long walk around the city after that.

This is going to be interesting! I wonder if a scout through some antique or vintage patterns could help. I'm always surprised what I find there. I came across a pattern for a Teapot Handle Holder one day and I didn't know they existed.

I'm trying to find the link. I saved the pattern, but the link is no longer there. Will have to try somewhere else and let you know.

Post it if you find it first, please Dave.


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## fibrefay (Mar 29, 2011)

another note on the Teapot Handle-Holder (yes, hyphenated this time), as the steel and silver teapots were hot to serve in those days, a knitted holder was made to hold the handle.

This pattern was a late Victorian pattern and looks like an old-fashioned bonbon sweet. When the author was in hospitable, she was served tea in the ward and the teapot had this knitted holder on it. It was made in bright, cheerful circus-colours. the patternis copyrighted to Esmerelda Jones, a firm that deals with out of print and rare books.

Perhaps a trip to the Victoria and Albert Museum might uncover the object of discussion or show one in their displays or pattern in their resource files. Not sure what they have!! 

Dave, you will no doubt know how to go about it, or will know of other archives to check out.


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## fibrefay (Mar 29, 2011)

Thanks, Jessica-Jean for the update on the list of cosies.

Interesting aren't they. We had an agency staff filling in last week at the Centre and he was intrigued with the purple helmet one.

I told our small special needs group how clever Dave was with some of the things he's done. I had someone ask for the Deptford Pudding recipe again, so I'm sharing some of Dave's knowledge and skills around when I can.

Thanks again!


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## FireballDave (Mar 18, 2011)

Jessica-Jean said:


> fibrefay said:
> 
> 
> > Thanks, Jessica-Jean!
> ...


There are a couple in production, I decided to make som changes to one because I wasn't happy with the colours and it was difficult to work neatly, the other has tricky insructions, so I'm getting somebody to test my pattern before I post it.

I agree with you, egg cosies really come into their own when catering for large numbers and some of the nursing home residents might like to play with little projects that can be completed in an afternoon with odd scraps of yarn.

Dave


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## FireballDave (Mar 18, 2011)

fibrefay said:


> Wow! Your description of how to go about achieving the Yacht Tea Cosy is quite technical. I'm sure you deserve a good long walk around the city after that.
> 
> This is going to be interesting! I wonder if a scout through some antique or vintage patterns could help. I'm always surprised what I find there. I came across a pattern for a Teapot Handle Holder one day and I didn't know they existed.
> 
> ...


Working out the best way to disguise teapot as a yacht was tricky, the two shapes didn't want to play nicely. When things are that difficult, the only option is to go to first pinciples and write a list of attributes. Most things can be achieved through 'method and order', I just wish some sweater designers would give it a try!

I have seen covers for metal tea pot handles, but only once, many years ago and I don't think it was in the V&A. Their textile department is being moved at moment and it's almost impossible to access anything anyway. I'll ponder on it and try to remember, it may have been in a National Trust property. Summer holidays are coming up so there'll be lots of trips out with _The Lad_ and historic houses and stately homes are a perfect reason for a ride in the country.

I have an art deco pewter service, that has an ebony handle to the tea pot. It's very elegant but the tea never tastes quite right from a metal pot so I don't use it very often.

Dave


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## FireballDave (Mar 18, 2011)

fibrefay said:


> Heaven help us if Dave decides to take on larger projects! I guess the next step is baby beanies and then adult beanies.


I'm not really into beanies, they're far too practical! However there are a couple of whimsical amusements in my rough-book and I've started working one up, it's 'different'!

Dave


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## Jessica-Jean (Mar 14, 2011)

FireballDave said:


> I'm not really into beanies, they're far too practical! However there are a couple of whimsical amusements in my rough-book and I've started working one up, it's 'different'!
> 
> Dave


You're far too well orgainzed, Dave! I can never plan and make notes or sketches before I begin something. Of course, that means I scribble and rip aplenty after beginning the yarnplay. :-D

I'm just as glad you're not planning on beanies. I came across a crocheted pattern I really liked a few years ago and turned out 40 or so before stopping. Then I found a knitted one a couple of winters later and churned out 75 before calling it quits! No one I know needs (or wants!) another beanie.

By the way, I think I saw a mention somewhere that you'd made a correction to one of the cozy patterns - Eggy Scrambler, I think - but I couldn't find it. Of course, I only looked once and briefly. I'll look again.


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## FireballDave (Mar 18, 2011)

The corrected design is the second entry on page 2, you can find it here:

http://www.knittingparadise.com/t-8542-2.html

Hope that helps
Dave


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## FireballDave (Mar 18, 2011)

That's enough beanies for a couple of hockey teams!

I think the 'organised' bit is down to my training. I was taught the old-fashioned way and in my working-life I got used to preparing rough layouts for my clients so I could get their approval before spending ages doing something they didn't like.

I know it seems like a lot of effort, but I actually enjoy spendng an evening with my colouring book and crayons, I find it relaxing. It certainly saves the frustration of ripping out!

Dave


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## fibrefay (Mar 29, 2011)

FireballDave said:


> That's enough beanies for a couple of hockey teams!
> 
> I think the 'organised' bit is down to my training. I was taught the old-fashioned way and in my working-life I got used to preparing rough layouts for my clients so I could get their approval before spending ages doing something they didn't like.
> 
> ...


I guess that's how they all start to design knit ware. I was lucky to find an interesting hardcover book at the Rotary Book Exchange (for all you Adelaide Aussie knitters, it's opposite Westfield's Shopping Centre on Sturt Road in the Marion area) and it's full of forty witty designs. It's called "Wit Knits" and written by George Hostler and Gyles Brandreth from the UK.

The models are Miss Faith Brown, Joanna Lumley, Christopher Biggins, Simon Cadell, Richard Briers, John Inman, Roddy Llewellyn and many others. I think they had a blast during the photograpy session and the designs suit their personalities. A book I will treasure for sure.


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## FireballDave (Mar 18, 2011)

I'm not a knitting designer, knitting is simply a relaxation for me, my real competency is in a completely different field. However, basic design methods work across the board, self-discipline and an ordered approach are part of basic training in UK art schools, firm foundations are important.

Dave


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## fibrefay (Mar 29, 2011)

FireballDave said:


> I'm not a knitting designer, knitting is simply a relaxation for me, my real competency is in a completely different field. However, basic design methods work across the board, self-discipline and an ordered approach are part of basic training in UK art schools, firm foundations are important.
> 
> Dave


I agree. Us Gals know all about firm foundations, don't we ladies?
(Chuckle...!!)


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## Mamajan (Nov 29, 2011)

maryinvt said:


> Dave I love your little fish!!! They are so cheerful looking. I need to get upstairs in the yarn room and select some yarn to do one of these little happy pieces of art. I just love this one. I can imagine these sat upon the egg and the glee that it would bring to a childs face. Just wonderful.... just delightful. And as always your photos are always magazine quality pieces of art too.
> Mary in VT


There would be glee on my face as well,let alone a child,Jan


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## FireballDave (Mar 18, 2011)

Mamajan said:


> maryinvt said:
> 
> 
> > Dave I love your little fish!!! They are so cheerful looking. I need to get upstairs in the yarn room and select some yarn to do one of these little happy pieces of art. I just love this one. I can imagine these sat upon the egg and the glee that it would bring to a childs face. Just wonderful.... just delightful. And as always your photos are always magazine quality pieces of art too.
> ...


It's quite an easy motif and if you place the seed beads using this method they are completely secure, so it's safe for children because to get them off, you have to physically cut the yarn.

Dave


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## KnitPicker (Jan 19, 2011)

FireballDave said:


> Jessica-Jean said:
> 
> 
> > FireballDave said:
> ...


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## KnitPicker (Jan 19, 2011)

fibrefay said:


> FireballDave said:
> 
> 
> > I'm not a knitting designer, knitting is simply a relaxation for me, my real competency is in a completely different field. However, basic design methods work across the board, self-discipline and an ordered approach are part of basic training in UK art schools, firm foundations are important.
> ...


YES! ROFL


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## FireballDave (Mar 18, 2011)

KnitPicker said:


> FireballDave said:
> 
> 
> > Jessica-Jean said:
> ...


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## Mamajan (Nov 29, 2011)

I well remember my mother and aunts calling their funny little cellar head kitchen, a scullery . Imagine a set of stone steps leading down to a dank cold cellar,at the top of which is one stone sink ,no other kitchen appliances but a Yorkshire Range in the dining room with a kitchen table always in the centre and settee or chairs around the edges of the room.
I learned from my mother how to bake wonderful bread right from scratch,no fast yeasts ,we didnt measure or weigh, all done by sheer instinct .And the bread was out of this world


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## FireballDave (Mar 18, 2011)

Mamajan said:


> I well remember my mother and aunts calling their funny little cellar head kitchen, a scullery . Imagine a set of stone steps leading down to a dank cold cellar,at the top of which is one stone sink ,no other kitchen appliances but a Yorkshire Range in the dining room with a kitchen table always in the centre and settee or chairs around the edges of the room.
> I learned from my mother how to bake wonderful bread right from scratch,no fast yeasts ,we didnt measure or weigh, all done by sheer instinct .And the bread was out of this world


It's a wonderful term, it can mean so many things, I wonder how an estate agent would describe your mother's dank cellar?

_A utility room complete with period amenities, ideal for flower arranging._

That seems to cover it nicely!

Dave


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## barb1918 (Oct 14, 2011)

Very cute how big dose it turn out to be,and could it be made into a doll hat?


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## Jessica-Jean (Mar 14, 2011)

barb1918 said:


> Very cute how big dose it turn out to be,and could it be made into a doll hat?


Make one; it doesn't take long. Then do the math to up-size it.


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## askem1728 (Mar 28, 2011)

i made it into 2 different size baby hats


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## barb1918 (Oct 14, 2011)

how much did you up size it and how did you do it?


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## Mamajan (Nov 29, 2011)

FireballDave said:


> Mamajan said:
> 
> 
> > I well remember my mother and aunts calling their funny little cellar head kitchen, a scullery . Imagine a set of stone steps leading down to a dank cold cellar,at the top of which is one stone sink ,no other kitchen appliances but a Yorkshire Range in the dining room with a kitchen table always in the centre and settee or chairs around the edges of the room.
> ...


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## Jessica-Jean (Mar 14, 2011)

barb1918 said:


> how much did you up size it and how did you do it?


It's called experimenting. Not being a scientist, I almost never take notes as I'm playing with yarn. I just play with it, which is what I suppose askem1728 did to make hats from it.
Add some stitches. Add some rows. Change needles and yarn. Repeat until you make what you imagine!


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