Death comes in small packages

Vuoden 2017 viimeinen valmistunut projekti oli nämä palmikkosukat itselleni. Hieman epätyypillinen väri itselleni neulottuna, mutta jotenkin se vain houkutteli. Lanka on Viking Alpaca Storm, puikot 3mm. Mukava lanka neuloa ja vielä mukavammat sukat jalassa, pehmeä ja lämmin. Sukkien valmistuttua ensimmäinen ajatus oli, että tulipa hassun näköiset kantapäät. Jatkoin siis palmikoista ihan perus joustinta kantapäähän. Näyttää sileänä pöydällä kovin korkealta tuo kantapää vaan onneksi istuu jalkaan täydellisesti. Ja jalassa näyttää todella hyvältä. Palmikot ovat siis kahden silmukan palmikoita, ei tarvitse apupuikkoa. Ja toisessa sukassa palmikot on tietysti tehty peilikuvana. Todella mukavat sukat, valmistuivat nopeasti ja ovat jaloissani tätäkin kirjoittaessa.

Löysin tässä taannoin vaatehuoneestaamme myysteerikankaan. En siis tiedä mistä tuo kangas on lähtöisin. En muista ostaneeni tuollaista kangasta, enkä myöskään saaneeni sitä keneltäkään. Vaan mitäpä tuosta alkuperästä, laadukkaan oloinen kangas kyseessä, joustava ja samalla kuitenkin jämäkkä. Eli siis täydellinen housukangas. Tein tyttärelle tästä kankaasta kahdet housut. Kaavana käytin muokkaamaani Tiny Fans-kaavaa (Ottobre 4/2016). Kaavaa olen muokannut vain sen verran, että olen yhdistänyt etu- ja takakappaleet yhdeksi palaksi, poistaen näin ulkosivusauman. Helppoa ja huoletonta ompelua. Eihän noita toki, voinut ihan perusharmaiksi jättää, lapsi on kuitenkin vasta vähän päälle vuoden, joten toisiin kirjailin pieniä keltaisia kukkia vyötärölle ja toiseen lahkeeseen, kun toiset housut saivat liilat pyllypitsit. Pyllypitsihousut olisivat olleet vieläkin paremmat, jos olisin saanut vielä yhden rivin pitsiä tuohon, vaan meninpä leikkaamaan tuota pitsiä jo aiemmin tytön hiuspantaa...

Tämä mekko valmistui tänä kesänä, kuten edellisessä postauksessa mainittu Foxy Vilmakin. Tähän mekkoon tosin löysin myös kankaan vasta tänä kesänä, Eurokankaan palalaarista. Jotain puuvillaa/pellavasekoitetta tuo lienee. Mitään varsinaista suunnitelmaa kankaalle ei ollut, kun sen ostin. Mutta joku siinä vain houkutteli ja mielessä välähteli jonkin sortin hippipaita. Vaan kangasta oli niin paljon, että kun aloin mallaamaan luottohupparia tuon kankaan päälle paidan leikatakseni, totesin, että kangas riittää mekkoon. Ja mikä mekko siitä sitten tulikaan. Mekossa on saumat sivuilla (lepakkohihat!!), pääntiekaitaleella huoliteltu kaula-aukko, taitettu helma ja kuminauhat hihansuissa. Vyönkin leikkasin tuosta samasta kankaasta, mutta toimii myös esimerkiksi leveämmän mustan vyön kanssa. Kuten sanottua, leikkasin mekon luottohupparini mukaan. Huppari on tilattu joitakin vuosia sitten EMP:ltä ja niin huppari kuin sen mallikin toimii aina ja kaikkialla. Tämä on jo toinen mekko jonka teen t...

Tämä tunika valmistui vihdoin ja viimein tämän kesän aikana. Kangas on tilattu Spoonflower'ista. Siitä muodostui varsinainen murheenkryyni jo heti alkumetreillä, kun en ottanut huomioon tullimaksuja ja selvityksiä, kun tilasin EU:n ulkopuolelta. No onneksi ei nuo tullimaksut mitään ihan päätähuimaavia ollut. Ja muistanpa seuraavalla kerralla. Ongelmat eivät suinkaan loppuneet kankaan perillesaamiseen. En noudattanut mitään leikkuusuunnitelmaa vaan leikkelin kankaan sitä mukaa, kun sain kaavat piirrettyä. Alunperin tästä piti siis tulla mekko ja vielä tarkemmin sanottuna tästä piti tulla Vilma-mekko Mekkotehdas aikuisille-kirjan mukaisesti. Vaan ei sitten ihan tullut, kun ei kangas riittänytkään ja jo leikattuun ja osin ommeltuunkin mekkoon piti tehdä korjauksia. Vaan toimiipa tuo Vilma myös näin tunikana ja tästä tuli yksi lempivaatteistani. Sopii hyvin yhteen farkkujen kanssa ja tyttärenikin tykkää tuosta, kun on tarpeeksi kettuja bongailtavaksi.

Tässä on saldoa joulun tienoilta. Yritin kovasti pienentää lankavarastojani ja olla ostamatta uusia. Lankavarasto on sen sijaan kasvanut isommaksi.. eli ei mennyt niin kuin siellä kuuluisassa Strömsössä.. Lahja- ja ylijäämälankoja tuli kuitenkin kulutettua joulun aikaan ja lankavarasto on nyt hieman enemmän omaan makuun. Sinivalkoiset ruutu-sukat on tehty 7 veljestä ja Impivaara -langasta (vyötteissä luki siis nuo molemmat nimet). Se on tullut avomiehen edesmenneen isoäidin varastoista, en osaa sanoa miten vanhaa tuo lanka on.. vanhaa! Ensimmäisellä yrityksellä kävi kuitenkin niin, että sininen loppui kesken miesten sukissa ja piti tehdä ensimmäisen sukan kärki uusiksi. Nämä matkustivat siskon miehelle Ruotsiin. Seuraavana vuorossa siskolle tekemäni lapaset. Lanka on jotain vanhaa Nallea, jota olin pantannut muka johonkin omaan projektiin, jota en kuitenkaan koskaan ole toteuttanut. Samasta langasta tuli vielä sukat isän vaimon synttäripakettiin. Lapaset on tehty Novi...

It's been a while since I've updated the blogs. There's been quite a good reason because I gave birth to a beautiful baby girl who was named Julia Melinda. Even though my blogs have been quiet, I haven't had practically any rest. First two months our daughter woke up several times a night. third and fourth month she slept through the nights pretty well, from 6-7 hours a night but now she wakes again once or twice a night in the age of 5 months. Days have been busy taking care of her and the new appartment and when I've finally gotten some me-time I've spent most of it sewing. These beanies were ready before our daughter was born and I've used mine very much. Her beanie has been also well used but it's getting too small for her already. I ordered the fabric from Käpynen .

   So.. I've been tired and lazy and blog updates have been waiting to happen. But now I'm ready again to publish a few oldies that you might have seen in instagram already. Being pregnant and all, I was forced to buy a new jacket. The target jacket was supposed to be cheap enough, neat enough and it is supposed to fit me through the rest of my pregnancy. I found that kind of jacket over a month ago but after having it a while I came to conclusion that the sleeves on it were too short. Luckily I got an easy idea from my other wnter jacket. And so I desided to continue the sleeves with knitting. And when I was searching suitable yarn from Lankamaailma I noticed they had this reflex yarn and the idea evolved to an even better idea. Now I don't need separate reflex with that jacket since I have them knitted to my sleeves. Yay!!

     Made this dress a while ago, in November. I had a Turku Filharmonic orchestra concert I was going to see and I felt that I needed something new. I had bought this jersey already before and it seemed suitable for this purpose. It became pretty much perfect, the stripes are almost perfectly in line in the seams. The only thing I'm still thinking that maybe I'll do the hem over, I'm not quite satisfied with how it turned out to be.

Made this shirt as a Christmas gift. My first project with the new overlock sewing machine I bought in autumn. Quite fast and nice project but I definitely need more practise with the overlocker. But since it looks like our family is growing with one in May, maybe I get enough of that practise when I´ll start sewing baby clothes. With this project I was pretty much happy with. The only visible (read: disturbing) mistake I made was there in front at the neckline. Luckily I had one matching colour button that hid the mistake perfectly. :D

      Some projects finished and sent to Sweden. Fabrics for the dress and bag are from Eurokangas. Cotton and denim. The patterns are from the book Mekkotehdas. The cat picture I bought about a year ago (I think) from Handicraft Expo. (I still have two or three cats in storage for later use.) And the bunnies are (once again) from Kui design, sewn together by me. Kui design sells ready-made bunnies as well but I bought these as fabrics. They clean up their storage of left-overs and misprints every now and then and these bunnies had some minor "flaws" on them and were therefore cheaper.

A hooded dress for myself. Fabric again from Kui design . The striped fabric inside the hood is a leftover. I used as a pattern a combination of my old hoodie and Vilma from the book Mekkotehdas Aikuisille. Took a while to finish because I had to do the sleeves twice, the original ones were too long. But anyway, autumn is now welcome, although I don't mind warmer weather.

Something that I finished a while ago. A dress made with Blend Bamboo. Colors in the picture aren't quite correct. (And I was too lazy to iron it.) Light blue and silvery grey. Inspiration I got once more from Moda 6/2012.

Found this viscose (?) from Eurokangas. It was in their leftover bins and there was approximately 3 meters of it. I liked the color (sort of dark violet-blue) and the picture so I bought it. First idea was a dress and dress it became. The picture on the fabric was a bit challenging but after all I think I nailed it. The dress is a bit longer than knee-length and it has a zipper on the back. I think I'll wear this in the naming party for my nephew.. IF ONLY I'll come up with shoes that compliment the dress properly.

When I sent the package of baby clothes to my sister I absolutely had to attach something to my niece as well. So I knitted a beanie for her of Blend Bamboo (which I used in her Panda pullover of which I don't unfortunately have any picture). It needed something more so I sewed a button taken from my old cardigan. I also made her a necklace of plastic pearls which continue the pink and light blue set of clothes I made her last year.

These diaper pants I knitted before my sister gave birth. Also made matching socks and mittens. Yarn is from Viking Garn and it is named Baby ull (colour 329) that I bought from Lankamaailma. Pattern for the diaper pants is from Moda 6/2012. Here is a picture of the whole baby package I sent to my sister. Hopefully they fit and will be used.

 I absolutely fell in love with this fabric. It's named Pupuset (=bunnies) and I bought it from Kui Design 's Local shop. They sell similar clothes made of this fabric but I wanted to do these myself. It came cheaper and is more personal. The fabric is organic cotton so even that should work with the baby skin.  I made these clothes in size 62 (cm) and all the patterns are from Ottobre 6/2009. These were in the package I sent to my sister's son. There was some black star fleece left from the fleece hoodie/shirt I made to my nephew Weeti. I made pants of the leftovers. The only sad thing about these clothes is the fact that these are so cute I wish I had a kid of my own who could wear these..

Summer beanie I crocheted for myself. A bit of a hippie feel, no?!

So far the best knitting work I've done this year. Mittens from Novita Puro, color named Rusko. I got the yarn from Reija , my sister-in-law. I used knitting needles size 5,5mm. After knitting I threw these in to the washing machine. And the end result is really warm felted mittens. First time I felted anything and the end result is pretty much what I hoped for, although they could have been a bit bigger so I could fit gloves inside them. Oh well, maybe next time.

Made some dresses to my niece. Bought a book 'Mekkotehdas' (translates to 'Dress factory') a while ago and had to make some dresses immediately. Material is cotton and size 122/128 (EU) which unfortunately is the biggest size in the book (except that one adult sized dress). Also made a shoulder bag from the left-overs. And got a message yesterday that she absolutely LOVEs the shoulder bag.

I knit a pullover / tunic of the same yarn I used in my beanie Aberforth. I started it as a sweater but since the instructions in the magazine ( Moda 6/2012) weren't to my taste after all, I changed it to more my liking. I think I still might change those buttons since their not my style. That's why I originally took them off of the sweater I bought a few years back. Sleeves are 3/4 in length. I like the length but when the coldest weather arrives here I'll probably miss them being full length.. Oh well.