River-Joki-Juukâ

I finally had the time to finish my own design Sámi woollen shawl. It is made of 100% wool and according to the tradition. I plant dyed the shades of yellow, red, green and blue. It is very airy and perfect for wearing it under a winter jacket around your neck. Because it is so airy, soft and light it is perfect also for a child's 1st Sámi shawl. It is called River - Joki - Juukâ. In this shawl you can see a river running free through a snowy landscape.💙

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. 

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. 

For the Warmth

 

I've crocheted one more my own design Mohair Shawl.

It is almost similar to the white one I made before.

I used grey Schachenmayr's KidLight mohair yarn (38% nylon, 32% polyacryl and 30% mohair) (100g = 600m). There's a tutorial for you to crochet a shawl of your own. 

MohairShawl

I designed and crocheted another shawl. It is bigger than AlpacaShawl but made with the same idea.

The tassels make the shawl even bigger and warmer. Giving a shawl as a gift is a good way to send a hug to a friend far away.

I used rose Schachenmayr's KidLight yarn (38% nylon, 32% polyacryl and 30% mohair) (100g = 600m) for the shawl. It is very light but warm.

AlpacaShawl

I designed and crocheted a shawl. It's long tassels create even more warmth to snuggle up in a hug created by a friend.

I used natural white Drops Alpaca Silk yarn (brushed) (77% alpaca, 25% silk) (25g = 140m) for the shawl and rose Schachenmayr's  KidLight yarn (38% nylon, 32% polyacryl and 30% mohair) (100g = 600m) for the tassels.

AAW Shawl

This is MyCarryOnProject. The Latest one. I've been crocheting this during MyBreak at work; every week, many weeks... And now it is finished.

It is my own design and made of AAW wool. There's tutorial for this design. I didn't make the tassels -this time- because this is going somewhere a bit warmer than Finland.

There's also tutorial for a knitted shawl in MyBlog for the ones who prefer it.

AAW Shawl -tutorial

Well, hello there! How about HomeMade ChristmasGift? I designed and crocheted a shawl for MyDearFriend but decided to open the idea here for you as a tutorial. It is very easy despite it would be your 1st ever crocheting project.

If you have not crochet before or much, click the link to see BlanketNo1 -tutorial. There is a video about it how to crochet this web. See it first.

If you have done a bit before you can jump in right here.

I use pale fog blue AAW yarn for this project. Of course you don't have it but you can use any other yarn. 100g of AAW means 238 meters and I used 250 g for this shawl but at the end it all is up to the yarn and hook size you use.

It all begins with the idea that the width of the shawl is as wide as your arms. Then it will be big enough for an adult. So you crochet chain stitches at first, then one row of single stitches and then start the web itself.

You need to find the correct rhythm which means if you are going to make the wed to be fastened to every 3rd single stitch (like I did here) you need to make the chain stitch start width that is able to be divided by 3. BUT at the end if you miss one or two it is not so serious, no one will notice the result so don't stress about it.

Bigger thing is to understand how the web begins to form out. If you fasten it to every 3rd single stitch you need 3 chain stitches and then fasten it by one single stitch to the 3rd one. By using one extra stitch compared to single stitch amount forms out smaller eyed web and so the shawl turns out thicker. If you use 2-3 extra chains instead of 1  the web hole will be bigger. If you use similar amount of stitches you won't get much web at all.

Then you just keep on the rhythm. Don't fasten the single stitches to an individual chain stitch but to the loop that has form out. In that way the web turns out more flexible and forgiving if the finished shawl happens to get fastened to the door way or something else. At the turn ups you always just leave the last one untouched so the shawl begins to form out triangle shape.

You just keep on crocheting all the way from up (shoulder line) to down (waist line). On the begin it feels never ending story but soon each turn up seems to come faster.

At the end you need to see a bit how to do it to form out the last loop. Leave the thread end to be at least 20 cm. You can hide it now or later with the knots. See OOW BabyScarf No1 if you need some help to stretch your shawl a bit. (You don't need to wash it, just see how the weights are loaded.)

Then you need to cut the certain amount and length of yarn for the tassels. I have discovered DVD covers are perfect for these. If you use just the part of it you can use the slot that's on the side edge for your fingers to get it open easier. The scissors to cut the yarn fit in perfectly!

I use 3 threads which makes 6 when you tie up the knots in this way for the shawl's tassels.

Again it is long way to go but easy. Even a beginner can do it. By making the tassels I always take in to fasten the thread end so it is hidden easily

Ta-dah! Here it is! Finished, easy and for sure will be loved for many years! Easy, low budget (depends on the yarn you use) and HandMade gift! You can do it too, I am sure!

DogWoolShawl

Right before Christmas 2016 my weaving project was ready to be finished.

I just needed to be brave and cut it all off from the loom!

Here is my own design shawl. It looks rustic and rough but feels unexpected soft. It is made of our own wool: 25% arctic dog wool and 75% Finnsheep wool. (We get the dog wool by grooming the dogs. Arctic dogs grow wool  under the normal dog hair to stay warm.)

Evening and dress

WOW! HeRe It FiNaLlY Is! My brand new evening dress (and the Shawl and the EveningBag)! My own design. The celebration was once in a life time experience -if it happens in your life. It all was wonderful and all the young  men (and one little bit older) were so handsome. Over 700 gentlemen around -how could it be bad?

Only thing I left behind was my high heels that were really ruined up because I was a lady and walked on them all the night! Everything else I will carry -especially the memories- with me all my future life.

Thank you my love  <3

PS. More about the dress making at shopping the materials, sewing the dress and finishing it all.

Sparkling in the blue

Oh boy, the shawl and evening bag are finished! Well, the bag needs a decoration (bead work) for its zipper but we can call it finished by now. :) The dress itself is at a good point too. The dress needs only zipper and the hem. I must confess I have saved hundreds of euros by making this dress, shawl and bag for myself. They all are my own design too.

More pampula

I finally knit something for myself. I designed a scarf of the yarns I had bought at sale. The scarf itself is crocheted by Regia Softy yarn (39% wool, 61% polyamide) but the edge is knitted by the Novita's pampula yarn. I used 300g of yellow yarn and a bit over 100g of "pampula" yarn.

 It was a bit tricky to knit this edge because the scarf is huge but I succed after I had fixed it up even twice! So, it happens to all of us. You mess it up what you are doing and sometimes have to make something more than once. But I am sure in the future this scarf will be just a joy and I will soon forget how I almost lost my mind with it. Belive or not, but because of the great find the cost of that yellow scarf was just 7,50€! Wow! Of course we don't count the hours I wasted with it.

Scarf -tutorial

I am not feeling lazy anymore so here is some pics for you! This is an old wool that I heritaged with many others. This one includes 35% wool and 65% polyacrylic. It is white and weights 250g.


It is my own design  but very easy to knit it and I bet many people have knit a scarf like this before. I am sure that also a beginner can do it.

I started with 10 stitch, added 1 at the end of every 4th round/turn until I had about 60-65 stitches (can't remember exactly).  But you can make it as wide as you want; bigger or smaller.

Then I started to take in 1 stitch at the end of every 4th round/turn until I had again 10 stitches left which I cast off.

And then I cut the tassels using a DVD box as good measurement. I twine the thread around the box and cut off from one side. Then I finished the scarf by fastening these threads to hang from the two edges that form the triangle of the scarf.

This finished scarf weights 98g so it doesn't take a lot of thread to make one. I had 250g ball of it so there's plenty of thread left for another scarf. We'll see who is going the get that. :)

This scarf will be sealed into a package and will be sent away. To be honest, new scarf -but from another thread- is already in the half way. :)