WIP: crochet headbands

We are back home! It's a miracle, considering the fact that I managed to hurt my back so badly on Sunday, that I could still barely move the night before our departure. I already envisioned being rolled about the airport in a wheelchair, but luckily I still managed to cope on my own two feet. (Speaking about going about on two feet, it was the very first time Uku actually walked through the metal detector at the airport security on his own! A milestone!)

So it's home rest for me for the next couple of days. Sitting down, especially cross-legged, doesn't hurt as much as standing up, so my current condition doesn't keep me from doing some crafting (and blogging). This is  what I'm currently working on: embellishing some of my previously finished crochet headbands/chokers/bracelets with Swarovski crystals and acrylic rhinestones. Soon available in the respective section of my Etsy store. :)

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Mul õnnestus eelviimasel reisipäeval Ukut üles tõstes endal selg niimoodi paigast tõmmata, et ma ei suuda õieti ikka veel uskuda, et kogu kojureisi-odüssseia (ümberistumisega rong Karlsruhest Frankfurdi lennujaama, kohvrilogistika, lapsekäru jne) toimis. Veel eelmisel õhtul tegi iga liigutus sellist põrguvalu, et nägin juba vaimusilmas, kuidas mind ratastoolis mööda lennujaama ringi kärutatakse. Õnneks leidus mehevanematel kodus Indoneesiast toodud imerohtu, mingeid hirmsa kopitushaisuga müstilisi plaastreid, mis tõesti mõjusid kui nõiaväel. Seega olen nüüd enam-vähem liikumisvõimeline, aga selg on siiski endiselt üsna kange. Istumine, eriti rätsepistes, on kõige mugavam asend, niisiis ei takista mu praegune konditsioon tegelemast ei käsitööga ega arvuti nokkimisega. Pildil praegu käsilolev: heegeldatud-punutud peapaelte/kaelaehete/käekaunistuste (ma armastan multifunktsionaalsust!) kaunistamine äsja Karlsruhest soetatud Swarovski kristallide ja juba olemasolevate varude seast leitud akrüülist ehiskividega. Jõulupeole ja muidu kekutamiseks. Kui mõni päev siinmail valgeks ka läheb (täna näiteks minu meelest ei läinudki), siis ehk saan ka mõne pildi klõpsata, et need poodi müüki panna. :)

Stocking fillers for toddlers

When I was a kid, I had Päkapikk bring me little treats each day from the 1st to the 24th of December. As far as I can remember, it was mostly candy, tangerines and nuts. I intend to continue this lovely tradition with my own kid - starting this year. The only problem: Uku doesn't eat candy yet. So the selection of edible treats is still somewhat limited. Cranberry crisps by Mahlatööstus OÜ and muesli plates by Pagar Võtaks! bakery are big favourites, but other than those, my fantasy is exhausted.

So I've had a hard time coming up with other ideas. Here's a selection of other goods I have come up with. Some of them are too big for stocking fillers, and some of them perhaps too pricy, but all of there products have fascinated me for one reason or another.

1. Cranberry crisps by Mahlatööstus OÜ.

2. Children's flatware Jungle by Zwilling J.A. Henckels

3. 3D animal puzzle by Mamarella (currently sold out)

4. Rubber stamps by Hase Weiss

5. Chunky Knits Shoe Box by Paperchase

6. Racoon Storage Box by Mamarella 

7. Lego Duplo building plates (Lego building blocks are always a good idea, we, however, were missing the base plates)

8. Racoon Sweater by H&M

9. Finger paints by Eberhardt Faber

10. Ecotronic Zoo torch by WWF (not a toy, but definitely useful in the countryside, where we spend part of our time)

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Mida võiks päkapikk tuua väikelapsele, kes kommi veel ei söö? Et söödava nänni valik on üsna piiratud (lemmikuteks on marjakrõpsud ja Pagar Võtaks! pagaritöökoha müsliplaadid), olen juba viimased kuu aega selle üle pead murdnud, et fantaasia kusagil 12. kuupäeva paiku otsa ei saaks ja päkapikk püssi (või sussi?) põõsasse ei viskaks. Siin on mõned valikud - mõned neist küll suuremad kui suss ja mõned lihtsa päkapikukraami jaoks ka ehk liiga hinnalised, aga kõigist neist asjust on vähemalt päkapikk ise ühel või teisel põhjusel vaimustusse sattunud.

Midagi muidugi võiks ka ise meisterdada, ning mõned ideed on kogunenud sellestki vallast, kuid mõtted vajavad eelnevat katsetamist, enne kui neist blogipostituse teen.

Shop till you drop

Frankfurt am Main. Again. Another week at work here. We arrived here on Sunday with the whole gang, but since this morning we are all scattered over the map again, to get together again in Karlsruhe this Saturday. Uku (15 months as of today!) took the train there with his grandma this morning, which means that I have a couple of evenings for myself. However, instead of enjoying the benefits of a good hotel and falling in a coma-like sleep at a decent time, Santa’s little helper needed to make a serious shopping raid in the local stores, (today’s haul shown below). Of course, I visited Idee Kreativmarkt, my favourite crafting store here (yes, that’s painting canvas you see there...), and rediscovered the fabrics department in Karstadt (couldn’t resist buying this magnificent royal blue raw silk for living room cushions). Added by some luxury treats for myself and a desperate hunt for stocking fillers. Looking at this pile of stuff, however, I don’t think I made any stupid buys this time. Which is not always the case, as you can imagine. :)

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Järjekordne Frankfurdi-nädal. Pärast paari üheskoos veedetud õhtut pudenes gäng täna jälle veidikeseks laiali - kes Pariisi kontsedile, kes Karlsruhesse vanavanemate juurde. Mina jään veel paariks päevaks üksi siia, mis tähendab kahte õhtut luksuslikku iseolemise aega. Aga selle asemel, et nautida üle pika aja vaikust ja rahu ning hea hotelli hüvesid ja vajuda varakult koomalaadsesse unne, oli hullunud päkapikul muidugi vaja tormata ummisjalu kohalikke ostukeskusi ründama. Saak on igatahes muljetavaldav ja kaup aus. Mitte et meil kodumaal tänapäeval samuti kaubaküllus ei valitseks, aga siinne valik on lihtsalt veidi teistsugune (ja seetõttu minu jaoks eksootiline). Ja kodumail on viimasel ajal miskipärast mahti õieti ainult Selveris käia. Näiteks kangapoodi pole jõudnud oh-kui-ammu, seetõttu ei tekkinudki mul kahtlust, kas see taevalik kuningsinine toorsiid Karstadti kangaosakonnast kaasa haarata või mitte.

Nii et täna šoppasin endal jalad rakku. Astusin sisse isegi kõige stereotüüpsemasse suveniiripoodi. Yep, I said it!

First 'veggie' hat - done!

Here are a couple of shots of my first 'veggie' hat, fresh off the knitting needles. Three times a charm: on the third go I finally managed to figure out the right number of stitches and the best way of decreasing the cables. All in all, I'm happy with the result. I just took my new hat on a walk in the woods (we are spending a few days in our country home, before flying to Germany for a while again on Sunday). Excellent on this beautiful, crisp day.

Yarns: MeriSeta by B-B-B (double) and King Kid Silk by G.F. Knitting, both purchased at Liann. Needles size 6.
A couple of remarks about the yarns. MeriSeta is a luxurious silky blend of merino wool (70%) and silk (30%). It is fun to knit and crochet, and I love that it's not too wooly, but beware: the finished item will stretch considerably after washing. This happened to my hat too. With this design, however, some added slouchiness is fine. King Kid Silk is a super fine mohair/silk blend I've recently used a lot for my wrist warmers and scarflettes. I added this only to add some fluffiness to the hat, and to slightly darken the shade of the pale gray MeriSeta, to better match it to the faux fur pom-pom.

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Verivärske tuttmüts, esimene kolmest (sest mul läheb kohe hädasti vaja ka valget ja musta samasugust), tuli just metsast jalutamast. Kolmandal katsel õnnestus kindlaks teha ka õige silmuste arv ja palmikute kahandamisvõte, nii et jäin ise tulemusega üsnagi rahule. Lõngaks valitud MeriSeta (kudusin kahekordselt koos King Kid Silk'iga; mõlemad Lianni valikust) on küll udupehme ja luksuslik, aga selle puhul tuleb tähele panna, et pärast läbipesemist (loomulikult käsitsi, leiges vees ja üliõrnalt) venib kudum märksa suuremaks. Antud juhul tulevad lisandunud sentimeetrid pigem kasuks (tahtsingi sellist kohevat ja sügavalt silmile tõmmatavat "suusamütsi"), aga kujutan ette, et mõni kaua tehtud kaunikene kampsun, mis pesus XL-mõõtu veniks, paneks vist küll krokodillipisaraid valama. Valge ja musta mütsi, mis mul juba meeles mõlguvad ja pärast paari kiiremat tellimustööd ka varrastele jõuavad, kavatsen siiski kududa Dropsi Alpaca lõngast, mis kuulub vaieldamatult minu lemmikute esiviisikusse.

Revamped

This black skirt was literally saved from a friend's garbage bag. She was about to throw it away as a failed restyling project, having cut about 15 cm off and basted the hem with white thread to be machine sewn. For some reason, however, the skirt remained unfinished for ages, until my friend finally forgot why she even started it. Just like I have a full box of garments that await repairing or restyling.

To me, the skirt needed something more than just neatly seaming the bottom edge. I imagined a lace trim for it, and I found the perfect one in Karnaluks the other day. (Oh, I love that store, but don't EVER go there with a toddler!). Pleated lace combined with a row of tiny black beads. I love its Gothic look.

What to do with the material leftovers? I still have about a meter of the lace trimming, and I still have those 15 cm of the skirt fabric. Both of them are just too pretty to discard.

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Üle pika aja lõin õmblusmasinale hääled sisse. Sedapuhku selleks, et üles vuntsida sõbranna kaltsukotist päästetud must seelik. Alläärest maha lõigatud 15-sentimeetrise kangajupi krabasin ka igaks juhuks kaasa, aga see ootab veel oma aega. Kergelt küütlev ruudumustriga kangas võlus mind esimesest silmapilgust, aga alläär vajas minu meelest midagi enamat kui puhas ja lihtne palistus. Minu arvates vajas see pitsilaadset toodet. Leidsin selle gootiliku hõrgutise paar päeva tagasi, kui koos sõbranna ja tittedega Karnaluksis käisime (uuh, olgu see viimane kord, kui lapse sinna kaasa vean! Ma arvasin, et meie Quinny Zappiga mahub isegi mägraurgu, aga Karnaluksis tundsime end nagu elevandid portselanipoes.)

Future awesomeness

Thought I'd start sharing with you the cream of my design and fashion finds on the web. I've been thinking a lot about blogging lately, trying to find my path as a blogger, and I've decided that I'd like to expand the scope of the themes I cover here. There's still going to be a lot of writing about my handicrafts, but from now on, I'll try to add bits of other things that make me tick too. I so hope you'll like the new (and hopefully, improved) K-E-R-A blog.

As an opening chord, I'd like to share with you my latest WOW finds in design. First, the Stigo Electric Scooter by an Estonian team of designers and engineers, which is going to be launched in the summer of 2014. Although my current lifestyle doesn't involve a lot of commuting, as I work from a home office, and a wheeled object I use the most these days is a baby stroller (besides that, I'm slowly but steadily taking up driving again), but I'd totally give up using any public transport for this. I can already imagine myself riding it with a vertiginous 25 km an hour. One day (next September) I'm going to continue my law studies, and this would be perfect to get to school. I love the fact that it's foldable, so I can take it with me anywhere. This way I don't have to worry about my bike getting stolen, while I'm sitting in the lecture of, say, penal law.

Oh, I got carried away. But isn't it awesome?! Pre order here.

Safety first, right? The other gem I'd like to share today is a perfect accessory to go with the scooter: Hövding Invisible Bike Helmet by two Swedish designers, Anna Haupt and Terese Alstin. Pure genius! And a very clever choice of product name, adding mystery and attraction (invisibility as a quality we can attain only in our dreams). Take a look at this introductory video clip and shop for Hövding here.

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Olen viimasel ajal palju mõtisklenud siinse blogi peale, ja blogimise peale üleüldse. Minu jaoks on see juba aastaid olnud tõusude ja mõõnadega tegevus. Alustasin blogikirjutamist puhtalt käsitööalaste postitustega, aga nüüdseks olen jõudnud järeldusele, et praeguses eluetapis toimiks minu jaoks kõige paremini profiili laiendamine. Kavatsengi seda edaspidi teha ja kajastada siin veidi rohkem ka oma tööd, põnevaid leide haljastelt internetiaasadelt jne. Loodan, et ma sellega oma käsitööusku lugejaid alt ei vea.

Õnnistan uue (ja loodetavasti parema) K-E-R-A blogi sisse kahe laheda disainileiuga, mis minul küll südame kiiremini tuksuma panid. 

Esiteks, meie oma kodumaise tiimi väljatöötatud Stigo elektriroller, mis tuleb müüki tuleval suvel. Mu praegune elu ei hõlma küll pendeldamist ja põhiline ratastega liikur, mida kasutan, on lapsekäru, aga sellegipoolest - kui ma ühel päeval (ehk tuleval sügisel) oma juuraõpinguid jätkan, siis see siin oleks koolis käimiseks ideaalne alternatiiv ühistranspordile. Kokkupandav ja kaasavõetav, nii ei pea muretsema, et ratas pihta pannakse, kuni sina näiteks karistusõigust tuubid. Praegu võetakse vastu eeltellimusi esimesele 200 rattale.

Ja sellega kaasas võiks käia järjekordne Skandinaavia ime: Hövdingi-nimeline "nähtamatu" jalgrattakiiver (tutvustav videoklipp). Geniaalne. Müügil siin, ja ega ma arvanudki, et see just vähe maksab. Aga turvalisus ennekõike, eks ole?! Jõuluvana, kuuled jah? ;)

The first 'vegan' hat in progress

I have come down with the cold. Again. This is the third time in the past months, which is exceptionally frequent for me. I guess it's time to take a moment and consider what I'm doing wrong. Too much travel stress and too little outdoor (sporting) activities come to mind first. As soon as I'm well again, I'm planning to re-establish my jogging routine that has fallen apart lately. So you might read about my baby steps on this front from this blog too.

Speaking of baby steps - Uku is now up and running, which for me means more chasing after him and less time to just sit back and enjoy the sweet flow life. :)

I have started my first 'vegan' hat project, as the weather is getting really cold and nasty here in Estonia (although it feels kind of hypocritical to write this at the moment, when I'm being half-blinded by the midday sun). It's the second try, and I hope I now have the right number of stitches on the needles and the right design for me. It's so nice to make something this chunky and fast-progressing for a change.

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Sügis oma külmetushaigustega on täies hoos. Tegelikult on see mul viimaste kuude jooksul juba kolmas kord põdeda, mis minu puhul on erandlikult sage. Kasutan seda võimalust, et maha istuda ja järele mõelda, millest see võib tingitud olla. Rohke reisistress ja vähene õues sportimine tulevad esimesena meelde. Jooksurutiin on viimastel aegadel täielikult koost lagunenud, ja ma ei ole selle üle üldsegi uhke. Kohe kui jalad uuesti alla saan, asun asja parandama.

Vahepeal on noormees jalad alla võtnud, mis minu jaoks tähendab tema pidevat tagaajamist ja vähem aega lihtsalt elu magusa voolu nautimiseks. Hetkel aga olesklen kauaoodatud lõunaunevaikuses novembripäikese laigus, nii et tatiste sügisilmade kirumine tundub suisa kohatu.

Esimene "vegaanmüts" on teisel katsel jõudnud poole peale. Nii tore on vahelduseks kududa midagi nr 6 varrastega. :)

Vegan

This year's autumn has seen so many trips and travels that I haven't really had a chance to settle down at our Tallinn home yet. I arrived back from Karlsruhe, only to return to Germany a week later. This time I'm alone in Frankfurt, on business. In fact, this is the very first time for me to ever go anywhere alone after Uku was born. It feels strange, both in positive and negative sense. I miss my boys, but gosh it feels wonderful to sleep through the night - even though I have to wake up when it's still dark outside!

Every time I'm in Frankfurt, I try to visit Idee Kreativmarkt, my favourite hobby shop here. Their current selection of beads (which was my main target) was a bit of a disappointment, but instead I found something else I'm very excited to use in an upcoming winter hat project I've been thinking of for some time (something similar to Elfi, introduced by a fellow Estonian blogger Krentu recently). These fake fur (or vegan, as it's now fashionable to say) pompoms by Rico Design felt so fluffy and real, I couldn't resist buying three of them: in black, gray and white (yes, I know, I'm a colour coward!), but I might break and go back tomorrow to get this one too:

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Kui ma poleks hetkel kurguauguni sušit täis topitud, oleks tunne täitsa vegaanne...

Olen sel nädalal taas tööasjus Frankfurdis ja võtsin täna ette retke oma armastatuimasse hobitarvete poodi. Põhimissioon oli liblikhelmeste soetamine tulevaste helmeköite jaoks, aga seekordne helmevalik valmistas mõnevõrra pettumuse. Seevastu avastasin midagi, mida olen otsinud. Nimelt heietan juba mõnda aega ühe korraliku ja koheva palmikulise tuttmütsi mõtet (midagi Elfi taolist, mida Krentu hiljuti esitles), aga lõngast mütsitutt mind ei veena. Sobivas toonis karusnahast tutte on jällegi üsna raske leida. Nii et kui ma nägin täna poes neid Rico Designi kunstkarusnahast nupsikuid, sattusin ma nii suurde elevusse, et soetasin neid tervelt kolm - musta, halli ja valge. Kreisimaid toone ei söandanud seekord osta, aga see ülemisel pildil näidatud türkiissinine kutsub...

Esimesena läheb käiku hall. Sellest tuleb üks "vegaanne" müts, nagu tänapäeval on popp öelda. ;)

Turquoise rope

Being in Germany means being closer to some of my favourite bead shops. Some time ago I accidentally discovered the perfect glass beads for crochet rope necklaces. Using farfalle seed beads, it takes less beads and also less time to finish the project. I have used these by Pracht in snow white and mouse gray (combining two different sizes). Now I felt I could try a 'riskier' colour, so I recently purchased some cases in greenish turquoise, to combine with cotton thread in the matching colour. And I love how it turns out!

I'm thinking of heading back to the store for more...

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Avastasin mõnda aega tagasi täiesti juhuslikult köieheegeldamiseks täiuslikult sobivad klaashelmed. Lipsukesed või liblikad, nagu neid maakeeli kutsutakse, on eriti head just sellepärast, et töö saab kiiresti valmis ja ka helmeid kulub koguseliselt vähem. Paraku on Eesti poodides värvivalik väga piiratud, nii olen jäänud truuks kallimale alternatiivile, mida ma aeg-ajalt Saksamaalt kaasa ostan. Prachti farfalle-helmeste värvivalik pole siingi teab mis suur, aga see-eest on toonid väga ilusad. Lisaks "turvalistele" valikutele leidub seal ka riskantsemaid värve. Nii ostsingi hiljuti prooviks türkiisrohelised. Köis, millest hetkel on valmis alles pool (helmeste niidile lükkimine on jube tüütu, eriti kui keegi sind pidevalt jalast sikutab), on mulle igatahes küll väga meeltmööda. Suurepärane värv kandmiseks nii musta kui ka valgega.

Ruhe in Karlsruhe

We flew to Karlsruhe for a couple of weeks, to spend early autumn quality time with our dear ones. Uku is chasing chestnuts under the table, and I decided to make a quick post here before returning to my current translation task for the December issue of National Geographic Estonia. I can't tell you how much this has given me to be able to work for such an excellent magazine! I'm really proud to be a member of their team. (Although the quality of the photographs published in the magazine has pretty much discouraged me from taking any shots myself...)

On crafts front, I only decided to pack a minimum quantity of finished items for the store and some materials for new projects - some meant for sale and some planned for myself. Here is something I have copied many times over, one of my bestsellers in the K-E-R-A store: Shades of Sea Wrist Warmers in pale lavender. Relisted here.

I am running out of the yarn I have used for these. Must find a replacement... Any suggestions?

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Varasügisene kvaliteetaeg kallitega KarlsRUHEs Saksamaal. Rahu, helgus, rõõmu valmistavad tööd, värviteraapia... :)

Uku 1

Ok, my first entry 2013. This is ridiculous! Either I delete this blog or change my attitude toward it. I'll give it one more try to blow some life into it.

Oh boy, it's been a while, isn't it? It has been a busy year full of many wonderful little things. I have learned a lot, matured a lot, learned the value of "here and now" and how to cherish every moment. Life is now, and it is beautiful!

I have also done a lot of crafting. I'll show you the next time, if you bear with me. (Although some of these items are already available in my Etsy store...)

Photo: Annika Metsla

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Nii, 2013. aasta esimene postitus. Asi hakkab juba naeruväärseks kiskuma. Ma kas võtan selles osas midagi ette või kustutan selle blogi ära. Siin siis mu uus katse blogijablokist üle saada. Olen olnud veidi kimpus siinse konteptsiooni paikapanemisega: kui palju, millest ja mida kirjutada...

Vahepeal on nii mõndagi toimunud - nii palju, mille eest tänulik olla. Olen kasvanud ja arenenud, omaenese siseilma avardanud. Õppinud elu pisiasju ja igat hetke hindama ning asju tähtsuse järjekorda seadma. Minu teele on sattunud palju toredaid inimesi, palju ilu ja armastust, ning olen selle eest siiralt tänulik.

Käsitööd olen samuti teinud, muude tööde-tegemiste kõrvalt. Peagi näitan üht-teist, kui veel veidi minuga püsite... ;)