Stripes and Squiggles - part 1 Karelia

I am not sure when stripes started to get a hold of me but I realized that I LOVE stripes.
My long suffering friend Linda Turu took me to an Estonian Cultural Bash - gosh when was that?
Ages ago - but the stripe-iness from that event lives on in my mind. Hence the next couple of posts.

Here are some inspirational stripes...
These are cuffs from the Ethnographic Museum in Helsinki in 2008. The exhibit was about Karelian culture and history. There were a couple of wonderful sweaters. Well, I'll bet if you are reading this, you'll want to see those, too. I can make that happen. But first these. Wrist warmers are really important in northern climates but if I remember correctly, there were a number of textiles in this exhibit that were made with such care with the yarn. Certain colours especially were hard to get and hardly a centimeter would go to waste.
I am trying to remember the story about the woven pieces - somehow they were scraps that were left behind. The history of Karelia is a sad one, and during the Soviet era many people were forced to migrate. Over all this was a touching exhibit and had me thinking hard about how politics and power struggles mess up people's lives. But also how people keep going and persevere with resourcefulness...

2009 - the year that got away

Well
I knit, I saw, I took pictures but...
I had a computer death (by rain) and went back to old technology.
I traveled frequently and lived out of bags and suitcases.
And here it is.
Another year. Whatever that means.
I have more moth (mis) adventures - but I am winning.
I have more yarn.
I keep stash busting and enhancing. Travel means finding yarn shops.
I still can't get enough Noro, or short rows, or colours.
I have 4 ukuleles. I am stopping at 4. Travel means finding ukuleles.
I thought about knitting a uke case but decided better of it. Sure, one could - but WHY?

Here's to finishing things we start. To learning what we have and how to use it. To keeping an open mind about life, the universe and everything. Here's to bicycles and wool, to friends and cats, to music and art and good books.

Cheers