Guest Post: Sirpa Hytönen, Bitten by the Virkkukoukkunen Bug

You customers are a joy and blessing to us! This time our guest writer is one of you – Virkkukoukkunen's long-time customer, the wonderful life-affirming Sirpa Hytönen. She wears Koukkunen's clothes both at work and in her free time and knows which dresses are flexible enough for folk dancing and suitable for parties, which clothes are perfect for work, and which are comfortable for exercising. She rejoices in the fact that the clothes put her in a good mood and also bring joy to her surroundings!

Without further ado, please welcome Sirpa, the stage is yours!

Here Sirpa is wearing the lovely Hulmuhelma maxi dress

Hello to all you wonderful friends of Virkkukoukkunen!

I'm an almost 60-year-old cheerful, genuine Imatra native. I was born and raised here, but during my youth, I took a nearly 20-year detour at the end of the highway, but my roots pulled me back to my home grounds.

Now I've been bustling here as a return migrant for almost 20 years, and I won't leave except feet first to Karhumäki cemetery. But before we go there, we'll take all the joy out of life here.

Here Sirpa is wearing Virkkukoukkunen's classic pattern Liitu

I'm a nurse, a resource-oriented work supervisor, and a solution-focused neuropsychiatric coach, but at the moment I work as a guide for elderly people, which is a matter close to my heart. I live in Tuulikallio with my husband, as the children are already adults and on their own. Besides health and family, home and interior decoration are important to me. My passion has always been, surprise surprise, clothes. I have, so to speak, always had many balls in the air, as my free time is filled with acting at Ahola Summer Theater, folk dancing in two groups, Martha Organization (a Finnish home economics organization) activities, and in addition, I lead various craft courses for different target groups. The latest conquest is maintaining craft groups on social media. At home, I have one room just for crafting, and I spend all the time I can spare there. I also make dollhouses and decorate them. Paper crafting is close to my heart, so close that I went to Jyväskylä at this old age for a year's training on the subject :D.

Koukkunen's leggings are also good for exercising!

For over ten years now, these Virkkukoukkunen clothes have brightened and cheered up my life. It all started when I was temporarily unemployed and sent Tiina a message saying that if you need a cheerful person to help at the boutique, there's one here. The next morning I got a message to come by. I got to work there with joy for a few months, and that's when the Koukkunen bug bit me at full force. As a summer person, colors and cheerfulness are absolutely irreplaceable empowering elements in life all year round.

If I feel down, upset, or winter comes, I put on a Kukkaralla or Virityskuva dress, and voilà, my mood starts to brighten.

I fell completely in love with the material of these clothes! They're like a gift from heaven for someone like me who forever suffers from menopausal symptoms. They're so beautifully designed for the Finnish body type that any small extra curves in the body nicely disappear under the clothes. For me, domestic production is important, I want to support local entrepreneurship, and above all, quality!

I no longer have the problem of what to wear, as these dresses and tunics are suitable for just about anything.

I wear them daily at work to brighten the lives of seniors; they always have fun guessing in the morning what color code and pattern I have today:

"Are the cats in Kelpokolttu on a pink, green, or gray background, or are they jumping across the entire pattern in the sweatshirt dress? Is Kukkaralla blue, red, or green today? Are the flowers mega or maxi-sized? Is Sirpa glowing today in the heart pattern, or is there some official meeting today, as Sirpa is dressed in black and white Kaleidoskooppi or Maxikumu outfit? Or do we get to sit with a Proper Crowd all day today?"

Here Sirpa is decked out in the Porukalla pattern

I've even gone to sad occasions in a Koukkunen tunic; the black and white small-patterned ones are also stylish for more dignified celebrations. In the large peacock pattern, I found an absolutely lovely Luottoleninki, with which I also stepped gracefully to a gala event, and it was wonderful to also complement my husband's formal attire with a tie and pocket square of the same pattern. I've always been so meticulous about my dressing being a complete ensemble, and these Koukkunen products are as if made for me. In addition to clothes, I always get jewelry and bags of the same pattern, and now I just noticed that footwear is also coming!!!!!

Kumu pattern

The beloved Riikinkukko (Peacock) pattern is perfect for those in love!

I just returned from a nearly 4-month caravan trip across Europe, and it was wonderful to proudly delight people in different countries with colorful clothes. They were certainly noticed and highly praised. Although the dresses were sufficient as clothing on the trip, I also got to use the Halaus hoodie jacket on cool evenings. And on some days when I couldn't be bothered to style my hair, the Solmupanta headband or the versatile Lirpukka scarf saved the day.

The Kukkaralla pattern has had many variations over the years

I'm eagerly waiting to pick up the Hiipula jacket I reserved in the fall, as it goes so well with my favorite dress, Toivehulmu Paradise <3. I'm really looking forward to summer so that the Kukkaa pukkaa summer dress and many other lovely summer dresses will get used.

I must also say that these clothes are so timeless and durable that no other clothes besides Virkkukoukkunen's will come into my wardrobe anymore!

Wishing a lovely spring and summer anticipation to everyone,

Regards, Sirpa Hytönen

P.S. I do have just under 40 of those dresses ;D ..... and then the jackets, jerseys, bags, and jewelry..... I love it!