Tänään on joulu. Tai ei, parempi kuin joulu. Palaan Belgian reissuu ja kansainväliseen neulontaa myöhemmin, mutta nyt on joulu.

Today it's Christmas. Or no, better than Christmas. I'll return to my trip to Belgium and international knitting later on, but now it's Christmas.

The Knitters' Tea Swap - The best ever!!! Lani from Norfolk was my pal. I sent my package at the beginning of June, a very Finnish package. Mine had come yesterday, the post man had left a note as I was still travelling back home (BTW, remind me to tell you about the light summer nights of Finland - last night I arrived home at 1.10 on a bus which drove through the countryside, and it was still light! And sooooo beautiful.). Today I rushed to the post office to receive my first ever American package. The box was biiiig. The Finnish customs hadn't opened it but stamped "tullivapaa" (duty free) on it. Opening it was.... amazing, full of ooohs and aaaahs, delightful, I am speechless:

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Chocolate and biscuits! I've been sniffing the packets and in a moment I'll make myself some tea and go to enjoy these delicacies into the garden.

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I'll make the tea of one of these....but which shall I taste first?!? They smell fantastic. The big packet on the back has a wide variety of different kind of teas. The cute and adorable little metallic boxes in the front - I could be smelling those for the rest of the evening! And I'm already planning what to put into them after the tea has been drunk :)

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The yarns! You do know me well, Lani! These are just the right ones. The white Knitpicks merino is made for dyeing - though I'm afraid of spoiling it.... The red is Jagger merino silk - definitely a scarf! Lovely Christmas red. And the green - like you wrote on the card - I do love it! So soft and the shades of green are sooooo me.

Thank you ever so much for being my pal, Lani!

ps. If you ever want more of that Emperor's Bride - tell me!