Life is not fair

Gosh, I don't know how many times I have started writing this posting and then erased everything. Can't tell you the details but once again, it's been a time to reflect upon life...but before you might get worried, let's move swiftly on and have a look at this wonderful parcel which my Secret Pal sent to me. Once again, I'm sorry for this delay in showing it.

Look! There was a October card, a magazine with a wide selection of knitted accessories, a natural soap and a soap dish both in leaf form (hihi, I really start to think you know me or have some insider information - have you seen my curtains? Or my favourite Villeroy & Boch series?), some chocolate and coffee to enjoy, and last but definitely not least, two hanks of superb lace yarn by Malabrigo. I could have eaten it, too, it's just so lovely to touch. Now, the only problem is where to find a good enough pattern for this yarn - I may spend some more months just playing with this yarn. Thank you, I loved everything in here!



This might be my next bag project:



and here's a closer look at the handpainted yarn and its wonderful changing tones:


Other readers, did you have a closer look at the coffee pouch? It's of Max Havelaar fair trade brand, a gesture which I truly appreciate. How many of us knitters refuse to sell our products for too low a price - how does it feel when you don't get compensated for the work you do? Wouldn't it be fair to follow the same principle when buying food? The people who do the hard work deserve their pay and shouldn't be exploited.

About two weeks ago, it was also the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty and to coincide with that occasion, one of the biggest local supermarket chains, Delhaize, organises a campaign to collect groceries for the less well-to-do in Belgium. According to statistics, 15 % of the population can be considered poor, which means an monthly income of 882 euros for single persons or 1726 euros for a household of four. During this special action week, when entering a Delhaize shop, the customers were given a plastic bag and basic instructions on what to buy (non-perishable food like tinned cans, rice, pasta, cooking oil, sugar, coffee etc. You'd paid for the stuff you bought and leave it at a collection point where it would be transported further and sorted before final distribution.

Now, although I don't find that too efficient a way to help, I still do it every year. But just for the sake of the argument, what do you think of it? For me, it's a bit strange that the shop obviously benefits too: the sales increase, and even though they say that they provide the logistics for free, is that really enough? If (and when) people are willing to help, is it fair to buy the food for full retail price when they could just collect the money and buy the products in bulk? Yeah, like my friends have pointed out, this is a very concrete and an easy way to help, but is it effective? Then there are the details: if you're doing your own shopping at the same time, is it fair if you buy yourself a high-end product but put the cheapest alternative to the help bag? And how much ahead should you think: should you buy a can of meatballs, for instance, if the package is going to a Muslim family? (Sigh. Do I have a tendency to make my life more complicated than it really should be?)

If you want to read more on the subject, here are a couple of links: food banks in Belgium
Poverty in Belgium (FR)
and a couple of Finnish knitting bloggers have also pondered on this "save the world" theme lately, Ziina (in Finnish) and Heidi (in Finnish and in English)

Oh, and one more thing under this title of fairness. Last weekend's big surprise was when one of the favourite couples of Strictly come Dancing were sent packing. It was only week four of the competition and the level of dancing was uneven, to say the least, but one thing is certain: it wasn't fair to drop
these two

Look what I got! - Aah mikä paketti!

Hooray! First SP11 surprise has arrived, and just look what I got! I even surprised myself by taking some photos before I tore the whole thing open. There was a variety of exotic teabags (great timing - I feel like having caught a cold, and would like to make some tea in my office, but didn't have any teabags here), and the sour green apple sweets set me drooling.


Jippii! Ensimmäinen SP11-kierroksen ylläri saapui, ja kattokaa mitä siellä oli! Yllätin itsenikin malttamalla ottaa kuvia ennen kuin revin päällyspaperit kappaleiksi. Paketissa oli valikoima eksoottisia teelaatuja (just tässä viikolla mietin, että täytyis viedä töihin omia teepusseja. Flunssa pukkaa päälle ja mä tykkään keitellä omassa työhuoneessa teetä, vaanku ei ollut pusseja), ja sitten just tuommoiset happamat vihreät omenakarkit saa syljen erittymään jo valmiiksi.


A-a-a-and there was a book inside! Modular knits made of Koigu yarns, unusual shapes and knitting directions - just what I like. Thank you very much Secret Pal, you really hit the bull's eye with this one.

Ta-daa! Sielläpä oli tämmöinen kirja, jossa on vähän erikoisempia malleja tehtynä Koigun langoista. Hii, kyllä osui kohdalleen!




It wasn't too long ago when I was searching for ideas for yarn which gradually changes colours. I did start something, but I think there would be better ideas in this book. I think there's plenty of that yarn still left; we'll see if it becomes something like this.

Aikas hiljattain etsin just ideoita langalle, joka vaihtaa väriä ja sävyä silleen hiljallensa. Aloitinkin siitä jotakin, mutta tässä kirjassa olis varmaan sopivampia ideoita. Lankaa on vielä jäljellä, joten se saattaapi muotoutua vaikkapa tämmöiseksi:


Hihi, and the sheep on the card reminds me of my favourite game at the moment. How to be a sheepdog?

Here we go again - Secret Pal 11 questionnaire

1. What is/are your favorite yarn/s to knit with? What fibers do you absolutely *not* like?
I'm easy to please. To me it's more about the colours, the texture, the possibilities of an interesting yarn than its material. Having said that, I can't bring myself to knit 100 % squeaky acrylic yarns. My knitting needle range stretches from 0.8 mm to 25 mm, so something within those limits, please ;-)

2. What do you use to store your needles/hooks in?
I have several places to hi…keep them in: metallic boxes for crocheting hooks, a felted hanging thingy for circular needles, an embroidered canvas case for straight needles. And just last year I bought a Namaste bag which I really like but somehow that's about the only place where I don't keep needles in.

3. How long have you been knitting & how did you learn? Would you consider your skill level to be beginner, intermediate or advanced?
It's been 30-odd years, and I just can't pinpoint a moment when I learnt how to do it – it was something which was always there in my family. My mother was always busy making something, and my late father knew how to knit, too. I was 11 when I wore something I'd made by myself in a school photo, so that's the first piece of evidence which can be dated. However, there was a lengthy period of time when I didn't knit at all. – Skill level? Fearless intermediate or modest advanced.

4. Do you have an Amazon or other online wish list?
There should be one on Amazon.com. And since you know my name, dear secret pal, you can search with it, but I don't want to put it here on public display. Also, I really don't expect you to send anything from that list - it just might give you an idea of the type of books I like and what my interests are. It's not that I'm picky, almost anything goes – you might want to check my virtual bookshelf here. The list is not complete since I sort of live in two countries and have books in three places.

5. What's your favorite scent?
Fresh, green apples. (Therefore I've stocked up all the different DKNY 'Be Delicious' items I could find in Belgium, but there aren't too many of them.)

6. Do you have a sweet tooth? Favorite candy?
I wouldn't say no. Again, green apple and cinnamon tickle my taste buds.

7. What other crafts or Do-It-Yourself things do you like to do? Do you spin?If you have a look around this blog, you'll find that I certainly like to experiment with things. Crocheting, dyeing, cross-stitching, felting, spinning: been there, done that. Last year I even made a basic yarn swift. It's not pretty but it's working. - I do spin with a drop spindle but don't enjoy it too much. Occasionally I succeed in creating colour combinations which I really like but somehow the whole exercise doesn't seem to be worth the effort. I don't have enough time for knitting, so how could I find time to first spin the yarn, then knit it? (and then spin some more because it's likely to run out)

8. What kind of music do you like? Can your computer/stereo play MP3s? (if your buddy wants to make you a CD)
CD should be ok, don't know about MP3s.

9. What's your favorite color(s)? Any colors you just can't stand?
You're probably desperate by now, but again I'd have to say I don't have any special favourites (come on woman, you keep slipping off your secret pal's fingers). If I had to name a few favourites, I'd go for red, purple and green. Blue shades are the only no-no I can think of, and I'm not big on glitter either. Oh, and I prefer strong colours to pastels.

10. What is your family situation? Do you have any pets?
My family situation is good. No-one is complaining about the amount of yarn. I live alone - due to my working hours (and a hint of allergy), I can't keep any pets. I would love to have a cat or a dog but that's not possible right now. Wilma the Blog Cat belongs to my mother and I just adore her.

11. Do you wear scarves, hats, mittens or ponchos?
When it's cold enough, yes. Of this category, hats and ponchos are the rarest.

12. What is/are your favorite item/s to knit?
Lately it's been a variation of shawls. Easy to wear, nice for swatching some patterns and perfect for getting rid of a few remaining balls of yarn.

13. What are you knitting right now?
This year I set myself a target of finishing one big, challenging project a month, and at the moment I'm busy with a large cross stitch project which I started two years ago. I just want to savour the few precious hours of daylight we have left in August, and once it gets too dark for stitching, I'll switch back to knitting. I think September will be Bag Month.

14. Do you like to receive handmade gifts?
Why not. Isn't that what we all do? Show me your creativity!

15. Do you prefer straight or circular needles? Bamboo, aluminum, plastic?
Me likes circular bamboo (or rosewood/ebenholz) - anything you are allowed to take with you on a plane.

16. Do you own a yarn winder and/or swift?
Yes, both, and thank goodness for these timesavers!

17. How old is your oldest UFO?
Now, why is this question here? We're not swapping UFOs, are we? I recently dug up something that has been buried since 1986-87 or so. Embarrassing. But it still looks good, I just ran out of yarn back then. And what a surprise, the yarn is still extinct so I might as well rip it.

18. What is your favorite holiday?
I guess you mean the traditional holidays like Christmas. Since I don't have any children, these occasions don't feel so special to me and I don't make any special arrangements for them. What I really enjoy are the few weeks in the summertime when I can leave behind the hustle and bustle of Brussels and go back to my home country. Spending some time in a clean, quiet environment is essential.

19. Is there anything that you collect?
Other than yarn? Not actively, no. I do hold a fondness towards sunflower items, though.

20. Any books, yarns, needles or patterns out there you are dying to get your hands on? What knitting magazine subscriptions do you have?
I subscribe to Vogue Knitting, a Finnish knitting magazine called Moda, 'Handarbeit zonder grenzen' in Dutch, and when visiting Germany, I buy a lot of special local issues like doily knitting or knitted animals. I've had bad experiences with Interweave Knits subscription but can't deny that they make some of the nicest shawl patterns around.

21. Are there any new techniques you'd like to learn? Twined knitting is something I've never tried. Too bad that the book I have on the subject is in Japanese. And in 'Knitting for anarchists' Anna Zilboorg describes a perfect buttonhole. Should find some time to practice that.

22. Are you a sock knitter? What are your foot measurements?
Usually I have a small knitting project with me everywhere I go, and sock knitting is just perfect when commuting. My size is about 37 1/2 - US size 7 (sole length about 24 centimetres / 9.5 inches).

23. When is your birthday?
Let's just say that it doesn't happen during the lifespan of SP11 (I'm a Scorpio).

24. Are you on Ravelry? If so, what's your ID?
Nope.