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.)

Out Of Africa

I have finally finished The 2016 Reading Challenge. Last book to finish was the one I own but have never read: Karen Blixen's Out Of Africa.

To be honest I have read this for months. Not because it is dull. No, not at all. Because it is something I didn't want to bring to the inexorable end. I've seen the movie of it several times but this book is greater than the film despite it is one of my favorite movies. I must confess that if I had not visited Karen Blixen's grave and farm in Denmark last summer I had cried my eyes out of my head when reading through the misery end. But because I was at her Danish home I know it all was not -at the end- her end.

If you can read only one book; read this. Through these pages you really can hear a strong, advanced & progressive woman to tell you her story. You really can hear her speak. Despite it is old fashion story with old language we all can learn something from it; a bit of humanity... from even those things you may feel cruel at first. This book gives so much more than the movie but it is not either the book or the movie; it is definitely the B O T H!

I think this is going to be the one I will name if I'll be asked -in the future- to name my favorite book.

❤

PS. This year -2016- I have finished 20 books! It makes 12 of this complete challenge and even 8 more! I do challenge myself for the next year with this idea "a book you own but have not read". Meaning that next year I will read only the books which can be found at my library and have been waiting there ages for me to read them! Next year I will tell you all about them!

Christmas Is Back!

Merry Christmas to everyone!

❤

I wish you peace, joy, warmth and good future!

(The cross stitch Xmas tree decoration is stitched on plastic canvas. It is not my own design. It is from a magazine but right now I can not check it out because my Xmas tree stands front of the bookshelf right by the corner where are all my craft magazines and books. I will tell it to you right in January when I will take the tree out.)

(Updated: Designed by Maria Diaz, CrossStitcher, October 2005, p. 59. Instead of aida fabric I used Plastic Canvas to create the Christmas decoration.)

AAW SingleCable Socks No1

My own design SingleCable socks made of our own wool AAW (50% arctic angora wool, 40% FinnSheep wool, 10% nylon) (100g = 238m) for YoungLady's fencing teacher. It seems that woollen socks are the most desired wish from Santa Claus here in Finland. They are also considered made by love and care. Even kids & teens wish to have them!

Wall hanging

Do you remember cute little Robin designed by Lesley Teare (CrossStitcher, Christmas 2005) which I stitched at early December this year? I now made a pretty wall hanging of it. I used grey felt to create the frames. The back side is made of white raw silk. I placed some cotton wool fabric between the front and back side to make it look more soft.