I went to Italy....

....and all I got was this text. Photos of autumnal Lake Garda, who needs them, anyway.


Well, some notes on Italy will follow, not necessarily in order of importance.

-Italian TV is unbelievable; every evening illogical game shows/singing contests/reality drama, and all with scantily clad ladies whose body parts have been tweaked and tucked here and there and everywhere. Who needs political correctness, anyway.

- the sun was still warm during the day (except on our last day, when playing golf on the mountain side meant walking literally in the clouds)

- the light is amazing - hazy and shining

- the food, the food, the clothes, the clothes - need I mention more...

- I'd love to learn the language; I get a glimpse of the meaning here and there, but just when everything seems to fall into place I get lost again

- cypress trees, such noble and classy creations



I almost bought a cape, but then I thought why not knit one myself.

This morning...

...from the window of the commuter train I saw this:

almost 100 cows grazing on their field, with their backs turned white from the frost.

Should have, could have, would have

On renovating, and how to keep sane.

Dear renovating men, renovating our house inside and out.
Would it be too much to ask if you could follow instructions, be hard-working and finish on time?

Our balconies should have been finished in August. They will be finished in October. Hopefully. Where did the 2 months go?
And now that you are also exploding up our front steps and the steps leading from front yard to the parking lot, do you think that you could have told us, the tenants, about it sooner than 2 days after you had already started the work?
Yes, we will be happy to have nice and even stairs for winter, I grant you that.

Oh, I know that your work requires great manual skills, and I appreciate you for it, believe me I do. I'm a bit of a renovator myself, and some of my best friends are renovators. But hey, does that really mean the total exclusion of brain function?
Like, when you were drilling those holes on our bathroom wall tiling to attach the new lamps, did it ever occur to you either a) to call us once again about the correct measurements, or b) to actually look at how the lamps and the new mirror would look together.
The mirror was supposed to be in the middle, between the two lamps. Not so that the other lamp was further away from the edge of the mirror. Small things, but for finicky, small-minded people like us, symmetry is important. Especially if you are looking at the mirror and the lamps many times a day. Every day.
Anyway, thanks for fixing this by attaching a bigger mirror over those first holes, and attaching the lamps again. To their correct places. Thanks.

***

Hey, don't get me wrong - I love our new bathroom and toilet. I love the new washing machine (which, by the way, was not installed correctly the first time - during its first ever spin, the machine actually started to rumble towards the bathroom door. Thanks again, dear renovating men, for not removing the transportation supports from the back of the machine, and causing us a few scary moments and aching arms for trying to keep the machine in its place). I will like the new balcony, too.

***

Neglecting ones blog isn't the biggest crime in the world, but somehow it manages to raise some quilty feelings. So, a collective apology to any and all who may have visited here during last months.

After reading some French literature and visiting my dear blogger favorites after a long dry spell, I decided to let myself be creative again. No, I decided I want to be creative again. Because it's good for me. As is French literature.

So here I am - hopeful that somebody will read this someday, somewhere.
And hey, everybody deserves a second chance - even renovation men.

Knitting with Wwwool

After the supple and soft yarn of the latest project, the cardigan 'Sabbatical', I've taken up the tunic from the latest VK, this one with fair isle borders.

I decided to finally use up some Pirkka-yarn which has been simmering in my stash since last winter - and man, it's tough. It's 100% wool, you see. Good ol', crunch-your-fingers, rough-up- your-hands 100% wool.

Somehow it's good to really feel what you're making, knowing that this is the yarn used by fore-mothers and so on. But, pheew... as I've promised to give this a Certain Person, I need to finish it - and preferably before the winter's over, and preferably before The Bag Kit (which I told you about earlier) arrives from the States. Pheew.

I try to be diligent, finish it up (back side almost done already, so I'm half way there) and move on. And be satisfied with myself for taking up such an arcane and traditional yarn.

The result better be good, or else....

Yessirree!

I'm not frustrated anymore, nosirree!

My computer came back to me sooner than I thought it would, and now we are together again - both agreeing that we should be working together without harsh words or sulking faces, in perfect harmony that is the root of the co-existence between woman and her machine. (and I promised to be more pedantic with taking back-up copies of my files...)


And, and! I've also finished the First Knit of 2010 - here's "Sabbatical", by Connie Chang Chinchio / Twist Collective, Winter '09, in a modest photoshoot sans human mannequin.

I like this garment a lot; the color, the softness of the yarn (primavera/teetee, 75% merino+25% silk), the wearability and the versatile functioning with different accessories.

The lace pattern was easy enough to work on, although not maybe your basic TV-knitting if the plot on the screen requires much attention. The cast-on with tubular method certainly was worth the effort to make a nice, finished look.




I did not make any permanent fastening solutions, i.e. button or hook, but chose to go with whatever feels right - so it can be worn open, fastened with a piece of ribbon, with a brooch etc..

A Winter's Tale

Sorry for the long radio silence, folks - first things first: happy new year 2010!

I have not been a non-knitter, despite no updates to the blog recently - 'Sabbatical' is coming along nicely, just need to get more yarn to finish it. Also something new on the way soon, one made-to-order tunic from the latest VK..

I also got very excited about the small news in the VK magazine about this bag kit from KnitPicks. As it happens, the kit is on it's way now to yours truly - unfortunately they don't deliver outside US, but if one has friends living e.g. in Texas, the package can be delivered there, and then another friend who happens to be travelling to that named Texas place in early February will bring it in her luggage back to Finland, then it's possible to order.... a bit complicated, but what wouldn't one do for this genious, glorious design?

Yesterday I visited here for the first time - although it was also very pretty outside with the winter at it's best, coming inside into the old hothouse of cacti, orchids and other exotic plants was an unforgettable experience.

Dear diary!

I have been a bit worried lately. Knitting hasn't been the source of inspiration for me for a long long time, and that's odd. Yes, I know that every knitter goes through such periods when not even the thought of purchasing new yarn does the trick.
And yes I know, I myself have gone through such periods before. Maybe it's the approaching Christmas with all it's "necessary" knitting, maybe it's the low caused by this dark season, maybe it's the 7-year change of body's cells..... go figure.

And I've tried! As you remember, I bought new yarn recently and it's still lovely to touch, but it just doesn't call out to me, in that irresistible little voice that is the voice of new yarn: "knit me into XXX pattern, or YYY pattern, phleeeease!". I have leafed through the winter issues of The Mags (and all the old issues, as well), borrowed some pattern books from the library, hung around in Raverly, walked over to the book shop to look at pattern books, opened my stash boxes to look at yarn, tried to think of knitting before falling asleep, been counting sheep..... The excitement just wasn't there.

And then.... and then! Yesterday I got mail. From Twist Collective. An extra number added for their Winter '09 collection. This one. Be still my beating heart! It's a cardigan (check!), it's long (check!), it's feminine (check!), it's beautiful (check!), it's versatile (check!), it's challenging (check!), and I've got just the yarn for it in my stash (check!).

Once again I have managed to cross the void, swim to the other side, return from the black hole, and stop the clocks. Swatch, here I come!

On ripping, sulking, getting inspired and eating chocolates

Well, those black gloves blogged about a couple of posts back faced the horrible fate of ripping, despite their genious pattern. Somehow my gauge was fine for the fingers, but the palm part turned out way too big, and would've needed some kind of weird magic to look good (or very bloated hands). RRRRipping they went.

And, these days, as said by the dear doctors in the most-fun-and-touching-tv-series-ever ,"M*A*S*H", I'm catching up on my sulking. With this weather it's oh so easy.


But I've also been a wee bit inspired, mind you, so there's hope still. By new Twist Collective patterns, especially this, this and this (in single color, though), and also the new IK does not look too bad... I may get started on something.

If I'm not too busy sulking, that is.


Eating chocolate, on the other hand, is not getting in the way of the sulking. My favourite kind now is with whole hazelnuts - which is funny, because as a child I use to dislike that particular variant fiercely.

Le Weekend

and The Buttons

All things great and small..

..have happened. Today was my First Day of School - well, actually, just the first meeting and info session, as the studying happens 99% in the comfort of my own home since it's virtual/multi-form/selfstudy kinda thing.
So far so good - this particular line of study seems like a right choice, and I think the self-studying will go quite well, as we are all adults here and know how to share our time between work and play and don't end up watching TV, or reading knitting blogs, when we are supposed to be studying and taking part in virtual lectures, right? RIGHT??!

A little piece of news caught my eye last week (and again today), about Bob Dylan. He was caught by the police lurking around some people's house - when actually he was only being curious about a house on sale and spending his free time before going on stage with Willie Nelson (talk about sweet harmony of voices there...). The 20-something cops did not recognize this legendary poet, and it took the personnell of his tour to ensure them that yes, this man really is mr Dylan and haven't you really heard about all his accomplishments and tens of albums... Poor Bob. Being a celebrity has seldom been easy for him.
(If he would just try to be a bit more nice - like smile in concerts and let people photograph him and such....)

What else.... hmm.... oh, knitting!
I've finished another "Thermis" cowl already, and tomorrow will hopefully see the starting of "Rosamund's Cardigan" from the latest IK. Pics will follow, so stay tuned...

I almost forgot...

...to share some photos and thoughts on my latest visit to Ye Olde Home Town last week.

We went to the Castle - I haven't been for years, but no need to fret: everything was exactly the same.

Some complaint resulted from this (of course!) - hey, how about re-doing the permanent exhibitions, e.g. changing the horrible grey plastic/vinyl/whatever flooring from the '70s?!
How about opening up a little those guide texts on the walls of the different chambers and rooms - ok, it's a "Queen's room", but what did she actually do there?
Also, how about installing some escalators to the towers - it's really hard work climbing up those stairs, as they are not really designed with the latest information in mind about the proper height of a stair, and ergonomy?

Well, the last comment aside, I guess it's good that somethings' don't change...

One, more positive, thing (aside from the lovely light inside some of the rooms, which resulted in nice photos) was the museum shop - really nicely planned and put out, and the goods were of good quality and most of them even closely related to the Castle or Turku. And that's always a plus, eh? :)

I bought some rhubarb tea and a cookie cutter shaped like the castle. Guess who's getting gingerbread cookies in a weird shape this Christmas..

Getting ready for you-know-what...

...which is not yet mentioned here, since there's plenty of summer left still, right?!? But anyhow, one must be prepared. And what better way than making those pretty little things that make the you-know-what just a little more bearable. I'm talking about items like these:




The fingerless gloves are made with Peruvian 'Mirasol' hand-dyed merino wool + some Debbie Bliss cotton added in for extra comfort. Pattern is fresh-from-the-oven VK fall '09, "Meander Mitts ".




The hat is also from the latest VK, "Blossom hat" by Nora Gaughan. It's made with Debbie Bliss 'Prima', and a stripe of Mirasol added in for that extra flavour (and using up all the yarn...).







Of other things: I will start studies next month - it's for a degree in a field where I've never been too strong, involving numbers etc... But I've decided that one must face one's fears head on, in order to conquer them. As it will be mostly virtual lectures and self-study, it will require a lot of self-discipline. But, up and at 'em, I say!

Happy 1st!

Today is the birthday of my blog, so Happy Birthday, dear blog!

the sea, the sea

Well folks, after almost 20 years of being a total landlubber, yours truly ventured out to sea finally last week, for a total of 5 days.
The weather could've been better (I think I'm still freezing), but it was great to see some new places and enjoy the sea air. Our route started in Helsinki, and then we headed towards Viipuri and through the Saimaa canal - the boat which we sailed will be spending the summer in Saimaa area.








Here are some pics from the trip - old fishermen's tools, for example..

The first (of June)

Hi there, I bet you can see more clearly now, right? With my new laptop, everything looks great :)

The first of June, the official first of My New Life. Brace yourselves!

Today's the day

My last working day, after almost 10 years in the same company.
It's sad, but it's also a good feeling.

Change.

My boss just asked me what were the most positive things over these years, and I said: the people.

Gladly I'm not disappearing from the face of the earth - so there are ways to keep in touch still.

And who knows where we meet again.

Korean, anybody?

I received a farewell gift (next week is my last week at my current job) from a business contact in Korea - it's something that every home should have, and I didn't even know that I needed...
It's an electronic photo frame. You can download pictures from digital camera / computer / memory card, and they will then show in the frame in a slide-show mode.

Well, its lack of usefulness and its total un-necessity put aside, there is a one minor detail which makes the use of it a tad difficult. All the menus and user advice in the screen itself are in Korean. According to the user's manual, there are language options - but what's "English" in Korean..

It's like the classic practical joke - take your friends phone and go to language options and change the overall phone language to ... well, for example to Korean. And then just watch closely as your friend (who, at this point, is quickly turning into an enemy) tries to tackle the usage of the phone with the new, improved language.
Do not try this at home.

On mortality

Today I noticed in the local paper that My Cemetery (which is of course a common cemetery for all to visit, but which I somehow feel is mine, due to the fact that I pass through it almost daily since it's located right behind our home, and I adore the old trees and calm athmosphere - I view it more as a park than a gloomy, scary place), together with some art students, has published a web site where you can find the location of the all the important or otherwise interesting people's graves. And there's some biographic bits and pieces also included.

Well, I know that there are more important and inspiring things in life than this particular web site, surely, but this is actually something I have thought of many times when walking among the old tomb stones. That why don't I know more about all these people, who could teach me more about them. And now, here's my answer.

I've been also thinking many many times to take photos of the fascinating old grave stones - they are like works of art, some of them - beautiful craftmanship.

Hello, I'd like to register a complaint - Vol. 2

Dear editors of Interweave Knits,

I just received your latest issue, Summer '09, and with my normal eagerness started to leaf through the pages immediately. To my huge disappointment there was not a single pattern which caught my fancy - not a single one! And come to think of it, there hasn't been that many in your previous issues either..

I started to subscribe in 2006, and was very happy with your magazine for a couple of years - interesting, challenging patterns which always inspired me to do my best and teach myself something new. But now..... the buzz just isn't there anymore. To be honest, most of the patterns are dull and boring - and don't even look like ones that a self-respecting knitter would wear in public. It seems that you have chosen the middle part of the road - the most safe and simple way to go.

Sorry to sound harsh, but I think I'm not the only one thinking these thoughts - since I've been reading and hearing about complaints also elsewhere in the knitting community. I've continued my subscription for 1 more year - it might be the last.

Yours complainingly,

-N-

greens

What's been going on recently at Chez Kudos?

*Finally, my green cardi is ready - a long time coming, that was.... ("Auburn Camp Shirt" by Chrissy Gardiner / IK Spring '08). You can see it enjoying it's bath in one of the pictures above. I'm not sure yet who will be using this piece of clothing eventually... might be someone else than the knitter herself.. :)

More pics to come, of course...

*I started a course. After 8 sessions I'm supposed to know all there is about InDesign (graphic design/layout tool) - but let me tell you, I don't know much yet, after 2 lessons.. Either it's me, or the teacher is somehow jumping from one thing to another and there are bits missing.. it can't be me, can it.. Anyway, it's just for my general personal improvement, so I don't take it too seriously - and heck, it's always good for the brain to get a little action.

*I've been wondering what to start next - knit-wise, I mean. .

*I've been enjoying loads of asparagus - yummy.

*..and yeah, Basil from Faulty Towers is still alive - and related to all things green, I'm planning to put our balcony into summer shape in the coming days.