Wandering Estonia's Countryside - Part 1

When I was ready to leave Tallinn, I chose to rent a car for a few days so I could make stops and visits that would be hard to do via public transportation. Although I did not request GPS Navigation in my rental car, there it was. The good news? I didn't pay extra for it AND it spoke English!

My first stop was in Raasiku. I had read about the Aade Lõng yarn factory located 30 minutes outside of Tallinn. The address listed on the Aade Lõng website is Teemeistri tee 1 but it is actually located at Teemeistri tee 4. GPS works better with accurate information.

Inside the Aade Lõng building, I met Reet who works there and speaks English. After showing me the shop, she was very sweet and also gave me a tour of the factory. They were in the process of spinning their slow-grading rainbow-colored yarn on one set of equipment and on a second set of equipment, they were spinning their white-to-gray-to-black yarn.

Rainbows in the making

After Raasiku, I made a short stop in Paide. Paide's claim to fame is that world-renowned composer Arvo Pärt was born there. I have read on estonianworld.com that he is the "world's most performed living composer." Besides seeing a museum in the restored 6-story castle tower, I visited a music park honoring Arvo Pärt and noticed a musical mural in the neighborhood.

From there I drove to Türi to visit Saara Publishing. My GPS had a little trouble finding Saara, but I stopped in a shop when I saw a sign for käsitöö (that magic word meaning handicraft). Although the clerk spoke no English, when I said Saara, she drew a map and I found my way to a cute building in a nice residential neighborhood. Saara Publishing is the source of many wonderful Estonian knitting books. Besides books, they also carry yarn and needles.

This was still the first day with my car, but I found time for one more stop on my way to Viljandi. I pulled into Olustvere manor house and grounds where I had attended the Estonian Craft Camp in 2014. It was nice to have a walk around and remember the fabulous time I had there. Find my prior blog post about craft camp here. Estonian Craft Camp will be held in Viljandi this year from July 8-14. You can find information at www.kultuur.ut.ee/en/craft-camp.

On the Olustvere grounds

During my stay in Viljandi, I took a short drive to Heimtali Museum located just 10 km (6 miles) away. On my first visit to Estonia in 2005, I had participated in the Nordic Knitting Symposium, which was held at Heimtali. I was also at Heimtali in 2013 when I attended a conference on Traditional Knitted Sweaters Around the Baltic Sea and went to a craft market (my blog post here). It's a lovely place in the countryside, has many historic textiles on display, and I love the welcoming hand-painted mitten fence!

I arrived shortly after opening and met Marla, who has worked at Heimtali for 20 years. She pulled out a variety of tapestries to show me and I had a chance to view the glove, mitten, and sock exhibit that was on display for the 2018 Nordic Knitting Symposium taking place the following month.

Marla then invited me to join her for coffee and we walked across to one of the other buildings on the property. The baker had been busy making pumpkin buns for a group that was coming to the museum in the afternoon. We had a butter and egg spread with the buns and also some rhubarb cake. That was quite a bit of food for "coffee" and I didn't need lunch after that!

Marla, my museum guide

and coffee companion

A Knitter's Guide to Filling Your Shopping Cart in Tallinn

My 2018 trip that included a knitting retreat in Kurzeme, Latvia, began in Tallinn, Estonia. I had friends to visit, bookshops to wander, and museums to explore. Let's talk about the shops. I'm not much of a shopper, but I have my weaknesses: yarn, books, and handicrafts.

We'll start with handicrafts! Handicrafts can mean anything from chintzy trinkets to high-quality products made by master craftsmen or women. There are a number of quality handicraft shops around Tallinn, but my four favorites are all run by the Estonian Folk Art and Craft Union. Each one is unique. The magic words are Eesti Käsitöö which mean "Estonian handicraft." If you don't have much time, start at the shop at Pikk 22. In addition to the main shop, there is a backroom that has a changing exhibit and a lower level with Riina Tomberg's knitwear workshop and a couple of other small workshops.

I've had a knitting workshop on Kihnu mittens with Riina, who is a fabulous teacher and artisan. Riina has written a book titled Vatt, Troi, Vamsa - Knitted Jackets from West-Estonian Islands, which I own. I'm happy to say that my husband and I each own a Riina Tomberg designed sweater. We're fans! I'm always delighted when she is in her workshop and I have a chance to visit with her.

Riina in her workshop

Riina Tomberg Designs

In addition to the Eesti Käsitöö shop at Pikk 22, there are three more locations: Vene 12, Lühike jalg 6a, and Kopli 1 in the Balti Jaama Turg (Train Station Market). You can find additional information at: 

www.folkart.ee

I like to pick up a Handicraft map when I arrive, either from the Tourist Information Center or from one of the Eesti Käsitöö shops. Each year the cover of the map looks different and the shop information is updated. The map includes shop names, addresses, and a description of what products they carry. This is the cover of  a recent map.

Yarn shops, of course, are important. Those who are looking for traditional 8/2 wool yarn for mitten knitting will find it at a number of shops. Each of the four Eesti Käsitöö shops listed above carries some yarn. Other shops that carry yarn in Tallinn include: Jolleri Handicraft Chamber (käsitöökamber) at Müürivahe 11, Alberto at Vana-Viru 11a, Domus Linum at Müürivahe 29, Liann Longad in Viru Keskus (shopping center) at Viru väljak 4/6, and Wool and Woollen at Tartu mnt 60D. For an incredible shopping experience, go to Karnaluks at K. A. Hermanni 1. Karnaluks is a "notions" store carrying knitting needles, buttons, ribbons, yarn, and so much more. The shop is located about 2.4 km (1.5 miles) from the Old Town. You will be overwhelmed, but in a good way! Take a look at their website to get an idea of what they sell:

https://shop.kl24.ee/

As I wandered the bookshops of Tallinn, I located some new books that I wanted to pick up:

• Triangular Knitted Shawls by Siiri Reimann is nicely done with a separate packet of enlarged charts on extra-large paper that pull out of a folder. I purchased this book in Haapsalu.
• A lovely small book by Siiri Reimann titled How to Knit a Haapsalu Shawl is just 35 pages long in a smaller paperback format. That makes it perfect to carry in your knitting bag for quick reference, as it contains all of the essential information for Haapsalu lace knitting.
• I already had Aino Praakli's Estonian Mittens All Around the World, but I found her newer book, Estonian Patterns All Around the World, and picked it up.
• I found and purchased a small 40-page booklet at a museum shop on Estonian National Symbols. You can find a pdf of this booklet on the web at Estonian National Symbols pdf.

My favorite bookshops in Tallinn carry fiber-related books and/or English-language books about Estonia:

• Rahva raamat has two locations in or near Old Town, one at Pärnu mnt 10, and another in Viru Keskus at Viru väljak 4/6 (shopping mall, 3rd & 4th Floors)
• Apollo in Solaris shopping center at Estonia pst 9
• Estonian History Museum Shop in Börsi Käik (Börsi passage is a little one block long walkway)
• Raamatukoi is a used book store at Harju 1a, right across from Tourist Info, where you might just get lucky and find a special treasure

And then there are shops selling food. Sometimes for lunch, I'm just looking for something quick and light. I'm busy wandering around and don't want to take the time to sit down for a meal. I'm looking for a grocery store to pick up some yogurt and fruit (and chocolate). Two of the most common grocery stores that I have seen are Rimi and Selver. Keep a lookout - you'll easily find them. As for chocolate, you'll find the Estonian brand Kalev. Although my go-to flavor is milk chocolate (or dark chocolate) with chopped hazelnuts, a friend introduced me to white chocolate with rice crisp and blueberry, and it was delightful. I'll definitely have that flavor again!

I Can't Get Enough of Haapsalu

Although I traveled with my friend Signe to Haapsalu on Saturday, I made another trip to Haapsalu on Monday. I had wanted to meet with Siiri Reimann, author of a number of books on Haapsalu lace. She was out of town on Saturday, so we made plans to meet on Monday instead. Siiri and I first met in 2013 and I wrote about my visit on my blog here.

The Haapsalu Lace Center is closed on Mondays, but that is where Siiri and I met. She had a friend who joined us and translated, which made it easy for us to communicate. During our visit, a new exhibit was being set up at the lace center - the work of Linda Elgas, a master knitter who has been awarded the title of Estonian Heritage Keeper. I was able to purchase Siiri's latest book, Triangular Knitted Shawls, and have her sign it. She also demonstrated and explained (with the help of our translator) some special tricks to use when knitting nupps (rhymes with soups). Nupps are Estonian bobbles used in lace knitting.

Siiri Reimann, me, and her latest book

In addition to my visit with Siiri, I had time to see two exhibits. One exhibit was at the library. It was the Travelling Exhibition "Heritage Lives!" It was presented by the Estonian Folk Culture Centre. The exhibition included a display about Kihnu homespun striped skirts, Muhu dialect, Seto village feast celebration (kirmas), and more. You can find more about this exhibit on the Folk Culture Centre's website.

The second exhibit was in the Cultural Center. I happened to see a poster about the exhibit when I was walking down Posti, the main street. In celebration of 100 years of Estonian independence, the exhibit showed "Estonia through 100 pairs of eyes." One hundred Estonians were pictured; one person born in each year from 1918 through 2017. Each photo was accompanied by the name of the person, date of birth, and a little information about the person.

One of the pictured Estonians was someone I'm definitely familiar with - Aino Praakli, a well-known knitter and author of knitting books.

My return trip to Haapsalu was well worth it!

Lacy Days and Busy Nights - at Estonian Museums

I had a date set up with my friend Signe for the Saturday after I arrived. We planned to go together to Haapsalu and visit the Haapsalu Lace Center/Haapsalu Shawl Museum. We started out early enough so that we could stop at another small museum just a little bit off our route - Harjumaa Museum in Keila. There was an exhibit of national costumes including costumes from Signe's parish.

Signe at Harjumaa Museum

In Haapsalu, we met with Aime Edasi, co-author with Siiri Reimann of books on Haapsalu lace. We belatedly celebrated Aime's birthday with a treat of black bread and ramps (edited from rampion to ramps) spread as well as a festive torte! I'd never had rampion spread before but it was green and had a nice fresh, springy flavor. The torte, of course, was delicious!

Aimee Edasi with me and some lace swatches

The lace center has many sample swatches of lace patterns displayed on the walls, garments made of lace or incorporating lace, and a shop selling lace shawls in many colors although white is the traditional color for shawls. Shawls are packaged in boxes and displayed very nicely. Most of the shawls are priced at €105-110.

After coffee, eating, chatting, and knitting, as well as viewing all of the lace on display, Signe and I took a walk to and along the seaside and then headed back towards Tallinn. On the way back we stopped at the Ants Laikma Museum before it closed at 5:00 pm (check their website for current closing times). Ants Laikma was a painter/artist who built an unusual house outside of Haapsalu. The house was built in a "folk-romantic" style.

Apparently that wasn't enough for one day, because it turned out that I was lucky enough to be in Tallinn for the annual Night of Museums (Muuseumiöö). It took place from 6 to 11 pm on May 19, 2018. Many museums have free access and also special programs on this special night. I had looked over the website ahead of time and had chosen some specific events for which I was able to make reservations. At 8 pm, I took an hour-long English tour of the Tallinn Museum of Orders of Knighthood. My Estonian guide was the museum's curator who lives in Finland. Of course, the Order of the Golden Fleece was one of my favorites!

Order of the Golden Fleece

I visited the Carved Stone museum which is located underground with access just down from the Freedom Monument. I also had time for the Tallinn Art Hall (located on Freedom Square) which had an art exhibit that I viewed.

Then it was time for my next reservation - a 10 pm concert at the NUKU Museum. The NUKU is a puppet theater and although the concert was not in English, I figured that I could appreciate music and puppets in any language. Some of it was rather avant-garde but my favorite part was when three singers sang from windows above a courtyard where we, the concert-attendees, were seated. The singers were accompanied by an electric guitar.

I made it home before midnight, but it was a very full (and fun) day!

If this is your first visit to Tallinn, I would recommend some of the following museums and buildings, which I have seen on other visits: Estonian History Museum (this would be my top pick!), Estonian Museum of Applied Art and Design, Rocca Al Mare Open Air Museum, Kumu Art Museum, Town Hall, and the Song Festival Amphitheatre. On my list for this year is the Vabamu Museum of Occupations and Freedom.

The Main Event

As I look forward to another travel adventure in 2019, I look back on 2018 when, once again, I had an opportunity to visit Estonia and Latvia. The main event that took me there was a Knitting Retreat in the Kurzeme region of Latvia. Senā Klēts, the National Costume Center in Riga, organized the retreat and 23 knitters from nine countries participated.

The 5-day retreat took place at the end of May, which was a beautiful time of year to be in the coastal town of Liepaja. We had knitting workshops each day.

Knitting class with musical accompaniment

There were cultural activities including music, dancing, some translated theater, and opportunities to learn more about the region's national costumes and customs.

Latvian national costumes of Rucava

Latvian ladies in national costume from Liepaja

teaching us dance moves!

We experienced our meals in a variety of venues including restaurants, family-style at rustic tables, buffet-style, and outdoors in a courtyard. So many wonderful meals with food traditional to the region including black bread and white butter in Rucava and my favorite "sklandrausis" (carrot/potato rye tarts) in both Liepaja and Kuldiga.

Sklandrausis . . . yum!

After each day's activities, we enjoyed watching sunsets over the Baltic Sea. Our hotel was a short walk from the beach. Of course, at that time of year, the sun doesn't set until after 10:00 pm, so we had some long, active days, which is my favorite way to spend a vacation. One evening along the beach there was a group releasing "sky lanterns" and we watched the colorful mini hot air balloons rise up into the sky. So enchanting and beautiful!

Sky lanterns

We had many wonderful teachers who are master knitters. Some of our classes were taught in Latvian, but we had an able translator, Ilze, who translated everything into English. English was our common language, whether you were from Latvia, Estonia, Sweden, the Netherlands, Germany, France, Luxembourg, Tasmania, Japan, or the United States.

Ilze showing and describing

knitting techniques

Solvita Zarupska is a creative designer known for her bead knitting, and roses are her signature motif. She taught her class in English and with a good sense of humor! In class, we sampled a small beaded rose design and learned beautiful edging techniques that can be used for beaded wristwarmers, known as mauči in Latvian. I will have a chance to visit Solvita in Ventspils during my trip this year and she has promised to show me her city on the Baltic Sea.

Solvita, "a rose by any other name"

In upcoming posts, I will share more about my 2018 trip as well as what I'm looking forward to this year!