Himmeli

As if there would not be enough to do with completing the world before the Holidays, also DIY spirit seems to magically strengthen during that time. In the beginning of December 2016, Minna got and idea to make a himmeli (FI), a traditional mobile decoration made of straws. So a few nights before Christmas, Minna and her cousin Anu had a small himmeli workshop. Neither with prior experience on working with delicate straws, a relatively straightforward model was chosen to start with - Ostrobothian (Pohjalaanen) Himmeli, from Eija Koski's book Himmeli (highly recommended, if you master Finnish).

Instructions for Ostrobothian himmeli (by Eija Koski)

In addition to great instructions and a lot of enthusiasm, a pile of straws cut to measure, long needles, some soft bamboo string, mulled wine and chocolate were the key components of this project.

Materials and mulled wine

The first minutes felt slightly challenging but in the end, it was easier (and faster) than expected. Yes, some invisible tape was needed to fix a few glitches here and there, but surprisingly it was not too complicated. The trickiest step was to combine six diamonds together to create the basic shape. 

Six diamonds

Careful, careful!

It was a great night! Craftwork, good company and very satisfactory end result. A perfect way to switch off from daily routines. Altogether four Ostrobothnians were made. Kindly enough, Anu donated one of hers to complete the series of three, which now hangs from the living room ceiling.

Three Ostrobothians

Inspired by the initial success, the Himmeli team has already agreed on the next project. Also, the downstairs guest room has an empty corner which is just screaming to host a himmeli...