Mary Jane

There has been a lot of winding around here. So much winding had me wound up for a brisk cuppa. Only my craving was for a sweet something we had in Southeast Asia….in Malaysia….one of those things, that when described, you go “eeeeuwwww, how could anyone drink that?” and then you ask for seconds. Such is my hankering for Teh Tarik…the urge does not come often, but when it does stand back, really stand back, because my technique is not the best and  you may be splashed with hot super-sweet milky tea.

Teh Tarik

• Brew yourself a cup of tea, I recall Boh being the popular brand while on Borneo, but I’ve since discovered that Cocoanut Tree Brand Tea (with the misspelling) is considered by some to have the most authentic flavor…no telling where to get that in these parts, so I use PG Tips which brew fast and strong.

• Next add lots of sweetened condensed milk….LOTS of it. TONS of it, so much you’ll need a tall glass so you can fit it all in. I use Santini Organic.

• Now for the fun – you need to pull the tea. Teh Tarik means Pulled Tea, so you pull it by  pouring  it from glass to glass, to mix it all up really well, so the sweetened condensed milk does not sink to the bottom. You pour it from as high as you dare, in a long thin stream. Back and forth to get a good froth on the top.

They have competitions for this. I would not win, I am messy messy messy.  My lack of technique is a good reason for starting an apron collection again.

Best of all is drinking it…especially on a nippy fall day.

No More Microwaves has a recipe for 4, I’d drink half….

It seems in my wild traveling I missed telling you some exciting news – I put on the journalist hat. Twist Collective published my article detailing my fabulous trip to Peru! Whoot! Take a peek here and while you’re there you better check out the beautiful patterns…

In the article I mention I could write volumes on my chullo collection alone. What I especially liked while in the highlands of Peru, was the casual way men wear their chullos in daily life, the way the men in the US might wear a baseball cap.

We passed a curious sculpture…but were not lucky enough to see this look in the flesh.

If you want a great trip to Peru go with Cynthia!

I am away again, in the most beautiful place. Unexpected. Helping friends. As I left home, bags full of yarn,  I grabbed my Squam Journal, hoping I’d finally find the time to read and enjoy it. I hadn’t made it to the mythic Squam Art Workshop, last spring, so I got the book, so I could share a bit of the wonder.

I had no idea just how inspiring I would find this little book! After my Surrogate Mommy morning, I took my coffee poolside and began to leaf through the pages. The Journal in Elizabeth’s words :

There is a lovely spirit of connection and collaboration that has emerged from the gatherings at Squam Art Workshops. However, the journal is not about the workshops themselves. Rather, it is an exploration of the journeys we take, how we can find friendship in the most unexpected places, and the restorative power of natural beauty– but above all, it is about what happens when you honor your creativity.”

The format is just the thing for reading-while-knitting, small sweet bursts of life, gorgeous collages to get lost in, brilliant colors and dreamy inspiration. …And what to my wondering eye should I find – tucked in the middle? Blank pages, some with lovely quotes, saved for us to write our own journal!

Kismet!– I had only the evening before, joined Misa’s flickr group drawing Friday “A place to encourage a little bit of drawing from designer, knitterly and crafty types who feel like they want to get back to paper.”

So that’s what I did. I knit, I read, I drew. A happy happy day. A blissful Squam day!