Smoking is not allowed in the Cambridge Town Hall, but two hard-case tea cosies got away with it last week.
Anne Curtis at the 2025 Cambridge Creative Fibre exhibition, held in the Cambridge Town Hall’s Victoria Room last week. Photo: Steph Bell-Jenkins
That was because their faces – and cigarettes – were hand-knitted out of millspun acrylic yarn and posed no actual risk of sparking a fire or offending anyone’s nostrils.
The two tea cosies, named “Cuppa Tea Time” and “Smoke-o Time”, were made by Cambridge fibre artist Karen Walkinshaw.
Dragging away happily on their crumpled ciggies, they attracted the attention of many visitors to Cambridge Creative Fibre’s annual exhibition at the town hall’s newly refurbished Victoria Room last week.
Ali McLaren won the New Skill Award for “My Breezy Garden”, crocheted in millspun cotton/acrylic. McLaren learned how to crochet this year and this was the first piece she created. Photo: Steph Bell-Jenkins
Exhibition convenor Anne Curtis said it was the first exhibition to run since the Cambridge Town Hall Community Trust teamed up with Waipa District Council to carry out a $2 million makeover of the hall’s two side wings.
Curtis has been a member of the group for more than 30 years and has hung its annual exhibitions every year for 20 years.
It is her job to take a jumbled roomful of exhibits and display material and transform them into a visual symphony.
“It’s chaos, I can tell you,” she said.
“It all arrives and we have all these screens, props and plinths. We didn’t know what it was going to be like in here, being a new renovation, but it’s fabulous – we love it. And they’re just so nice to work with, the town hall people.”
Tracey Sparkle’s “Wild Flowers” exhibit – a crocheted drawstring bag with satin lining.
Walkinshaw’s tea cosies won the Domestic Excellence Award – one of nine ribbons awarded at the show by judge and Te Awamutu weaver Nynke Piebenga.
Cambridge Creative Fibre has 40-50 members, who meet every Thursday at Taylor Made Community Space. Their talents include spinning, weaving, knitting, crochet, felting, sewing and embroidery.
“Catching Sparkles” by Debbie Pennycook – hand knitted in millspun wool/acrylic. Photo: Steph Bell-Jenkins
“We’re doing a beginners’ spinning class next month – there are so many people coming to us wanting to learn to spin,” Curtis said. “Part of our job is educating the public.”
Curtis said sales of exhibited pieces had been “much better” than last year.
“It definitely feels more positive; there seems to be more money around and people are freer with their money,” she said.
Cambridge Creative Fibre exhibition convenor Anne Curtis with Karen Walkinshaw’s award winning tea cosies. Photo: Steph Bell-Jenkins
Karen Walkinshaw’s tea cosies, “Cuppa Tea Time” (left) and “Smoke-o Time”, won the Domestic Excellence Award at Cambridge Creative Fibre’s 2025 exhibition. Photo: Steph Bell-Jenkins
