Unraveling the Craft: A Journey through Annikki's Crocheting Art - Part 4

Annikki has another skill which surfaced publicly rather late in life. I only realised it when I saw my lungis slowly disappearing. 

Annikki's evening relaxation, crocheting

Annikki crocheting art phase with -  a flower.

I had brought many lungis with me when we moved from India to Finland. It is my most comfortable nightwear.

The best lungis I had were all 110 count made by a Rotarian friend’s company (Mohamed Aboobacker) from Madurai in Tamilnadu called ”Chank Brand”.

Chunk Brand lungi from Tamilnadu.

The crocheting process is described in this Wikipedia entry.

A crochet needle.

Every visit to India I used to bring back a couple of lungis, although they are long lasting. Periodically, there were mishaps and they could get torn. But I preserved them as the fabric was supersoft and I was emotionally attached to them.

After my heart failure, Annikki kept a watchful eye over me. She restricted her outdoor activities, as gardening, and even her  cake making days had been done and dusted. 

She needed another creative art form. She  discovered crocheting.

Like a small child, she started with simple shapes as discs. She cut up torn clothes into strips and using a single crochet needle, she crocheted small items.

A crocheted sofa seat cover 

A crocheted table piece.

A crocheted basket and flowers.

Then, using different colours, she started to do patterned designs.

The next phase was to bring shapes into play. Small baskets were made, first cylindrical and then tapered. She started to mix the colours.

Introduction of colour.

A multi-coloured crochet basket.

Colours make crocheted baskets alive.

A tapered crocheted basket container.

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Shapes crochet experimentation.

Crocheted basket.

Crocheted basket with eggs.

Crocheted baskets.

Different crocheted shapes.

Cocheted cups and saucers set.

One this was done Annikki created flowers and leaves to give variety to her crocheting.

Not satisfied with that she started different shapes as mice, dogs, cats, birds and arranged them in humorous sets.

Tomatoes in crocheted bowl and a crocheted turtle.

Crocheted duck with eggs.

Crocheted duck holding pears.

Crocheted Christmas tree.

Crocheted dead bird.

Crocheted mouse.

Crocheted cat drinking milk.

A crocheted mouse.

Crocheted cat, dog, mouse and dead bird.

Crocheted cat drinking milk with a dead bird lying next to it.

Crocheted cat drinking milk

A crocheted bonnet.

Crocheted elephant's foot

Crocheted butterfly.

Crocheted flower basket.

Gift-wrapped crocheted floral gift.

Crocheted flowers 

She decided that she would use a new material

for crocheting. Annikki found waste plastics film

was a good possibility.  

Dragonfly crocheted from waste plastics.

When she  decided she would have some fun. 

She knew my nickname in school was “dead chicken” as I had drowned during a school picnic. The teacher who pulled me out, took me to the shore hanging me upside down by my feet. My good friend, Viney Sethi, gave me this nickname.

Crocheted dead chickens!!

Annikki produced two dead chickens as Mr. & Mrs. Dead Chicken. These adorn our living room to this day.

To Annikki, crocheting was a form of art where she could take some rags and make them into useful useful objects. 

Finns have specialised in using rags for making rough carpets, but forAnnikki it became a fun art project. 

I tried to persuade her into converting her hobby into a business, but she would have none of it.

After I saw her amazing versatility of crocheting, one year I sent a Christmas gift to my friends around the world which showcased Annikki’s crocheting ability.

Finally, I came down to one solitary lungi. 

When a young student was travelling to Oulu to

join Oulu Univrrdity, I asked his father to send me a couple of Chank Brand lungis.

I never thought in Punjab he would find something which is so SoNuth Indian and especially the Muslims of north Kerala.

To my surprise, Amit Arora's son Aloukik,  turned up with two great 110 count Chank Brand lungis.

I use these as my nightwear. 

These days, I am extra careful as I sleep with my extra lungis under my pillow! You an never trust Annikki if she finds she has new material, my lungis, for her hobby! :-)

Sand castles at Kampitie

Over the years, Annikki has created a beautiful sea side scenario at Kampitie that the kids feel that they are actually at a beach. The sand has been carted over the years from the sea shore bvy Annikki and me with a lot of help from Samuel.

This summer they enjoyed many many hours of playing in the sand pit area.

Some cats in the neighbourhood thought the main sand pit area was ideal for their personal purposes.

To protect the area, Annikki created a kota (a Laplanders wigwam) out of chicken mesh. She covered the outside with a colourful cloth which made it look like a wigwam.

The two older kids, Samuel and Asha, had a better use for that wigwam.

As Daniel was jumping all over their lovely sand castles, they enticed him to play in the wigwam, while they had free reign over the rest of the sandy beach area.

Cats out, Daniel in!

A day before Daniel and Samuel left for England, Asha and Samuel created an entire sand castle area, each their own. It took hours to build and i watched them work so diligently building their own areas, trading land to extend their own kingdoms.

It is now over two weeks since Samuel and Daniel left, We have had a very stormy early autumn with plenty of rain. However, the sand castle village created by the two grandchildren has weathered the worst of this storm.



Now, as the autumn leaves are coming down, it is time to rake down the village.

I went out this sunny morning to record the state of things. I was surprised to see how strong the constructions, which are still standing, the kids had created are!

Annikki was especially insistent that this scene should be captured for posterity.