Tuesday Finds: Something Fishy

So, I adopted that bronze cory catfish last week. He's doing pretty well so far by the way, healing up and moving about actively as a cory should, looking for food among the sand. As my mind's been on fishy things because of him lately, I thought I'd choose this week's Tuesday Finds in honour of my little recovering adoptee.

So, fishy things then! I adore the detail and colours of this ACEO print of an original watercolour painting, titled 'Watercolor Koi Fish' and painted by Bryan A. Collins. It is also available in other sizes, if an ACEO (Art Cards, Editions and Originals - 2.5 x 3.5 inches) is too small for you.
($3.50, bryancollins.etsy.com)

The outfit of a fishy fan is not complete without a fishy bag, I say! How about a felted and embroidered one in teal? This funky purse is available from mabith.
($30, mabith.etsy.com)

As for wearable fishy things, perhaps this koi tank top by Ahpeele might strike your fancy? Lovely in design and lovely in colour, this one might find its way into my summer wardrobe.
($25, Ahpeele.etsy.com)

So it's been a week since my last post...

...what have I been up to? Well, in no particular order:

- Scratched the cornea of my right my eye, leading to much teary irritation and pain. Ow ow ow. It's almost back to normal now, fortunately, just a bit tender.

- Adopted a poor lonely bronze cory (Corydoras aeneus), to join one of my two schools of them. He was unwanted because he was skinny with torn fins and damaged barbels (his moustache, as I like to call them), but he's eating now and the fins are already healing, so hopefully he'll recover fully. :) (The ones in the photo are two I've raised, not the recovering one.)

- Trying to remember how to do statistics with SPSS while working on my MSc degree. It's been a while since I used it last, but I think I've got the hang of it now. I also found I still detest doing statistical analysis. Bleh.

No knitting news? Nope, afraid not, unless you count organizing my yarn stash better. This week's been full of other things to do and the eye situation didn't help either. Hopefully I'll have something to show next week, or perhaps even on the weekend.

Speaking of the weekend, have a good one!

The monster scarf returns!

Belated happy Valentine's Day! I hope you had a good one, if you're into the whole thing. Hubby and I don't really celebrate it to be honest, but the weather was really nice so we went out for a walk and lunch together. I did get a present though; hubby took care of the long and boring task of defrosting the fridge so that I could go out for drinks with a dear friend. Now that's a gift a girl can truly appreciate. Along with chocolate (which I also got). I <3 my hubby.

In other news, I recently made and listed yet another monstrous scarf! I really get into such a good mood while making these guys. There's nothing like a happily grinning soft monster to cheer you up.

Tuesday Finds: Colours

Today as I was walking home my main impression of the surroundings was grey. Grey sky, grey buildings, grey streets... As if winter isn't dark and depressing enough on its own. Even most people wore dark, muted colours. Why didn't anyone put more effort into making things look a little brighter and happier with more colour? Wouldn't that be much better?

At about this point in my musings I realised I was wearing my grey wool coat today. Sigh.

So, to try to make this bleak day seem a bit more pleasant, I have looked for colourful things for this week's Tuesday Finds.

If it's colour you want, GilBea's handpainted silk scarves are bound to do the trick. How about this gorgeous one, in different shades of blue and purple?
($55, gilbea.etsy.com)

Perhaps green is more to your tastes? These fun fused glass hair pins in bright lime green would be just the thing you need for a smaller spot of colour. They are available from panyizsuzsi.
($11, panyizsuzsi.etsy.com)

Representing red, we have this beautifully designed and made reversible handbag made by Ira Grant. Black and red on one side, white and pink on the other. Perfect!
($44, iragrant.etsy.com)


As for me, I shall be sure to wear my brightest orange scarf and matching gloves tomorrow. I promise.

Mr Morrgan "Chompy" Goldfish

As I was reading this article I began having some odd thoughts. I have goldfish in my shop. I also have wild hearts in my shop. How about combining a goldfish with a wild heart? Could it possibly work? Would I become a Dr Frankenstein of goldfish?

Well, there was only one way to find out. I sat down with knitting needles, crochet hook and orange yarn and began experimenting. Everything went smoother than I expected and I'm pleased to report the experiment was a success! I made a goldfish gone wild!

In fact, he was so much fun to make that I immediately made him a little brother and I foresee a multicoloured school of little chompy fishies taking over our apartment. Perhaps a few will even make it into my shops.

The big one will be on his way overseas on Monday! (Assuming I can get his little brother to let go.)

Man, he's pretty ancient by now

Today my husband turned even older than before! I wonder when the grey hairs will start showing? Well, in any case, enjoy the whiskey, my dear! It's an appropriate drink for an old man. :D


(PS. I am of course kidding. Mostly. He is after all a little over a whole year older than me. That's more than enough for some age-based, loving teasing.)


(PPS. The gloves in the photo are ones I listed recently in my Etsy shop. Just in case you were curious.)

Tuesday Finds: Kitty Cats

I have no special story on how I ended up with this week's theme. I just found some cute kitties and wanted to show them off. So there.

The cat that started it all is this tiny turquoise feline, made from polymer clay. How much cuter can a kitty get? It's available from Endless Whimsy, along with many other cats and kittens in various colours and shapes.
($5, endlesswhimsy.etsy.com)

The previous kitty reminded me of one that has been among my Etsy favourites for a long time. 'Sleepy Kitten' by Vanessa Rodrigues is just too adorable. This kitty cat is available as a print from Ku-Ki Shop.
($10, kukishop.etsy.com)

The cat that sealed the deal for this week's theme was a vinyl wristlet with a sweet kitty and cherry blossoms applique. It's available from the aptly named Kitty Empire.
($22, kittyempire3.etsy.com)


Now I'd better go do something else, before I melt from cuteness overload.

Hubert the Grumpy Unicorn

This guy here is a grumpy little unicorn called Hubert.


Why grumpy, I hear you ask? Well first of all, this particular teenage boy unicorn happens to be very pink. Just how is a poor unicorn supposed to impress that cute pegasus girl when he's as pink as can be? AND named Hubert? Seriously, what were his parents thinking?

If only he was a cool steely grey like his uncle Reginald, then things would be different. Or at least had uncle Reginald's name. Now there's a proper noble name for a mighty unicorn, sure to impress any cute pegasus. Not at all silly. Unlike Huuuubert.

But no, that wasn't to be. This little guy is pink Hubert. A very grumpy pink Hubert.


Hubert is another little creature that came about one sleepless night. I wrote his description at the beginning of January, but it took a while before I was able to put my idea into knit form. Hubert will be available in my Etsy shop soon, as both finished unicorn and pattern.

Tuesday Finds: Hearts

For those interested in my wild hearts, I've listed a couple more, a small one at Etsy and another large one at Dawanda.

With all these wild hearts to keep an eye on, I thought I may as well look at other people's hearts as well. So, this week's Tuesday Finds theme is hearts. Don't ask me how I ended up with all pendants, though. Maybe I'm giving subconscious hints to hubby, with Valentine's coming up and all. Hmm.

But enough chatter and on to more important things: the finds! First up we have this incredibly detailed pink heart in bloom necklace by ZsB Creations. Sculpted from polymer clay and embellished with glass beads and Swarovski crystals, it's just stunning.
($40, ZsBcreations.etsy.com)

The next heart is also made from polymer clay. 'My Heart in Yours' by X by Leina Neima is a lovely one-of-a-kind pendant, which combines a multitude of colours beautifully.
($14.50, XbyLeinaNeima.etsy.com)



I have a soft spot for swirls, so naturally I have to include this White Valentine Heart by BeeDazzles Gifts. This sweet pendant is crafted from an art print and is available in many different colour combinations.
($13, BeeDazzlesGifts.etsy.com)

Gloves, gloves, and even more gloves

January has been a record month for custom glove orders. I've made more gloves this month than any other, I believe. Which is nice, of course.

In between orders I've had a few evenings to work on other things to list in my shops. So what have I made? More gloves! I'm a woman obsessed.

So here's the two latest ones I've listed, both in my Etsy shop. The first pair is my basic model of fingerless gloves, although this time made with a different yarn brand than usual. It's quite similar to what I normally use and I'm quite pleased with it. It's still a wool/polyamide blend, but adding it to my usual range of yarns has given me some new colour possibilities. I just adore the rusty terracotta in this one.

The other pair is made from a lovely bamboo blend, decorated with a cabled ribbing. This colour combo is one of my favourites and one I've had in my shop before. I figured it deserved another go.

And now I shall be off to make something that isn't gloves.

The wild hearts return!

Beware, for the wild hearts return! I've made a whole bunch of these, both large and small, and will eventually be listing them all to both my Etsy and Dawanda shops. This particular guy is already listed at Etsy.

The hearts have arrived just in time for Valentine's too, though I'm not quite sure what giving one of these means. Still, I'm sure it'll be perfect for someone out there!

Tuesday Finds: For the Kitchen

I'm not very interested in cooking. In fact, I consider cooking to mostly be a man's job, along with fixing computers and vaccuuming.

However, yesterday I braved new uncharted territories in the kitchen. I decided to make mayonnaise, flavoured with a bit of cayenne pepper and garlic. To my great surprise, it turned out rather well! I am a maker of mayonnaise!

Encouraged by this culinary victory, I thought I'd take a look online to find handmade items for the kitchen. One can not be a maker of mayonnaise and lack the necessary equipment. Hence the theme for this week's Tuesday Finds!

Let's start at the beginning. To make mayonnaise, I first need to get into the mood with the help of coffee, preferably served in a large, pretty cup. This lovely latte cup by Deb Babcock would be just perfect.
($22, dbabcock.etsy.com)

So, during the making of mayonnaise, spices are needed. What could be better than this magnetic spice rack with test tubes, made by purpose design, for a biologist like me in the kitchen?
($45, purposedesign.etsy.com)

Assuming the mayonnaise actually turns out edible, I need to serve it. I'd have to go for something like the beautiful whirl serving dish by Kim Westad, as it would make even my cooking attempts look great!
($180, kimwestad.etsy.com)

Cream cheese-filled muffins and wicked robots

Oh look, I'm recycling a muffin photo again! Well, in my defense I'm about to talk about carrot muffins. As the photo does indeed show carrot muffins, I have an excuse this time.

So, carrot muffins. I felt like baking again and suggested muffins. Hubby thought this was a splendid idea and in turn suggested that instead of icing, I'd put some cream cheese inside each muffin. Seriously, this man is a genius. It must be why I married him.

I used my usual recipe as a base, but exchanged half a dl (or about 3-4 tbsp) of flour with germ mix (wheat, oat and rye germ), so that I could pretend it was healthy and good for me and could eat them with a clear conscience. When spooning out the batter into the muffin cups, I just added a little less than a tsp of cream cheese in the middle of each muffin. Mmmmmmmmm.

Now, onward to something completely different, namely wicked robots. If you're fond of Bender from Futurama, have a look at this article. Interesting!

Ah, anniversaries

It's Tuesday! And I have no Tuesday Finds for you! Oh no!

Between orders to fill during the day and our wedding anniversary to celebrate in the evening, I just didn't have enough time to write a proper blog post about pretty things on the internet. Sorry!

In fact, I don't have time to write more than this, for a husband carrying wine and cheese beckons. Yum.

So what have I to show for these past weeks?

Hubby and I were away for a couple of weeks during Christmas and New Year, spending time with my family up north. Technically it was a vacation, but of course I couldn't leave my knitting needles alone for that long.

So, this short scarf in a delicious creamy white is one of the things I made during that time. Mostly while watching Top Gear, if I remember correctly. (That show is doing strange things to me. Suddenly I notice car models before the colour, cast lusty looks at Jaguar XKs and am considering getting a driver's licence. Pedestrians in Finland, you have been warned.)

Aaaanyway, back to the scarf. It's knitted from a wool/acrylic blend with my favourite cable pattern (the same that is used for this scarflette, for example). It's also available in my Etsy shop!

Tuesday Finds: The Perfect Gifts

Oh my, a whole 4 weeks since my last update. I shall be better about my blogging, at least until the next Christmas season.

Speaking of which, this week's Tuesday Finds have a different theme than usual - it's things I found for others this Christmas. So if you got a Christmas present from me, stop reading now. Come back later this week. Thanks!

The first find was a sturdy leather belt with a neat design along both sides, made to size by Brigit. I can honestly say it looks even better in person!
($32, brigit.etsy.com)

As soon as I saw Ubiki's prints, I knew I had to get some. It was a mistake to get them as gifts though, for they were oh so hard to part with! 'Rawr' is one I might have to go back for and give to myself too.
($20, ubiki.etsy.com)

The Fuzzy Bunny was our choice for bath and body products and both soap and lip balm were a hit among relatives and friends. The soap comes beautifully wrapped in colourful paper and the scent of this cranberry fig soap is just heavenly!
($3.50, fuzzybunny.etsy.com)

Dark, ancient mysteries... such as vermiform mummies

Once a mighty ruler of an ancient, vast underground kingdom, now a cursed vermiform invertebrate burrowing restlessly in the night. This foul being, covered in the tattered remains of its embalming linens, is neither alive nor dead - it is the abominable mummified worm!

He is only 8.5 cm (3 1/4 in) long, but do not be fooled by his diminutive size, for he makes the bravest hearts tremble in fear with his red gaze of terror.

(As you may have guessed, I suffered through another sleep-deprived day recently. The results were... Well, you can see them yourself here.)

Tuesday Finds: Pillows

My apologies for seemingly disappearing for a couple of weeks. The final rush of the holiday season has kept me a busy girl indeed, but now things are starting to slow down again and I can sit back, relax and revive the other, sorely neglected parts of my life. I shall start by bringing about this week's Tuesday Finds!

A good night's sleep would be welcome after the past couple of weeks, mmmmm. So, it's only natural that the theme I ended up with this week is pillows.

Simple but stylish. That's what this beautiful flowering pillow is. These pillows are sewn by hand by Julianna Holowka and are available in a few more colours in her shop.
($120, julih32.etsy.com)

Absoluut's shop is full of pillow covers made from great vintage fabrics, in all sorts of colours and patterns. It's nigh impossible to choose one favourite, but as I have to for this feature, I picked this one. The colours are delicious!
($25, absoluut.etsy.com)

While on the topic of pillows, there's no way I could leave out brokesy's creations. Her attack! pillows, such as the set with a yeti chasing a poor lemming, are just awesome. Be sure to head on over to her shop to pick out your own fave among the variations on the theme.
($200, brokesy.etsy.com)

Tuesday Finds: It's Snowing!

We finally have snow here! Lovely, lovely snow! So what if there's about half a centimeter of it at most (that's less than 1/4 inch for the non-metrics out there), in a pathetic few random spots. It's still SNOW!

So, I suppose you can conclude two things now. One: I'm easily excited. Two: this week's Tuesday Finds theme is snow!

With this oh so plentiful snow gracing the streets with its presence, it simply won't do to head out into town without proper accessories. This one-of-a-kind Ice-Girl handbag, made from recycled materials by Garbagebag would be perfect for the occasion.
($59, Garbagebag.etsy.com)

Perhaps I haven't fully grown up yet, but the first thing I think of when it's snowing is making snowmen (or snowdinosaurs, or snowmonsters...). Jenn Maruska Design offers a set of five truly adorable ones in the shape of holiday ornaments.
($25 for set of 5, JennMaruskaDesign.etsy.com)

The last one this week is the gorgeous Snow Queen Coronet, featuring delicate seed bead icicles, made by Blue Marmalade & Red Sky. If only it had been available at the time of my own winter wedding!
($240, BlueMarmalade.etsy.com)

Scarves for everyone!

The infrequent posts continue. It's surprising how quickly you get tired when your lungs aren't working properly, I just haven't had the energy to write. But anyway, I didn't start writing to whine, I started writing because I wanted to show you something!

My last showoff was a scarflette and this post continues on the same track. I found a lovely grey yarn that simply demanded to be turned into neckwear.

I first knitted this scarflette, which I'm very pleased with. Its cable pattern is my own design, inspired by Celtic and Viking knotwork. It's one I've used before, for example in this headband. I shall no doubt use it again, for it's one of my favourites.

When eagerly knitting neckwear, one mustn't forget about the monsters. This monster scarf was the second one I made. It's similar to its red cousin, but the materials are different.

I have a red cabled neckwarmer on the way and many more designs fizzing in my head. I don't know where this sudden fascination with neckwear came from, but I may as well make the most of it while it lasts!