Finnish Knitting Yarns

I have spent some quality time in the summer vacation by dyeing my Alku wool yarn.

Alku yarn

Alku is Finnish and means "origin". This really is a yarn whose origin I know exactly. The wool is from Eastern Finland and is selected by my friend who is really good at picking the best locks from the shearing. Then she took the gorgeous baby sheep wool locks to a local spinnery. It was a big day when we received the yarn. 

I have dyed yarn for many years and it has never felt so right as with this yarn. 

Here are some colorways I have created recently.

Real Finnish yarns

There's not many real Finnish yarns - the most of the wool for them is brought abroad or there's non-domestic sheep breeds like Texel mixed in it. And those we have often look very modest without any color. Most of the yarn is worsted (carded fiber, fluffier), not woolen (comber fiber, smoother). Superwash treatment is not available in the spinneries. The possibilities to mix other fibers like silk in the yarn is very limited. So Finnish knitters and shops buy foreign yarn.

What about my stash?

My stash is not totally domestic either. I do love those malabrigos, noros, sweet gerogias etc.

But I also knit from Finnish yarn, pure Finnish wool from Finnsheep or Kainuu Grey breeds. Here's a peek what I have among some others.

Back row, from left to right:

Hieno Finnsheep sock wool  (worsted) by Succaplokki

Kainuu Grey sock wool (worsted) by Christina's spinnery

Alku Kainuu Grey wool yarn (worsted) by Woolgrey, the yarn that I sell

Suupohja's Finnsheep wool yarn (woolen), not in production anymore as the spinnery has been shut down but some is still available with natural dyed tones at Pata-Noita

Maahinen Finnsheep wool yarn (worsted) by Riihivilla, dyed with natural dyes too

Front row:

Kainuu Grey wool yarn (worsted) by Ilu

Finnsheep wool yarn (woolen) by Kormu's sheep farm 

For the love of Finnish wool!

To celebrate the anniversary of the shop where I sell the Finnish wool and Alku yarn, I am giving 15 % off from all products there. The offer is available until 25th July. 

Go to www.woolgrey.com and use coupon code JUHLA12 at the checkout.

Digital Art Journaling Hit Me!

It really hit me hard: digital art journaling! I have enjoyed digital scrapbooking for quite a while but now I have tried digital art journaling. Oh, I love it!

Part of the enjoyment has been Tangie Baxter's Art Journal Caravan which I joined few days ago. She organizes challenges that really challenge both intellectual and creative sides of the brain.

I know that there are digital art journaling elements for sale as digital scrapbooking supplies but I have a huge strorage of my own stuff so these are all my own copyright. 

The challenge: Impervious. My interpretation: Impervious to sadness.

The challenge: Game of Life. My interpretation: The checkers game with the logical and the intuitive parts of me. 

The challenge: Apolaustic. My interpretation deals with the controversal issues of the word.

Sorting Out

I just started the summer vacation from my day job. I am going through files that I have made during the winter and try to find seeds for the new projects. Here's something that I had made in May but never really finished. I am trying to find motifs that work with t-shirts, maybe I could pick something from here?P.S. Did you notice that I have a new product: a mouse pad!

Be You!

I believe strongly that every person is unique and every one has their own unique style. It is only the matter of time and practice to find it.

This time I did not want to create anything particular, just let go and relax. I love ornaments and dig some from my treasure box. They were made some time ago using watercolors and markers. Then I grabbed black background paper and started doodling. Color pencils add extra interest. Using various supplies makes the collage interesting.

By using a variety of supplies and taking care of the composition is often enough for the eye. The only third thing you need to add is You!

Behind The Butterfly

I have spent most of the spare time taking care of the new puppy. It has been pretty difficult to find time for creative stuff. I have moved most of the art supplies to our dining area table where I can watch the puppy more easily. That way I have been able to make something, now and then, in small steps.

Stella's point of view can't be missed. She thinks the summer smells great. I might have got some inspiration from her for the illustration! And the butterfly might actually represent her in the picture, who knows!

A Modern Quilt for The New Puppy

I have not been able to write here for a couple of weeks. I have a big project going on. And I am not talking about this quilt!

  

I am talking about the owner of the quilt!

She is my new beagle puppy Stella! As you can see from the pictures, see appreciates my hard work for the quilt.

I made the quilt from scraps that I found in the closet. I used to make a lot of quilts many years ago. Then I stopped. The reason was the lack of time to make really artistic detailed hand embroidered quilts and the lack of inspiration to make traditional ones. But now I have found a new trend: modern quilting! I am so excited!  

Stella wishes a long and warm summer to all of you! See you soon! 

Make Art, Reuse, Simplify!

When I made this handmade card I did not think of fabric. But the way I create art leads often to design. I love to reuse my illustrations and make new products from them.

I am so pleased with this fabric, made from the doodling. I thought this would not work as a repeatable pattern but it does! If you have followed my blog for some time you know how I hate simplified stuff. But I recently I have begun to turn more to simple things. And I have started to look my own work differently. These two designs don't really look complicated.I find it both funny and bittersweet to to be so excited about simple designs and simplifying! You will see some projects with a new twist in the near future!