I went back to Finland, my native country and forever home for a week and got back a few days ago. I actually knit 6 rounds of a cowl while there, but also went swimming once, visited Imatra and the Vuoksi rapids (it was a 500 km drive there and it was a HOT day!), spent lots of time with family and generally just had a great, great time.

Didn't buy any yarn either! Success!

Here are a few impressions from this year:

The Germans have this tradition of "dancing into May" - I'm not sure where it comes grom, but it does involve dancing throughout the night of the 30th of April.

I'm not sure if I'll be participating in the dances but I will be travelling during the change of months! I've packed my books, my knitting and my bikini. The summer can come!

See you next week!

I'm just back from a week's vacation in Finland, my native, or home country. I loved seeing my family again and seeing the Finnish spring after many years of visiting only in the winter or summer. I really wish I could have stayed longer, but as it's not possible, I'm trying to ease my sorrow with Finnish yarns.

Last night I got a call from a friend of mine, a knitting instructor and a friend of a yarn shop owner, who happened to have free tickets to the H+H Cologne, a huge, international trade fair, ans asked me if I would like to come along tomorrow (that is, today, Saturday). I was thrilled and of course agreed.

So this morning we took the train to the Cologne fair and entered the fair with little expectations.

The Third German Ravelry Meet is currently underway - I was able to go yesterday with four other ladies from our knitting group in Essen. As Frechen is only an hours drive from here, it wasn't too big an effort.

We arrived too early and drank a coffee in a cafe nearby, then headed to the Meet. It was already crowded, especially around the yarn stands, so I quickly ran through the area to get an overview, and then sat down with a friend to knit.