Strongly striped

I am spending my weekend with some stripes and pouches (within many other wonderful things). Oh yes, they're those soon-to-be giveaway-ones, I wish they'll appear here next week. And before I got started I just wanted to check what sort of stripes I have created previously... And just a quick browse confirmed what I already assumed: Stripes really are my thing.

I wish you a wonderful weekend with lot's of sunshine!

Yours,
Mia

Neither fast nor furious

It's almost end of the February, and it just keeps snowing. Day after day more and more. It's not as cold as it was a few weeks ago but this snow just makes me grind my teeth every time I take a glimpse outside. Currently we have 46cm/18" snow (that's the official reading, I am sure in our yard it's two times that), and this week we should have more coming each day. Excellent.

I have been doing little sorting. It's not a proper spring clean yet, but I just had it with those yarn ends, messy ribbon jars and fabric shelves. And as usual, I ended up more things to my to-do list. I mean who could throw out those perfectly cute yet too short for almost anything wools? No me, for sure.

So I have been knitting little pouches from those tiny little yarn-end-balls. Some colors I have more, some less, but striping is fun when not taken too seriously, right? I have quite a few these little pouches ready, and as soon as I find time to decorate and line them (not to mention search the perfect button each), I think I'll have a little giveaway also...I'll let you know soon.

It's been somewhat hard a few weeks around here, as all of us have been ill, and some of us a few times already. Work-wise it's been slower than usual too, and most of the days have been spent inside. But yesterday we managed to get out of the house, took a sled and did some sliding. We've all still recovering, so it wasn't too fast or furious but fun it was for sure, and we got to spend some time together outside, enjoyed the sunshine and auntie (read: me) loved sliding with that little guy. Climbing back up was harder but when you have a happy three-year-old around, you just can't pause too long.

Happy new week!

Yours,
Mia

Tweet tweet

Happy little tweets on pretty tweed I found on our trip to Helsinki last year. I know, I know, I marinade my fabrics quite a while before using them. But then again, don't they say that good things come to those who wait? I couldn't agree more.

Happy Thursday!

Yours,
Mia

Versatile Valentine

Happy Valentine's Day everyone!

As said earlier, we're not celebrating it here that much, we just gather together with friends and family, have a cup of coffee and a good bun, some bake cakes and others buy chocolates. In my family some cards were sent and received, yes, and for the smallest of the family there will be a little surprise. So nothing major, really.



Instead of love-filled theme (which I actually got into a few weeks early here), I wanted to thank Zoe for awarding me the versatile blogger award! I received it some time ago already, but somehow missed to talk about it here.

I must confess I am pretty much hopeless participating these, yet it always makes me happy to receive one. This one had quite simple rules so here we go:

1. Tell 7 facts about you that you haven't told earlier
2. Give the award to 15 other blogs

I will bend the rule 2. here immediately as I think quite many of my favorite blogs have received the award already, but if not, please take it from here and start sharing! You all deserve it so. And then the 7 facts:

1. I love flowers. But I also kill them just like that. Give me any pretty flora (even cacti) and before no time it's just a distant memory. It's a shame but I blame the missing green gene
2. I watch same movies and TV-series many (many) times. I have to have them on DVD so I can see them when I want. And that's often, and even longer TV-series (welcome seasons 1-7) get more than one round
   
3. Book-wise A.Christie, J.Collins and some Finnish authors may easily get more than five reads. And those English ones I tend to read in both languages, English and Finnish (and some I have in my bookshelf in both languages so I can choose)
   
4. I hate winter. It's not that I haven't moaned about it earlier, but I hereby officially announce that I hate it. As a Finn it's a little problematic, but I just can't help it. My dislike has grown over the years and is now on state of "hate". If it get's any worst, I'll move to Spain. The language gets better each week btw
   
5. I really would love to bake these (for my birthday), but given the instructions and some blog-posts about them, it seems like a rocket-science. Anyone tried making macarons? Any useful tips for someone who lacks the flour-gene also?
   
6. My worst "vice" is to keep hoping it was an another time already, mostly summer. I refer to fact 4, but it actually makes everyday life harder when I keep moaning "if only it was summer" with not that many reasons except my hate for winter. And the worst part is that when summer actually arrives, I keep worrying it'll been over too soon (if not already)
   
7. My latest addiction is pinterest. Anyone else hooked already?
   

Happy Valentine's Tuesday!

Yours,
Mia

Trial and error

It's been a strange start for this February. Business has been slower than this time last year yet I have been very, very busy with a new project I finally got finished and sent off this Friday.

It all started with some ideas, colors, materials and some hasty sketches. Knowing me these are more like ideas put on paper than accurate plans, but it's a start after all. Then it was time to search for the right materials, match the fabric to the wools and vice versa.

And then, after my usual knitting and felting and needle felting some more color matching followed. Most of the combinations just come easy, while the others need more time and playing around on table, floor, inside and out. In different lights, sun and shade.

Then the hard part. How to put together these very different materials in a beautiful and durable way yet so, that it's not going to take forever to make? What about threads, interfacing, lining? More sketching, planning, designing, trial and error.

Sewing, ripping, ironing, cutting, lining, more sewing, some picture taking, more ripping, extra interfacing... Freezing, snowing, dark, gloomy outside. Running out of fabrics, threads, patience, time. Oh my, it was hard at times.

But then, I managed to get the first bag finished. But it just wasn't ready. Oh my. Back to the designing board (on a sofa next to fireplace, the days were -30C, it was freezing and almost impossible to take the pictures outside) to design something pretty for the bag still. A flower? A bird? Could I crochet (of course not), how about something like a fabric flower? Fabric bird?

Oh but both.

A bag with pretty bird with a matching crocheted (oh but I did it freehand, from here to there, some still here and back to there -kind of way, no pattern used, and they're all so unique you couldn't possible imagine) flower and birdie bag charm was born. Huh. But did I mention it wasn't just this one?

Three...



...four...

...and finally five. Phew. It's been a hard day's night but now, a few days after finishing it all it starts to feel like a real victory. Not all projects are this difficult (and that's good), and the stress levels are not this high very often but I did it. And I am pretty darn proud of myself.

Happy Sunday!

Yours,
Mia