Tracks on snow, and finally a finish

It has been so long since I last posted, there just haven't been any new finishes to show. I have been knitting squares for a blanket using leftover yarns and some unexpected finds from my stash, but on cloudy days taking photos is a nightmare. A couple of days ago this leftover piece of the moon was still on the sky when the sun was rising.

 

 

The nights are cold here, around -20C/-4F, when the sky is clear. Cold weather means the birds need nourishing food, so the woodpecker had some fat with seeds to keep warm.

 

 

Yesterday we had a snow shower that covered all the old tracks. Look how many hares, squirrels and birds have been running and jumping in our yard after that:

 

A hare's footprints closer, the smaller prints are from the front legs.

 

 

Here is finally my Helping Hands quilt with binding and label. The striped fabrics are all pieces of Egyptian scarves from Melanie, who made a quilt with her friends' hands in applique almost two years ago. I finished this top last summer but somehow it just became a WIP.

 

I used my scarf pieces to make this quilt. It will end up warming somebody, who needs a helping hand. I remember that Simone used her pieces for a scarf.  - Yes, we have this much snow left, it is still very much winter.

 

One last snow picture from some time ago. Can you guess what has been going on here?

 

 

Two hares (or one, making two rounds) have come running from the left and sliding down the steep slope. I have heard of otters playing like this down the riverbank, but not hares. I hope they had fun!

Farmers' and Crafters' Market, and finally a quilt top

Last Saturday was the first weekend of September, and time for the 20th annual Maa Elää event in Järvenpää. It is a bigger than usual Farmers' and Crafters' market and harvest fair with nearly 200 stalls instead of the under 10 on a normal Saturday. There is often also an exhibition of old tractors or lorries. The first one is a grey Fordson from the very early '50s. See how small it is!

 

 

 

This red beauty is a Valmet, made in Finland.

 

 

The green one is Zetor from Czechoslovakia. The blue one in the background is another Fordson, in case you are interested.

 

 

The scent of the apples was delicious. I must start cooking my apples now too, but our eating apples are almost no longer good. They can't be stored, cooked or baked, just eaten fresh. These stalls were on the market place.

 

 

The rows of stalls reached all the way to the end of the pedestrian area. New harvest: honey and garlic, separately and together.

Autumn's flowers

more of them

Autumn wreaths made of birch twigs or willow, and hand made jewelry.

Hand knitted wool socks in every size and colour. There were stalls with beautiful handicrafts, but the best ones were hidden behind buyers' backs so no pictures of linen dresses, more hand made jewelry or gorgeous knitted scarves and hats.

 The day was chilly but luckily there was no rain.

My craft room has finally something to show. I have added a white border and a multicolour piano key border to my Helping Hands quilt top. Choosing a backing is the next step.

 

 

TdF day 17 - foggy day

The Tour was riding through fog yesterday. Our views are foggy too, as the new windows are covered with plastic as long as the house painters have finished their job. The new blanket is growing.

I added a white first border to the Helping Hands quilt

and now I'm going through my stash for ideas for a wider border.

TdF day 10 - Helping Hands progress

Tuesday was rest day and this is my Wednesday TdF post. With no TV on Tuesday, I managed to spend some time at the cutting table and sewing machine. I matched some solids for sashings:

and put together the Helping Hands quilt. The top is hanging in the window, the horizontal stripes are from the blinds.

Here a closer view. What next? I need borders and outer borders to make the quilt bigger.

The obligatory preemie hat of the day:

Today there will be some serious mountains to reach! Happy Tour to you all.