Sunday, February 17, 2008

Socks and Swaps

I received these awesome warm socks on Friday from a friend's mother in Hämeenlinna. She knitted them for me to thank me for hanging out with her granddaughter when my friend was unexpectedly at the medical center. No thanks were necessary - we always have fun hanging out even though we share no common language and sit with a dictionary and draw or watch subtitled episodes of Little House on the Prairie - but the socks are very much appreciated! One of my goals for the coming summer is to learn to knit socks!

Hopefully there will be posts here about that adventure in a couple of months. In the meantime, no time for any craftiness these days. I received a great treat in the mail on Friday, though - coasters from a coaster swap I'm participating in. They are from Ellen and she very generously included some extra treats, including my very favorite kind of chocolate and a homemade/homegrown lavender sachet! They're criss-cross coasters made from gorgeous April Cornell fabrics from Moda. Thanks!! They look great on my white coffee table. (Photos of my coasters to come once they arrive in New York.)


Did a little sightseeing with a friend who was visiting from Helsinki this weekend. We drove down the coast to Närpes and Kristinastad, and across Finland's longest bridge to Replot. Photos of the water/ice under the bridge and the belltower of the church in Replot. Gorgeous sunny winter weather here today!



My Winter Four Seasons quilt is finally in the mail now. I hope the recipient will forgive me for the delay. Sometimes life gets in the way. Photos to follow when the quilt arrives in England!

9 comments:

Unknown said...

It looks like it is still very cold in your part of the world. Lovely socks you got there and a lot of goodies in the mail.

Libby said...

What great treats! I, too, would love to learn to knit socks . . . but as I labor to remember how to cast on, I'm afraid it will long be beyond my skill.

Clare said...

Lovely socks. You probably still need them up there whereas down here we've got sun, daffodils, violets wooo hoooo!

Lovely gifts. I sent you that Laura Ashley fabric last Monday, but still not 100% sure about the address. Please please let me know if and when you receive it.

Anonymous said...

The socks are lovely. If you need a great tutorial for learning to knit socks let me know and I'll give you the link to the one I used. Be warned though, sock knitting is addictive.

Love your coasters and the goodies that came with them - I love that brand of chocolate too and was very glad to find it in the stores here.

julieQ said...

I love your socks! Looks like you got fun mail, I really like those coasters.

ellen said...

I'm happy the coasters arrived. They had such a long trip, I was worried that it would take forever.
Guess not!

Lily Mulholland said...

Swaps are lots of fun aren't they? At least your parcel shouldn't take long to arrive in England :)

Mary Johnson said...

You're braver than I am to learn to knit socks. I usually stick to things that don't have to fit!

I'll be anxious to see your swap quilt once you can post it. I love red/white quilts.

Jenni said...

HI Jen
I didn't think you were a sock knitter, but know I see you are going to learn. I would recommend an online tutorial on how to use the 4 dpns. I think it was Silver's Sock tutorial from memory. Have fun!