Pakkasenpuremia

Helsinki III

2012-01-24T16:30:00.000+02:00

Weekend in Helsinki was interesting, including the presidential election, lots of snow, Chinese new year, spectacular fireworks, Nordic travel fair and delayed flights and trains.

Snow - Helsinki II

2012-01-23T19:41:00.000+02:00

I haven't really explored Helsinki before. I know several cities around the world better than the capital city of my homeland. Quite embarrassing, really. This weekend I made an effort to change that.

Helsinki I - Chinese New Year

2012-01-23T00:22:00.001+02:00

I went around the world on Saturday and

stopped in China on Sunday.

Frozen

2012-01-15T22:08:00.000+02:00

Frost goes Etsy

2012-01-13T20:59:00.001+02:00

Daytime Mitts now available for purchase on Etsy!

New ideas brewing in my head.

Stay tuned!

Weekend

2012-01-09T22:26:00.000+02:00

This weekend it felt like winter for the first time this winter. Finally -15°C!

Daytime Mitts

2012-01-06T19:00:00.000+02:00

Mitts, mitts, mitts.

They just keep coming.

Daytime Mitts 1 & 2 and Sripe Mitts (ravelry links)

Yarns:

7 veljestä (purple)

Cascade heathers (petrol)

Panda (green and brown)

Happy New Year!

2012-01-01T23:08:00.000+02:00

Thanks for voting for my advent calendar photos.

Your favourite was number six:

Congrats, Mirva & Neili!

You'll each get a pair of Midnight Mitts.

Green ones for Mirva, Brown ones for Neili.

Please, e-mail me your mailing address (my address is shown on the sidebar on left) to receive your prize.

Kite flyer vest

2011-12-31T13:02:00.001+02:00

Kite flyer vest (ravelry link)

by Veera Välimäki

Yarn: Vesa sukkalanka

Needles: 8 mm

I used thinner yarn and needles to get a good size for a 6-month-old.

Baby O. wanted his vest without a hood so I only knit a few rows to make a collar. He looks like Sir Lancelot in his harness.

***

Last day to vote and win!

Helping Santa

2011-12-29T06:00:00.000+02:00

Sizes: 100 and 110 cm

Materials: recycled bedsheets and recycled curtain

Pattern in JUJU - erilainen lastenvaatekirja by Mari Savio and Kati Rapia.

Two new matryoshka dresses (previous #1 & previous #2) were wrapped and sent for little girls for Christmas. I love this simple pattern!

Two more days to vote and win!

Wurm

2011-12-28T00:12:00.000+02:00

Wurm beanie (ravelry link)

Yarn: Manos del Uruguay Silk Blend (70% Merino, 30% Silk)

Wurm was an easy and quick knitting project. I don't like purling so I cheated and turned the work around for purl rows and knitted them from the wrong side. On holidays one's allowed to be lazy!

Silk blend is the softest yarn I've come across so far so it's perfect for wearing next to skin.

Remember to vote here and have a chance to win Midnight Mitts!!

Boxing Day

2011-12-27T06:00:00.000+02:00

On Boxing Day it was time to head out again and introduce the newest member of the family to the family traditions. With just six months of age, baby O. was not allowed to have the sausages, but seemingly enjoyed his own lunch by the fire.

P.S. Still a few days time to vote!

Christmas Day

2011-12-26T06:00:00.000+02:00

Christmas Day. No need to go anywhere nor do anything.
Wurm on the needles, a cup of rhubarb tea from Mirva, lots of candles.

Ps. Don't forget to vote!

Vote and win

2011-12-25T06:00:00.000+02:00

Midnight Mitts

70% Wool, 30% Bamboo

Which of my Advent Calendar photos did you like the most?

Vote for your favourite number and have a chance to win either pair of these fingerless mitts! The green ones are a bit larger in size than the brown ones.

Leave a comment with your favourite number and the color of your choice of mitts (green/brown) with your name/nick if you don't have a profile. Double your chances by joining the member panel!

You have until the end of year 2011 to enter.

Good luck!

24

2011-12-24T06:00:00.000+02:00

Merry Christmas to you all!

Photo by bonFire

Ps. Did you find all the numbers?

23

2011-12-23T06:00:00.000+02:00

Location: Võru, Estonia.

22

2011-12-22T06:00:00.000+02:00

Location: Offshore Oulu, Finland.

Sailing trip with colleagues.

This has become a tradition at the start of autumn.

21

2011-12-21T06:00:00.000+02:00

Location: Võru, Estonia.

For some reason, there was a farmacy at every corner of this town. Beautiful, but somewhat run-down town. I had the best set of starters here: Küüslauguleivad (garlic bread), seljanka (tomato based soup with sausages) and pelmeenid (dumplings). 3 starters was plenty for dinner.

20

2011-12-20T06:00:00.000+02:00

Location: Rauma, Finland.

Kitukränn, the narrowest street in Finland.

19

2011-12-19T06:00:00.000+02:00

Location: Villa de Leyva, Colombia.

A picturesque colonial town in Boyacá. So beautiful it felt like a dream.

This was the door to my hotel room.

My face was screaming red, badly burnt up on the mountains a day before. Our driver made sure I had fresh aloe leaves to medicate my skin every evening and morning. That was the best ever after sun "lotion". In a couple of days the burn blisters were gone.

18

2011-12-18T06:00:00.000+02:00

Location: Vienna, Austria.

Giant Ferris Wheel in Vienna.

If you want a giant dessert, go to Café Central in Vienna and order Kaiserschmarrn.

But take my advice: don't have a main before this dessert. It'll be your lunch, and probably dinner, too.

CIF 2011

2011-12-17T11:03:00.000+02:00

Oh, what a lovely surprise!

I received a craft it forward mail from Mirva.

T h a n k y o u !

Little surprises like this make me smile.

17

2011-12-17T06:00:00.000+02:00

Location: London, United Kingdom.

Walking towards Borough Market.

If you haven't been there yet, go now.

10Days in two months

2011-12-16T17:55:00.001+02:00

10Days sweater by Suvi Simola

(Ravelry link)

Yarn: Esito-huopalanka, 100% wool

Unfortunately, the end result is a bit too small for me.. but I do love the pattern. It's very simple with nice details. I’ll just have to make another one!

The buttons are handmade from a juniper branch. I love the scent of them!

16

2011-12-16T06:00:00.000+02:00

Location: Copenhagen, Denmark.

If I was ever to live in Copenhagen, I'm sure I would turn into an artist.

It's got such a creative atmosphere.

15

2011-12-15T06:00:00.000+02:00

Location: Sydney, Australia.

Sydney Opera House.

This photo was taken on a ferry from Circular Quay to Manly Beach. It was a cold, but sunny day.

"Why did you come to Australia in winter?" was a question I had to answer several times on that trip. Well, Finland is so far away from Oz that there's no point in travelling there for a short time, and I only have longer holiday when it's summer in Finland. Besides, I have experienced the Australian summer and... it's a bit too hot for my bones.

14

2011-12-14T06:00:00.000+02:00

Location: Benalmadena, Spain.

I'd caught a horrible flu in London and had do lie down for the first days of our holiday in Spain. Could have been worse: Sleeping in a deck chair on the balcony, adding some sun block every few hours. Would have done that anyway...

13

2011-12-13T06:00:00.000+02:00

Location: El Cocuy, Colombia.

One of the loveliest places I've been to. Such a peaceful, sleepy town up in the Sierra Nevada mountain range. All men wearing 'ruanas' and hats. All the houses painted with white and green, the colours of peace. Sadly, it hasn't been all that peaceful just a few years back.. but hopefully will be in the future.

12

2011-12-12T06:00:00.000+02:00

Location: near Battambang, Cambodia.

Victory Mini Restaurant.

Good Food, reasonable price.

Among other things, they sold bottled Hi-Tech Water.

11

2011-12-11T06:00:00.000+02:00

Location: Pietarsaari, Finland.

First time in Pietarsaari, and it was a pleasant surprise.

Charming old houses created a feeling of the days gone by.

Winter ♥

2011-12-10T18:24:00.001+02:00

Today, a trip to Winter Wonderland. It was just behind the door.

Snow, more snow, snow.

Sausages, tea, glögg, cakes.. at sunset by the fire.

Perfect.

And to defrost toes, sauna in the evening.

10

2011-12-10T06:00:00.000+02:00

Location: Å i Lofoten, Norway.

Gorgeous, sunny day, hiking up in the mountains, two boats floating on a lake.

9

2011-12-09T06:00:00.000+02:00

Location: London, United Kingdom.

At end of March, it was the spring break travelling from still wintery Finland to summery Spain.

8

2011-12-08T06:00:00.000+02:00

Location: Bank of Aurajoki river, Turku, Finland.

My flight had arrived early in the morning so I had a chance to wander around and notice all the details you normally miss. And later on, to enjoy breakfast in a café watching people go by. Most of them were hurrying off to work. I enjoyed my last week of holiday.

7

2011-12-07T06:00:00.000+02:00

Location: Bastogne, Belgium.

Mailbox.

6

2011-12-06T06:00:00.000+02:00

Location: Oulu, Finland.

Ice golf offshore Oulu, on frozen sea. Freezing cold, but still a perfect day for a day on ice.

Independence Day in Finland today.
Hyvää itsenäisyyspäivää!

5

2011-12-05T06:00:00.000+02:00

Location: Bogota, Colombia.

This little kid was determined to perform a song for us while eating a mouthful of crackers.

4

2011-12-04T06:00:00.000+02:00

Location: Bogota, Colombia.

First day of an unforgettable journey.

3

2011-12-03T06:00:00.000+02:00

Location: Seinäjoki, Finland.

1st of May. The sign reads "full" but there's no one to be seen..

Stripe mystery

2011-12-02T23:50:00.001+02:00

It's always a challenge to match the colours. Usually it works out quite well, maybe there's a one stripe difference, but no more. So it seemed this time around, too.

The socks seemed to be matching almost perfectly..

Heel flap - see how the light blue changes into darker almost identically.

But what happened here?? The skein was missing the green on the second (on top) sock.

How's that possible??

Never mind. I can handle colours! Especially in this darkness when there's no snow for more than a day or two..

Socks

Pattern: Basic sock pattern

Yarn: Noro Kureyon Sock, 70% wool, 30% nylon.

Needles: 3,5 mm

In Ravelry

2

2011-12-02T06:00:00.000+02:00

Location: Venice, Italy.

Narrow canals and snow. Something you don't see on travel brochures.

1

2011-12-01T06:00:00.000+02:00

Frost's advent calendar is back, with new photos, of course!

Location: Oulu, Finland.

Old scale at the railway station. Get your weight printed on a piece of cardboard for one Finnish Mark.
This has been a departure point for many of my journeys, but only once I've used this scale.

Something simple

2011-11-23T23:27:00.001+02:00

After a sweater (still unfinished) and two beanies with cables I needed something brainless to knit. Simple stripes in simple socks. Yes, we've seen them, but let's admit, Mr. Noro knows his colour palette. No counting (other than changing the colour every 3 rows) required. A perfect conversation knit, that is. You know, what I mean? Even an engaging conversation wouldn't slow down the knitting.

And on top of that, this project inspired an 8-year-old boy start learning to knit. So, having a conversation with the mother I kept on knitting my sock and teaching her son how to knit on his short and colourful kids' needles. And, of course, keeping an eye on his little project, trying to help him avoid losing too many stitches. I think he did surprisingly well. And so did I - I'd left one of my needles home.. talk about brainless!

First one's finished. Then comes the most difficult part. Matching the colours for the other one.

Snow!

2011-11-20T14:50:00.001+02:00

Vappu beanies design by Suvi Simola.

In brown for my sister.

In mauve for myself (Ravelry link).

Yarn: Cascade Heathers 220.

And yes, it's been snowing today!!! Hooray!

Soon, real soon..?

2011-11-16T23:05:00.001+02:00

Yesterday the first few snowflakes fell down. It'll take a few more to create a scenery like this. The clip was filmed in February last year. I was not able to upload it on blogger back then, but this makes a good video for dreaming of whiter days.

Surprises

2011-11-11T15:08:00.001+02:00

What a week (not that it's over yet) it has been. I haven't spent much time at home. Two nice surprises were waiting me when I got home today. My order from Ladushki had arrived! Lovely grey wool jacket. (Thank you, Anja!)

Then I found out that Ilu had been interviewed by Yle Puhe (in Finnish), and had mentioned my blog there. Wow. I don't know what to say about that. Most of the time I just write this blog to make notes for myself and it's very nice to have someone comment a post every now and then, not to mention ending up on someone's top 5 list! So thank you, Ilu!

Well, as I said, the week is not over yet, so I've got to run. Have a great weekend!

Bamboo Chocolate

2011-11-09T23:54:00.000+02:00

I went a bit overboard with my shopping last week, but something nice came out of it.

I bought two wonderful books:

Leikkipuistoneuleet - Playground knits

by Tiina Huhtaniemi, Veera Välimäki, Suvi Simola, Tuulia Salmela, Mari Muinonen

and

Kaikki lähti lapasesta - Hold your needles

by Mari Muinonen and Suvi Simola.

As soon as I got home with the books (and a few new needles..) I started working on a beanie with soft chocolate colour bamboomix yarn. A nice knit with cables. I made the beanie a bit longer because my sister wanted it to be a bit loose.

Yarn: Panda / Lankatavara Kauhavan Kangas-Aitta (70%wool, 30%bamboo)

Pattern: Vappu by Suvi Simola

Made for my sister

Foggy night

2011-10-31T22:43:00.000+02:00

Tonight the fog was so thick it made familiar streets almost unrecognizable. I felt as if I was in a black-and-white movie or on the pages of an old photo album or in a weird painting.

Dance for autumn

2011-10-30T08:39:00.000+02:00

I spent a long weekend with my sister and her family. The last of the yellow leaves were dancing around the streets on a windy day. We found a few geocaches, and I even found something useful from the fleemarkets for my sewing project which I'm working on on pattern course. Lovely weekend! Thank you, birthday girl!

Birds, dinos and elephants

2011-10-27T13:45:00.000+03:00

Baby O. needed some bibs because in a few days it's time to start eating solids. And, naturally, every big boy needs a dino shirt and beanie in their wardrobe!

Colour therapy

2011-10-25T22:34:00.001+03:00

Lacy Baktus (Ravelry link) in lime green Drops Alpaca got cast on last night. It'll go off to Colombia when finished. I'm knitting it in double yarn.

In addition to knitting tonight I made something for baby O. I'll post more pictures when I get my previous sewings photographed, too.

Frosty morning

2011-10-23T13:10:00.000+03:00

Birthday

2011-10-22T17:28:00.000+03:00

320 years old.

Maple flowers

2011-10-21T17:20:00.000+03:00

Nirppu taught me how to make these beautiful flowers using just colourful maple leaves and a piece of wire.

When the night falls

2011-10-16T20:16:00.000+03:00

Stop!

2011-10-03T17:26:00.001+03:00

After a busy week full of scheduled work and hobbies I used wisely the only day off I had last week. Packed my bags hurriedly, picked up my friend and off we went. That was the end of schedules and rushing from one place to another.

All we had

was

time.

And starry night

- the amount of stars is unbelievable when there's no light pollution!

And great food

- on wood heated stove and on campfire.

There was nothing special to do

- which made it special.

Slow down, people! Make an effort to find even just a few hours to go out to the shore or to the forest or what ever you have near your home. And decide to do nothing.
That's my free advice for you (and for me) this week.

Arctic autumn

2011-09-27T10:19:00.000+03:00

Some people choose to see only darkness and misery in autumn. I don't. Wonderful colours everywhere, nature preparing itself to winter. It's fireworks before everything is white.

A couple of hours on train took me to the Arctic Circle. I spent a lovely weekend with Very Important People. Friends up North.

Two in one

2011-09-19T23:00:00.000+03:00

One sweater.

Scissors.

1) a cowl

2) a baby beanie

Matching mitts

2011-09-16T22:16:00.000+03:00

This time crocheting.

I had still some Noro Taiyo left so I made a few granny squares and attached them together to make fingerless mitts.

Last week

2011-09-05T21:54:00.000+03:00

Thursday

Friday

Saturday

Sunday

New Noro Taiyo is so soft and delicious.

Even if all Noro yarns have become a bit of a cliché, I still found myself paying a ridiculous sum for two skeins...

Do not spit on the floor

2011-09-03T22:40:00.000+03:00

Kuopio, Eastern Finland

Weaver's house

Yarn swift. With a tachometer! High-tec!

Do not spit on the floor.

Back in the day pharmacists used this device to mold and roll the pills.

Coffee

Orange

2011-08-29T17:35:00.003+03:00

That's the colour of the season.

On needles: 10days sweater (Ravelry link) by Suvi Simola

It might take a bit more than just 10 days to finish it..

What makes a perfect weekend?

2011-08-28T18:30:00.000+03:00

- Slow cycling around the lake that doesn't exist (could have been a lake if one of the neighbours didn't disagree). But don't get me wrong, the fields are nice, too.

- Landscape full of rich colours.

- Grandma's old bike which skips a cycle every now and then when you paddle. Hence the slow speed.

- Afternoon coffee outside in the sun.

- Great food on open fire in the evening, followed by sauna (wood heated, what a luxury!)

- To top it all, thick fog rolling in from the 'lake'.

I think this gets pretty close to being a perfect weekend.

2011-08-24T20:29:00.000+03:00

Summer is opening doors to autumn.

New bunny in town

2011-08-21T21:51:00.002+03:00

Remember Mr. Bunny?

He's now living here with Baby O. and his parents. He's enjoying the view from the window and the sunny weather and taking a nap every day. I must say that it's a nice place with a lot of character. Even on a rainy day!

Check out my lovely sister's blog (in Finnish only)!

Back after 8 years part II

2011-08-11T23:47:00.000+03:00

What a great trip to Southern Finland! I miss being there already.

I did some good yarn shopping, too. But the best purchase was a wool winder. I might have gotten a bit carried away when I got back home..

Back after 8 years

2011-08-07T17:20:00.001+03:00

Lovely Sunday, late summer, coffee, familiar places.

Paws Pants

2011-08-05T18:14:00.000+03:00

My childhood favourite Pasi (Paws) inspired these jeans for baby O.

Made out of old second hand jeans.

Baby O. also gets a square beanie.

Army Pants

2011-08-04T18:18:00.001+03:00

Before: Finnish Army outfit

After: Baby O´s pants

size: 62

Pattern: an adjusted Ottobre pattern

Sneak peek

2011-07-22T15:56:00.000+03:00

Catch

fire!

Burn, campfire!

Just a sneak peek of something I've made.

More later, when it's in use!

Summer socks

2011-07-17T22:31:00.000+03:00

Pattern: Pomatomus by Cookie A. (Ravelry link)

with some modification on the toe.

Yarn: Cascade Heritage

Mr. Bunny

2011-07-13T18:14:00.001+03:00

Meet Mr. Bunny.

Mr. Bunny has done some thinking.

"It's time to move.

I think I'm going to see how little baby O. is doing."

"Baby O. is just a few weeks older than me.

I think we would get along really well."

"See you later everyone!

When we meet again, I'll tell you all about my new life."

Pattern: Suuri Käsityölehti 4/2002

At Midnight

2011-07-13T00:30:00.000+03:00

Baby cardie

2011-07-06T15:43:00.000+03:00

Tiny cardie for the newest member in the family.

Pattern: Drops design

Size: 50/56

Yarn: Drops Fabel

Ordinary

2011-07-02T20:36:00.000+03:00

[Ordinary = with no special or distinctive features]

If you look closely, all that's ordinary, have very distinctive features.

Midsummer

2011-06-25T23:45:00.000+03:00

For cold summer

2011-06-22T21:46:00.000+03:00

As far as this midsummer week goes, these are a perfect accessory. It'll be cold and rainy.

Fingerless gloves

Yarn: Punta Yarns Meri Sock

Pattern: my own

Knitted sideways in garter stitch, thumb gusset made using shortened rows.

Would you like a cuppa?

2011-06-20T17:26:00.000+03:00

...and how do you like yours?

Black? White? With or without sugar?

Summer princess

2011-06-19T22:08:00.000+03:00

A girl must prepare for the hot summer days ahead no matter how young she is!

She's 11 days old.

Materials: recycled pillowcase and bedsheet, lace.

Pattern: Ottobre 4/09

Size: 50 cm

Days of yore

2011-06-17T15:58:00.001+03:00

Afternoon at an open-air museum.

Back in the day, life was simpler in many ways. The touch of a human hand is seen everywhere: on the timber of the walls, on the wooden dishes on the table.

I'm not saying that we should go back to those days, nor that it was an easy life, but it's a refreshing breeze from the past. The buildings whisper about slowing down in life and living a communal life.

Who wouldn't want that?

Sunset

2011-06-15T23:31:00.001+03:00

In 1,5 weeks there won't be sunset.

Instead, there will be sunlight all through the night.

Sixty degrees

2011-06-07T19:13:00.000+03:00

Just four months ago it was about 60°C colder than today!

Pitter-patter

2011-06-01T17:10:00.001+03:00

Old

2011-05-30T21:43:00.001+03:00

Old.

No longer young.

They all tell a story.

Green

2011-05-27T23:00:00.000+03:00

Green revolution is taking place outside.

I took on a new challenge, also in green:

Pomatomus by Cookie A.

Time will tell if I'll finish them by the time the green leaves turn yellow.

Lace shawl

2011-05-26T19:40:00.000+03:00

Pattern: Annis by Susanna IC (ravelry link)

Yarn: Manos Silk Blend

No pain, no gain!
I made millions of mistakes, but who cares, it's done now. Once I got the hang of it, it wasn't that difficult. Nice pattern, will definitely use it again.

Spring

2011-05-14T23:44:00.001+03:00

Gorgeous day.

Wasn't expecting to see a snake, let alone four of them.

I must have been no more than 5 years old when I last saw an adder or any kind of snake in Finland. Hopefully I'm done for the next few decades now.

The yellow coltswood was like sunshine pushing through the grey ground. Those I wish to see lots more!

One more scarf and some lace

2011-05-13T20:20:00.000+03:00

This scarf is a true traveller's scarf. It's travelled from Finland to Spain and back, then to Estonia and Latvia. I run out of yarn, but luckily found one more skein at home.. but it wasn't enough. There were just a few rows left and I had to use two short bits that had been cut off earlier. Even that wasn't enough. I didn't want to unravel half of the scarf just to make it a tiny bit shorter, so I sent an e-mail to the yarn shop Lumoava lanka. I was a bit worried, because I had found the yarn in a sale basket some months back in winter. They replied with good news: they had 18 grams left! So today I went to pick the yarn up and was finally able to finish my project.

Thanks, Lumoava Lanka for your excellent service!!

Very basic triangle scarf

Yarn: SWTC - Karaoke (50% soysilk®, 50% wool)

New project: Lace shawl/scarf. First time knitting lace and the start was a pain. I had to unravel an redo the first rows (with 363 stiches) 4 times until I got the hang of it. Now struggling with nupps... But I won't give up.

Scarf

2011-05-09T18:10:00.000+03:00

A scarf for my sister

Yarn: Noro Silk Garden Sock Yarn,

which I bought in London earlier this year at I Knit.

Refilling the stock: Latvia

2011-05-08T15:17:00.009+03:00

In Riga I continued my yarn shopping at Hobbywool.

I also bought a pair of fingerless gloves made using a traditional technique of needle-binding, and decided that I want to learn the technique myself. I bought the needle with instructions, but unfortunately they only had them in Latvian. I couldn't quite figure it out from the pictures, but I'm sure to find help in the web, even in Finnish as the technique is also used here.

Riga seems to be a crafty city. I spotted a couple of knit graffitis in the streets of the old town, and sat by a sewing table at a café. All the tables were old sewing machine tables converted to normal tables. I'm not sure if I was happy about it or not. There were also a number of old Finnish Tikkakoski machines. I just wish they were broken down and for that reason repurposed, because these old sewing machines are becoming really rare.

Refilling the stock: Estonia

2011-05-07T15:15:00.000+03:00

I've been away for work for a couple of days in Estonia and Latvia. It was also a good chance to refill the yarn and fabric stock.

Suur Munamägi is the highest peak in the Baltic states. You get a good view over the Haanja upland from the observation tower and after the climb you can treat yourself with a skein of 100% Estonian wool.

---

Võru is a small city in Southern Estonia. I found some really nice and soft, dyed linen for a good price.

---

Our final stop in Estonia was the university city of Tartu. My colleagues told me they'd walked past a large fabric shop which had a 50%-off sale. I couldn't miss that, could I? In fact, I went there twice.

I bought some basic stuff: interfacings, pins, chalk, blind zippers...

... and brown linen.

On the second time at the counter I asked if they knew if there was a yarn shop in Tartu. "Upstairs" was the answer. Oh, boy.

From Tartu we drove to Riga, Latvia. Good time to do some knitting while mobilizing my colleagues.

To run or not to run..?

2011-04-30T17:43:00.000+03:00

Red

2011-04-28T22:22:00.000+03:00

Years back I had a friend for a visit from another country. We were driving in the countryside. She was laughing thinking about a person asking directions on the phone somewhere in the countryside. "It's the red house with white window frames right next to the bus stop, which has a red and white shelter." I suppose it could be any house pretty much anywhere in the Finnish countryside...

Cool signs

2011-04-27T22:22:00.000+03:00

To London and Sveden.

Children playing. And a cat, apparently.. And Pippi.

Dear dog..

Snälla hund!

Båtbyggaren blir

ledsen då han trampar

i din bajslort då han

hämtar posten.

Bajsa längre bort!

Spring

2011-04-22T20:22:00.001+03:00

Spring

here.

Las lomas and Super Wax Mama

2011-04-11T20:47:00.000+03:00

The whole winter I've been going to pattern course and finally I can show what I've accomplished:

My 'Super Wax Mama' sleeveless dress. It fits perfectly and I love the pattern of the fabric! I got the fabric about 5 years ago from Tanzanian guests. There was just about enough of it to match the prints. Now I'll just have to wait for the snow to melt and weather to warm up also in Finland!

This will explain the name of the dress:

* loma = holiday in Finnish, hill/suburb in Spanish *

Back home...

2011-04-11T00:38:00.001+03:00

This time the city felt somehow smaller. Funny, because I travelled further west and further east than what I've done before. A lot had changed since my last visit 10 years ago. But all the familiar places and the atmosphere were still there. I won't wait another 10 years to go back.

Sightseeing

2011-03-29T17:35:00.001+03:00

Sometimes it's good to look at the most familiar places with new eyes. Walk one street further than you normally do and you'll find a hidden gem! I found my dream house (not in these pictures). Of course it was not for sale and even if it was, it would be out of my reach. But it was worth finding!

Yesterday

2011-03-27T21:17:00.000+03:00

Dinner in candlelight during Earth Hour.

Somehow the candlelit evening helped to get tired earlier, go to bed an hour earlier and helped to get adjusted for the morning that came an hour earlier.

The giveaway wasn't really a mass magnet, but I could still make a draw. Thanks for your comments! Sarene, please send me (contact details on the sidebar on left) your address to get the gift!

Slowly but surely

2011-03-23T23:11:00.000+02:00

The lazy gardener in me (who also happens to be very allergic to apples) left the apples on the tree in the autumn. Even the neighbour became curious because the apples would hang on to the tree all winter long and no birds would touch them. "What did you do with your apple tree?"
Nothing. I did nothing. And I still haven't.
But then came the birds, the Bohemian Waxwings, who, in a split second had eaten almost all the apples.

Snow is melting, hanging and dripping. Turning into slush and water and then disappearing in the air.
Slowly but surely spring is showing it's force.

Slowly but surely I'm welcoming spring. I think it's time. And it's been a good winter.