Designing patterns and such

I've been a shamefully bad blogger over the last few years. My excuse is that life got in the way and I decided to focus on knitting, rather than blogging when I had some spare time.

In the spring of 2015 (after having spent the previous year on a wedding related knitting bender) I decided to try if I could design a pattern myself. It started off with a simple enough baby hat and then I decided to try my hand at shawl design and then at adult sized head wear. Most of my patterns are only available in Finnish so far, as they've been publish in Ulla, a Finnish online knitting magazine that's published 3 times a year. However, I've been working on English versions of some of them.

The first one of those is the English version of Laraha, an asymmetrical triangular shawl, that was inspired by the Caribbean island of Curaçao, which I had visited on my honeymoon in the spring of 2015.

Bling bling, and cameo appearances

Otan jo neljättä vuotta peräkkäin osaa Ravelryssä järjestettävään huivihaasteeseen. Vuoden 2013 ajatus on saada aikaan 12 huivia vuoden aikana.

For the fourth year running, I'm taking part in a shawl challenge on Ravelry. In 2013, the idea is to complete 12 shawls during the year.

Vaikka kalenterin mukaan onkin melkein kevät, lämpötilan mukaan talvi pitelee etelärannikoakin hoteissaan tällä hetkellä. Uusimmat huivit sopivatkin mainiosti tähän vuoden aikaan.

Even though one might think it was already spring from the time of year, winter is keeping a firm grip on the Southern Coast. My newest shawls should fit this time of year just fine.

Piewhacket valmistui muutamassa päivässä bling-langasta, ja se onkin valmiina pintana paljon kivempi kuin mitä langassa ollut kimalle olisi antanut odottaa.

I finished my Piewhacket within a few days, and the finished product is far more wearable than the bling would have suggested.

Seuraava projektini olikin luonteeltaan aivan erilaatuinen, sillä ajatuksena oli totutella taas vanhaan lempiväriin, pinkkiin. Hyvn se toimikin, sillä huivi on ollut valmistuttuaan ahkerassa käytössä.

My next project was a different beast altogether, as my aim was to familiarise myself with an old favourite colour, pink. It turned out to be a repeat cameo role, as I've used it most days since I finished it.

2012 recap

In 2012, I:

Vuonna 2012 minä:


- completed a total of 8 shawls, 2 blanket squares (including the first crocheted object I've done in years), a cowl for my Beloved, a baby bib and an exfoliating mitt.
- sain valmiiksi 8 huivia, 2 peittoruutua (joista toinen on ensimmäinen virkkuutyöni vuosiin), kaulurin Rakkaalleni, vauvan ruokalapun ja kuorivan pesukintaan.

- knitted in public and in private, on trains, in cars, on ferries & catamarans and in 3 different countries.
- neuloin julkisissa ja yksityisissä tiloissa, junissa, autossa, laivalla ja kantosiipialuksella ja kolmessa eri maassa.

- knit and spun in front of my Beloved's family.
- neuloin ja kehräsin Rakkaani perheen nähden.

- lost a much loved grandparent and therefore took on the task of knitting a funeral appropriate shawl.
- menetin rakkaan isovanhemman ja neuloin hautajaisiin sopivan hartiahuivin.

 - started two separate shawls out of some of the skinniest yarns in my stash.
- aloitin kaksi eri huivia lankavarastoni ohuimmista langoista.

- bought yarn in joy and in sorrow, out of boredom and frustration, and just because it was too pretty to leave behind.
- ostin lankaa iloon ja suruun, tylsyyteen ja ketutukseen, ja koska joskus se vaan niin nättiä, että ostamatta jättäminen olisi suorastaan julmaa.

- spent January on a partial yarn diet, with Alarwyn as my enforcer.
- vietin tammikuun osittaista lankalakkoa, jossa Alarwyn toimi kirstun vartijana.

- went to the yearly Tampere craft fair for the first time with Alarwyn.
- menetin Tampereen messuneitsyyteni Alarwynin kanssa.

- celebrated and mourned with my friends, knitters and non-knitters alike.
- iloitsin ja surin niin neulovien kuin neulomattomien ystävieni kanssa.

 In 2013, I will:
Vuonna 2013 aikomukseni on:

- see if I can turn this pile of gorgeously fuzzy alpaca into something that actually resembles a proper shawl...
- saada selville, riittääkö allerkirjoittaneessa riittävästi virtaa tämän ihanan alpakkapörrön muuttamiseksi oikeaksi huiviksi...

More projects from 2012

Just to prove that I have actually been knitting :)

I'm usually a very selfish knitter, with the exception of projects I've given to much loved friends and family members. However, in June I put some of my selfishness aside and took part in a friend's effort to create a comfort blanket for the psychiatric care unit of her local hospital.

She wanted fairly fine gauge wool squares made with machine-washable yarn, so I spent one of the days of my summer holiday knitting a square on the bias, using various sock yarn leftovers. I don't think I have a picture of the finished square, so you will have to make do with this partly knitted square for an idea of what my effort looks like.

 A fellow Raveller and Facebook friend went through an awful and devestating loss at the beginning of June. To show our condolances, one of the groups I'm an active member of decided to make a blanket for her and her family so they could wrap themselves up in our hugs and good wishes when the sorrow is overwhelming.

 I'm definitely not a crocheter, but I made an exception and did my best to crochet something resembling a granny square. It's not the prettiest of granny squares, but my intentions were good.

And before you all start believing I've complete forgotten about my selfish tendencies, fear not. I did actually finish a shawl for myself too.

 The Henslowe pattern is genius. It starts off simply enough with a garter stitch triangle, but the end result is fabulous!

Still here...

The first few months of 2012 have just flown by. I can hardly believe that May is almost halfway through, and I've yet to post a single thing on this blog.

Like every year, I began 2012 with lofty ideas of using more of my ever expanding stash, and buying yarn only when I need it. However, that idea didn't really work, as I managed to amass a fair amount of yarn even during January, when I was supposed to be on a semi-yarn diet. Alarwyn and I had agreed that with the exception of birthday yarn, all yarn purchases in January had to be approved by the other.

 I have managed to finish some projects, so it's not like the only thing I've been doing is increasing the size of my stash.

This shawl is my first project of the year. I used the increase pattern from Ysolda Teague's Damson shawl, but otherwise it was purely a project of my imagination.

The shawl is surprisingly warm from something knit in a laceweight blend of wool and silk, so it's been used a great deal so far.

My version of the Eternal Spring Shawl was finished next.

Most recently I finished my Cladonia.

Cowls galore

As Christmas is now over, I can finally share what I spent a fair while knitting in the run-up to Christmas.

My sister found this in her parcel on Christmas Eve.



Pattern: Katie White's Hide & Seek
Yarn: ONline's Linie 33 Cosmo

The yarn is wonderful, and I'd definitely like to knit with it again. The pattern was also genius, but the next time I knit it, I'll definitely use an extra circular for the provisional cast on, as unpicking the crochet chain from the provisional CO I used was a true pain ;)

I also cast on a cowl for myself too. I'm knitting Veera Välimäki's cabled cowl and using Pohjan Akka dyed by Tuulia of Knitlob's Lair, yet another genius dyer I've been lucky enough to meet.

Isin tyttö - Daddy's girl

Olen aina ollut isäni tyttö, niin luonteeltani, kuin kasvoiltanikin.

Viime viikonloppuna Hopeasäikeen Pirrellä oli myynnissä vyyhti Hopeasäie Sukkaa, jonka väri oli nimetty isäni kaimaksi. Pakkohan se oli ostaa, kun satuin muistamaan, että olen jo muutama vuosi sitten sanonut neulovani isälle sormettomat hanskat. Vaikka neulonkin useimmiten itselleni, neulon aina välillä rakkaillenikin ;)


I've always been a daddy's girl, both in temperment and in outward appearence.

Last weekend, Pirre from Hopeasäie had a skeing of her Sukka-sockyarn for sale, which had been dyed in a colourway that was my father's namesake. I had to buy it, as I also happened to remember, that I'd told him I'd make him a pair of fingerless gloves a few years ago. So while I knit for myself most of the time, I do knit for the people I love on occasion ;)