WeavingShawl

I started the shawl some days ago. It is my own design, but following traditional Sámi designing idea. My loom is not so big, but I wanted to do as big shawl as possible. That's why I make it in a bit different way.  I just leave extra loose yarn out of the side edges. That's how I can get 80 x 80 cm shawl. It needs a bit more professional touch and patience also in finishing it all at the end. But I am ready for the job. This is my restorative craft at the moment. 

Forest

I have something very special to tell you. The past few weeks have been very special, exciting and needed quite a lot of my attention and time. Finally it is official. Me and Him have bought forest. (And no, we are not divorced. We just never wear our wedding rings in daily free time life, because we do so many things with our hands that it is just on its way. 💞)

I am Sámi. I learnt so many things about the forest from my Sámi grandpa. One thing I learnt was that despite you actually and truly can never own the land, in this modern society you must own it legally and literally on the papers in the official way so that you can call it yours, even it would have been your family's eternal place of living and carry out your Sámi culture with ancient rules and manners of your people. 

To me, despite I officially own the forest now, I don't consider it in that way. To me, as a Forest Sámi it is more like a relationship, like I have with Him, I have one now with The Forest. It is a relationship, a partnership, in which we both take good care of each others. 

It is a very special place. It is 50 hectares of nature reserve area. The last trees that were cut there was over 50 years ago. And only a few for a roof of a house. There has never been done forest work by a tractor or any bigger machine. Only by horses. It has old forest but also rocky places and swamps that are mostly hiding under the snow at this time of the year.

I love this picture. I fell down for about millions of times until I got up to this small uphill. The earth is so variable and snow soft, and I had problems with my grandpa's old ski bindings (they had finally got too loose). In this picture you can see you can never, at the end, to control or rule the wild nature. I had no other option than just try on again and again, rest and keep on trying. Because I simply could not stay because there was just me, the frost and the forest. It is a piece of a wild arctic nature in a special place. It doesn't include hiking trails or trekking routes. Not even small paths made by or for humans to wander around. 

In the future you will hear more about The Forest!

Mice & Reindeers

This cute little 110 cm size mouse dress has the same pattern at its basics whichs this ToddlerSnowBallDress has also. Designed by PaaPii. If you take a look you can notice I made more wedges. I added them in the middle front and back. Wedges made like this are a bit tricky to sew. I have one more coming up and with it I will show how it is easier to sew them.

Also this reindeer dress is 110 cm size. It is my own design. It is cute too and it is made of the left over material of my own dress. I will show that to you later.

(Both fabrics are Finnish design Metsola fabrics.)

StartingShawl

Last autumn I plant dyed some yarn for my upcoming shawl project and made the warp. It is going to be something very special.

I can't do it when the cats are visiting. Now when I know there will be weeks until they'll be back, I set up the warp on my loom. So, here it starts. It is going to be a Forest Sámi Shawl. It is a real restorative craft that breathes history and spirit of my ancestors through the traditional crafts. 

The Reading Challenge 2026 - Part 1

I have been in The Reading Challenge for 10 years now in this blog with you. Last year I decided to show you what on earth I read. It turn out a great idea so at least in 2026 I will repeat it. 

In 2025 I read:

3 books written by Kate Morton: The House at Riverton, The Clockmaker's Daughter and The Forgotten Garden

2 books written by Harper Lee: To Kill a Mockingbird and Go Set a Watchman

2 novels by Minna Cath

Jane Austen's Persuasion

Anne Lyons' The Air Raid Book Club

Viljo Rauta's book about The Great Wrath

Plus many craft, history and science books. 

In this year 2026 January - February I've read:

Astrid Lindgren's War Diaries 1939-1945 (in Finnish, mine). Actually I've started it already in November 2025. It was a bit heavy to read because it tells a lot about Finland's war time years in Ukranian war time. That's why I read it slow and with the time. 

I've read also Johannes Schefferu's Lapponia (in Finnish, mine) which is very interesting and historical book about Sámi people from the year 1674. I do recommend it to all who want to read a comprehensive book about Sámi history. But when reading you must remember it is written in 1674 by an outsider for the outsiders, by Christians to Christians. 

And I've read also Jenni Räinä's Vaino (in Finnish, mine) that's available only in Finnish and like Viljo Rauta's book it tells about the Great Wrath but is fiction that bases on the facts meanwhile Rauta's book is a science book. These books tell about genocide also around my local area in 1700-1721.