Elfish sweater and other knits

EDIT: Love and peas is having a blog contest, be sure to check it!

Last weekend I finished my new favourite sweater, Arwen.

Pattern: Kate Gilbert's Cardigan for Arwen

Yarn: Berrocco Ultra Alpaca

Needles: 4 mm Knit Picks

I modified the pattern a lot. I don't really like seaming, so the original construction seemed to be unnecesarily complicated. So I knit the body in one piece until the armpits, finished the rest separately, knitted the sleeves in round and the hood in one piece. My Arwen is also a lot longer than the original one. Practically I only took the idea and the reversible cables from the pattern. I love the cables, by the way. They look much more complicated that they really are - the chart was really easy to memorize (after I found out how to read the chart - it's not done in the usual way).




When I got this ready, it was a hot day, and I thought I wouldn't be able to use the cardigan soon, as it's very warm. Well, no fear! I have already used it these days. It seems that febrero loco really is crazy, at least what comes to the weather. We had some very warm and sunny days last week, and the suddenly thunderstorms, strong winds and cold days again. I'd prefer the warm spring weather, but at the same time I'm also secretly happy that I have a good reason to use Arwen.



Oh, and I have to tell you that this sweater saved me even before it was ready! When I was coming back from Finland, the zipper of my hand luggage got broken in the plane. And I mean totally broken, there was no way to close the baggage again. I could never have got it out of the plane nicely if I hadn't decided to knit the cuffs of this sweater in the plane. That's why I could use my scarf and my lovely alpaca yarn to tie my hand baggage and could somehow carry it. (Yes, I did get some strange looks, but who cares!)

I also finally have some pics of the Christmas presents I made. Boyfriend's mom got a shawl.

Pattern: Nuolitanssi by Elina Urmas

Yarn: Bernat Satin

Needles 4 mm

The pattern was nice and clear. I definitively could use it again. The yarn was quite thick for a lace shawl, but the receiver chose it herself. Well, she didn't really know that I was going to make something for her with it, but once we were together in a shop and she really liked the colour and the yarn.

And last but not least, boyfriend's present. It's called Kivi, which is Finnish for stone.

Kivi Hoodie

Pattern: my own

Yarn: Nalle Colori and Novita Nalle

Needles: 3,5 mm

This is my own design. I'm happy with it, although I still have to do something to the hood - it's too large and seems strange if boyfriend puts it on. (When boyfriend saw my Arwen on Sunday, he said: "How come my hood is so strange and yours is perfect? You always make your own sweaters better than mine!" That's not true... I just learn new tricks always after finishing his sweaters... ;-)

This was a boring knit, as it has so much stockinette stitch. The garter stitch was even worse choice for the upper part, though, it was even more boring and if you make a mistake, correcting it is more difficult. Note to self: don't knit anything for boyfriend with thin yarn and 3,5 mm needles! Or at least no sweaters. This one took several months to make.

Random things

Some time ago, Jaana from Metsän takana challenged me to tell six random things about myself. Here you go!

1. I'm very curious. I'm not generally intersted in cars, for example, but start to fix a car in front of me, and you'll soon see me looking over your shoulder and asking questions.

2. I have studied several foreign languages. The strangest one is probably Northern Sami, spoken by the Sami, the indigenous people of Finland and other Nordic countries. No, I don't have any connection - more than mere interest - to the Sami, and I have only used the language on my University classes and reading some Sami poetry. I still think it hasn't been a waste of time at all. Some day I just might need it, who knows? Besides, the more languages you learn, the easier it gets... And it's wonderful to learn about new ways of thinking and seeing things, and a foreign language is a good way to open perspectives. And well, I said it already - I'm very curious.

3. Walking clears my head. If I'm stressed out, angry, sad or worried, I take a walk. Sometimes when I'm writing my research and feel that some idea is coming, but can't quite get it yet, I walk in my room.

4. Some day I want to travel to Siberia. By train, of course, and for several weeks, without mayor plans, so I could got off the train whenever I wanted and just stay in some village for a while. But before that I would have to study Russian again (I have forgotten almost everything) and learn to sleep in the train.

5. I love mangos. The mango season is about to begin, hurray!

6. I like to keep my curtains open to get as much sunlight as possible. And to see the sky.

I'm not going to challenge anyone else, but if you want to continue the meme, please tell me, so I can visit you!

And now some random stuff: pics of the yarns that I bought from Finland. I "only" brought 2,7 kg... I normally don't buy so much yarn at once, as I prefer to finish one project before starting a new one, but it's easiest for me to bring yarn from Finland. And I have a plan for almost everything.

The red ones are going to be Sylvi, the white Merinosilk is for my friend's wedding shawl, the blue bambu yarn will become Wilhelmiina (as soon as I finish my current project) and Pirkkalanka on the left side will be some kind of multicoloured sweater that I haven't designed yet.

Mom gave me the lovely Sivilla yarns. I'll make two shawls with them, I think.

Trip to Finland, part 2

I got back to Mexico about a week ago, but haven't had time to blog before. The past week has included running around the university like crazy (everything important apparently has to be announced as late as posible), writing a paper for an international congress (I got the acceptance letter 4 days after the deadline for sending the papers) and being sick. Who knows where I got it, but apparently I have had some kind of parasite, and have tried to get over it the last days. Welcome back to reality...

But well, to nicer topics: I can finally show you some pics from my trip to Finland.

It was lovely to be in Finland and see everybody. Although when you live abroad, you notice who your friends really are and who want to see you when you visit. With some people I had the sensation of being a curiosity that comes far away and makes them feel bit awkward because I just don't belong to their lives anymore. But luckily there are still many many friends with whom it feels I was never away. And of course being with family is always very relaxing.

And while I love visiting Finland, and always wish I had more time to spend there, it's also good to be back home. Being a kind of a tourist, moving around all the time and living in other people's houses is also a bit tiring. Maybe someday I'll move back, but for now I'm happy this way. And I know that after living 3 years in Mexico, it would be difficult to adjust to Finland again. It certainly would take time.

I'm not saying that living in Finland wouldn't be easier in many ways. Mostly in practical things, as everything works quite smoothly there. But the mentality... Not that there aren't good things about that too. Talking straight and being (mostly) honest are very good things. But does everything really have to be planned at least 3 months in advance? And while in general things are pretty well there, lots of people seem to complain about everything and make problems out of things that aren't really real problems (I admit, I do complain too much too, and yes, there are also people with real problems there. But you get the point). In Mexico, there are lots of really serious problems, but people have very different attitud towards them. There are lots of joy and happiness, too. It kind of makes the problems easier to bear, I guess.

I have also noticed that while there is solidarity in Finland in general as a society - in the form of a good social security system and taxation that is quite fare, for example - this solidarity doesn't manifest itself in the individual level. People don't help each other - at least strangers - too much. In Mexico, things seem to be other way around: the society as a whole doesn't really care about the poor or the needed, but people are really helpful (at least if they are in the same social strata). I hope it could be possible to have both qualities in one place...

More generally, a combination of the best things in Finland and in Mexico would make quite a good society, I think. Meanwhile, I just have to live in between, always missing something from one country while I'm in the other.

Trip to Finland, part 1

I have been now two weeks in Finland. I spent the Christmas with my dear boyfriend, and then got here. I did finish my knitted presents before Christmas eve, by the way. You'll get the pictures of them when I go back home.

My tour here started in Tampere, the city where I grew up (and which is probably the best city in Finland). Then I got here to Lahti to meet more family and spend some time at my father's cottage. Only Helsinki left to go before I return to Mexico.

I have mainly read, knitted, met family and friends, enjoyed going to sauna as much as I can (I can easily spent couple of hours in sauna too) and of course made long walks to all my favorite places, like an old dog in his territory. I just love to walk in the forest and lake shores! I did some thesis-related stuff in the first days, too, but then I decided it's better to just enjoy the vacations.

I'm so happy that this time the global warming hasn't spoiled my little winter trip and at least in Tampere and Lahti there has been snow. I've missed it a lot, I haven't seen a proper winter in two years. I just love the sound of the snow under my feet, the humming of the wind in the snowy trees and the song of the lake under the ice.

I tried to put some pictures to prove that there really is snow, but Dad's computer doesn't want to cooperate, so next time...

M is for meaningful words

I have seen this nice meme in many blogs and decided to give it a chance too. Villapeikko gave me an M, so here are some meaningful words that begin with it.

Mom

My mom is a very important person to me. We are alike in many things, and not in the bad sense. Even though I live far a way from her and my other relatives, they are an important part of my life, and always will be, wherever I am.

Mummi

Mummi is how we call our granny in Finnish. Mummi is 92 years old and still lives alone, knits socks, crochets curtains and cooks and bakes for everyone. And she so witty – she can probably invent something clever to say to someone more quickly than I do (I blame my birth place – in my region people are known to be slow, and where she comes from people are known to be very quick, witty and funny).

México

México (pronounce it as in Spanish!) is so many things to me. It’s my second home country, no doubt about it, and my actual home. México means the possibility to be with the man I love and do what I want right now: my research. I don’t know if I will stay here for the rest of my life – but I know that I’m very happy with my life here now. I have learnt to love the country, its rich culture, its nature, its smells and colourss and all its variety, and the people too, generally so friendly and nice. I have learnt lots of things and the country has changed me (I think for the good more than for the bad). Of course there are lots of problems too. The poverty, the corruption, the violence, the insecurity, the racism and other kinds of discrimination… Sometimes reading the newspapers seems more like reading a novel of Kafka rather than reading the news. There are many things I can’t understand and many things I wish were different and will hopefully change some day. I could rant about the Mexican politics for a loooong time (which I’m not supposed to do in public, though, thanks to the Constitution that states that foreigners can’t take part in politics).

Milky Way

I love astronomy and cosmology. The space has interested me since I was a little girl. If I was a little better in maths, I might be studying astronomy. Not that I couldn’t study it now – I could, and would probably be OK in it. But as astronomy is a passion, I don’t want to be just OK or good in it. I would have to be excellent. So I never even tried to study it, and prefer to have this interest as a hobby. I’m still always looking at the sky, and could spend hours watching the stars, moon and planets and Milky Way. By the way, I think the Finnish word for Milky Way, Linnunrata (Birds’ way or route) is much more beautiful than the English version.

Memory

My doctoral research is about social memory. My thesis is about how past human rights abuses are remembered and treated in Chile and in Mexico. I still love my theme after working with it in my Master's thesis too, so I guess it was a good choice. Sometimes it can be really hard to read about all those awful human rights violations (even when committed in the past), but it helps to remember how important the theme is.

Mother Nature

The nature has always been very important to me. I need to get in the forest every once in a while. I think that's one of the toughest things for me in living in one of the biggest cities in the world - I can't get to wander in the nature as much as I would love to. Luckily there are some forests even in the city, and besides Mexico City is greener than you would think. (The picture is from Finland.)

Making things

I could get crafts in this list after all, ha! I love making things: knitting, making jewelry, drawing, painting... but also cooking and baking. And I would love to learn to make more things with my own hands - wood and metal work are something I want to learn someday. Actually, if I just could, I would make almost everything myself. In my family handmade things have always been valued. Maybe that's why I was very impressed when boyfriend first time said that someday he would like to construct his own house.

Morning light

I love the soft light in the summer mornings in Finland, right after the sunrise (Not that I see it a lot, but anyway). The light in general is very important to me and I can get a bit blue or depressed if there’s not enough light in my home. I always have the curtains open during the day to be able to have daylight in the room and to watch the sky. I love to observe the different tones of light at different times of the day and in different places. I can still remember the light in Chilean Patagonia. It was as if the sky was closer to the Earth there, as if you could touch the sky if you reached a bit more, as if the light was raining down…

Miles

I love travelling. My parents always took us children with them to their trips to Europe, and I guess my travel bug is from them… Travelling and getting to know new places is fun. And you don’t even have to travel very far; sometimes a travel in your own city can be an adventure. I also like travelling in the bus or in the train. Watching the scenery that passes by can sometimes be even better than getting to the destiny. I like flying too, even though it’s not at all ecological. But at the moment it would be impossible to travel to months in a ship just to see my family once in a while.

I could write about other M words too, like moral, mediocrity, and meanignful job, but I think my list is long enough as it is. Who knows if anyone gets even this far...

Aaaaand the winner is...

Thanks for the comments, everyone! I found many new blogs I'll be visiting again. The winner of the contest was drawn with a traditional method (sorry for the blurry pics, it was a bit dark already when I took them):

Rachel O, send me an e-mail to colibridreams[at]gmail.com and leave me your address so I can send the painting for you when it's ready. Tell me also if you want your turtle to be natural coloured or if I make it with your favorite colours.

Just because it's a good day and I got an idea for a polar bear yarn painting, purple-power is going to get hers too! So, send me your address and a small painting might appear (no wishes for this one though, I have the idea very clear already - but it will include your favorite colour too).

I can't tell yet when you will get the paintings, as I still have some (ok, quite a lot) Christmas knitting to do. But I'll try to make and send them soon.

And Perttu (my dear brother), if you really want a yarn painting, I'll make you one... some day. But probably not with Eero in it.

For all those who didn't win this time, you can always check other contests... Alpaca Farmgirl is having many give-aways, including giving away this beautiful yarn. You can win other things too.

One year and one day - a blog contest!

I have been writing this blog for one year and one day now. (Yes, I did notice my blog birthday already yesterday, but was just too busy to even think about writing!) It's a quite long time, and has passed so quickly. That's why want to have a little contest to celebrate the ocasion. Just leave a comment in this post and tell me your favorite animal and colour. I'll make a little yarn painting (about 12 cm x 12 cm) for the winner of his/her favorite animal. You'll have until next Monday to participate! (You can leave a comment in English, Spanish or Finnish.)

These last weeks have been very busy with the studies. I have made various presentations and the University, written essays and tried to advance in my researh too. Of one presentation I'm particularly proud of: a short afro dance show my dance group made. Yes, you read correctly. I have been taking an afro dance class this semester and I love it. But when the teacher told us we had the chance to make a public presentation, I had my doubts. I'm not really that good at sports, so my first thought was: "Me, dancing afro in public??? No way!" Especially because our group is very small, so every one really would stand out.

But then I thought again. It was a great challenge. I don't feel shy speaking in public about my research, but even the idea of dancing in public made me nervous. So I decided I had to do it, just to overcome my fears. It wouldn't really matter if I would look stupid or if I couldn't keep up the correct rythm. I would do it or myself.

And so I was one of the six persons of my group dancing in public. I'm so happy I did it! We weren't perfect, but I think no one noticed our little mistakes, because we were so happy and had lots of energy. At least we got lots of aplauses. I felt really good afrterwards, even though I think those were the quickest 4:30 minutes of my life (the presentation seemed to pass so quickly that I was almost disapointed when we had to stop dancing).