Mumin illustrations

I like the old Mumin pictures and this fall I've seen two new illustrations. These are from trays (by Muurla) that I photographed today.This last one is really perfect, with the soft shades!

Gray Day - Viva La France Anyway

This ringed seal is ready for abroad adventure. This shop (or actually travel agency) window is the high light on my way to work. The seal is so cute because the people of the travel agency have made the little baret just to fit the little head and also custom made the newspaper it is carrying (while dreaming of a holiday in France). I'll be dreaming of it too soon if the weather doesn't change. I usually love the time before christmas alltough it's really dark, because the snow makes all seem bright. But now it's grey and there's no snow at all, only water and mist.
PS: ringed seals are very rare and this area is famous for having the last few in the precinct. Alltough they look like mother nature's giant sausages, they don't have any other natural enemies but humans. (Picture is from WWF/Jouni Koskela)

Nekobasu cake and other things

My wery talented friend Henriika made this incredibly fine nekobasu look alike for our friends baby shower. The future mother loves the movie Totoro and this was the source of inspiration.

Last couple of months I've renovated and painted like a maniac with J. We bought a three room appartment from an old building. It was built 1949 and has the biggest repairs done, but still it needed a lot of work done. Now we're living and renovating here at the same time, but it's almost ready and I love, love, love it!! I will post some pictures.

Aaaand my favourite season is goming up: Yule-tide :) JEI!

All work, no play, makes Jack a dull boy

Something about that statement makes me smile?

It also remains me that alltough work has started...Must remember to play too!

I've knitted these little black socks for my friend's little boy (he is 4 weeks "old"). I made the lightnings (they are felted wool) because they look cool and the socks will be a great pair with his Kiss-body :)

The end of holiday season is the beginning of s-g else

@ The Tower

@ The Madame Tussaud's

I'm so exited about my summer activities. I went to Madeira and London. Many, many happy memories and new ideas in my head! I'm ready to look forward to the autumn - my favourite season of all! (the wonderfull picture is Yoshimoto Nara's "Do not disturb")
I have plans to read many books and make some miniature thigs, both inspired by my travels. You'll see ;)

colourfull day

A funny tablecloth with sheeps on it (flea market find for 1 euro!)

Today is the sixth and last day of my Easter holiday. I really needed it! Today I went to flea market and I found really nice pair of linen high water pants (that I dyed red)
striped and NEW Marimekko-tunic (picture above . I'm wearing it under my favourite long sleeved, black shirt), red colour for dying clothes and a really pretty bracelet ("silver" and turquoise glass pearls for 1 euro!) see below. Dying beforeAfter after dying - a happy cat!

I dyed the linen pants (that cost only 0,5 euros!) and some of my old white clothes like socks and T-shirt. I believe I have inherited my fathers unability to abandon clothes that I like and feel myself comfortable in... So dying is a good option!

At home, home.

I say my parents home "the home, home", so I'm here relaxing and seeing friends and eating well. Just a minute ago I lost painfully to my little brother at the noble game of Scrabble(my favourite-so cruel!). I'm regretting a bit not taking my new best friend PS3 and Singstar with us here, but I'm reading and it's really nice too. (I'm singing Yellow by Coldplay and I read the book The restaurant of yellow citrons by Kajsa Ingemarsson. I like both very much)! Happy Easter everyone!

Charleston Party Girl

I try to shake for the camera, but it looks more like I was bunny hopping? Well Easter IS coming up soon. Also I look like really short person, beacause my photographer is so tall.Yesterday I was wearing this amazing top (from H&M) and I got many compliments dancing with it. Also I was really pleased how my hair do succeeded, beacause (I bought my first set of hair rollers and) at first when I took them off, I looked just like Sally Spectra :D And when I was wearing the hair rollers earlier, I also heard muthered words like grandmother...

The hair decoration is H&M from a few years back. The top really is now one of my MOST favourite garments. It's shakiness and colour are both perfect. It is also really comfy and soft material. The only thing that is a bit difficult with this one is that it tends to stuck to other peoples buttons or zippers ;) All and all, I had a really great night with my work mates. Cheers for that, says the terminator-eyed charleston girl.

Yesterdays "bookfest"

I made my first book ;) It's soft because its fabric and it's full of weird (but not frightening) poems. It's been manifactured by (my very own) Weird Rhymes Ltd. HIH!

I'm not quite sure what that little book critic thinks about this one. Maybe she'll tell me when she learns to talk?

I made the outlines and texts by textile marker and then painted the colourfull parts by brush and textile colours (that I mix myself from pigment and emulsion)

The "poems" go something like this:

1) Cat the Longtail dresses up with bows

2) This bird with yellow beak, flies trough the air and says kwaak, kwaak, kwaak.

3) The piglets have a funny beauty contest and the most crooked pigtail is making the judge happy. Bravo!

4) Matti the inchworm stopped in Mikkeli while going aroud the worl and waved. (to the little girl "reading" the book)

5) In the karaoke between the bulrushes the fish friends sing wildly

6) The lizard sisters giggle in the running contest and say wrooom

Tonight we are going to go out with my work mates to celebrate the succes of last year. We are going to eat and drink well and I have new top! It's the most shakeable top EVER! I'm so looking forward to dansing with it!

Earth Hour/ new blanket covers and pillow cases

Yesterday's Earth Hour has been a big thing all over the world. That's so great! Here's picture from our appartment from that hour. Then there's picture from Jaakko jumping to our newly covered blankets and pillows. I love those moomin pillowcases (from Finlayson). Especially the one with old school moomin (that's MINE).

Opening at craft center

Mikkeli's craft center had a great opening from last wednesday to friday after renovations. And we went to wander and wonder with my friend. The place is now light and airy. There were

1.) Really good cake (cream and caramel icing)

2.) Miss Elina Arpiainen was there and we talked about the knit graffiti she's made. Btw here's her blog. She was really warm hearted and sweet!

3.) Beautifull coloured yarns (I got really exited because they have yarns from producers different from my work place. I didn't buy any...YET!)

4.) Interesting ideas: knitting paper yarn to a lamp shade, different kind of pearl works and a japanese way of making kind of cord = kumihimo. The word makes me smile, because in finish it means lust for rubber...(those works look up and below) Have a nice week!

knitting and stuff

I had a day off today and I spent it by studying, knitting and watching my new (new in Finland) favourite TV-series, Pushing Daisies. I just can't help loving it! It's a fairy tale for grown ups. It has a really refreshing aspect of looking life, death and funny dialog and crooked humor. The dresses and settings are made with care, love and imagination. And what's most important. The series is really disconnected from reality. It's relaxing!Yesterday we made fruit salad with Jaakko. My favourites are kiwi and cherries and ofcource the whipped cream ;) I like the plate too (alltough I don't usually like light blue at all - yh!). I found it drifting. Someday I would like to have a big open cabinet for all my different drifted plates and mugs (my precious)!

Then I made this card for my friend, whose birthday is coming. It's a mug...

...or a handbag as my Jaakko so imaginatively pointed out. And on my hand you can see (and admire) a mitten to be.. slightly incomplete. The yarn I'm using is so darn fine I propably never finnish, so better to take picture now :D No, I'm just kidding! The yarn is really nice (Drops Alpaca...so it's 100% alpaca and sooo soft). I bought it last summer while wisiting my card-receiving friend at Helsinki.

sewing, baking...

Today I made bread first thing at the morning and I haven't eaten anything but that. Freshly baked bread is just so good and I'm one really lazy baker. I also went for a long walk with Jaakko, beacause the weather was really fine. Birds were singing and the best part is that there is light! And it smells like spring, when the snow starts to melt.

Then I was really efficient making back straps for my work shoes and NOW they sit perfectly on my feet. Jei! I broke 2 needles when working on them. Then I started sewing a funny little dress, that will be my summer dress this year.
(here's the fabric I'm using for the dress)
I also "accidentally" napped for a few hours during the day, and that is not good...I'm not sleepy at all :( I should've gone to bed an hour ago (the time here is 23.23)! At least...

So good night for all the others!!

Knit Graffiti

Sometimes I feel like my mind is going to explode, beacause the world I live in is so incredible! This form of street art, for example, is awesome! Some people like us fellow-humans so much they go trough the trouble of making knit graffiti. HIH! At first I felt this must be the work of not-so-well-balanced-persons, BUT then I realized, that this is really beautifull, soft and cosy form of art. And I bet it makes people smile and to feel that the world is not so evil place as it sometimes feels!Have a nice weekend, I'll be at work tonight and all day tomorrow. I'll be dreaming about sun, travelling, summer, swimming in lake and freedom...

BTW: I red the White Theet by Zadie Smith and alltough the plot was really intelligent I didn't end up liking the characters as I liked the ones in On Beauty. But this author really knows what irony is!

Knits!!!

Today was REALLY great! The sun was shining, I went jogging and I have finished my hat, scarf and a neckband for Tahvo. Also I had friends for coffee and it always makes me more lively (coffee also makes me over energetic). And sometimes I just feel love, love love...Yessssh....Now is a good time to go forward to the pictures ;)
Close up from my little prince, hah! The cap was really easy to do, it's a square and it looks like I have little cat's ears. I used Novita's Teddy for yarn. Aren't we a handsome couple ;)

Yesterday I went to the library with Jaakko and I found many books that interested me. I have a superpower to empty the craft book section of the library: Here's my catchThis dress I vould make with shoulderstraps, but I like the idea really much!! Is this the happiest hippy-shirt for a newborn. HIH! I would like to do only the sleeves...Not the text on the shirt that says "lust for knitting" or something like that.

The Finnish knit-book "Puikoissa" was my favourite and the pictures above are from that book. They are rellay beautifull and colourfull! There were other nice designs too,but these are the ones I would like to make myself. Mostly the striped cardigan above. There is something that pleases my eye. It's not too neat maybe? I like the look of "always right" as used too on the sweater beneath.This is the only design I would like to knit from the stitching bitch book. I like this picture too (Maybe because I like dogs, colour red and striped socks :) ?)Then a very nice idea how to use little round lace doilies!

Otherwise I've been reading Zadie Smiths "On Beauty" And since I've finished it and liked it very much (I'm a sucker for mixed feelings and changing wiews on life) I loaned also her first novel "White theet".