18.12.2007

Seven Random Facts

[amazingaward.png]

Oh, this one made my day!This award was given to me by Sanctuary. Part of this award is telling seven random facts about oneself, and here they come:

1.I know how to milk a cow, but I don't know how to drive a car

2. I sing in a choir. I love the feeling when all the different sounds unite to become one sound and one piece of music. Singing in a choir shows how people can be so much more together than what they are alone.

3.My husband had to propose me twice. I'm so lucky he did and that I said 'yes'.

4.I'm afraid of flying,

5. but like traveling

6. I love notebooks. Even though I try to fill them with lists, things to remember and things that inspire me, I still keep on forgetting things like birthdays and addresses, because they are not among the things I write in my notebooks.

7.I'm a night owl and definitely a long-sleeper. Well, my blogging habit seems to make this tendency even worse and my daughters try to do the opposite. That makes me a sleep- deprived night owl.

There are no words of wisdom or thorough thinking captured in these seven facts, because the stomach flu has reached our house and there are a bit too many things in my mind at the moment. So I guess, you caught me off guard with these.

I will pass this award forward to
Villivilla
Ravenhill
Arjen helmiä



13.12.2007

The Sun came with colours







Purple, pink and glimmering white were the colours for today. I wish I would have been able to capture the purple hue which covered everything in the morning, but knowing my limits with camera, I concentrated in admiring the beauty of winter light. By sunset though I had to give my camera a go.




There's definitely gnome energy in our house. I made two of these hats in five minutes (and you can tell it, by the seams). This little gnome of mine has been decorating gingerbread and doing pipe cleaner hearts with beads, while mum has been , well, blogging. These ornaments will surely have their place in our Christmas tree.


11.12.2007

Avoiding the inevitable


I should be busy making Christmas cards in order to get them posted on time, instead I'm posting about things I've been doing instead. To be exact I haven't finished or even started one single Christmas card. So if you have used to get a card from us this might be the first year when it doesn't happen.

Because I'm pretty sure Leevi doesn't read my blog, I can show you the tote I sew for him. I'm hoping to make a couple more of these for other kids on my list. Elsi's tote is the original, which I made last year. Elsi's tote has a lining, but the other one doesn't. The flax I used, is sturdy enough without lining and naturally easier to sew without.



The tote was on the list for Christmas, so that doesn't count as avoiding card making. But the apron I sew for Elsi was just for the fun of making it. I had an opportunity to use my bias tape maker for the first time and it was sooooo good and practical. So definitely a good buy. I hand-stitched the reindeer on the front to brighten my rather dark choice of fabrics. This fabric is the same flax as in the tote above. It's so nice fabric to work with that I decided to try it on children's clothing. Let's see how it will survive the stains and strains of every-day life with a three-year-old.


5.12.2007

Finally a FO

Tunic sweater
Pattern: Suuri Käsityölehti 8/07
Yarn: Novita Kuura
Addi circular 7mm needle


I have been sporting this tunic sweater for about two weeks now, but always forgot to photo it in order to post about it. This fluffy texture of it makes me think about the very first sweater I knitted at school in 80's. My kids adore the feel of it and wearing it makes them want to cuddle even more in my lap. I think the sweater is OK even though I resemble Fred Flintstone in it. I left the armholes unfinished, because they are already wide enough for my shoulders. There should have been some rows of 2K2P, but I don't need anything extra flapping around my arms.

This pile of yarn below I hand-dyed with plants last summer in a course. Some of this lot I'm planning to knit into socks, because all my old ones are falling apart and my daughters are short on woolen socks aswell, but first I have some more Christmas presents to finish.

4.12.2007

Crafting with kids


I strongly believe in encouraging creativity in kids by letting them have materials for art and crafts available and on the other hand having somebody to teach them what to do with those materials. Of course they would learn how to use scissors and glue when they go to day care or play school, but because I like crafting so much, I like to teach those things myself and I know this makes it easier for the teachers as well.

It makes me so happy, when my three- year-old wants to do some crafting, because for a long time, she didn't have so much interest in cutting, using glue, stamping etc. She gets frustrated very easily when she is not able to do things the way she wants them to be, so letting her experiment with different materials freely is usually better than having a real project to finish. However, these ornaments we managed to finish together without big drama, because I did the base as sturdy as possible and she got to decorate them. Like any girl of her age she worships glitter glue. I have hard time saving some glitter for my own projects. Well, the advent calender will contain a few shades of the glittery stuff for her.

The 18-months-old makes these crafting sessions even more challenging, because she still needs to taste everything. Oh yes, glittery glue has been found in her mouth many a times. But it's such a joy seeing her to mess with the tape, glue stickers with a full concentration or make her own drawings. A roll of tape can keep her busy quite a while.

I don't need my kids to be the first to learn anything and I don't need presentable pieces of art, but I hope to give them a possibility to learn the joy of making. If I'm lucky enough, when they are in their thirties they'll know what is their own way of creating and relaxing.



2.12.2007

A busy week




This week I had not much time for writing posts. Today we had a 1st of Advent party with four very special and dear families. We were all together ten adults and nine children, so this week was all about cleaning, baking, decorating and making ice lanterns. However, I managed to finish the first six pouches for the advent calender, luckilly that is about as far as my 3-year-old can count so she doesn't mind even when those pouches keep on multiplying till they reach the number 24.