Decided to finally make myself a bag that will catch attention wherever I go to serve as a walking advertisement for my little bag business. I wanted a turquoise bag with few beaded flowers. A FEW! But once I got going, I just couldn't stop. So I ended up making a bag that looks like a unicorn threw up beads on it.. AND I LOVE IT!
my new dress (8€) -with a few added sequins and corrective stitches- will go perfectly with the bag!
It's so wonderfully over the top, so brilliantly kitsch and fun it is perfect for the gloomy Finnish winter to cheer up a dull day. And we have no shortage of those here! One might think our national color was mousy grey and national animal Tard, the grumpy cat, as a people that's about how cheery we are.
But in short, here is my Christmas gift from me to myself. Wishing you all a very cheery Christmas, with my cheesy bag in hand I'm bound to have one myself!
Namaste!
I am going through a very oriental phase, from daily meditation to decorating my lodgings I am inspired by everything and anything oriental. The indian inspiration is also influencing my craft and the latest two finished projects show case my love for all things oriental beautifully, if I may say so myself (and I may). But the truth is I say it way too often to convince myself of my own worth, thus fueling my ego and feeding it, but never satisfying it completely.
As happy as I should be in all the beautiful things my hands are capable of producing, these things or any other thing should not be my source of self value. Here is a nugget of wisdom from an excellent site Calmdownmind.com:
The Ego can feel very worthy in a moment and feel terribly unworthy the next moment. You can notice the Ego constantly trying to feel valuable. Neediness stems from the feeling of lack inherent in all Egos. In truth, the Ego is empty; it has no reality except in ideas. Something so “unreal” is bound to feel insecure of its identity. Remember that “Ego” is a false self, it’s not who you are at all. But you can’t know who you are unless you let the Ego dissolve completely.
Stop fuelling the Ego structure present in you. Let it die, let it dissolve completely. You will know what true joy, love and peace, really mean when the Ego structure dissolves completely. The Ego will always try to sustain itself, and keep itself in the center of your existence, unless you see through it and stop fuelling it with your attention. Freedom from Ego is freedom from feelings of unworthiness, and this opens up the floodgates of abundance in every from to rush into your life.
So shut up, Ego. These slippers may be awesome but even if they weren't I would still be awesome myself!
Presenting a pink bag made to order I just shipped out to the States and a newly finished phone cozy (that would suit my pink phone brilliantly!) but which can be found for sale here.
How come winter seems to always creep up on me and I find myself looking for last years winter wear when the first snow has already melted away. It shouldn't come as a surprise, winter is cold and inevitable. It is apparent I'm not a Stark - though the winter is most definitely coming, I have not braced myself. But it's not all bad. This sudden awakening to the reality of colder days inspired me to make a quick and easy new winter hat. It's super easy and fun to do, but the end results are impressive, so I thought I'd share it with you all. Don't be intimidated by the long instruction part below, once you get the hang of Tunisian crochet this is easily a one evening project. Make it multicolored like mine (and risk being called the "one woman gay pride parade" for wearing a tad too much color) or make a nice and subtle grey one for example.
You will need: *A 40cm cable needle or double pointed needles in size 8-10mm (I used 10mm but recommend using a thinner needle) *A double ended Tunisian Crochet Needle in size 8mm *1x50g skein of Naturgarn by Viking of Norway in dark green (color 633) *2x50g skein of Naturgarn by Viking of Norway in variegated purple (color 669)
Íf you want, you can leave out the green and use the variegated purple instead, this way you will only need 2 skeins of yarn for the whole project.
With the dark green yarn cast on 44 stitches on the cable needle or double pointed needles and join in the round.
Row 1: *Knit 1, purl 1*, repeat around
Row 2: *Knit 1, purl 1*, repeat around
Row 3: Increase stitches by: *Knit in front and back, purl 1*, repeat around.
If you are unfamiliar with this type of increasing, here's a video tutorial by Kaleidoscope Yarns on how to do it.
Bring the first 10-20 stitches from your knitting needle to the double ended crochet needle. Turn the work around and work from left to right. Take the variegated yarn and bring yarn over to the needle and pull it through the first loop. Bring yarn again on the needle and this time and from here on pull it through two loops. Again bring the yarn over to the needle and pull it through 2. Repeat until you've finished all stitches on the needle. Then pick up more stitches onto the crochet needle and repeat until you have reached the end of the row.
Here you see how the Tunisian crochet works; every green stitch forms a vertical stitch and the purple runs through it. Working with two contrasting colors really brings out the weave like pattern of Tunisian crochet.
Row 4: With the dark green yarn work from right to left on the right side of the work and pick up around twenty stitches on the needle as follows. Insert crochet needle into the vertical stitch on the row below, bring yarn over to the needle and pull it through the loop.
Repeat as long as you can/wish and turn the work over. With the contrasting yarn bring the yarn over to the needle, pull through 2 loops and repeat.
When working with two different yarns on one crochet needle I find it easier to keep track if I never have less than 2 stitches on the needle. That is, when I'm coming back with the contrasting color I don't touch the last stitches. In my opinion it's easier to continue working this way.
Once you've done that, turn the work again and pick up more stitches on the needle. Basically you're just picking up stitches with the front end and binding them off with the other end of the needle and that's Tunisian crochet for you!
Work like this for 3 more rows (green vertical stiches, purple on the inside) and replace green with another skein of purple. From here on end you will have purple vertical stitches. Continue in same manner for 12 more rows.
Begin cast off on row 21: Skip every 3rd vertical stitch that you would have picked up on rows below and otherwise work as before. Repeat this for about 6 rows until you've only got a handful of stitches. Cut the yarn and run it through the remaining stitches twice, weave in the ends and you're done! SUPEREASY!
So, the bad news is I wont be able to take part in the upcoming Craft Fair, Kätevä&Tekevä. I was really looking forward to it, but what can you do.
The good news is I can now list on Etsy the items I had been saving for the Fair. I have been busy making phone cosies and these are just the first two I listed. Stay tuned for plenty more :)
These two beauties are now available on Etsy here.
I haven't updated my blog in a while, I've been so busy and there's so much going on right now. In preparation for my very first craft fair I'm making phone cozies. About 2 million of them, it feels. I have a hunch they'll be a success, need to have something small and inexpensive in my stock too for the impulse shoppers. More updates and better quality photos later.
Back home from summer cabin again and time for some blog updates. I don't know what it is about that place but I feel incredibly creative up there in the woods. While there I managed to finish this gorgeous retro purse and made some felt beads in autumn colors, as it is apparent that fall is upon us. I know this because I feel like knitting again and buying school supplies. Always a sign of fall to me :)
Ooooh, another cute new bag just finished! Super girly and super cute, if I may say so myself, and I may. This little beauty was knitted out of beautiful sand colored Naturgarn yarn by Viking and embroidered with DMC embroidery thread. After knitting and felting bags for a year now I have tried and tested many different yarns and flosses and these have become my trusted favorites. The Naturgarn yarn felts beautifully and evenly in washing machine and the DMC embroidery threads have a silky gloss to them that compliments the wool superbly.
In this project I also used some seed beads in matching colors and although they can barely be seen on these pictures they give a nice extra kick to the embroidery, glistening here and there and making the cherry blossom branch more lifelike. There is a pink polka dot lining on the inside which makes this bag fun both inside and out.
Stay tuned for more gorgeous bags from my little MuffinTopKnits-collection :)
Much like on the classic 80's tune, the heat is on. It's so hot it's unbearable. Hence I have not been too active with my warm and wooly little things. But here's a small project I managed to finish despite the hot scandinavian summer.
Ooh, summer, I love thee. But you're bit too hot to handle!
Oh Hooray and Happy Days!
We've been invited to a summer wedding of two incredibly wonderful people and it should be something to be happy about. But I must admit I stress over every possible celebration, be it mine or some body else's party. I can not understand people who throw weddings, it's such a hassle, but enjoy going to one as a guest, despite the stress. This time the stress concentrated on two spesific things: A) I can't fit into any of my dresses and cannot afford a new one and B) I have no bag for the wedding. Solutions to problem A= eat only cottage cheese, quark, meet and veg for a month and loose 7kg (15.4 lbs) and B= just make a bag!
I am happy to announce I did both and can now look forward to the wonderful event! And am very happy with the results :)
The bag turned out so pretty I might even use it in my own wedding if I ever have one. Which I seriously doubt...
This weekend was probably the best ever. Nothing major happened. I just had an amazingly relaxing time deep in the forest at my parents' summer place. Good, healthy food, a sauna by the lake, fresh air and tranquility created by the surrounding nature and lack of neighbours in sight. No electricity, nothing fancy. Just pure heaven.
In between relaxing and relaxing even more, I managed to finally paint the brooms my mam had asked me to paint about five years ago. Dad, always prepared like a boy scout, whipped out a power drill and made me a candle holder from a block of old grey wood I found. I'm a bit of an airhead myself, so I wouldn't dare burn any candles on a wooden base, so my mam, who is a serious hoarder (=hamstraaja, moi äiti!) promised she'd dig out four metallic candle cups from her stockpile, that woman has everything imaginable up her sleeve.
Dad at work
Back in town, the block fits perfectly in the decor on our back yard deck.
I had to sample the paint before making the brooms, so I made this little welcome sign out of scrap wood
A deadwood branch we found in the woods mounted on a piece of old wood, I'll paint this white and make it an ornament tree, more about this project later!
Coin purses, coin purses! It must be raining coin purses!
There will be an abundance of coin purses soon on my Etsy shop as I'm stitching away like there's no tomorrow to get them done! These small projects have been hiding in the project closet for a few months as I have been pre-occupied with other stuff (like getting addicted to Sims), but now I'm determined to see them finished.
Here's the first two creations. Pink and yellow, it's like raspberry and mango sorbet!
It's almost June and the nature is getting greener every day. I've drawn inspiration from the nature around me in making a pair of slippers as a present for a friend. The green felt goes beautifully well together with the multicolored beads. Lovely, if I may say so myself :)
In the anticipation of a beautiful summer I (with A LOT of help from my dad) built a humongous vegetable grow box on our back yard. When empty, it looked like a coffin in the middle of our little garden. I was so tempted to troll the neighbours with it but thought they might not appreciate my morbid sense of humor.. But it's a great box, it's now filled with 200kg of dirt and some vegetables which hopefully will grow and bear fruit (or veg more like) and after harvest time it can serve as a handy place for our friends to curl up in and die of envy brought on by our superior feast of vegetables!
I've been looking for something to hang on our livingroom wall for over a year without any success. Solution: make some art! I bought a 60x90cm canvas, four tubes of guache paint (white, black, indian yellow and turquoise) and a brush. Then I started painting mixing together different shades of grey and layering the paint in crossed strokes. I added a few dabs of yellow and turquoise and mixed them up with the grays and voilá! A piece of contemporary art in 30 minutes and with 30€ total.
Love the way it turned out!
After hanging it up on the wall I realized I should've picked even a bigger canvas. Though this one at the shop seemed enormous, once hung it looked tiny. Might have to consider making a bigger one.
Sometimes it's fun to act on a whim. Especially when knitting. If one has the time, like I do, it's fun just start a massive knitting project with just a hint of an idea of what you are about to create. It is risky and sometimes it pays off. And sometimes.. Well, sometimes you end up with a lot of yarn wasted.
By now I should have learnt that all those brilliant ideas of mine for sweaters and jumpers just don't work in reality. The splendid ideas turn into knitting disasters every single time, and still I find myself pushing my luck about once a year.
Most my crafts are to die for (modesty aside), but I have to say this time I have spent quite a lot of scrap yarns and time into a project that failed miserably; a stripy crocheted and knitted tunic-dress that makes me look like Mrs. Santa. Oh boy have I been delaying publishing this disaster. I haven't been jumping for joy at the thought of posing for the photo. I've gained quite a bit of weight and look puffy enough as it is and even more so in this newly knitted circus tent. But I'm taking the bullet today and sharing my embarrasing project. I craft. I make mistakes. I'm still an awesome woman. (plus an awesome hair dresser, I just cut and dyed my own hair!)
Happy knitting everybody and better luck with your craft projects than I've had! :D
Ooh, I've visited heaven on earth! Keravan Käsintaitajat, our local craft association organized a day trip for us to Tallinn, Estonia, where we visited Karnaluks, an Estonian craft supply wholesale store.The store is a massive maze of boxes overflowing with yarn, embroidery threads, zippers, buttons, beads, and everything imaginable. If you ever visit Tallinn, this place is definitely worth visiting. It is easy to get to, it is close to the bus station and a few kilometres away from the port, but finding the shop entrance might be difficult for first time visitor. On any given day there is most likely a Finnish bus outside unloading crafty tourists who come from overseas especially to visit Karnaluks, so there's most likely someone outside the building at all times to tell you where the entry is in case you find it hard to locate.
Some of the supplies are incredibly low priced, but some are the same as retail prices in Finland, so if you are looking for a bargain, you better study their website well and look for the bargain deals before you go in. Note also that some of the products don't include VAT regarding you buy over a certain number of them, so keep your eyes open when checking the price tags at the location, buying 10 spools might come cheaper than buying 8, so buying in bulk pays off here!
Photo from jujukerho.fi
Here's my stash:
- 50 skeins of DMC Embroidery cotton, single color
- 25 skeins of DMC Embroidery cotton, variegated
- 6 skeins of Scholler + Stahl Filzi unspun wool yarn
- 2 skeins of Novita Huopanen unspun wool yarn (just because the color is no longer available in Finland)
- 2 zippers
- 7 skeins of Lane Cervinia's Val Gardena wool blend yarn
- 5mm crochet needle
TOTAL: 65€
The yarns I bought were close to the retail prices I'm used to paying, but the zippers, embroidery threads and the crochet needle were more than 50% less. It was well worth the trip!
Adding so much embroidery threads to my stock called for complete make over on my thread box. I spent all day yesterday organizing it but it's much neater now!
Can't wait to start another embroidery project, my stock looks sooo much nicer now :)
I haven't updated my blog in a while, I've been so busy and there's so much going on right now. In preparation for my very first craft fair I'm making phone cozies. About 2 million of them, it feels. I have a hunch they'll be a success, need to have something small and inexpensive in my stock too for the impulse shoppers. More updates and better quality photos later.
Ooooh, another cute new bag just finished! Super girly and super cute, if I may say so myself, and I may. This little beauty was knitted out of beautiful sand colored Naturgarn yarn by Viking and embroidered with DMC embroidery thread. After knitting and felting bags for a year now I have tried and tested many different yarns and flosses and these have become my trusted favorites. The Naturgarn yarn felts beautifully and evenly in washing machine and the DMC embroidery threads have a silky gloss to them that compliments the wool superbly. 
It's almost June and the nature is getting greener every day. I've drawn inspiration from the nature around me in making a pair of slippers as a present for a friend. The green felt goes beautifully well together with the multicolored beads. Lovely, if I may say so myself :)
I've been looking for something to hang on our livingroom wall for over a year without any success. Solution: make some art! I bought a 60x90cm canvas, four tubes of guache paint (white, black, indian yellow and turquoise) and a brush. Then I started painting mixing together different shades of grey and layering the paint in crossed strokes. I added a few dabs of yellow and turquoise and mixed them up with the grays and voilá! A piece of contemporary art in 30 minutes and with 30€ total.
Here's my stash:
