Marie Curie Tea Cosy

Step into the glow of scientific brilliance! Inspired by the indomitable Marie Curie, I have designed a tea cosy of the amazing woman herself, celebrating her life's work and her two Nobel Prizes. I love to celebrate strong historic women from history in my tea cosies and now it's time for Marie Curie to take centre stage - or centre tea tray.

When you search for photos of Marie Curie, she always looks quite stern. I think this is partly because they are old black and white photos and partly because back at the time when the pictures were taken, people didn't pull big cheesy grins for their photos, they just had resting faces, which often looks stern. But adding to that the effects of her work and handling radioactive substances, I wondered if she maybe felt unwell in the photos. I have drawn her with a straight face, but when she is all knitted up, I may succumb to give her a little smile.

As a nod to her scientific discoveries of radium and polonium, I have given her scientific glasses to hold. I'm not sure how to knit 'Glass' with it being transparent. I'm thinking I might use Stylecrafts shade A Hint of Silver to create the glassware.

The photos also always show her in full length dresses that they totalitarian looking and dark in colour. So I have given the Marie Curie tea cosy a long, plain, dark green dress, with a paler green underskirt. When I think of radioactivity, glowing green goo springs to mind - I have probably been influenced by too much science fiction, but we all have to draw from the inspiration that we have and bright green goo was my inspiration for the petticoat.

Around her dress will be a row of daffodils, a symbol of strength and resilience. Romans were known to plant daffodils to remember those who died in battle, and Marie Curie was in many a battle. A battle in a male dominated sphere at a time when women weren't thought to have scientific minds and a battle to have her work recognised as her own. As well as her battle to fight the effects of radiation and cancer.

Marie Curie has said that their daffodil is a “symbol of unwavering support”.

Imagine sipping tea from a pot adorned with her legacy. Every cup becomes a conversation about science, courage, and curiosity.











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