Something new and something old

The worst bamboo dishcloth boom has already started to wear off, but my first try was still waiting to be born. I don't know what exactly hit me, but one day I just decided I HAVE to make one too. Just to see how it works in real life. Is it practical enough to be a permanent inhabitant in our kitchen?

Yarn: Novita Bambu
Hook 2,5 mm

A similar pattern can be found here, at the eilen tein -blog. My dishcloth is however a little bit smaller and shaped like a square. 

So far I've been quite pleased with it. I really like the idea of a sustainable, washable dishcloth. And it works just as well as the old wettex one, but this will definately last longer. It could have been still a little bit smaller, though. You have to fold it once to make it fit the faucet, but that - in it's turn - makes it dry out slower. A larger hook would also have helped the situation, but all the right sizes had mysteriously disappeared...

I also crocheted a neat, little basket for our kitchen to store pens, notes and other small stuff in. It continues the candy theme I've mentioned earlier.

 

There's also some other new-comers to our kitchen since the last time you saw some pictures of it. The first one is an old kitchen scale that I found at a flea market in Lohja. The other one is a bowl from the Arabia Kirsikka series I found stuffed away in my mom's kitchen. It made a perfect new fruit bowl and is even small enough to fit the window sill!

The other polkadot kitchen scale is from Clas Ohlson. Just couldn't resist it when I saw it. It was just too perfect! And that's the scale we use the most, the old vintage one is more of a decoration. The plant on the window sill is a Stevia - a natural sweetener. Have you ever tried it? I sometimes find it quite tricky to cook with but it certainly is sweet!

Last but not least: here's a cute new pepper grinder I happened to stumble over at Tiger. So now my old Maatuska (a souvenir from my trip to Moscow in 2007) has a new friend in the kitchen!

Summersoups

Here's the result of some dyeing I did during the summer at my old job:

The three on the left are all dyed with violet lupin flowers. The yellow ones are dyed with onion and the red ones with a mixture of cochineal and madder. The striped one used to be a yarn in the french colours bleu-blanche-rouge, but I think it looks much, much better this way! Aluna was used for all of these soups.

There's also a small apricot- or salmon-coloured ball of yarn in the front. That's a silk-alpaca yarn dyed with japanese safflower. It's used for dying silk and gives both yellow and pink shades. If you're interested to know more about how it worked out for us, take a look at this blog kept by one of my old colleagues. There's also a bit more information about the lupins.

Here's another thing I learned this past summer:

I spun my first skeins of yarn! And everything is made from scratch. The sheep is called Elviira (in the middle of the picture below, picture by Espoon kaupunginmuseo) and I helped shearing here, then I carded the wool by hand and finally spun it into yarn. Can't wait to start knitting something out of it!

 

New job, new keys

I've always looked at teachers walking around with their keys hanging around their neck in a beautiful lanyard and thought for myself "If I one day become a teacher, I want to have a nice looking lanyard myself!". And now that I have my new job and my new keys, the only thing that was missing was the lanyard.

But since big, colourful lanyards pretty much catches the eye, I made three of them - all in different colours and all designed to match different kind of clothings. The yellow-brownish pearl lanyard is for my retro clothing. The white and pink lanyard with crochet pearls is for sweet and girlish light-coloured clothing. And finally the violet one (looking almost black in the picture) is for casual clothing.

The pattern for the violet crochet lanyard can be found here at the blog Pienestä Suurta. I made my lanyarn 5 dc wide and then added a loop at the bottom to hang my keys at.

The pattern for the crochet pearls is from a very good book called Lankatekniikoiden käsikirja. If you're interested in special techniques using yarn, I really recommend this book. It has anything from frivolité to tunisian crochet and needle lace.

Lucky Bird

It seems like everyone has gone mad about dresses this summer. So have I. Or well, actually I've been mad about skirts and dresses for quite some time already. You hardly ever see me in a pair of trousers anymore. And I've tried to master the skill of sewing every once in a while - to make dresses I like - but with hardly any success. 

The first one I made is this one. Haven't used it that much anymore. After my proudness of actually finishing something using a sewing machine had worn off, I started to see all the stupid mistakes I had made and that kind of ruined the dress for me. 

The second dress I made hasn't even made it to my blog yet. It needs some serious fixing... And the third one. Well, it was perfect. It was a beautiful 50's style dress with a wide skirt and a perfect fit for my body. Man, I was just so, so proud of it. I wore it on my graduation party a year ago in May and a couple of more times during that summer. But unfortunately I didn't take a picture of it while wearing it. And that's a real pity, because then I tossed it into the washing machine, and the damn thing shrunk. It shrunk so much that I just can't fit into it anymore. And I was just so guttered for so long, that I really didn't feel like sewing anything. The dress is still waiting for a miracle: me to either loose weight or to find the inspiration to make some pretty damn big changes to it. But here's a picture of it anyway. Perhaps you can at least sence the beauty it once posessed.

So, all of you out there who want to start sewing something: always, ALWAYS, wash and shrink the fabric BEFORE cutting and sewing it!! I've learned my lesson. I hope you won't have to learn it the hard way.

But this summer I took the bull by the horns and started sewing again. Mostly because I figured I really should practise a little bit more before teaching sewing in high school. And this is my first take on a dress in tricot.

The fabric is from lovely PaaPii and is called Onnenlintu. The design is my own, but since the pictures were taken, I've actually redone the sleeves (I really wasn't ready for puff sleeves just yet) and added some pockets.

I absolutely love this fabric. It's so retro and earthly. And it feels so lovely on your skin!

These pictures were taken in Hanko when I gave away these socks, but a few days earlier we also visited a winery near my parents' house. They had huge wine barrels on the yard and a cute, little friend right next to them. Really loved their ciders and white wines, too. You should definately pay them a visit if you happen to drive by!

p.s. Thanks dad for the photos!

Cutiepie socks

Pattern: Maariat II (free pattern)
Yarn: Novita Nalle
Needles: 3 mm

I made these socks as a birthday present for a friend when I went to see her in Hankoo earlier this summer. Hankoo is a perfect summer city, at least if it's a warm and sunny day. I went there with Mr V and my parents. We all had a nice cup of coffee (or tee), looked at the city from the top of the water tower and then we even stumbled over a flee market.

I really fell in love with this pattern. Too bad I don't need a new pair of socks at the moment, otherwise I would make another pair for myself! On the other hand, is it actually possible to have too many socks? Maybe not...

All photos taken by my friend Linda. Thank you, they are lovely! <3

Liebster Award haaste

Sain Kurjenmarjalta Liebster Award -haasteen. Kiitos siitä! Onkin ollut hauska lukea eri bloggaajien vastauksia mitä erilaisimpiin kysymyksiin.

Haasteen jujuhan on seuraava:

1. Kiitä sinut nimennyttä bloggaajaa ja laita linkki hänen blogiinsa.

2. Vastaa sinut nimenneen bloggaajan 11 kysymykseen.
3. Nimeä ja linkkaa 11 Liebster Awardin ansaitsevaa blogia, joilla on alle 200 seuraajaa.
4. Keksi 11 uutta kysymystä blogisteille.

Tässä vastauksia Kurjenmarjan esittämiin kysymyksiin:

1. Oletko tehnyt ja tykännyt tehdä käsitöitä jo lapsena?

Olen kai aina pitänyt näpertelystä ja käsityöt olivat kyllä yksi suosikkiaineistani koulussa. Siitä huolimatta hurahdin kunnolla käsitöihin vasta 2007, jolloin aloitin uudessa työpaikassa, jossa "kaikki" työkaverinin harrastivat käsitöitä. Siitä se kaikki sitten lähti... :)

2. Onko sinulla käsitöiden lisäksi muita luovia harrastuksia (piirtäminen kirjoittaminen  jne…)

Haluisin sanoa piirtäminen, mutta se on kyllä jäänyt harmittavan vähäiselle huomiolle viime vuosina. Sen sijaan olen lapsuudesta asti soittanut eri soittimia, tällä hetkellä aktiivisimmin pianoa.

3. Onko käsityöt sinulle harrastuksen lisäksi työ tai toivositko niiden olevan?

Kyllä. Aloitan maanantaina uuden työn käityönopettajana! :) Jännää! Ja oli käsityöt kyllä edellisessä museotyössäkin hyvin isossa roolissa. Onneksi. Käsityöt ovat kyllä monin tavoin rikastuttaneet työelämääni.

4. Kuka on ”Idolisi”  käsityötaiteen saralla?

Tämä onkin hankalampi kysymys. Romanttisin vastaus lienee iso-isoäitini, joka oli ammatiltaan omepelija mutta todella monipuolinen käsitöiden osaaja. Minulla on monia hänen tekemiään töitään. Parasta niissä on se, että niistä kyllä huomaa että hän on osanut ottaa käsitöiden tekemisen rennosti. Mitä ne pienet virheet muka haittaavat?

5. Oletko luontoihminen?

Mielestäni olen. Rakastan eläimiä ja kauniita ja rauhallisia luontokohteita. Mutta aina on mukava palata kotiin nukkkumaan.

6. Tunnetko luontoa (esim. eläin ja kasvilajeja) hyvin?

Haluaisin ehdottomasti tuntea paremmin. Varsinkin luonnonvaraisia hyötykasveja sekä lintuja.

7. Opitko silmin korvin vai käsin eli lukemalla, kuuntelemalla vai tekemällä?

Riippuu opeteltavasta asiasta. Käsitöissä ehdottomasti tekemällä, mutta esim. tiedonhankinnassa kuuntelemalla. 

8. Mikä on mielestäsi paras kahden värin väriyhdistelmä?

Liila ja metsänvihreä. Esim. näin:

9. Suositko suomalaista?

Mielelläni, mutta en takerru siihen loputtomiin.

10. Keittiösi tärkein väline? Mistä et luopuisi?

Tätä kysymystä jouduinkin pohtimaan kaikista eniten. Ehkä en luopuisi pilkullisesta keittiövaa'astani. Se on yllättävän kätevä myös keittiön ulkopuolella.

11. Käytkö käsityö tapaamisissa tai muissa vastaavissa ”kokoontumisajoissa”?

Kyllä. Meillä on kaveriporukalla säännöllisen epäsäännöllisesti kokoontuva "ompeluseura", jossa kyllä useimmiten tehdään muita käsitöitä kuin ompelemista. Virallisissa neuletapaamisissakin olisi kyllä hauska joskus käydä.

Seuraavaksi se vaikea osuus. Omat 11 blogia ja heille tarkoitetut kysymykset.

Aina on vaikea tietää kuinka monta seuraajaa milläkin blogilla on, mutta olen valintoja tehdessäni katsonut joko Bloglovinin tai Google-seuraajien määrää. Sen perusteella haastan seuraavat blogit:

Bewitched fingers

Berenice´s Hair

Silmukkasatuja

Puikoissa kakkonen

Made with love

Marittan

Kutomus

Lempileikki

Pipon ytimessä

Sormustin

Vihreä lanka 

Ja tässä kysymykset:

1. Mistä itse tekemästäsi käsityöstäsi olet ylpein?

2. Onko sinulla jokin lempiohje johon huomaat palaavasi aina säännöllisin väliajoin?

3. Paras koulukäsityömuistosi?

4. Entä huonoin koulukäsityömuistosi?

5. Miksi päätit ryhtyä bloggaamaan?

6. Mihin haluaisit seuraavaksi matkustaa?

7. Millainen ruuanlaittaja olet?

8. Suklaakakku vai juustokakku?

9. Lempikuukausi?

10. Mikä biisi soi juuri nyt päässäsi?

11. Onko sinulla muita harrastuksia kuin käsitöiden tekeminen?

Toivottavasti tartutte haasteeseen! :)

Squirrels on a spring break in Paris

I made these socks already in May as a birthday present for my other half. We also had a mini vacation in Paris during that time. And since I've photographed more than enough there during my spring as an exchange student, I decided to take my old pocket camera with me in stead. You know, just to get some decent pictures of these socks. But when we got back home I just couldn't find the cable I needed to transfer the photos to the computer. I looked everywhere, but it's gone. And it took me this long to finally buy a new one.

Pattern:  Ekornsokkene (but only for the squirrels)
Yarn: Drops Alpaca
Needles: 2 mm

From the moment I saw this pattern I knew I would have to knit these socks for Mr V. He loves squirrels. So I took him with me to a yarn shop and, without telling him what they were meant for, I asked him to choose some yarn in three different colours. And the funny thing is that he chose exactly the same colours as I would have chosen!

I actually used the pattern only for the squirrels. I decided to skip the other stripe and knit the squirrels twice in stead. Then I also had to design an oak leaf and an acorn to make the pattern fit the required amount of stitches. The rest is just a plain, simple sock.

Warmth in July

Warmth is what I expected to have in July, but if you can't rely on the weather, you have to fix it yourself. I participated in a challenge where you have one month to finish something according to a theme. The theme of the month was WARMTH. You can find more information about the challenge in the blog Silmukan ytimessä kept by the bloggers Pipon ytimessä and Silmukan saalistus. 

This shawl is really everything about warmth. It's knitted with warm 100 % wool yarn, the colours are all of warm shades and the shawl itself is big, soft and warm thanks to the garter stitch.

Pattern: Tailwind by Clara Falk (you can find her blog here)
Yarn: teetee Kamena & Ohut Pirkkalanka
Needles: 3,5 mm
In Ravelry

I especially like the slightly asymmetrical design of the shawl. Reminds me a little bit of the wonderful shawls by Veera Välimäki.  This was also a perfect yarn-eater project. All of these yarns are leftovers from a fabric I was weaving in school last spring (yeah, a year ago!), but I'll tell you more about that later in the blog once I've finally made something out of it ;)

The pictures are taken on the small island Kuusiluoto just outside Arabia here in Helsinki. And look who came for a visit while we were taking photos! Just gotta love sheep! They're so friendly and always ready to be petted <3

Eternal sunshine

When I finished my craft studies at the university last spring, my friends gave me gift cards to two different yarnshops in Helsinki: one to Menita and one to Snurre. I have to say that this was a brilliant present for me. I've promised myself that I'll try not to buy more yarn before I've used at least half of what I aldready have. But once you have a gift card with an expiration date, you just have to use it, right? Oh, that's just too bad...

People have been talking a lot about the yarns by Louhittaren Luola (Knitlob's Lair) so I wanted to try a skein too. After fiddling around with a lot of different skeins I ended up buying Väinämöinen in colour Vilja.

Pattern: Good Day Sunshine (free pattern)
Yarn: Louhittaren Luola: Väinämöinen
Needles: 4 mm
More pictures in Ravelry

At first it seemed like the yarn was just a little bit too thick for this pattern, but I think it turned out just perfect anyway. I wanted a soft but warm shawl for the autumn, and that's exactly what this is. The yarn was soft and really easy to knit. I wish the colour had had just a little bit less orange in it, but I guess it's ok after all. The different shades of yellow and orange gives the shawl a lively and interesting look.

This wasn't exactly the easiest shawl I've knitted. Especially the textured top part required some thinking but it didn't take me too long to get the hang of it. The lace edge was easy and wonderful to knit.

The shawl eventually ended up just two rows short since I ran out of yarn, but I don't think it messed up the pattern at all. The rays of sunshine just ended up a little bit shorter than in the original version. Hope they'll still inspire the real sun to shine throughout the summer!