Summer favourites
Here we are again - it’s August. Evenings are getting slowly darker, I have spotted the first golden birch leaves on the grounds. Those are just a few hints that something is changing. Again. I often feel a slight unease with the constant change. I know that’s how this beautiful life if ours works, but I can’t shake that feeling of just getting the hang of something when it’s time to speed to the next phase. It feels both beautiful and bittersweet to me.
Today I wanted to take a little look back to really appreciate this wonderful summer so far. Often for us in Finland summer break is most of July (in the most common way), and the school year ends in early June and starts again mid August. This year school starts are happening most commonly this week. Now that I have two grown up boys, this is the first August when no one in the close family is staring school. That feels super weird to me and also feels like I’m missing out on one of the clear pacers or rhythms of the year. Add in the fact that I’m self-employed, I often feel unattached to many everyday schedules.
But let’s get back to this summer! Because it’s so easy to dive right back to work and not take a moment to appreciate all the wonderful things summer had to offer. I didn’t really take full time off, but I did do a lot of things away from home, and even more things away from my office (read: a cupboard).
This summer was my big summer of music. As you might have guessed on some of the blog posts and even more so if you happen to follow me on Instagram (where by the way you can find me @veerarain, if you haven’t already!). Last winter I took out my violin, formed a lovely little folk music group Allikko with my two friends and practiced weekly throughout the winter and spring. I had taken a full 20 year break from playing and it took quite a while for me to get the hang of it. Not to mention that I wasn’t a true master to begin with. But it felt so inspiring that I kept playing, practicing and learning. And most of all I really enjoyed music again. More than I had in years probably.
We performed in Kaustinen Folk Music Festival with Allikko, we played for friends and family. It added a whole new level to the music, being on stage and playing for someone else than just the group. I also volunteered to play at any occasion where music felt appropriate, in funerals and graduations alike. I now have a small repertoire of a bit of everything: from Bach to mid-century jazz and modern rock. I also had the honour to join Teemu Kettunen band a couple of times, once with a full rock band setup. How cool is that?! During this summer I saw so many performances and gigs that I don’t think I’ve ever seen before in just mere two months. With each one I got more and more inspired to play more, learn more. I even bought myself a bass guitar. I’m excited to learn a completely new instrument.
But how about knitting, you might ask? Well yes, I definitely have not forgotten about my actual work. I have however made the two worlds meet, my music and my knitting, especially with my Allikko Vest! That little slipover was the perfect opportunity for me to combine these two, and at the same time to make our little group look extra special. I just love love love that little design so much. And it worked so well on stage too!
What I haven’t done is to get a ton of new patterns out. So no, this was not the year for all the summer knits. Maybe next summer is my year for that? But I do have a few new ones: of course the Allikko Vest but also my Tide Tee, a collaborations with Aara Yarn and Ilo Yarn shop. And more patterns are being finalised as I’m typing this! Not super summery, but we are headed to the autumn anyway, aren’t we…
All this reminiscing also brought to my attention, that you also might be noticing the subtle change of the season and maybe you are looking for something new to cast on? So I thought that this will be a great time to have a little sale! Summer Sale is now happening: with code SUMMER you will get a 20% discount on all purchases over 10€! Same code works here in the shop as well as on my Ravelry store. Sale continues all week long, until the end of Sunday August 16th, 2026.
A list of things that I think would be prefect to cast on right now are:
April Scarf (perfect little number, and stripes always feel a bit summery to me)
Tide Tee (well, it is perfect for late summer evenings)
Socks - any socks! Because we all need socks, always!
Hope your summer was at least as fun as mine! I can’t believe I didn’t even get to all the bike rides and swims and other sports I did over the past months…
