Britt's Blog

With ruthless efficiency, we’ve already finished all of our Christmas celebrations, leaving Christmas Day free for lounging around and watching teevee. Here are some pictures from Christmas with my family.

All the cute pictures involve my sister’s kids, Benji and Michael. I have no control over my compulsive desire to take cute pictures of them; I suspect that it has something to do with the fact that we have something like 25% of our DNA in common.

Jason and Michael.

My cousin’s daughter, Elizabeth, reading to Benji.

Me and Michael.
Omi (that’s my Mom) reading to Benji.

Just for Dan, an update on the cosy project. Physics 101 grades are done, and so is the cosy…sort of.

Here it is. Pretty gnarly, eh? Turns out I had enough of the cream that I didn’t need the green yarn, but maybe should have used it any way—I liked the stripe and fade effect. But I think it still looks good.

Unfortunately, it’s a bit tight…

So I have decided to steek an opening for the spout.

Steeking is where you actually cut a vertical slit in your knitting after (hopefully) securing the stitches around the slit.

So my ulterior motive in making this post is to document the thing, just in case it unravels in my hands. :)

So, drumroll…

I have decided to reward myself as I grade Physics 101 final exams today by knitting a tea cosy.

My Christmas gift from Mom arrived early, consisting of the Tea of the Month club from Tea Source (does my Mom love me, or what?) and two new teapots.

The little white one has been getting the most use, as it holds about two coffee mugs’ worth of tea, or three proper tea cups—perfect for grading homework or sitting down for a little TV and knitting. But it needs a cosy so that third cup is as warm as the first!

A while ago, the corrugated ribbing on this sweater at knitty.com caught my eye, and I’ve been trying to figure out a project to use it on. When I cast about looking for patterns for a tea cosy, I came across this ribbed cosy and a connection was made.

I pondered over my stash, trying to decide what yarn to use, and found the perfect choice: blue and cream, handspun by Amanda. The texture should add some quirky charm to the cosy, and the smallish hanks should be about the right amount, especially if I supplement it with some hazel-green yarn from the Ithaca Farmer’s Market.

I played around a bit until I got a swatch I liked:

Lovely! Any pot would be proud to wear it.

Now, back to grading…

It’s about the only thing I read. General fiction is pretty much about ways that people get into problems and screw their lives up. Science fiction is about everything else.

Marvin Minsky
Discover Magazine
January 2007

Everybody’s worn down, tired and crabby because it’s the end of the semester, one Dr. Britt R. Scharringhausen, PhD, included. My Physics 101 students didn’t do so hot on their last exam, and I’m (irrationally, I know) beating myself up over it, not to mention dreading the upcoming chaos and nonstop work associated with finals week and computing final grades.

However, on my way to work this morning, every single person I saw, on the sidewalk downtown and on campus, smiled and said good morning.

:)

Type: Green
Source: The Tea Source
Price: A very affordable $3.78 / 2 oz.
Rating:

Background: Pi Lo Chun is a Chinese tea whose name means “Spring Green Snail.” It is picked only in the spring.

The Unsteeped Leaves: The leaves small and tightly twisted, a mix of dark green leaves and downy light green buds. When first opened the bag, I noticed large amount of a fuzzy yellowish dust from the buds. The leaves vary from about 2 cm long down bits. They have a deep, plummy, sweet smell.

The Steep: 2 min at 170°F.

The Liquor: The liquor has the same plummy smell as the leaves, but with a strong creamy background and a vegetal overtone. The taste has a very strong green character with a fruity aftertaste. Unfortunately, I’m also tasting a bit of the bitterness of an overbrewed green, so I will have to reduce the steeping time next time.

Overall impressions: Pi Lo Chun provides a lot of what I’m looking for in a good green tea: lots of flavor with a pleasant sweetness and fruitiness. The only thing missing is the creamy taste that you get from a superlative green (or white), but I think this is an excellent tea for the price.

I love websites like this: How Much is Inside?

This brings you the answers to questions you’ve always wondered about (How much shaving cream is there in a can?) and other questions that, while they never occurred to you before, once you’ve heard them, you cannot rest until you know the answer (How much white stuff is there in a package of Oreos?) and questions whose answer will simply amaze you (How many Cheerios are there in a box?). Questions range from the esoteric (What is the frequency of different messages on conversation heart candies?) to the practical (How long will two D batteries last in a standard flashlight?) to questions that go the the heart of our existence as human beings (How much blood is there in the human body?)

I somehow feel better about the human race knowing that someone has asked, and rigorously answered, these questions.