Perfect Christmas

I had the most wonderful Christmas. Yes, I celebrate Christmas even though I am not Christian, and don't feel bad about it. As I've said, every reason to love and cherish each other is worth a celebration, and even though Jesus is not divine for me, I sincerely appreciate his teachings.

I managed to avoid all stress and rushing this Christmas. The gifts were ready in time - well, except for my father's socks, which I steamed on Christmas eve right before we left for my parent's. We had time for everyone, my older Granny was pretty much herself and happy, my younger Granny wasn't mean and no-one was drunk. Woo-hoo!

Everyone who got hand-knits from me seemed to really appreciate them. I gave five pairs of socks, six hats and two child-size cardigans. I must admit I was a bit surprised myself - I have never been able to stay focused on and excited about anything this long. *pat pat* Go me!

Only one picture today, and not knit by me either. My hopefully future mother-in-law knit me these for Christmas. I didn't knit anything for her and I felt bad, so I cast on a pair of Maelstroms a couple of days ago. She deserves socks knit by someone else. Everyone does.

Wollmeise!

The second Wollmeise package was delivered last week. If yu haven't got yours yet, do not scroll down! :)

I still haven't knit anything from my Wollmeise yarn. I am too stingy - having seen their price on eBay and such I just can't open the packages. It's not like I plan to sell them or anything, no, but I need to have a SUPER plan before I cast on with Wollmeise :)

The pictures will follow shortly...

Here they are. You have been warned.

This is where they dwell. In a large glass bowl on top of a dining room cupboard. Five skeins is all the bowl can hold, so before the next package I need to knit some of them.

On the left is a skein of La Digitessa, the others are from the sock club. The December package contained the third skein ("Saami") and the fourth skein ("Jultomte")

The theme was childhood memories. These memories have to do with Christmas and of Lapland - the native people in the Lapland of Norway, Sweden, Finland and Russia are the Sami people, hence the name Saami. As a Finn this made me very happy.

We also got small cookie cutters, some candy and a yarn sample. I was absolutely thrilled.

Not all the members seem to be in love with Saami as it is rather striking, but I love it.

A meme

My little English blog (the one so often neglected by me) has received its very first comment! :) The_witty_knitter has challenged me into a game. Here's how it goes:

1. Link to the person who tagged you.
2. Post the rules on your blog.
3. Write six random things about yourself.
4. Tag six people at the end of your post and link to them.
5. Let each person know they've been tagged and leave a comment on their blog.
6. Let the tagger know when your entry is up.

Six random things about San

1. I have been bitten by a dog four times.
2. I used to study English translation.
3. Owls are my favorite animals. Except for snowy owls, there is something sinister about them.
4. I haven't eaten red meat or poultry for 12 years.
5. I believe lack of compassion is the biggest problem human kind has.
6. I am afraid of ants and suffocating, but neither fear affects my day to day life. When I feel masochistic, I read stories about caves. Cave ants would be the ultimate nightmare.

Here are the blogs I would like to read answers from (all are on my regular surveillance list):

Knitlob's lair
MadeByMyself
Tuin kutomo
Poodles and Wool
Pikku-Kettu Knits
Need More Fiber

Can't wait to read your answers!

Santa's little helper

I've been working for Santa these last couple of days and today I delivered a bag of gifts to my sister's house. My niece will get this pretty (if you don't mind me saying so :)) sleeveless February Lady Sweater:

These hand-made, washable buttons are from Buttons by Robin.

Finally I finished something

Santa was starting to act all anxious already and said I'll run out of time with 14 WIPs. Something about thinking too much of oneself and being overly ambitious? Go figure...

My nephew's sweater is done. I found these 50 % cotton / 50 % acrylic balls for 1€ per piece and the yarn is perfect for children's clothing. Easy to wash, dries quickly and is not so expensive you want to cry when the sweater is suddenly too small after two weeks of use.

I am not all that satisfied, I should have used smaller needles.

Sweater for a 2-year-old
Pattern: Runaround Raglan (Ravelry link)
Yarn: Samos Lollipop
Needles: 5mm
Buttons: Little shanked buttons from my LYS

This is the next thing Santa needs to worry about:

Buttons!

Sorry for being so quiet for a long, long time. Blogging in more languages than one has proved to be rather exhausting at times. Still I decided to keep my blogs separate.

Today I want to talk about buttons. Many of us are in constant search of great buttons for different projects. I find it hard to find perfect buttons for cardis. Wooden buttons are also hard to find if you want anything special.

Etsy seems to be an answer to this, too. As always. My answer to everything (except "where to find perfect wrinkle-free office blouses") seems to be Etsy nowadays. I love all things hand-made. I love entrepreneurism in people, I love creative spirit, I love non-industrialized production (I made up most of the word in this sentence and can't be bothered to look them up - I hope my point gets across anyway). So I buy on Etsy.

One of my favorite button shops in Etsy is definitely Heatherknitz. The dinosaur buttons above are from her, as are many others in my stash. Absolutely adorable fabric covered buttons in many sizes + super friendly service. I can recommend her shop from all my heart.

Etsy buttons are not just for kids or kiddie clothing, though. Take a look at these ginkgo leaf beauties I got from Eclectic Oddities:

They are absolutely stunning - scrabble tiles, fabric, rhinestones and some sort of glass-like varnish. Super special!

Magic's buttons I've used in two garments already. She works with polymer, so the buttons have a funky feel to them. They look rather like metal due to the finishing, but the feel is more like flexible plastic.

Beautiful washable buttons can be also found in Buttons by Robin. I ordered a bunch of raccoons, skunks and owls from her and they are brilliant. I haven't taken any pictures of them yet, but do go check the shop out. You'll like them!

You might wanna go grab a cup of coffee - I am not nearly done yet :)

More fabric buttons. Buttered parsnips is one of my royal suppliers. I love her buttons. I love, love, love the ones with toadstools. Look at the hat I made for my niece:

SewingRabbit has provided me with these super cute kittie buttons. This hat is for my mom. I've also bought a bunch of piggies from her and they are ever so sweet :)

 Greenjelly I have tried also. These buttons are from her. I think it is fairly safe to say fabric buttons are not just for kids - they spice up accessories for adults too. I know my sister will love her new matryoshka hat.

People, do buy hand-made! And leave me a note if you know any good places to shop for buttons.

Losses

Here's what you get when you let an alsatian play with a sock:






I made this pair of Pomatomuses (Pomatomi?) for my sister and now they are back for repair :) I hope the dog had fun! :)


A KnitPicks 2,25 mm sock needle had to face my body weight when resting on our bed. He couldn't take it.

Be warned! Wollmeise!

If you are part of the first-ever Wollmeise Sock Club and have not seen the first package yet, go away NOW. There are some pictures involved here. :)

I knew that the package had arrived while we were enjoying our annual trip to Krakow. Because it didn't arrive before the trip, I checked the spoiler thread from Ravelry before I left for the airport. I just knew I couldn't take eight more days of suspension.

When we came back, I was not able to go to sleep and get the parcel the next day as I had planned. Instead I put my clothes back on and ran out the door to get it from the post office - and boy, it was worth it!

The theme was home land and Claudia's home land is Bavaria in Germany. The wonderful, deep colours of the yarn represented Bavaria- Elderberry bush and box wreath. Attached were a wonderful sock pattern, fabulous DPNs and a piece of chocolate.

My problem is this: I can't bring myself to unwrap the yarn from it's plastic shelter. I have three skeins of Wollmeise sock yarn now and I have never actually touched the stuff. Eh?

Baby Cables

I love the Baby Cables and Big Ones Too pattern! I've knit it for five balls of yarn now and loved almost every minute.

I also got the yarn for the Green Gables hoodie. I LOVE the autumn. Hate the weather, hate the fact that the winter is coming... but love the bulky yarns, woolly socks, scarves and mittens.

Simple happiness

I had the most perfect weekend. The Helsinki Museum of Natural History is open again and it was a lot more impressive than before.

My boyfriend's Jacques Cousteau hat is ready and blocked, which is good - the temperature was at 4.8 degrees Celsius this morning!

Leaves

I finished something! My Crumbet Beret is blocked and I do love it.

Pattern: Crumble beret
Yarn: Novita Wool, 50 grams, self-dyed with Dylon
Needles: Drops bamboo, 3.5 mm

Easy and clear pattern. I believe I will make these as presents too. Christmas is only 4 months away! :)

Oh my goodness!

I got in! I got in in the first ever Wollmeise sock club! 10 months from now I have received 8 skeins of Wollmeise *drops jaw*

Please leave me a note if you are in too! At least I won't spoil the surprise for you by posting photos straight away.

On Ravelry

After having spent a couple of months in Ravelry I start to learn things about myself. In what order do I do things there, what do I prioritize if I'm busy (never too busy to go there at all :)) an so on.

What I find totally intriguing is how much people use the Friend Activity tab. Have you noticed, how fast a thing you mark as a favorite is favorited by half of your friends?

I am making a Jacques Cousteau hat (scroll down for the English pattern) in brown for my lovely boyfriend, who ordered pizza yesterday when I was napping. Perfect! Pictures later

Did you apply to the Wollmeise sock club? I did and I am panicking. This week we'll know who got in.

The smallest garment and other stuff

Iih, I've got some new yarn!

This is what I got from the Secret Wool sock club (It's a Finnish yarn store, so I won't link it here). It is Indie Dyer yarn! If you don't know Indie Dyer, she is Jenna, the daughter of the Cherry Tree Hill yarns' Cheryl. The yarn I got is basically the same as CTH Supersock Merino, but of course dyed by Jenna. And I love CHT yarns!



I finished a cloth I'll take to the shower with me. It is linen stitch, a new pal of mine. Looks nice, on both sides. Basic cotton, crocheted edges.



And what's this? The yarn is super cheap but ok Finnish 50/50% blend of cotton and acryl. But... it doesn't look like anything...



Ok, now I get it - it's a baby hoodie for my cousin's baby, who is due in March. I think I'll have to make it a bit longer, though. I have no idea how big babies are and I am aiming for a size that fits a baby 2 to 3 months old.



And just a glimpse from our home. Here's how I store my favorite sock yarns:

Positivity - finally

Usually I am not a big fan on Hydrangeas. This one I like - it blooms now, when the trees are about to turn yellow and almost every other flowering plant is nursing its seeds already.

After quitting the Ravelympics I was a bit scared I had broken something in my motivation. But already it is coming back. I told myself to take it easy and knit 'a dish cloth or something' - so I did!

And here's the phone cozy. It is missing a button to hold the crocheted strap in place, but almost done! :)

There is a light at the end of the tunnel

And to New Yorkers, no, the light is not New Jersey.

I feel soooo much better after giving up the olympics! I've knit the phone cozy and am working on a dish cloth. Very simple, very therapeutic. No goals, no dead lines, nothing. Just me, the yarn and the beautiful ebony circulars.

My perfectly lovely Finnish Secret Pal sent her first package. I was, and still am, thrilled! Now I don't have to buy neither yarn nor beads for the Da Vinci Mystery Shawl KAL in october. Quite a sherlock, she is. And the color is very beautiful, rich and vivid.

Needless to say, but the chocolate was also very welcome :D

I am a quitter...

...but not a loser!
I want to quit. I quit.
I feel such hate. I hate everything. Mittens, yarn, needles (even my favorite ones!) - the whole craft. I am almost half-way there, but I won't go on.

Life is too short for knitting something you hate. Four pairs of similar mittens witout being inspired? Within two weeks? Yeah, you just go ahead if it sounds good to you. I won't. I'll rather cast on something that makes my heart beat with joy.

I will finish the pairs I have worked on, but not now. I'll put them aside to wait for me to like them again.
So, that was my Ravelympics. Thanks, everyone. :)

Blahblahblah and a question

I've got the worst ravelympics blah. I've done about 40 % of my projects and I would so want to give up. BLAH!

I am making four pairs of mittens. The pattern is my own and before I have loved it. But BLAH!

I've got a new phone and now I need a cozy for it. It needs to be an adult type of a cozy (I've got an adult type of job) but it needs to be kinda fun too. I should be able to watch it gazillion times a day. What would you do? Help me out here. Thanks!

Welcome!

Welcome, friends :)
I am very happy that you stopped by.

I have blogged about my life for years and about my knitting projects for some months now. As the world keeps shrinking and the ravolution lets us befriend people from all over with such ease, I thought it would only be polite to do this in English, too.

So who am I? My name is Sanna and I live in Helsinki, Finland, with my boyfriend and our rattie boys. I am 27 and work as a consultant in a smallish Finnish software company.

I love wool, beer, coffee and chocolate. I enjoy the summer, beautiful colors and funky details. I hate the darkness of the long Finnish winter and cold.
You can find me in Ravelry by the name Ganeshas. I am also being loud in the groups such as Traveling Scarves, Bring in Your Top5 etc.