In Lady Wynwood’s Spies, volume 4: Betrayer , Phoebe wears a pair of lace muffatees, or gauntlets/arm-warmers that hide a rather deadly surprise. :) I actually got the idea of having her wear muffatees because I saw a lace manchette pattern in Miss Watts’ Ladies’ Knitting and Netting Book , published in 1840, page 20. However, after doing some research, I found that they were called muffatees in the Regency era, and the term manchette did not arise until a few years later. They were essentially arm-warmers worn under those long sleeves on day dresses, which were usually made of muslin too thin to be very warm. I decided to knit Phoebe’s muffatees using a Leaf Pattern originally suggested for a purse in Mrs. Gaugain’s book, The Lady’s Assistant, volume 1, 5th edition published in 1842, pages 234-237. I think there was an error and row 36 in the original pattern was duplicated erroneously, so I have adjusted the pattern. The original manchette pattern called for “fine” needles a
It's true - coffee makers usually have a temp too low to brew a good cup of coffee. French press is the way to go, bringing the water to just under a boil before pouring it in.
ReplyDeleteAs to the flavor difference, buy green coffee beans and roast them yourself. Green coffee beans stay fresh for a long time, but after roasting they begin immediately to go stale.
Actually, he DOES roast his own beans! And I can definitely taste the difference between freshly (and properly) roasted beans versus beans that are too old. He usually roasts espresso beans because he uses his espresso maker more than making coffee, but he roasted coffee beans this past weekend when I chucked--er, convinced him to toss the bad beans.
ReplyDeleteCamy
If I feel like being luxurious on days, I pull out the french press. The thing about coffee makers is that they need to be cleaned regularly to get rid of the grit that detracts from the flavor. When was the last time he cleaned his?
ReplyDeleteDuring the week I have a coffee maker I have a small expreso maker somewhere in the basement from my catering days and I think I will pull it out and see if it still works.
Being at work at 5 AM, I will probaby stick with the coffee maker until I switch shifts.
Yeah, that's the reason Captain Caffeine uses his coffeemaker/French Press--in the afternoons and evenings, he's tired and doesn't want to fire up his espresso maker so he uses other means to make a quick cup of coffee.
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