Sacred Space

It’s been a long while since I’ve last updated my blog. I’ve been super busy with my life and as I don’t have computer at home, writing to the blog is really slow with cell phone.

Last year, when I resigned from the company, where I worked for nearly 8 years, my colleagues bought me a gift card to my favorite yarn store. It was big enough for me to use in something bigger. So I wanted to spend it to something special, not just random skeins of yarn or something like that.

While the expiration date was coming closer and closer and I was still undecided what to buy with it, I started seeing more and more photos of this beautiful CAL Helen Shrimpton had yet designed.

The Sacred Space is beautiful blanket, consisting of 9 parts and the CAL started in July 2019. There are great videos to help crocheting this, in case you find it difficult to crochet just with the written instructions. Though in this pattern, the written instructions are really clear and easy to follow!

Me in my wedding dress

So, I used my gift card to purchase 50 skeins of Drops Cotton Merino. I just love this yarn, so soft and nice to work with. I chose the colors according to my wedding dress, which was 50’s inspired flower dress. I chose greens with pinks, and base color is white, just as in my wedding dress!

I’ve started Mandala Madness couple of years ago, but it’s still unfinished as I found the pattern quite hard for my skills. I hadn’t crocheted that much from written pattern before, but this time, I found that really easy. I’ve only had to look small pieces from the videos so far, which I great, as it’s faster to crochet straight from the written pattern.

Part 1 was finished yesterday, and gotta say, I just love it!! Can’t wait to start part 2 today!

Kalevala CAL tapaaminen 26.8.2017

Kalevala CALin alkamispäivänä kokoonnuttiin Poriin aloittamaan yhdessä peittoprojektia. Ensimmäisenä palana julkaistiin Sari Åströmin Ilmatar, joka olikin nimeltään erittäin osuva, sillä sattui olemaan myös Ilmattaren nimipäivä.

Peittojen hypistelyä ja lankakeskustelu

Paikalle saapui 11 henkilöä ympäri Satakuntaa, ja kahvittelun ja höpöttelyn lomassa myös muutama silmukka tuli virkattua. Mukava oli päästä tutustumaan muihin innokkaisiin käsityöihmisiin omalta paikkakunnalta, ja tulikin puhetta että pitää nähdä uudelleenkin.

Tiia aloitti Ilmattaren virkkausta

Mukana oli myös minun virkkaamani Kalevala CAL mallipeitto Metsä-värimaailmassa. Samalla muu väki sai hieman esimakua tulevasta, kun pääsivät näkemään ja hypistelemään peittoa. Oli myös hieno nähdä muiden lankavalintoja ja värimaailmoita, mielenkiinnolla odotan, miten ihania peittoja muut saavat myös aikaan!

Oikeiden lankojen etsintää palaa varten ja iloista keskustelua

Exciting news!!!

Happy Kalevala Day from Finland!

So, behind the scenes, there’s been a lot of action! Last couple of months, many Finnish crocheters have been using their designing skills, myself included. We, meaning Sari Åström and I, have been preparing Finnish CAL called Kalevala CAL (with the help of all the designers), which will be published later this year.

The inspiration from Kalevala has given out many wonderful visual interpretations. Can’t wait to finally be able to publish all these to you all.

This CAL will be a blanket, consisting of 24 different pieces from different designers, plus joining and edging. It will be available in English too, so all of you can take part our journey to Finnish national epic!

We will be opening a Facebook group closer to publishing date, where you can find info and later patterns!

So prepare your hooks and stashes for Finnish crocheting adventure!

Official sneak peak is readable at Sari Åströms blog!

#kalevalacal

Crochet light ball

This time, going to write in English.

Saw a photo of the light ball in one of the Finnish crochet groups a while ago, and I really wanted to make one for myself for Christmas.

It is really easy to do, simple crocheted doilys connected together and then dipped in to the glue, and blow the balloon inside, let it dry!

I found the pattern from one of the Finnish blogs, Nean omat, where the written pattern in Finnish can be found. I’m gonna translate it here in english, but you can find the graphical instructions also from here!

What you need:

-Cotton yarn, thicker the yarn, bigger the ball
-1 regular size balloon
-Woodglue, or any other glue that uses water as thinner
-A bowl where to make the mixture of the glue and water

The crochet light ball

(US crochet terms)

1. Chain 8 and connect to a loop with one slip stitch
2. *2 double crochets in the same stitch, chain 5*, repeat until you have 8 double crochet groups
3. Move to the middle of the chain with slip stitches, * Chain 7, connect with single crochet to the middle of the arch of the chain stitches*, repeat around
4. In the arch do * 1 single crochet, 2 half double crochets, 3 double crochets, chain 3, 3 double crochets, 2 half double crochets, 1 single crochet* and repeat around, in each of the chain stitch arches
5. Move to the middle of chain stitch arch with slip stitches, *Chain 11, join to the peak of the arch with single crochet* repeat around
6. Chain 3 ( = 1 double crochet), make 14 double crochets in to the first arch, then make 15 double crochets in to each of following arches.
7. *Chain 3, make 11 double crochets starting from the 3rd stitch, chain 3, join with single crochet between of the two double crochets (first and last of the groups) on the round 6* repeat around
8. Slip stitch to the arch of chain stitches, *chain 3, 7 double crochets starting from the 3rd stitch, chain 3, join with single crochet in the arch of chains on the round 7, chain 3, single crochet to the arch* repeat around
9. Slip stich to the arch of chains *chain 3, 3 double crochets starting from the 3rd stitch, chain 3, single crochet to the arch, chain 3, single crochet to the arch, chain 3, single stitch to the arch* repeat around
10. Slip stitch to the arch of chains, *chain 3, single crochet* to the each of the arches and in the middle stich of the double crochet group on the round 9

Make two of these doilys. Then connect those two together.

Doilys joined together

Mix 50% of glue and 50% of water on a bowl and dip the joined doilys in the mixture. Squeeze it in there, so the glue gets absorbed in to the yarn well. Then squeeze off the excess water-glue mixture.

Slip the balloon between the doilys from one of the biggest holes. Blow the balloon until the doilys are tightly around it and it’s shaped perfectly round. You can also adjust the shape a bit by pressing the ball with hands.

The light ball drying

Let it dry at least a day, or until it feels completely dry. Then pop the balloon, and take it out. And tadaa, your beautiful ball is ready!

Remember to use non-heating lamps (I prefer led’s) inside to avoid the ball catching the fire!

Edit 21.12 2017: Wanna crochet different kind of light ball? See my new pattern Tapio light ball!