What Good Can Come Out of CoronaDrama

This blog was born as a result of two things. My dear Cat Taneli got sick, so I needed to figure out a way to have his vet fee covered. And I am in home quarantine like all Italy is right now. So I cannot go out without a good reason. I need to stay home and avoid all human contact. All human contact I have right now is to my vet, to whom I need to take Taneli once a day for his kidney therapy. I have a lot of knitting patterns, so I thought I might use the time to bring them available for everyone and to get Taneli to the vet. But then the idea expanded and this blog was born.

This current time is very challenging to all of us. Corona virus is a virus that spreads quickly and easily, and people may spread it without even knowing that they carry it. And they can forward it to the people, to whom it is lethal.

This is the reason all Italy is in lock down right now. We are told to avoid all unnecessary human contact to stop the virus from spreading. We are told to stay home and not to meet anyone. If we go out, we need to have a paper stating why we are out. We can go to grocery shopping, to pharmacy, to take the dog out and to work if it is absolutely necessary. Schools are closed. Most working places are closed. People work at home is possible, if not, they don't work. All bars, restaurants, shops, hairdressers etc. are closed. Only supermarkets and pharmacies are open.

The situation is very serious, and the government has not done this for light reasons. The Italian health care system is running at it's limits. We are in the verge of needing to make decisions on who gets treatment and who does not. There are not enough resources in intensive care in hospitals anymore.

One country after another is waking up to this reality. I hope many countries will follow Italy's lead and will not take this too lightly. The consequences will be serious for the economy when all services will stop. But it's the only way to stop the virus from spreading.

So I'm doing my part and staying at home as long as I'm needed. This way I hope to contribute to the health situation in the society and help the work of the doctors and nurses.

I'm following the news in Finland as corona virus spreads there and advising people to stay home already now as much as possible. I see the same happening there now what happened here 3 weeks ago. First people try to live as normally as possible, say "it's just a flue and if it comes it comes, we cannot avoid it" etc. Two weeks later everyone is ordered to stay at home, because it was not taken as seriously as it should have.

I can see the exactly same things happening now in Finland that I've seen happen in Italy. People are the same everywhere. First everyone buys large amounts of food and the supermarkets are almost empty. This is happening in Finland right now. A little word of comfort to people in Finland: the food is not running out and the supermarkets are still open even in Italy. Chill.

I also see people saying this is not serious and we don't need and we cannot to do anything to stop it. This is not true. This is not just another influenza. Watch Italy. Be smart. Also in Italy people lived their life normally saying the same. Until the hospitals got full and the government needed to force us stay in. The only way to stop this from spreading is to avoid contact until the epidemia finishes. Stay home. You will see how it goes. No influenza has ever caused the same kind of situation in hospitals. So stay home.

Staying alone at home as a single woman is not very easy. Everybody I know is staying home with their families. My family is 200 km away from me. I have no boyfriend, no husband, no children. But this really hits me in the face. It makes me stop and take a look inside. I'm taking this as a retreat. Meditating and trying to find things that bring me joy. I'm watching what this brings up from under the surface, to the light. This blog is one of these things.

Luckily I have my two dear cats to keep me company. And I have a lot of yarn. And I have a lot of ideas. So I take this possibility to contribute something good to this world. I have created this blog to share my ideas and thoughts about sustainable consuming, ethical and ecological fashion and everything related to that. I want to share ideas and inspiration about eco luxury lifestyle. Where you buy less, better quality and from companies that share your values. Something I have inside of me and that came out to the light along with this forced retreat combined with Taneli's illness.

I really don't think it's a coincidence that this blog first saw daylight when we are fighting corona virus. Corona virus makes us all think also about our consumer behaviour. I have noticed that people buy without going a second thought cheap stuff from China, posted to their home. They don't give a thought to the fact that for them to be able to buy this stuff so cheap, it means that someone must do work as underpaid to prepare the product. And the only worry is: "do I get corona virus when I order stuff from China?". How about the condition of the people working in the Chinese factories, possibly being sick by working?

This is one of the reasons I have created this blog. I want to rise conversation about sustainable consuming. I want to offer better solutions for consuming. Not by guilt, but by feeling good. Making concious choices and buying only things that make your heart beat. Not making decisions by lack. but by love.

I have studied as fashion designer, and when I studied the big change had just happened when almost all fashion factories were closed in Finland and the production had been transferred to Asia after cheaper prices. To me this idea sounded bad from the beginning: someone gets less money so that I could buy more. The value of clothing decreased. Clothing was no longer appreciated.

And don't get me wrong, I lived in this reality, too. But it also felt bad at the same time. I did it, I bought from H&M every month, and at the same time it was just filling a void and the shopping did not nurture me or make me happy. It made me feel a bit quilty. I was living against my heart and my values, because I did not know a better way.

I will talk more about this in becoming posts and videos, but why I mention this, is that I think corona virus may help us to stop and re-think our consuming. What happens to the nature and climate, when a large industrial area in China is forced to stop? Could we make the same affect by making better choices in our consuming habits in the future?

Could we maybe buy from local entrepreneurs, who work to get the food to the table, to pay their bills and maybe get their cat to the vet? And feel good about buying because the choice made this world a bit better place.

This blog was born on the day that my grandmother would have tuned 105 years. I also think this was not a coincidence. She was like my second mother and she was the one who taught me how to knit. She was very good in it and I feel like I learned from the best.

Knitting was very uncool in the 80's and 90's when I sat at home doing it with my granny, but now we can see it's the new sexy! Knitting is slow fashion at it's best, and in my blog I want to share my creations for you to enjoy and get inspired.

I also share ideas for sustainable and ecological yarn options. Knitting is slow fashion at it's best, and crafts work is very valuable. I value my work - and this planet - by choosing high quality yarns. No plastic, all natural fibres, ethically and ethically produced.

I believe that even in the hardest time something good can be born. We can always find positive things and bring love into this world, especially in the hard times.

I'm taking this isolation as a time to look inside of myself. I'm studying myself and bringing out to the world the things I find in me. This blog is my voice and one of the things I want to express. It's based on my values, thoughts and ideas. I hope you enjoy reading this blog and I welcome you here wholeheartedly. And by buying my knitting patterns, you will have something nice to do if you are isolated as well, and you will insure that Taneli gets the therapy he needs.

With love,
Heidi

PS. The pictures in this post are from a trip I took last spring. I miss the sea, I miss the sun, I miss my friends. That time will come again. Right now this is one of the best memories I have from last year, so I wanted to share it with you.