we made

Me and V made a little bear of a glove. We have hardly any missing socks or gloves, but this one I've been keeping a long time. Very fast and rewarding! V filled it (cotton, left over pieces of yarn and fabric) and designed the nose & mouth on paper and we had long negotiations about the eyes -- even Y participated in that. The glove makes me think of Lucky Boy Sunday, I can't help but love them. Like many others. I first read about them in Milk. Very inspiring. Little V is about to have a present from them on his name day.

I have bought these gloves on my first trip to Japan. Over 10 years ago. I'm desperately longing to go there. We had a little bit of Japan talk with friends who came for a visit today. An old friend of mine and his wonderful wife and their little boy.

I'm wearing my old jeans!

MW, F, AA, G, M

My daughter picked Mieke Willems and Fliss!
My mother picked Anna Allen and Gigi/ardize!
I picked one more: Mette!

So I send five pot-holders to your addresses once I get them in my e-mail (in the profile). As I said I wish I had 35 of them... They are very usable. We keep my favourites and V's favourites.

Regarding old ladies and their handicrafts: I wish they would have managers that would tell them to keep it simple, not make only pastel colours for babies, not to keep so strictly to boy/girl categories, to use 100% natural yarns...

Today is not the sunny day of the photo. It's snowing. My mum and V went out, the baby sleeps = I must work.

I would rather knit, write letters, clean and make blueberry pancakes.

at work 2

I'm expecting little V to wake up any second now. So I'll wait for the second nap to start working. The days are so unbearably beautiful but I'm starting to feel this much winter would be enough. He woke up!

at work

I'm back to working. I remain by the kitchen table, but have two deadlines ahead of me. I have time but I don't have time. But I've decided to manage this somehow. The baby is getting clearer with his rhythms.The other work I'm happy about. Makes me wanna sew. I still wish they'd want to publish a kids' clothes pattern book though.

I still didn't make any wings for my kid by the way. They will be white-golden. Her birthday is in 4 months, maybe by then...

I did cut my hair, but now I'm cutting it more and more every day. Dream of having a trusted hair-dresser.

KIITOS for all the responses for the post below. I wish I could send one to all of you.
(Ja kiitos, aioin kirjoittaa give-away-asian suomeksikin, mutta unohdin. Kiva, kun jaksatte lukea englantiani!)

Animal Collective ♡

give-away

I had a good day! And I have very many potholders like these. They are from some old lady i didn't meet. She made potholders, socks and bags for a christmas fair and NOBODY bought any of them. She showed them to our bakery lady and they took her basket and a glass jar on one table. In one day everything was gone. (Maybe not all the socks, they are a bigger investment.)

Anyway, if YOU'd like to receive one very freestyle colour combination potholder, leave me a comment. Tell me a favourite colour maybe. By next Thursday, January 28th. I will have my little fairy horse girl draw 2 winners.

Have a nice weekend!

family portrait 2

It doesn't mean that Y is not part of the family, but just that he doesn't hang stuff on his doors. Maybe he doesn't have to either because he has 2 closets. V has one closet, the baby has one half and I have one and half.

In this photo there are things from wonderful Japanese girls: the lilac crocheted thing for little V (I take long moments staring at it, it is beautiful) and a beautifully printed belt kind of thing for me (obi-age?). I miss C and N and everybody. Everything. Wish Japan was a bit closer. Then of course it wouldn't be Japan. I'm back to working and in serious need of a language bath.

Trying to stay tuned with new music. St Vincent.

a walk

It is so incredibly beautiful right now. The weather got less cold and that made all this feathery snow frosting appear everywhere. We found an entrance to someone very small but quite big footprints.

ps: Little V is now called prince Gold-ribbon. Princes have quite long names. Prinssi Kultanauha.

in the kitchen

I have wonderful friends in Japan. And once in a while they send me something wonderful. This is the latest thing to arrive: a new book by Yuko. It is a food diary with the most beautiful acquarelles.

I'm not good at taking photos of things on purpose, but I wanna show something else too.

I spend a lot of time in the kitchen but I'm not cooking a lot and I'm not very ambitious. But we made an onion pie and 2 blueberry pies!

Pistachio ice-cream.

V is "working on her hello kitty computer" and worrying that her working day turns very bad. Oh, sorry it's Ariel who is working. Little V is in his sling as usual.

tallest tree, highest mountain

My best flea-market find in 2009. It was our present for us. It makes me think of Bonnie Prince Billy singing "The world's greatest". (It is an r'n'b megastar song originally.) V got swans.

I like Marika Maijala(illustrator).

And I got tickets for Vashti Bunyan. And other tickets!

It is the first weekend since Y went back to his work. I think we could go and see the Barbie exhibition at the toy museum at EMMA. Other exhibitions too. I like the inside of that building.

It's getting even colder.

sick baby

Little V is in the sling all the time. I'm happy he likes it, but it would be nice if he had at least one nap somewhere else. But now he's a bit sick too. Big V was almost never sick and this is already the second time for him. I'm bad at having a sick child.

The cold snowy winter continues -- this is how winters should be like. But it feels strange, proper winters have been gone for such a long time. The cold is a bit heavy too, water pipes freezing and cold floors. V just went out, I'm happy she's a bit independent once in a while. (She refused to wear the beautiful beret.)

The last christmas present to arrive ( I ordered too late) was the wonderful finger puppet set from Mieke Willems shop. They are even greater than I expected. I love the shiny lacquer. Three of them are in love with each other. That's what I heard.

knit knit knit

First post of the year of the tiger. Tiger mask by V. A beret for V. I hopehopehope she will use it.


Red pants too big for little V. I have gotten a bit more efficient with my knitting. I actually finish what I start. It often takes very long so I make a big size, but these are way too big for a 3 month old cute baby. He is so cute.

A lot of snow.