Dr Rarity, PhD

A friend of mine defended his doctoral thesis yesterday. As he is a fan of My Little Ponies, I decided to give him a very special present for this occasion: a MLP wearing the Finnish doctoral hat and sword. The idea appealed to me the second I got it, mainly because a certain My Little Pony was an important toy at a certain time in my childhood, and also because I've always been interested in creating miniature items. 

As a child my pony enthusiasm was based on the appearance only (combined with the concept of horses, which symbol freedom for me and perhaps did already back then). I never read the My Little Ponies comic or watched the cartoon (neither were available for me at that time), so I didn't know the "real" name and background story of The Most Beautiful Thing in the World.  With the current project, I learned that the pony in question was Trickles, an Earth Pony with the background story of having a magic watering can which produced tulips when water was sprayed from it. The pony came with a comb and a brush and I remember spending hours (at least it felt like it) just brushing and arranging its mane and tail. Here the pony is at my hands on my 6th birthday: 

The Perfect Gift.

My pony was one of the generation one ponies, and currently were running at generation four, says Wikipedia. The series now has nine main characters, and choosing the pony for this project at the supermarket I landed with Rarity, with the decision based purely on its colors, which I though would go nicely with the hat and sword. The box also informed me that "Rarity gives fashion advice." Adding scientific advice to this seemed like a good second career option for Rarity, so I decided to go with her. ;)

As mentioned earlier, the PhD symbols in Finland are a doctoral hat and a doctoral sword. The doctoral hat is a black top hat, although the color can vary according to the discipline of the carrier. So can the golden symbol, with most wearing the golden lyre surrounded by a laurel-garland, which is the symbol of the Student Union of University of Helsinki and also found in most Finnish high school graduation hats or student caps. The reason for this is historical: until 1917 the matriculation exam of Finnish high schools was also the entrance exam to The Imperial Alexander University of Finland, currently known as University of Helsinki (and previously known as the Royal Academy of Åbo and the Imperial Academy of Turku - the university was transferred from Turku to Helsinki in 1828). The hat itself is a symbol of freedom and its round shape reminds the doctor that (s)he shoud give clear and natural answers to questions, avoiding unnecessary detail. 

The doctoral sword is a civil sword designed by the Finnish classical artist Akseli Gallén-Kallela, and it symbolizes truth. With the hat of freedom and the sword of truth the new doctor will then proceed to defend the ethos of knowledge, as an equal member of the scientific community. The right to carry these items does not come with the degree only: one must attend the conferment ceremony, which lasts for three days and includes ceremonies as well as dinners and dancing. The ceremony is held by each university or faculty every three or four years, so one might have to wait a few years after graduation to be able to attend. The ceremony is also available for graduated Masters, and I am planning to attend one in May 2014.

After all these fine and grand ideas it is now time to get back to the original topic: the present of future Dr E.P., PhD. I am happy to say both the hat (made by me) and the sword (made by my boyfriend) turned out great. 

Dr Rarity, PhD. Gives scientific and fashion advice!

Trying to build a hamsterrific home

Since March I have had a new room mate: a female Roborovski hamster called Hilinä Viuhuliina (born Jan 9th 2012; arrived March 6th). Since I tend to get over-enthusiastic about anything new and I am nerdy enough to want to get as much information I can, I have read countless texts and blog posts about hamsters, their preferences and keeping them healthy. This has resulted in a project of improving her inhabitat to give a happy and interesting life for the 2-3 years she (hopefully) will be with me.

Hilinä the Robo's time with me started with only a coconut house, a hay nest, two cups for food (one for dry, one for fresh), a pool for sand bathing and a drinking bottle. In the beginning she was a restless little hamster who runned around the terrarium constantly and/or jumped in and out of the sand pool all the time...

So I decided I needed to do something to make her life more interesting. First of all I started putting seeds and/or oat grain into the hay nest. It is hilarious how her bum goes up and down when she tries to find them in the nest!

I also made her a swing and a tube by crocheting. The tube you can see in the sand pool video and the swing here:

However, she quickly ate holes in both and I took them out, as doubted it would be healthy for her to get the yarn into her digestive system (especially as it is dyed).

The next swing was made of pieces of a willow branch tied together with sewing thread. I also cut some toilet paper cartridges into a set of tubes to run around her house. The tubes have an opening towards the glass but as the glass is there she feels like she is inside a tunnel, and spends a lot of time in these, sometimes eating, other times resting.

The red-brown hut behind the swing is an ex-candle lantern. It had holes in a square shape on two sides; I used a hammer to make the holes connect on the other side. The lantern broke into two in the process, so I used salt dough to glue the pieces together, as it is 100 % edible.

In this video the placement of the swing is new and she falls when trying to get into it, but today she is quite quick and sure to jump from the hut to the swing. In this video she has a flying saucer wheel as the wooden one was being cleaned.

Also, in the current setting the running wheel is at the center as she spends so much time in it and the sand pool wasn't really being used in the old setting where it was on the other end of the terrarium.

She jumps from the wheel to the green pool filled with coarse sand (hamster toilet sand), might roll and or rest and then jumps back:

The coarse sand was put there to encourage her to use the 'real' sand pool for bathing. The green one can then be emptied every few days since she mostly poos in it (since it's right next to the wheel). The poo also falls between the coarse sand grains so it at least looks like less like rolling in poo... She does love spending time in the sand pool, too, and often digs there for a very long time in between bathing. Here are some close-ups of the current setting:

The hut complex.

A mixture of organic grains and seeds I made myself.
The cup is not always there, if I hide seeds/grains
in the terrarium I take it out.

Hilinä in the tunnel.

The 'candle-hut' has its lid turned upside down
and I put some Oxbow hamster food in it.
The swing usually has some treat in it
(a nut or a sunflower seed)

The sand pool is the most important thing
in this end of the terrarium.

This is an atypical picture -
typically the sand is piled up at the other end from digging.

Finally, here is a short 15 sec video of behavior I have been wondering about. Hilinä has been doing this to walls mostly, but also to ceramic cups/pools she has in her terrarium. I wonder if it's just the digging reflex getting out of hand, or if this is some kind of hamster way to mark her territory. Or something else?

P.S. Sorry for the poor quality of the videos! As she is a nocturnal animal, there usually isn't enough light to catch both light and movement with my cheap video camera. One day this will be a great excuse to buy a more expensive one. ;)

P.P.S. In case someone wonders, the bedding is a mixture of hay and wood shavings. There is a thicker layer of bedding under her hut to give her room for digging in the nest. The bedding under the wheel is a layer of wooden cat litter pellets and some shavings to discourage her from digging there and to keep the wheel on "solid" ground. When I clean, I put the hay and the pellets first and then pour shavings on top --> the hay keeps the tunnels/structures in place. She also has some shredded toilet paper available in the 'candle-hut' which she takes into her nest to make it more comfortable.

Hanging Gardens of Helsinki

One of the bad sides of living in the centre of a city is that I don't have my own garden. Gardens are just great: they are made for walking, dreaming, reading in a hammock, playing, and of course, for telling and keeping secrets.

One of the practical sides of having a garden is having fresh herbs available for some yummy home cooking. Until I have enough money for a lovely house with a huge garden, I will have to do with this little fellow and its friends:

In time I plan to make a whole set of hanging baskets and put them all in my kitchen window (as this apartment doesn't have any windowsills). My own little hanging garden!

Reindeer pizza & crocheted beanies

This weekend I got into making crocheted beanies. A few years back making them was a really big hit and a lot of boys and girls (yes, boys, too!) who were into snowboarding made them, so they could have the kind of hats they wanted. The beanies I made are a bit more complicated than a simple striped crochet which you tend to see on snowboarding beanies (see eg. this Burton beanie or this one by Dana) but they still have the basic stripe motif in them, just a bit changed. They're also made of cotton wool which makes them good to wear when it is not so cold or under a helmet, as they give out moisture and cool the head. Maybe now that I got into this I will make some of wool, too, which will be warmer.

Here are the first two, going out as presents to members of my family:

size 60 cm, baggy fit

size 55 cm, slim fit

***

I also made some reindeer pizza this weekend! Noticed the other day when doing shopping that my grocery store sells frozen, thin-sliced reindeer meat. I've tried taking my food shopping towards a more nature and animal-friendly direction, trying to find not only organic fruit and vegetables but also organic beef and chicken. This is at times difficult, so I was happy about this, as the reindeer wonder freely in Lapland for most part of the year.

Yes, I know, giving up meat would be the best option but I find it SO hard to do... Eating only veggies, even soy/beans/other vegetarian foods high in protein just keep me hungry. :( But going there. Baby steps. :)

So, a fresh mozzarella - pepper - reindeer pizza going into the oven:

And coming out:

Within 15 minutes of taking this picture, the pizza was no more.

Random Paths

Last five months have been so stressful both in good and bad ways that I haven't been able to keep my promise to update this blog every two weeks. I wouldn't go as far as calling my life at the moment  (dis)stress-free, but it is going there, and I am content with my efforts to Slow Down & bring back the Big Calm.

I was walking the other day in Lauttasaari and took some photos. Winter has arrived in Finland, but unlike most Januaries, the sea hasn't frozen yet. Instead there is a combination of snow and a pale blue wintery light. I wish I was a better photographer, but for now, this will have to do:

Grey-blue and a hint of pink. 

Growing towards the light, I suppose.

In the midst of whiteness.

During a winter like this one, snow can stick to trees and rocks in funny ways. This tree has had snow blowing on it from two sides, while two others have been left untouched or been cleaned up by the wind. This tree, by the way, is a dead tree still standing, called kelo in Finnish. Apparently in English it is just a 'dead tree.' 

Luminen kelo / a snowy dead tree.

Searching for the term I discovered that "dead tree edition" is a pejorative term for a paper publication that has been already published online. As a printed book lover I must protest. I find books to be much more alive than any pdf or web page. A book one can put in a shelf is not just an information container, it is a friend with thoughts. Yes, printing books means cutting down trees, but once a book has been printed it can be read for centuries without any extra cost to the environment. Bits are much more untrustworthy. They disappear the minute there is a power failure.

When you look at a recently keloed tree closely, you can see the bark peeling off. 

The Harry Potter stone.

Sometimes snow can reveal something that might have gone unnoticed. I wonder if Voldy and his supporters had anything to do with this:

Trees in the water.

Life is not always fair. Actually, I find it to be mostly unfair. These trees might feel the same... Or then they're just into winter swimming, something worth trying if you've never done it. Remember to take a sauna first! 

***

I've made very few items lately. The one below was inspired by, well, me receiving the materials and instructions to it as a Christmas present. From my dad! (Well, mum helped). 

The bag is made by crocheting a weft (or a fill, kude in Finnish), something which can be made from old cotton clothes by cutting them into slices to make rugs. Menita shop sells packages which contain two rolls of weft, a big wooden crochet hook and the instructions to this bag. 

The buttons are from my late grandma's collections and were added to make the bag more interesting. If you look closely, the seemingly randomly placed buttons are actually connected to each other with orange yarn... A very random path, but it looks good, at least to my eye.

Sail, sail, sail your boat, gently across the sea...

I grew up in Haukilahti which is a by-the-sea suburban area in Espoo, near Helsinki. As a kid I got used to seeing sailboats on the way to the beach. I loved the sight: they looked so gracile and upright, waiting to go out there and face the world. My family didn't sail and I secretly envied those who did - and really could not understand all the complaining some friends did about having to spend several weeks on a boat during the summer.

This year I got a chance to make up for all the envy, as a friend of mine asked me to go sailing with him. We did a few shorter trips around Helsinki archipelago - loved it - and then decided, much owing to my puppy-eyed look, to sail across the sea to Estonia for an extended weekend. This was nothing new to my friend, as he had done it already several times this summer, but I eagerly waited my Great Escape to Tallinn and Naissaar, our destinations of choice.

We left Friday afternoon. As suspected, the wind wasn't really strong enough to cross the Gulf of Finland, so we sailed to Stora Herrö island instead, and spent the night there. In other words my friend slept like a baby and I spent the night listening to the banging and clanging sounds - this was my first night ever on a boat and I was far too excited about it to sleep. :)

The next day we headed to Tallin. On the way we saw

Helsinki from a distance - looks like a small town in the middle of a forest! :D

Some baby boats having a field trip ;)

Tallinn Lighthouse

and a beautiful sunset.

We spent the night at Pirita Harbour, the site for the sailing competitions in the 1980 Moscow Olympics. The harbour looks quite normal...

until you look to the left.

Now where did the pyramid come from?!

On Sunday we enjoyed some swimming and sauna at the nearby spa before continuing to Naissaar. If you already clicked the link and went to Wikipedia, you know it used to be a military area during the Soviet rule. This part of the history had been preserved quite creatively in my opinion. My favourite was perhaps

The flagpole with a mine pedestal.

 Naissaar was also a very beautiful place, with

a beautiful beach

and a sheltered harbour.

There are ferries running to Naissaar and two other islands from Tallinn, so even if you don't have friends with sailboats you can still visit them during the summer.

On Monday we headed back to Helsinki. The weather was gorgeous, with sun blazing from the clear sky yet with enough wind to enjoy a good ride back. All and all, there's nothing like relaxing on a sailboat on a sunny day! Even my cardigan agrees. ;)

One of my favourite creations of all time, which has been underused as the lower part used to roll up into my belly, since it didn't originally have a ribbing. Before the trip I added some layers of crochet to the bottom, thus making it sturdier and wind-proof. Made the garment much more usable and gave it a new life! :)

Oceans and islands on my skin

This weekend we did a road trip to Ruissalo, Turku with a group of friends to celebrate the birthday of one of us. Our destination was Sauna Obscura in Saaronniemi Beach. It's a floating sauna building with a wood-heated stove (or kiuas, as we call a sauna stove in Finnish), so you either have to take a boat there or even better, swim. What makes it extra special is that the sauna has two holes on its opposite walls, covered with a lense. Thus the sauna works like a giant box camera, or a camera obscura, projecting an upside-down image of the sea and the archipelago on the walls and the skin of the people bathing inside.

 We were lucky to have very nice weather, and thus a clear picture. Naturally we all swam in turns to a suitable spot outside the sauna and waved to our friends inside - some of us even did all the water tricks they knew. :) The sauna was a thoroughly delightful experience. You could feel the gentle waves of the Baltic sea while looking at sun playing on its surface in the sauna ceiling. Once you got hot, you could just step outside and jump into the sea to swim a for a while. Why can't every sauna be like this?!

To go with the theme of our surprise excursion, I made a bath/sauna gown as a present to the friend who we were celebrating. The model was taken from my mother's old sauna gown from the 1970s, I changed the colour though from bright orange to cream white. The birthday girl was very happy with both the surprise journey and her new garment. This was definately one of the best days of this summer!