a house called nut

Wristwarmers galore

I already declared my great and undying love for wristwarmers last spring (check out the bangle wristerwarmer tutorial if you share my passion!), and 'tis the season once again. Only this time, I have not one, not two, but three new, handmade pairs of my favorite woolly accessory.

The first two pairs came into this world when I foolishly decided to try a bit of fulling (that's felting pre-knit items) in the days when we were still living without running water. I haven't tried it since, but I'm pretty sure there's good reason for the standard washing machine method. After much hauling of lake water and ineffectual scrubbing, I finally broke out a spray bottle and hot iron and more or less transformed a moth-eaten, thrift shop find into usable felt. But leftover were cuff and and waist scraps, full of holes and not convincingly felted either. I fiddled with one around my wrist, and tada! a new wristwarmer was born.

It doesn't really look felted at all, does it? But somehow all that rinsing and scrubbing managed to secure the raw edges just enough. I cut the pieces down to size, stitched them up, and then needle felted over the holes. But there were still so many scraps, and I was so pleased with these that I decided to make a second, longer pair with the same color scheme.

The two sections are sewn together using Betz White's felted seam technique.

You got a glimpse of the beginnings of the third pair back in September, when my thoughtful sister sent me the Tonalita Wrist Cuff pattern and yarn as a gift. I believe the pattern is exclusive to the Acorn Street Shop in Seattle, but, happily, they do mail order. Behold the finished product:

It might be cold outside, but I think it's safe to say my wrists will be warm and cozy!

Sew Hip! feature

What a fabulous way to brighten a dreary, Monday morning: tucked between the bills, today's post contained a copy of British sewing magazine Sew Hip! with a feature on yours truly along with three other talented crafters and bloggers. Writer Christine Chitnis of Lavender and Limes contacted me some months ago for an interview, and I've been waiting excitedly for the magazine to appear ever since. The article, entitled Simple Living, Handmade Touches, details our creative, DIY journeys and meaningfulness we find in making things by hand.

I'm so honored to be featured with three exceptional women: Amanda of Soule Mama, Maya of maya*made, and Tif of Dottie Angel. Soule Mama is one of the very first blogs I ever read, and was a great inspiration for the creation of A House Called Nut. I've long admired Maya's beautiful, sustainable creations, and was very pleased to learn about Tif, her gorgeous blog, and handmade journey.

I understand Sew Hip! is available from sewing and craft stores across the UK and US, and you can also order copies online. Check it out!

Update: You can read the article online here.

Baby dress

I especially love making things for the tiny people in my life. Baby clothing is so much easier and faster to make than it is for adults, and there aren't the same worries about colors, styles, exact fits etc. And then there are the playthings, which are a delight to make, but I'm not sure I or my adult friends would find very entertaining.

I received the pattern for this dress as a gift from the talented Christine over at Origami Mommy. We caught the sewing bug around the same time and when I saw the lovely dress Christine had made for her daughter, I knew I wanted to make one for my baby niece as well. I actually made it back in August, but such is the patience required of bloggers who make gifts and write about them!

You can find details of the book by following the links above, along with craft tutorials, and many wonderful links to free online patterns for wee ones.

The fabric is the same one I used for the Spring Ruffle Top a few months back. There's still plenty left--should I start horrifying people with matching outfits? Naah.

A November morning

Thank you very much for your get well wishes! Between travel and flu attacks, I feel like I've been living in some sort of bizarre time warp for the past month or so, and am really looking forward to a good dose of normal. There's been one happy modification to the definition of 'normal' around here. While I was busy sneezing in another time in a far away galaxy, great changes took place in our backyard and I'm happy to announce that water, hot and cold, once again flows from our taps. Hooray! After four months without running water, it became apparent that the well wasn't sufficient for much of the year, and we now have a clever lake water filtration system. So not only can I now breathe through my nose, I can shower too. Now that's the life.

As I was pondering these strokes of luck on Saturday, I gazed out to the window and found that a new landscape had been painted. The lake is never static and never, ever dull.

There were two curious lumps of snow resting on the ice, which turned out to be a pair of migrating whopper swans. I crunched my way over to them on the frozen ground too excitedly, and they hurried  along on their southward journey.

Some little dogs were happy about the fresh sheet of ice too. The lake in the summer is a menacing place for certain furry creatures, but in the winter it's nothing but a vast playing field. (Not to worry, he's standing near the shore over shallow water.)

The temperature has risen again and all the traces of ice have vanished. This swelling, freezing, and frosting with brief, warm intervals will continue for a little while still. Then the lake will be covered in thick ice and snow and our winter adventures will begin!

The flu

It's all the rage in Finland at the moment, so naturally I had to get in on the action. No party poopers here!

Back to our regular programming next week. Have a lovely day!

Moonbeams

In this blackest and gloomiest of times, it's easy to take for granted some of the wonders we're denied in the celebrated summer months. Like deep, dark skies, bright stars, and penetrating moonlight on a clear, autumn night.

Last week, deadlines and valiant attempts to fit way too much in a day found Janne and me both still awake in the wee hours of a weeknight. Isn't it funny how astral wonders like shooting stars always come at these rather mundane moments? We were exhausted, very ready for bed, and not at all in a romantic, stargazing mood, but who could ignore a sight like this?

Happy weekend to you all from cold, dark Finland! It ain't all bad. I've been on the road and away from internet access this week, but I'll be back next week with some enticing wool accessories and other handmade goodness. Until next time!