UpcyclingToBasket

I return back to basket weaving in 2024 but it has been a bit silent in basket weaving. Now I have started a small interesting project for my work. It is up to upcycling something into a brand new different item. You'll hear more about this soon. It is going to be FashionNOW home decoration project.

FairIsleVest

Take a look what I've been up to lately during the autumn. It is my own design loose fit woolen vest. It is made or our own AAW yarn (50% our own ethic produced arctic angora wool, 40% ethic produced FinnSheep wool and 10% nylon) (100g = 238m) and dark brown Novita 7 veljestä yarn (80 % wool, 20 % polyamide) (100 g = 200 m). I plant dyed AAW yarn by coffee, tea, mushrooms and carnation. I used many loose end yarns for this project!

Last weekend I made many pictures for my upcoming Forest Sámi costume history book but I also made a pic of this super warm vest of me&myself so that you can see it.💚

The Reading Challenge 2026 - Part 5

 In September-October I've read novel and science book. 

Victoria Hislop's One August Night (in Finnish, mine) tells the story that was not told in her 1st book The Island. It is the story we all want to hear, because we are curious and can't just let the things to be. She wrote this book years and many books after The Island. It is more about noisy continental Greece than the island(s). If you liked her other book, this is a good choice for you.

Petri Halinen's Lapin arkeologia (in Finnish, mine) translates to Lapland's Archaeology. Unfortunately it is available only in Finnish. It tells the history of Lapland from the archaeology point of the view. Very interesting and educative. 

Hanne Andreassen Hjelmås & Torunn Steinsland's Knitting from Astrid Lindgren's world (in Finnish, library item). You know I read also craft books. I mean really read-read. I crashed at this super cute knitting book at the local library when I went to fetch something else there. Anyone who loves Astrid Lindgren's world and desires to knit should see this. Some of the designs include a link to tutorial video. The instructions are easy and understandable. This book brought me back to my long nights at the local library as a kid where I just sat and read by the shelve where Astrid's books were placed.

HealthyTea

Last week I juiced the last berries of the season. I make berry soup of it. And it is part of my daily diet. I must admit that this mixed berries soup was incredibly good. Buck thorns created interesting but great taste with the cherries to it all.

In the woods I have picked up juniper berries. Did you know that it takes 2-3 years of juniper berries to get matured? That's a long time. At first they look green but when they turn black they are ready. I crushed some juniper berries.

I mixed it with dried rose petals, dried meadowsweet leaves and blossoms, lady's mantle leaves and common yarrow blossoms. All from my award winning arctic garden.

 

I added good quality plain black tea. Now we have a great and healthy mix for the autumn and winter! Notice this mix is not for pregnant ladies.

CraftsGoingOn

I have always crafts going on. At the moment I am up to few sewing projects but also this my own design GrannySquareBlanket for Lappala.

Also, I am up to this my own design Fair Isle knitted vest for myself. I am slowly getting there. Only few more rows to knit and neaten all the loose ends.

Finally, I have made juice from the last berries of the autumn season. Here are crops from my arctic garden: buck thorn, cherry, red currants and saskatoon. It is very exciting that we have also old kitchen garden at Lappala where it all is falling to winter season. Can't wait the spring to start to breathe it alive and update it.

1stSnow

 

We had the autumn break at Lappala where the 1st snow fell down 14.10.2026. It all is starting to get ready for the winter season.

We visited also Suomu playground. Suomu is not anything new in Lapland. It is not a mass tourism attraction. You may not have heard about it before my blog posts. But it has been there for decades. It is silent and sleepy, favored by locals and other persons who prefer outdoor sport activities instead of night clubs and shopping centers on their holidays. When you look at the play ground you can see the old ideology of Suomu reflecting there. There are mainly activities that encourage children and adults play together and practice their physical skills especially in balance and climbing.

It is not marked as adult activity park but the equipment are strong enough for teens and adults too. The whole family can play together there. It does a good for adults mental health to play together with the children. Not to mention how great it is for the kids mental health. 

By the playground there is kota where you can put up a fire to warm up and cook. Remember the good local manners and provide a room to the other people. Don't forget, when its getting full, the one who arrived 1st is the one who leaves 1st. These are public places and for the common good. Private sessions are not allowed.

You can find info about the routes here and there. If you go alone, remember, this is not where you practice, it is what for you practice.

Let the reindeer herd free and without the distribution. Always keep your dogs chained. That is one thing that makes sure you are welcome to the winter wonderland by the locals.

InTheForest

Today we were in the Forest. The hunting season is on, but this time were were in the woods without the dogs. Well, He kept His eyes open for the birds, of course. But we were there to make the photos for my upcoming book. 

We managed to shoot the photos I wanted. It was a beautiful frosty autumn day. It was +4 C but the ground, even the surface of the swamp, was frozen. Past few days it has been blowing creepy cold from the North. That's where the winter arrives. Be ready to get your sweaters ready! 

Tomorrow I will start to work with the pics we made...

PS. All the mittens I made in 2023 are in use and very warm. I wear woollen gloves under mine.

Today

Today I have finally written it all into my Forest Sámi Costume History book. Today I have edited it all. Today, from now on, we step into the final edition and illustration of the upcoming book that tells for the 1st time ever the history and present of Forest Sámi costume history in Finland. I started this journey 4 yrs ago. The moment of the publication is closer than ever. Today I can see it. Wait with me. 

PaperSnowFlakes

I think we all have done it: paper snow flakes. I have always loved to make them. This time I did it in a different way. I picked up some maple leaves from my garden and used them as stencils to cut off these paper snow flakes. Aren't they beautiful. At work I actually made copies of the maple leaves on A3 size paper. I can use them later on winter season with my students when all the real leaves are hiding under the snow. Paper snow flakes are excellent budget home decoration for winter season.

4thWeekend

The 4th weekend at Lappala made us turn our indoor activities to outdoor. This was the 1st weekend we actually had time to start to operate outside the buildings. Even there are still a lot to do indoors.

This weekend I had time to take a closer look to our stairs to the lake shore. Autumn and nature looks beautiful on the stairs but it is actually quite dangerous because it makes it all very slippery if it is moist or frost weather.

Now it is more safe. Now I can bring my grand child for the lake shore adventure and allow her to use the stairs without fear.

This weekend we had time to start to mow the lawn. We got the ride-on mower to work. For the 1st time ever in my life I used the ride-on mower and fell in love with it. Despite it needs petrol to run. We have almost ½ hectares to mow so you really need something powerful fir that. But we have some plans to reduce the lawn that needs mowing. 

Can you spot the forgotten vegetable garden in the pic? It is fenced because of the reindeer who love to eat everything your grow. Yep, there are free running reindeer around the village.

This weekend I took my mom for a holiday weekend. She's been such a great help in cleaning it all up at Lappala. She really has deserved some desired special moments. I took her to a small village farm markets and walks in the woods.

The forest, lake and autumn colors are everywhere. At Suomu most of the leaves have already fell down but it all still looks great. 

I think I will start to call this little cottage of ours "Tonttula". That means a place where the tomtes live. We set up the season lights for Tonttula this weekend. 

Indoors at Lappala I continued my work to turn recycled old lanterns to useful sources of the light at Lappala for the polar night season.

We have taken the recycled bathroom wall cabinet to Lappala. The mirror is also recycled. The bathroom lantern in new and works with the electricity. The walls are not quite finished yet, but He has done a great job painting it all white. I won't show you before and after pics of this, because it would be a bit too humiliating for Lappala. We all want us to be seen at a good light on internet, don't we.

This Lappala bed room I can show you before and after. The walls will go through the decorating. This is how they look now. The frame of this bed is recycled but everything on it is new. For the hygiene. 

On the bed you can spot those two beautiful bed runners made of recycled fur. The FoxBlanket you can see here and the muskrat blanket here. 

On the right side of the bed you can see a very old wooden table. It plays the role of the bedside table at the moment, but it won't be its final position.

This is something we will use as recycled. It needs to come home for the electric safety check up and upholstering. I have an idea already...

3rdWeekend

Again this week on Friday after work we drove to Lappala. This time I was just travelling so I had 3 hours of time to crochet granny squares. It is going to be a blanket for Lappala. For this blanket I use AAW yarn (50% our own ethic produced arctic angora wool, 40% ethic produced FinnSheep wool and 10% nylon) (100g = 238m). I have plant dyed the yarns by weld (yellow) and cochineal (red).

This view proves we are soon there. We will across the lake Kemijärvi by Lapland's only ferry and in few minutes we'll be there at Suomu. Despite we use private car, Suomu is accessible by public transport. You can get for example by a night train from Helsinki to Kemijärvi and by a local bus from Kemijärvi to Suomu. Suomu is a small and sleepy, very private feeling location by the Arctic Circle. That's why there is not many public routes daily to Suomu and back, just few, but that's all you need.

This was our 3rd weekend at Lappala. We are still in the middle of cleaning and arranging the places. But this weekend we also sat down to welcome friends. We had our very 1st visitors at Lappala. It was nice to chat with friends about Forest Sámi culture and help out by volunteering in Forest Sámi costume history by bringing into common good my own knowledge. The flowers in the picture have traveled a long way to Lappala's kitchen by the Arctic Circle. 💝 You can notice, Lappala's kitchen has finally got new old curtains. I have 3 of these and I have made them years ago for our veranda at home. I brought all 3 to Lappala and later you will see the other 2 windows wearing them.

This weekend we were also able to build instead of just cleaning. Unbelievable but true, this bed fit into that tiny box. At the end it was practical because we were able to transport it in the car and didn't need a trailer for that. If we have a trailer with us it wastes more petrol. So, it is more environmental friendly to pack it all up into a tiny box and make a customer build it. It needed 3 hours to finish it. But yes, it was possible to do so. 😂

You can spot BlanketNo9 on the bed. You can also notice an old lace pillow case I brought from home with the pillow. The lace bed cover is original from Lappala. The bed cover under the lace is temporary until I will find or make the right one under the lace blanket. The right side table is actually an original plant stand from Lappala which we use now as a bedside table. The space between the bed and wall is small but the plant stand fits perfectly in. It is just enough to place your glasses and book on to it. On the left side stands the original chair from Lappala. At least temporary it plays the role of a stole and a bedside table. 

This weekend we had just few hours of time to explore the possible routes we want to investigate in Suomu. 

Lake Kemijärvi is big and it is impossible to miss it if you are visiting the area. Because of its form it seems to be just everywhere.

It is a big enough to feel almost like a sea. But it is not. Even the dogs have notice the biggest differences compared to the sea.

It smells different and tastes different than the sea bay by the Gulf of Bothnia at home. Our sea at home is not so salty but at the end it is a sea and has salt in it. But lake Kemijärvi is a lake and not salty at all. Every time Nuka and Pii reach the shore they really need to taste it to see is it still un-salty or not!

The lake and the shores also smell so different. It all is very exciting and new to both of them: Nuka and Pii.

Nuka is already 11½ yrs old. She is still in a good physical and mental fitness. She had her vet check up in August. She has some osteoarthritis and we updated her "just-in-case" meds for that because her beloved hunting season has just started. She will have her dental care in November. Pii will have hers too.

In Suomu and all around in Lapland are also something else interesting than water. There are free running reindeer that are someone's cattle. That's why you need to have your dogs always as chained: on a  leash. No matter how well they obey, there is no exception. The most common damages to wild game and reindeer is done by tourists' pet dogs that are set run free on their Lapland holiday. No matter how sweet and pet they seem at home, when they meet the wild they will turn out predators. Make sure your dogs are chained and don't get free by accident. 

Chained and on leash your dogs can enjoy these beautiful routes and outdoor without worries despite you might suddenly spot a reindeer or another wild animals.

Many people travel to Lapland only for the winter and snow. Also autumn is a beautiful time. Local people are back to work after the summer. But local hunters usually have their summer holidays actually on autumn. You don't need to fear them. But if you do, wear something red or orange to make sure they will notice you.

NoBrown

You know I have had the plant dye experiment going on since the summer 2025. I finally have received the last result and skein. Against all the odds, that I learnt in summer 2025, instead of brown I received green. That is very extremely interesting. And beautiful. All for my upcoming book about Forest Sámi costume history.

2ndWeekend

Last weekend was our 2nd at Lappala. I was back with Him, my mom and the dogs. We still used many hours to clean it all up. 3 hours on Friday, 13 hours on Saturday and 9 hours on Sunday. 2 persons cleaning and 1 renovating, like on the 1stWeekend. My arms are sore, my back is aching but my heart is pumping because of the love.

Slowly we are turning to the point where we can start to decorate instead of just cleaning. Not yet, but soon. I can see it already. You can be sure I am not going to use many window hiding curtains. The view to the lake Kemijärvi and fells is amazing at my corner of Suomu. 💚

1stWeekend

This Friday we drove for the 1st time for the weekend to Lappala. Last weekend He and YoungLady made a day-trip to drive the 1st load to Lappala, but this weekend was the 1st ever we spend in this beautiful traditional house. We needed 2 cars and a trailer to drive the 2nd load.

For example the recycled LED-lanterns traveled to Lappala. They lighted up our moments at the wood burning traditional sauna where is no electricity or drains. They are really beautiful!

This is the view I woke up this weekend. I just need to open my eyes and see this fabulous view. I love the old trees that can tell many stories.

This is the view I see when having a breakfast at Lappala. There are many young trees also. I do love them all. I do love the lake too. It is so big that it feels almost like the sea bay at home.

This is the view I see through the bedroom window. Autumn colors arrived early this year and at the moment outside is very beautiful.

Lappala is going to be quite a lot recycling. All we can't recycle, but we do recycle as much as possible. In this picture you can see the old beds with new mattresses, old rag rug and old curtain.

Pii had a rough weekend at Lappala. She meets my mom very rarely and never at over night visit. Now my mom came with us. Pii decided it is her job to look after granny. It was endearing how seriously she took her self-imposed duty. She even slept beside my mom's bed and didn't move until she woke up. My mom was there to help me with cleaning Lappala. Believe me or not, but we didn't made it in one weekend. Not even we worked 3 hours on Friday, 13 hours on Saturday and 10 hours today. It really is a forgotten old traditional house which none has been serve in years. I'll be back with my mom next Friday.