The Great Market, Hometown love and hime.

Our town hold a few market days each year, autumn market, christmas market, the great market...etc. In my youth they were held at the market square, but that has not happened for a few years because they are building a shopping centre and parking lot below the market square. For a few years there was a three-story deep hole dug in the ground, but this spring they covered it up and soon they will be able to open it again. Before the digging, there was a shooting accident on the square, of which reminders (paint circles of where evidence was found) are still visible during summer..... A lot has happened in the  square over the years and you could say it's the heart of Kuopio.

Aerial view of the Market Place before the digging started. Image from uusisuomi.fi

The hole they dug for the shopping centre and parking space.

On the left of the Market Square you can see the Market Hall that is open year around. It's the only clearly Art Nouveau inspired building on the centre and one of my favourite places in Kuopio. If you ever come here, that's the place to visit. The Market Square has been in function from the 1818.
There had been a parking space already under the square, but they are making it bigger as Kuopio has grown since it was first built.

Kuopio Hall. Kuopio.fi

For the last few years they've held the Grand Market in the Kuopio Hall. It's nicer in the way that weather cannot affect going. Kuopio Hall is usually used by sports teams for training and sports competitions.

Well, I think that's enough of hometown love for one go. What about the kitsuke? I was inspired by the Go Hime! -project and as I wanted to take part, I went for a little hime-ish design in terms of dressing.

It was so bright out there! It was impossible to get good photos with my face towards the sun. Sorry about that...

It's the return of the green-grey stripe komon! Matched with silver nagoya and bright green accessories to celebrate the (slowly) coming spring! During easter it's traditional to have something bright green and yellow in your homes, so I added the bright green into my kitsuke. I would have wanted to get the Tavistock boots from American Duchess for this photoshoot, but what can you do?

I'm also wearing the shawl I knitted my self a few years back. It's silver grey with sparklies! Goes nicely with the obi. The had is made from the leftovers from the shawl. The hat has a golden ribbon that matches to the gold on the obijime and the obidome. I also wish I had had either a light yellow or green obiage... I think the white doesn't go very well with the rest of the kitsuke... I have teal ribbon on my hair.

Without the shawl and the hat. Being photobombed by our newest family member Veetu. You can see the Lucrezia cosplay behind me.

Yorkshire terrier obidome. Well actually it's a pin.

Bright green collar.

First time wearing one of these... It kept slipping all the time, but it felt nice and warm against my neck. And I kinda like it with this kimono.

And what was our haul? What you really go there to get is market liquorice or metre liquorice and pretzels. The liquorice is not actually metre long, only 0.5. We usually get the 12 pieces for 10e on liquorice with different tastes. This year we went for the bigger pretzel. The pretzel is more like a big bun shaped in the form of a prezel. It's very soft and sweet.

Bag full of liquorice.

The pretzel.

And just end this long post with cuteness: Here's our two kitties enjoying the sunny day.

Kiki

Veetu

As you can see our big boy can be hand fed, but this trick does not work on Kiki. She takes only by stealing it off your plate or from the couch. Here you can see the size difference between the two. Veetu is younger and a male so Kiki (the smaller one) is the Boss.

Kimono Challenge pt.1

Many have been doing this kimono challenge on their blogs, so I just might jump into the bandwagon finally. Original challenge was made by Kira Kira Kimono.

1. How did I hear about kimonos& first kitsuke toughts and stuff
2. My dearest kimono item(s)
3. My most used kimono item(s) (not counting jubans, datejimes etc.)
4. My least used kimono item(s)
5. My favourite coordination(s) so far
6. What things I like and what not in kimonos(&why)
7. Kimono confessions. Did you know that...
8. The massive want-to-buy-list(or in this situation what-I-would-like-to-buy-but-don't-have-enought-money-or-any-occassion-to-wear-it-list)
9. My biggest fears&wishes what comes to kimonos
10. My biggest inspirations in kimonos
11. My kimono collection
12. The evolution of my kitsuke

1. How did I hear about kimonos & first kitsuke thoughts and stuff

It must have been somewhere near 2006-2007 when I was first introduced to the world of kimono.  No, wait, it was in 2005 when the Memoirs of a Geisha came into the theatres. I was transfixed by the beauty of those garments even if the movie did not strike me. A year later I found Norio Yamanaka's the Book of Kimono from our local library and was transfixed. During the same year I stubled into the wonderful world of ImmortalGeisha and the IG forums.

So you could say my fascination to kimono started with the geisha. I wanted to know more of those beautiful ladies and the kimono they wear. You could still say that the sight of a trailing kimono sets my heart into a flutter.

My first kimono was handmade by me, practicly without any insctructions or know-how on kimono measurements. I don't have any photographic evidence on that time, but I do have some from my second time in kimono. And in public. Now I feel so shamed to see that I let myself go out looking like that.... (both outfits were made by me. That Kenshin outfit still is one of the best made costumes I've done. It seems that making clothes for this man always turn out looking good no matter how I bungle them.....)

First time in kimono.

Second time in kimono with hakama. Just because I did not own an obi.

My artwork project "hikizuri".

I bought my first actual yukata kimono in 2009, which started my kimono bying hiatus. If someone had told me that 4 years later I would be holding a closet full of silk kimono and obi and still thinking that I still don't have enought, I probably would not have believed. Or thought that my moneys would actually GET me a closet full of kimono.... I would also have not thought that I would even give a lecture on the subject, but I have, thrice! On both kimono and geisha! Even if one was reviewed by an anime magazine as "filling the space in the program"-lecture. I only did 6 months of gathering information and double checking everything (I had enough material for a 10h lecture which I squeezed into 4h). I still bristle everytime I think about it. I did give that 10h lecture before I squeezed it into the 4h timelimit.

But well, all that's in the past and now is the time to do the bi-annual kimono closet cleaning! Since I have them all stored in the same closet (and in one pile) I arrange them twice a year so that during the winter the thicker, lined kimonos are on the top, and during summer tha lighter, unlined kimonos get the place on top so I can easilly get them out of the closet. The obis are on top the whole year around.

When was the last time you rolled in your pile of kimonos? ;)

Kiki showing me the correct way of enjoying the lining of a kimono.