Mittens, both finished and Finnish.

The first Folky Mitten (Ravelry link) is done:
Please note that this is the palm side of the mitten -- find that thumb! I am also pleased to report that I'm nearly up to the finger decreases on the second one. There will be no talk of the ten million ends that need to be sewn in. None.

Being nearly finished a pair of mittens is a very fortunate place to be for all concerned, really. Look what came in the mail last week:
This is the much-coveted Haavisto mitten book, originally published in Finland way back in the middle of the last century. Naturally, I fell in love with it at first sight.

Now the challenge was how to actually get my hands on the book. I knew it was in Finnish (which I unfortunately can't read) but had fantastic charts, and I had picked up in passing that it was out of print. Ok, I thought, this might complicate things a little. This is clearly evidence of how the Internet and its ability to provide me with myriad far-flung rarities has skewed my perception.

Imagine my shock and amazement when I read (in my own mitten community, of all places!) that Anne (Ravelry link) -- she blogs here -- had access to reprinted copies of the book and was offering to send them to mitten enthusiasts around the globe. I immeadiately contacted her and in a few short days (Finnish post is fast!) I had my copy in my hands. It is a fabulous book, and I expect it to keep me busy for quite some time. Socks may even end up taking a back seat to mittens this summer.