Thursday, November 10, 2011

Kaamos mittens

Knitting these woolly mittens has been a bliss. I promised to tell you little bit of the inspiration behind them. This is the first part.

We are approaching "kaamos" or Polar night. Right here at the Arctic Circle (or just a tiny bit north from it) we don't experience the true Polar night, but our night becomes more than 20 hours at its darkest.

This is the time of the black snow. The black snow is the time when the first snow comes and shortly melts away and then the ground freezes. Yesterday was cold, the world had a beautiful frosting, but today it is again warm and the frost is gone, so there really is no black snow at the moment. But this is most likely about to change.

People commonly refer to the time before the snow as "kaamos" since it feels like there is no daylight, as the days get shorter and shorter and the ground is black and thus sucks up the remains of the light. When the snow comes, this blessed pure white stuff, the world just seems so much brighter.

While walking daily with the dogs I have been observing the autumn turn slowly towards winter. I have walked through thick fog blankets and in soft drizzle and pushed against strong winds.  I know that soon the fields and the forests are covered with snow, so I have tried to memorize the colors, soft fading yellows in dying grass,


deep purples and browns in rotting leaves,


summer greens turning into dark, cold bluish colors and on few rare occasions,


the golden browns and oranges when the sun has brushed them up.


If you look at the mitten, there it is. The sun peeking over the horizon



or maybe reflecting on the water of the lake.


There are the gray long days, when the sun is just a memory but there are the bright, soft yellow sunny days as well when the world is colored with gold.


Add to the mix cold fingertips and I knew what I wanted to make.

So I knew what to make and I knew what it should feel like, but how could I put this world into the mittens. Of that I will tell you next time.

Wool with you until then,
Lene

19 comments:

  1. Anonymous13:31

    I just LOVE your blog

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  2. Pattern...................please !

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  3. hi Lene, you live in a beautiful part of this planet, I had the pleasure to visit the Polar circle in March. You did a really fine job with your mittens.
    All the best from Switzerland, Christa

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  4. Lizzi15:56

    Picture number 4 is just stunning!

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  5. Gorgeous mittens Lene. Thank you for sharing your part of this world with us. I find it all very interesting to learn about :-)

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  6. I love both the photos and the inspired mittens. I feel the same way in the autumn - trying to memorize the vibrant greens and yellows basking in the warm sun that will soon be gone. I too would like to see the pattern and love your blog

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  7. So,wonderful to feel your life through your blog. You inspire me to make some new mittens, maybe with hand spun,I'll have to see what I have. Thanks

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  8. this reminds me of the mood scarf I saw on ravelry...story telling in knitting. My favorite part is the embroidery, you are so good at those clean lines. There is so much to love about this part of the year when nature falls asleep...we tip toe along until Spring.

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  9. Simple beauty, how lovely.

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  10. A beautiful post - thank you!

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  11. nice post. Now you can use this directory services to promote bulk woolen garments accessories import & export business.

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  12. i am sooo happy to see you blogging regularly again:)

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  13. What a beautiful post. Thank you for writing about your part of the world. The mittens are perfect.

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  14. So, so beautiful. The words, the pictures and the mittens. Thank you!

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  15. H o w beautiful - and a very interesting story behind!- Thank you, Lene.

    I'm really looking forward to hearing more about it.

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  16. One of the greatest joys in the realm of creativity is being able to capture the essence of a moment or a season, to hold it captive forever. Kaamos has indeed been preserved in your fabulous mittens. I love the embroidery!

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  17. Trista00:50

    I too would like a pattern for these. They are just amazing, but then so are you!

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  18. Anonymous10:23

    stiI realy love your blog. You are so romantic poetess.
    Lovely minetts.
    Thank you!!!
    Kasia from Poland

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