HAPPY BIRTHDAY A!

My son is 17 today. I can't image what it will be like next year when he turns 18. He wants pancakes for breakfast so I'm going to try cutting up a marshmallow in his first pancake and see if that is good enough for a April Fool's joke. It's getting harder each year to come up with one.


Because I liked how the coffee turned out on my mother's card I tried it on A's card too. I only did the edges because I was going to add some paper to the middle but I did something different. I put the container on the card to weigh it down while it was drying. Changes I made: 1) I didn't do the back of the card. 2) I wet the card with a paint brush (next time color the water with some coffee so that I can see where I've been). 3) I only used the dry coffee granules to colour it (next time crush the granules so that they are much finer and hopefully won't leave blobs on the paper).

And the winner (by way of a random number generator) of a small selection of Finnish chocolate is Busy Mom! I'll leave a comment on your blog because I can't find an email address for you. So would you please send me your home address.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOM

Today is my mother's birthday. I enjoy making cards, though I do just as often buy them. This year I made a card for my mother. I had read about aging paper with tea or coffee and I thought I would try it. I had made some tea and that's what gave me the idea. I added some hot water to the leaves that where left and let it sit for a few hours.

I dipped a paper towel into the tea and pressed it onto the card. It didn't change the colour of the card very much There was probably no colour left in the leaves. (Note to self: Don't be cheap frugal - don't reuse tea leaves!). I scooped out some tea leaves and put them here and there on the card hoping that they would leave more colour. I decided to try dropping instant coffee granules onto the card to see how that would work. Once the tea leaves were dry they came off really easily.

When it was dry I put it in an old phone book and stacked some more books on top, hoping it would straighten out a bit.





It wasn't until I was gluing on the other pieces that I realized that I didn't really need to colour the back of the card too. I used some of the paper I got from Kacy. I really liked how it turned out.

What Was In The Mail

I few days ago I received this booklet in the mail. Cosy had found two of these booklets and was giving them away in a contest. I had orginally started reading her blog because I had come across a picture (I can't remember where) of a bonnet she had knit from a pattern in the booklet. I'm going to knit the same bonnet once I've found the yarn I want to use.

I was at the library in Tampere because I seldom find anything new in English in our local library. I had a quick look at the craft books and I found these. I've never seen any Debbie Bliss books before. I don't know what to say about them. There were a lot of nice things but I doubt that I'll make any of them. See booklet #115 on the back? I've had that for years.

I started H's and M's daughter's socks. The yarn is the same that I used for H's socks and A's hat but it feels so different. Almost like string. Strange. I don't really like the feel of it and I'll be glad when they're done.

H's Socks are Finished

Finally. I know that I'm slow but these seemed to take forever. Part of the reason was that I would have to send a sock off every now and again to its owner so he could try it on and see if the size was OK. Then I'd have to wait for the verdict and wait to get it back (which didn't take too long but it's part of my excuse). The ribbing was 48 cm long. But they're done and I've started on the next pair. Which are red and don't feel as nice even though they are the same yarn.

H's wife had to buy a 150 g ball of yarn so I could I finish the toes. This is how little was needed for each. If only the ribbing had been a bit shorter. But then the socks would have been too short. Oh well. I've already said that I knit their son a pair so I guess I can use it for them.


Question: Even though the code for these photos was on the post why didn't they show up on the blog?

Blue Christmas Mitten

I want to thank Chris for mentioning my contest on her blog.

March's Blue Christmas pattern isn't what I was planning to make for this month but I decided I wanted something smaller. I'm glad that I tried this mini mitten pattern out because I hadn't realized that crocheting back and forth into the back loop creates a rib – and it stretches! And I also like the look it creates when going in the round.

My 101st Entry Contest

Updated: I've decided to have the draw on April 1st. Not because it's April Fool's Day but because it's my son's birthday!.

I can't believe I missed my 100th blog entry. I also missed my first blogiversary on February 6th. Oh well. I've decided to have a little contest. You can win a (very) small sample of Finnish chocolate by leaving a comment or writing me an email (stitchyfingers at netti dot fi) saying that you're entering my contest and telling me how you came to my blog. It might be a while before I choose a winner because I don't get many visitors and I would like to have a least a few contestants!

Look What Was In My Mailbox

Wow! In January Kacy was giving away art/craft STUFF. I was one of the lucky ones who received a parcel. It was so nice of her to send some all the way to Finland. I'm looking forward to working with these materials.

I don't think that I would never be able to take a book apart to use it in crafting, so I'm glad that other people do that job. When I was studying we went to a museum and they had an ongoing exhibition where children could draw all over a page from a book and then hang it on the wall. I found it difficult to look at all of the ”destroyed” pages and wrote about it in my essay we had to write about our visit.

Blue Christmas Granny Square Tree

I'm a bit late doing February's blue Christmas decoration but it's done now. The Granny Christmas Tree Ornament wasn't exactly what I was looking for, but I was intrigued at how it was done and wanted to try it. I might make it in green also. I'll have to do a little search on exactly what a granny square is. I wouldn't have said that these were granny squares, but what do I know?

Something For Me Too

I started a scarf for myself. It's 54% polyacrylate(?) and 48% cotton. I haven't be able to find 100% man-made yarn and I would prefer it for a scarf so it won't be scratchy. I finished the first ball and I haven't decided yet if I'm going to continue with the same pattern or do something else. I've also thought that I might use two strands of yarn for the middle section to make it warmer.

I've put off continuing H's sock because I haven't wanted to figure out how many stitches to reduce, etc. but now it's ready for H to try it on and let me know if it will fit him.

The Hat Is Finished

The computer hasn't been home for a few days. I finished A's hat and he has been wearing it so I suppose that it is satisfactory! I think the top came out well.

I finished my crocheted luckypenny holder for the key chain challenge.It doesn't look too much like a four leaf clover, but close enough.