EpicPoetryFIN

In 2024 I encourage you to read specific genres of literature. July 2024 theme is epic poetry.  For the challenge I decided to pick up epic poetry from Finland. Instead of choosing Kalevala of which J.R.R. Tokkien was inspired I decided to go deeper. That's why I chose Jouni Marjanen's book Suomen kansan jumalrunoja = Finnish national epic poetry. I think it is available only in Finnish. It is a collection of epic poetry presented by several respected poetry singers and written down by scientists. These epic poems are the original ones of which Elias Lönnrot complied Kalevala, which is available also in English. This is not my personal cultural epic poetry but it includes some descriptions of my nation; Sámi people. It is very interesting and also it includes many themes of which you can find out about how people used to live by then.

HarvestSeason

The growing season in Lapland, Finland is short. Officially it is 100-140 days because it is classified to  end in autumn when the mean daily temperature drops below 5°C. It starts from the moment when the grass begins to grow and you can sow the seeds. Growing season includes the long weeks you need to wait does it begin to grow or not. I always think if I can make it in 3-3½ months I could try it out. 

The growing season is challenging for many plants because we have the MidnightSun which all the plants (or flowers) can't stand. Many can adapt the cooler climate but most not the MindightSun because it means they get no darkness or rest hours during the day. And when the darkness begins to fall it happens fast and starts to cover the world like a blanket. 

Here where I live the harvest season begins with the berries in July. First we start to get the strawberries in the garden, then cloud berries in the wild swamps. The blue berries (my favorite) follow. Because we follow the traditional lifestyle the season is very busy to collect all the berries for the winter. During the winter time -what comes to the greens- we buy mainly potatoes, onions and bananas at the shop. 

We have also traditional common hop crowing in the garden. It's very beautiful and actually the only proper creeper plant that grows here successful year after year and reaches even 4 meters height over the growing season. 

When I was doing this a child asked if I was making weed, meaning d***s. My reply was: "Sort of." 😂 Every year I grow also nettle in my garden. It is, especially its seeds are, superfood. I take only the seeds for the nutrition. I mix max 5 ml as a daily portion into my gluten free bread to get enough FE (iron) and other vitamins to my challenging diet. Like I do with the fireweed. Both nettle and fireweed are nutritious greens for a diet but also good plants for natural dyes. 

I've picked up also tansy blossoms (Tanacetum vulgare). Tansy is an excellent plant for natural dyes to get yellow color. 

This summer I collect natural dyes also for my students for the coming season classes. That´s why I dry them for the further use. Did you know that fresh full blooming tansy scents like chamomile? You can use it also for sachets.

Rags&Rugs

I have been weaving more rag rugs.

I've woven many meters already.

There are already the rag rugs for out veranda and library.

After finishing this one for our living room, I must take them off because no more fits over the cloth roller. Then you will be able to see the proper pictures of each.

LazyLace

This pic shows well what I have been doing at home when being on summer leave: laying lazy on my hammock sleeping or reading, having some low intense yoga and craft making.

I started to learn bobbing lace 10 months ago. I've made a green bobbin lace as my main project last winter. Now I finished another practice project. I will make something beautiful of it. 

I used 100 % linen for it. It was loose end thread I found twine around old bobbins at work. I would love to make a small bag of it but we'll see...

BlanketNo10 (revontulet)

I have crocheted one more BlanketNo10. I was inspired by the May 2024 Aurora Borealis that were seen all over the Europe and California in 10.-11.5.2024. I started this blanket right after that. I was especially happy for the people who had never before had a change to see this magical phenomenon!  

It is much lighter than the actual BlanketNo10 but follows the same idea just like BlanketNo10 (brown) and BlanketNo10 (berry porridge). Because this one is not as thick, you can use this one also as a shawl during the cold wintry weathers if you need to go out. For this one I used the same yarn than I used for OfficeLadyPoncho. It is House Kuvio yarn (85% acrylic, 10% wool, 5% mohair) (100g = 542m). The yarn has the variegated shades so it makes stripes. It all appears differently depending on it which way you go: back and fort or just around all the time like I did with BlanketNo10 to form out one huge GrannySquare.

It is very easy way to crochet a colorful square blanket just from one ball of yarn. The colors just form out without trouble or thinking and they all be set in unique and individual way. Just like The Northern Lights which never are the same. From here you can read about The Northern Lights in my culture and why we call them "revontulet" = fires of fox.

I am sure you want to see her so just add an extra photo. Dear beloved Nuka is having a holiday season. No hunting, no physical exercising. Just sniffing around the village. This is a heat weave we can't stand (+23 C). But we don't complain because it feels like a Mediterranean holidays at 90's.

On the pic above you can see Nuka's throat and neck area. It looks like a bit weird because of the dog attack she survived in 2019. She was bite very badly straight into her throat and it needed two men to get the attacker off by opening its jaws by a human force. Nuka is 9 yrs now. Yesterday a worker man who needed to step in our property asked are my dogs nice dogs. Both dogs were howling and barking like mad. I replied: "Don't they always are?" I had put the dogs on the terrace deck behind the gate and was in the garden with the worker.  He looked at me and seemed not to believe a word. I have 2 m high fence around the garden because of the dogs. But that is mainly to keep the stupid people out. My dogs can behave but all the humans can't. 

It's been 5 years now from the dog attack Nuka faced. Her rehabilitation was succeed. The only difference in her spirit is that she doesn't question. And we can't blame on her about that. It means that she is not an aggressive dog. She never starts a rampage, simply never. But when she has a reason, she is ready to fight for our lives 'til the end. She fears nothing, not even bears. You simply can't frighten her. But because of her experience she knows where it leads to so immediately when she gets a reason (open aggressive signal) she is ready to defend. Even on that moment she is under the control of  humans. That proves she does it on purpose and it is not just a primitive reaction.

What Pii has learnt from her is that dear Pii doesn't accept any kind of bad behavior from anyone. She comments immediately by her malamute howling if someone is acting against the rules, like walking on the wrong side of the street! 😂 Also that proves Nuka's behavior is planned and expedient instead of primitive. It follows certain pattern and Pii has not learn to be aggressive, she has learnt to be natural Alaskan malamute who is naturally a bit obsessed on rules.😍