TEASMADE

My Mum noticed ages ago that I had put a Teasmade on my Christmas wishlist and she very thoughtfully picked one up for me just after Christmas and bought it to the sausages and cider party. Now my bedsit is an extremely small space and I am an extremely messy person, so unfortunately there wasn’t an immediately available location for the Teasmade. Thus on the Easter weekend, my goal was to organise the shelves at the end of my bed so that the Teasmade could take up residence. You see it was always my dream that it would live on that middle shelf and as you can see, before my modest tidying blitz there was no space for the Teasmade!

So I tidied up the shelves and installed the Teasmade, and it has pleased me so much that now the entire shelf is my Tea Museum.

From left to right, the exhibits:

1. Knitted teaspoon by Suzanne Stallard, in museum box

2. TEA REVIVES YOU postcard, from Liz, last July

3. Mundane Appreciation/Fantastical Reality Radio Show clipboard, used to interview people re: Perfect Tea, amongst other things

4. My knitted teabag, made to accompany Suzanne’s knitted spoon

5. Tea-themed ribbon, from Kate

6. A teabag that was submitted to the Mundane Appreciation/Fantastical Reality Radio Show museum during SLOUNGE in May 2008

7. Perfect tea coupon from the making of The Fantastical Reality Radio Show, designed by Kayla Bell

To the left of my miniature Tea Museum, is the Teasmade, which is amongst other things a sound installation. I love waking up to the gentle brewing sound and was very excited to see that even in the brochure for the Teasmade the makers have referenced this as a key feature:

You will hear the traditional Teasmade whoosh! as the water is ejected from the tank into the ceramic pot.

– The Teasmade instruction booklet

All of this tea-joy is helping me to consolidate my plans for The Ultimate Tea Cardigan, which I intend to make from this yarn (Rowan Cashcotton 4-ply dyed with Walnut in 3 batches, in 3 shades of Tea)

With the addition of these very special buttons.

I am currently reading Witold Rybczynski’s Home, which is a fascinating exploration of the origins of modern domesticity, of which Tea is a central component. Knowing this, the designers of the cover cleverly inserted a tea cup and saucer into the jacket design.

The same wag who wrote the Teasmade Instruction booklet was probably also responsible for placing the quote ‘A stimulating read – The Economist’ over the larger teacup image on the back of this book. Why do so many discussions or references to Tea turn inevitably camp? Is theobromine camp-inducing?

Thank you for purchasing this Swan Teasmade. With this iconic product, you are joining a unique group of people – going back some 70 years or more – who just have to be woken with a nice, hot cup of tea in the morning – and who can blame you.

– The Teasmade instruction booklet

In the attached recording you can hear me knitting a hat while the Teasmade brews happily in the background. There is a clicking noise, which is the sound of my electric cooker cooking barley, and a rubbing noise, which is where I was split-splicing 2 different yarns together. I love the little noises of 5.5mm bamboo noises; gently percussive and resonant. I also like the lovely bubbling Whoosh! at the end of the Teasmade’s boiling, which comes exactly as promised. For me this recording captures something about the essence of Tea. It is quietly excited, making an exuberant, caffeinated crescendo at the end, which promises nurturing and productivity in equal measure.

The Hat reminds me of tea also, with its muted brown shades. More of this in another post… Now I need to get myself a cup of tea…

9 Responses to TEASMADE

  1. Pingback: The Domestic Soundscape » Blog Archive » Wednesday’s Numbers

  2. Pingback: The Domestic Soundscape » Archive » Audiograft, TEA and THE SONIC TUCK SHOP

  3. Pingback: The Domestic Soundscape » Archive » Tea and Biscuits

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