February is not too early to start the piqnique season when you're dressed warm enough!! The husband unit and I decided winter is OVER and popped out the BBQ set from under the snow. To the amusement of our neighbors we went about roasting some beef completely ecstatic over a mere -5C and near tropical breeze. Winter is the best, no way around it, especially in the months before spring comes and the snow starts melting. It's getting better and better the closer we get to May, as the sun begins to radiate some actual heat.
This winter has been remarkable in many ways. I usually get a little droopy around November and December because of the dark, but this year I approached the winter gloom with a work-filled tactic, after some good advice from folks who've been living up here far longer than me.
Last autumn I asked people if they don't ever feel intimated by the coming polar night and it's unavoidable cabin fever, and the general consensus seemed to be "no, I thoroughly enjoy the only time of year when it's ok to be indoors and do indoor activities". In fact, most seemed to relish the fact that they would get to do all the crafting they could dream of while winter winds blazed outside, with zero regrets about wasting any "sunny weather" outside, which is non-existent at this latitude from December to January. Being on the Arctic Circle Rovaniemi gets it's fair share of the Polar Night too, you see. And so I tried the same, filled my nights with the company of loads of new crafts.
During my internship at Taito Lappi last autumn I learned weaving with a big loom. It's been a productive winter season since that, one major step forward being working on the SusiVilla concept and getting ready for Arctic Design Week 2015. Can't wait what all my products look like in actual daylight!!!
