Making the most of it

I love knitting. I do that daily for my felts, but I love knitting in general. Choosing the yarns, colors and patterns, trying out different stitches and techniques. I used to knit a lot, almost all my gifts for birthdays and Christmases were knitted shawls, mittens, hats and even jerseys. If I still had the time, my family (and friends too) would use only (read: much more) hand knitted clothes.

But when there's not that much time, one must enjoy things in smaller scale. Like knitting something slightly tinier (and quicker, obviously) but enjoying the process in full. My dear old friend had a baby in his family recently, and I just had to make the newcomer pair of socks. And not any socks, I spent some time in ravelry searching the right pattern. Did you know that if you type there baby socks, you'll have 57 (fifty and seven) pages full of the most adorable chubby feet with tiny socks in them?



I didn't know, and finding a perfect pattern...Huh. I didn't actually find one, but many, and made the socks with ideas from here and there. I hope they'll fit (they're tiny but the guy's wee too) and keep his little potatoes warm this cold and rainy spring. Oh yes, it rains constantly. It's good for the snow (good-bye!) but I have a creepy feeling that this will stop only in October, when the snowing will start again. If you happen to have extra sunshine lying around, please donate it to my way, thank you!

Happy Thursday!

Yours,
Mia

Threehundredandsixtysomething

Almost exactly a year ago I had similar flowers on this very same table, and it was Easter. This year we need to wait a few weeks still, but that's not what's bugging me today. It's the a year-bit. Where did the time go?

This past year has been somewhat different to the previous ones, and many new things have happened, too. I started both crafty life and Spanish studies, my nephew started kindergarten, we got upstairs renovated. I have made many new friends, and started very good business-relations, too. We also had the summer of the century (and winter to match). I have learned many, many things, and hope, that they've made me at least a little bit wiser. Older I definitely got, too *sigh* but who's counting anyway?

My head (and luckily my sketchbook and my to-do-list, too) is full of new ideas for this year. Some will see the day light during next year, and some will be marinated a little longer, still. It's not easy to come up with new, original ideas constantly, but as long as there are a few waiting to be tried out I am happy. And I am making what I love - the following years will have a hard time trying to beat that experience!

It's been a good year, all in all. Here's to many fantastic ones to come and to you, my dear friends! I wish to see you again here in one year's time to sum up yet an another one. And hopefully before that too, I have many, many things I would love to show and tell you about!

Happy new week soon!

Yours,
Mia

Artist beret on

My weekend was good. I got many things done, and one of most important was a set of little felted wall hangings I have had in mind for a long time. I have made some earlier, but these I created this weekend have been on my sketch-book over a year now, and I really, really enjoyed making them.

It was lovely to create something somewhat new yet familiar still. I have been wondering quite long time how to get these quite thick felt pieces to work as wall hangings, and after some (a lot) hesitation I grabbed a crochet hook and finished the edges with some free-hand crocheting. Oh yes, I had a pattern too, but you know me, there's nothing worst than make things just as they've told; I need to color over the lines always. And I think it works here just. And I also got to use my stamps, which have been marinading in my stash since summer 2009 (oops!).

There is the family tree...



... some raindrops are falling ...



...and some roses, too.

Unique was the name of the game here, and I wish that to you too:

Uniquely happy, sunny and creative week!

Yours,
Mia

Purrr

I know, this is getting really boring, but I still play with my linens and wools and coasters here. Like I did last weekend (and have done whole week, almost). But to my excuse I have to say that I haven't got a single bunny to show today - just cats.

Hello sweetie, have you spotted the very first bee of this spring?



And you have some ladybug-friends too?

Oh, and some more cats on back too! This set was a special-order and I had the most handsome little cat modeling to me, too. I love cats, and making them makes me happy. So...

To this pretty pink pouch I got my inspiration, like ever so often, from a thrifted fabric. It's pink too, and it has cute and funny cats on it. I used it to line the pouch (and I just love the matchy-matchy). And as you may remember, I am a big fan of pink too, so the pouch has all my favorite elements!

It's cold and and snowy here again *sigh* but tweets sing and clocks turn forward so it's not that bad. I also purchased a few things earlier this week (I had Saturday in mind already on Wednesday) to keep me spring-spirited, and now it's time to enjoy and relax.



And if you just looked very closely...



...Oh yes, there are cats in that sweet (pink) bowl too!

Happiest weekend!

Yours,
Mia

Heading for summer

Yesterday the day and night were equally long, which means *yippee* that today the day will be longer, and we're officially heading for summer! In the following weekend the clocks will be turned one hour forward, and the Summer Time begins!

My weekend was filled with summery thoughts. I just couldn't pick up the knitting needles and wool as sun was shining and almost first time in last 5months we had some +degrees. So I ended up playing my linens, and had some smaller things done. Originally the linen were for these birdie bags but there were plenty left, and some pretty pouches were born.

Some had long straps, some shorter, and some just had a bunny. I seem to be making more and more bunnies, first the coasters, and now...

... They've hopped into a pouch too! And paired with pretty pinks this one turned to be the cutest of them all. And who knows, maybe there will be some bunny bags too - they're so springly figures and ever so sweet too. I am full of new ideas and energy, it must be the sun. I hope you're feeling wonderful in this Monday too!

Happy and sunny new week!

Yours,
Mia

A brighter day

Thank you so much for the wonderful comments on my previous post! I am feeling much more hopeful today, the news from Japan have been encouraging. Sun also shines, we have a family birthday to celebrate today, and there have been some cheerful hopping around here too.

And if you follow those little tracks, they'll take you here.

Happy weekend, everyone, and I'll see you next week again!

Yours,
Mia

Birds

It's been almost a week now since the horrible things went on in Japan. I have a quite close connection to that country, and I have been more than horrified. Fortunately the person I have been worried about is safe, and so are her loved ones too. I am thankful for that, but my heart still goes out to others there in need of help. I have been working hard, and have tried not to check the news on every five minutes. I have been working on birds, and these ones will always remind me of this time - in good and in bad.

I wish these birds will represent the hope and faith to the happier times, and will bring joy and smiles where needed.

Here's to happier times, to the reconstruction and new life.

Yours,
Mia

The bunnies of the year

It's been sunny and spring-ly here all week, and the weather is exactly how I imagine Easter-weather. It feels that it should be here already, but this year it's very late (24.4. is the Easter Sunday), almost a month later than in some years. Easter follows tightly Christmas in my most-treasured-holidays, and the Easter-weekend is the real spring-opener here.

I have been told that there are other Easter-lovers out there too! And when asked I happily agreed to make some happy bunny-coasters. And they have a really spring-feel in them too with the flowered back-fabric too.

I have the most beautiful Easter-decorations I ordered from Beth last year, but I still could use a set of my own, too. One can never have too many cute bunnies around, right?

Happy new week!

Yours,
Mia

The new rule

I think there should be a rule stating when someone has a birthday (or any big day), there must be some cards, flowers and presents left for later. Without you knowing, of course. Because after a special party-weekend normal, dull Mondays and Tuesdays can be quite hard to cope. But if you had some surprise-beauties dropping to you mailbox...

Just look at these cards! If these are not me, I do not know what are? Beautiful, beautiful... But even more (if possible) ME things followed:

A beautiful pink-colorful flowers-scarf! And:



White-pink corsage! And what a match they make:

There will be one happy girl dancing around here this spring. And if someone wondered already, these beauties didn't come from the same person, not from same continent even. My special taste is well-known around the world, apparently. And it warms my heart. Thank you so much, ladies, for making this average Tuesday extra special! I hope I could make you smile as wide as I am smiling now!

Lovely Tuesday, everyone!

Yours,
Mia

The best day ever

It's been a wonderful weekend. Sunny, bright, spring-ly and fun. I got older in the meanwhile but getting family and friends over, having all delicious things to eat and a few packages to open totally makes it worthwhile. A year here or there, who's counting anyway?

I was supposed to take many, many pictures from the food preparations all the way to good-bye's but as always before was too busy and all the sudden almost everything was eaten. We had a cake too (gone by that picture), come delicious pastries and salad (empty bowls by now) but at least I managed to get a photo of the color theme (surprising pink) and my favorite treat ever: whipped cream&raspberry jam filled buns.

These are a traditional February-March treat here in Finland, and I remember them from my childhood. Then we enjoyed them after a long day outside (skiing, sledge sliding) with hot chocolate. Really easy to make, and delicious. Just bake the buns, let cool and slide in halves horizontally. Fill up with whipped cream and some jam and put the "top" back on. I probably had one too many but...

Present-wise I feel very blessed. I had all-expenses-paid trip to my favorite place, a new precious DVD and some heavenly jewelry. My favorite guest (read: my nephew) had also made me a wonderful card and a lovely flower, he's a true artist.

He also shows a great interest in his aunt's work and my crafting area is ever so interesting. I am going to melt all your hearts with one more picture still. We played with my wools and he said: "I make woolen, I make woolen to teddy!" And so he did, the precious little boy:

Thank you all for making my b-day the most perfect. Happy new week soon, too!

Yours,
Mia

I still haven't found what I am looking for

...Any green around here that is. It's no surprise, really, but March just has so spring-lish sound to it that one can't help looking. I think that inspired me with this gray birdie:

He's just ever so carefully inspecting this spring's first flower. It's just a teeny one but the tweet (or the pouch he was needle felted to) is not that large either.

Hello little flower - bring your friends here soon, too!

***

We'll be celebrating some birthdays here soon. Yippee, first real party after Christmas and who knows how wild it will get? So just in case I wish you all happy week and wonderful weekend soon, too!

Yours,
Mia