Classes, Sightseeing, and Cultural Experiences of the Handicraft Tour of Setoland

This is my second post about the Handicraft Tour of Setoland in Estonia that happened in May 2019. You can find my first post about the tour here.

The organizer of the Handicraft Tour of Setoland is Külli Jacobson of Nordic Knitters/Estonian Mittens/Kagu Kudujad. Külli organized an absolutely fabulous trip. Our handicraft classes included four half-day knitting classes and three classes on other traditional Seto handicrafts. Külli was one of our knitting instructors (intarsia in the round) and she was also our translator. We had a class with Marje Linnus on square-stitch embroidery, which is traditionally done with red thread on white fabric and is used to decorate traditional blouses, aprons, and "head-towels."

Marje and Külli showing square-stitch embroidery

Another class was with Jane (pronounced Yanneh) Vabarna on Seto Colored Crochet, which is also used to embellish blouses. In addition, Jane's mother, Maret Vabarna, taught a class on tablet (or card) weaving, where we worked in teams to create belts.

Contemporary example of Seto colorful crochet

by Master Craftswoman Ulve Kangro

Tablet weaving teamwork

One day, the location of our classes was an enclosed garden room in a charming building. Between our morning and afternoon class, lunch was served here and included the BEST homemade strawberry ice cream with tiny new-growth edible spruce needles that had been dipped in chocolate. Who knew pine needles could be soft and delicious?

A view of our garden classroom from the outside

We visited Sigre Andreson, one of our instructors, at her home which is a restored fortress-farm. Sigre taught three knitting classes. The topics were: traveling stitches, a colorful braided cast-on and other braids, and a Seto men's stocking sample with an interesting edge treatment and some three-color-per-round knitting. We had the added challenge of working those three colors per round while using the intarsia in the round technique from an earlier class with Külli.

My samples from our four knitting classes

We had a day where we toured around Setoland. Our first stop was a handmade soap shop (some soaps made with bog water, turf, Värska lake mud, and crushed cranberry seeds). Next we went to the village of Laossina, where we visited a chapel (tsäassona) in a cemetery and also got a demonstration of traditional dyed egg rolling (picture an egg on a bobsled track). From there we drove to Lüübnitsa to climb a tower for a better view of Russia across the lake. We ended our trip in Räpina, at a shop called Meistrite Maja (master's house), to see Ulve Kangro's master crochet work. It was a full day that included a stop for a delicious family-style lunch. The menu was a hot potato dish with barley and bacon topped with cold creamy soup, rye bread, and two desserts - rhubarb cake and kama. Kama is a mixture of roasted barley, rye, oat, and pea flour prepared with kefir or sour milk. It sounds odd, but it was so delicious that I bought a bag of kama powder at the grocery store to bring home and try making it myself.

One additional stop on our day of touring, was the Värska Farm Museum, which included a special visit to view its textiles in storage - a knitters' paradise. Our guide described the older traditional white Seto national costume and showed the extremely long blouse sleeves. She said "there are only two types of people who wear sleeves like these - Seto women and those in straitjackets!"

Between classes one day, we drove to the Saatse museum where we had a museum tour and a photo with an Estonian border post. No photos are allowed at actual Estonian-Russian border posts for security reasons. This real Estonian border post has been positioned a short distance from the border specifically for photo-ops.

There was a shopping opportunity one evening at Külli's home. Her workshop in Räpina was being remodeled and therefore all of her mittens, gloves, and hand-dyed yarn were at her house. Our bus driver agreed to drive us to her home and wait patiently as we looked over our options and made our decisions. There were at least four suitcases full of mittens and gloves, some of which were spread out on tables. Hand-dyed yarn covered Külli's bed and much of the bedroom floor.

A bed full of yarn

One of the suitcases full of mittens

One of our lunches was at a restaurant called Iti Leeväküük. Iti, the restaurant's owner, is a colorful character who is especially passionate about sourdough bread. Wow, that woman can bake! Her wooden sourdough barrel had been handed down from her grandmother. After a lunch of soup and sourdough rye bread, our dessert was another fabulous rhubarb cake, this time made with quark.

Baker Iti with her sourdough barrel

On our final night, we went to Obinitsa (where I had been once before on a field trip from Estonian Craft Camp). We met with Kauksi Ülle, the ethno-futuristic thinker and poet whose photo we had seen earlier in Tallinn (blog post here). We perused the craft shop that was located in an old Soviet sauna building and the art gallery nearby.

A special gala dinner was followed by Seto leelo polyphonic singing performed by a group of seven singers (one was the chef of our dinner and the other six were in traditional costume). Kauksi Ülle was one of the singers; you can see her on the far left in the photo below. An accordion player joined in, dancing ensued, and the current King of the Seto people arrived and shared with everyone present what appeared to be moonshine, drunk from a small communal cup. This was a very unique experience with a lot of laughter involved, especially when those of us with less skill tried dancing.

Click below for a short sample of Seto leelo singing

If you are interested in participating in this handicraft tour, see my prior post regarding details on how to sign up for the next tour which will take place Tuesday July 30 to Sunday August 4, 2019. The July-August tour will include a festival on Seto Kingdom Day, Saturday August 3. It is bound to be wonderful!

Setoland, Estonia: Sandwiched Between Two Capitals

The meat in the middle of my Estonia/Latvia travel sandwich was the Handicraft Tour to Setoland, which was organized by Külli Jacobson of Nordic Knitters/Kagu Kudujad. Setoland is located in southeastern Estonia so close to the Russian border that we were actually in Russia several times as our bus drove us from one part of Seto to another. After spending several days in Tallinn, we started our handicraft tour when Külli and the bus picked us up for our 3-4 hour drive to Värska Spa, our home for five nights. There were 15 of us on the tour, most from the US but also one knitter from France.

Setoland is a quiet, rural area of Estonia with a people who straddle the border of Estonia and Russia. Many traditions remained in use in this remote area for longer than in most other areas of Estonia. The folk costumes were worn longer and the handicraft techniques were kept alive longer. The Orthodox customs and the leelo polyphonic singing tradition are still practiced. The Seto language and jewelry are distinctive and unique to the area. The traditional architectural style of the Seto homestead was a "fortress-farm" or "fortress courtyard." It consists of a number of buildings around an enclosed courtyard with a big gate at the entrance. Some of these homesteads are still intact and others have been restored after their disappearance during Soviet times.

Fortress-farm gate from the outside

Fortress-farm gate from the inside

At Värska Spa, a mineral water bath or mud bath was included with our stay. When I had asked Külli for advice on choosing, she suggested that the mud bath was "more extreme . . . warm and exotic." I chose the mud bath. The Estonian-only-speaking woman motioned for me to undress and step into the tub - the tub of very warm, slightly-thickened, brown, silty liquid. On each side of me, I could hear other patrons. There were partitions and I couldn't see anyone else except the woman providing the mud bath treatments. She could walk along the far wall and look in on each person in their mud bath. When my time was up, she drained the tub and had me step out, then she hosed the backside of me and handed me the nozzle to finish rinsing off the rest of me. Glad I had the experience!

While staying at the spa, we had time for walks around the grounds, to use the pool, sauna, and whirlpools, to knit in the evening (because knitters don't get enough knitting in classes during the day), and on one special evening, to listen to a DJ and his music and watch some of the spa's other guests on the dance floor.

Külli organized an absolutely fabulous trip and really responded to the interests, questions, and requests of the group and its individuals. Our handicraft classes included four half-day knitting classes and three classes on other traditional Seto handicrafts. Our small tour group was cohesive and considerate of each other and a joy to travel with. I will write more about our classes, sightseeing, and cultural experiences in my next blog post.

After a final knitting class on our last morning, we got onto our bus, made a stop for lunch in Võru, talked about coming together again next year to some other unique area of Estonia that Külli knows, and said goodbye to Külli. Then the bus driver took us to our final destination, which was Riga, Latvia. The Handicraft Tour of Setoland was timed so that we would finish in Riga on the Friday before the first weekend of June. That weekend is always the annual craft market (Gadatirgus) at the Ethnographic Open-Air Museum of Latvia. Starting in Tallinn, the capital of Estonia, and finishing in Riga, the capital of Latvia, was the perfect way to sandwich the handicraft tour.

If you are interested in participating in this handicraft tour, see my prior post regarding details on how to sign up for the next tour which will take place Tuesday July 30 to Sunday August 4, 2019. The July-August tour will include a festival on Seto Kingdom Day, Saturday August 3. It is bound to be wonderful!

A Day Trip to Estonia's Vormsi Island

I have found that many Estonians recommend visiting islands. On other visits, I have been to the islands of Kihnu, Muhu, and Saaremaa. This time I had a chance to visit Vormsi Island with my Estonian knitting friend, Signe. We discussed what we might do on our Saturday together and when I mentioned the magic word "island" Signe immediately thought of Vormsi Island which she had visited twice before. Vormsi is the fourth largest island of Estonia and was inhabited by coastal Swedes or Estonian Swedes up until WWII when they fled. Since Swedish had been the language on the island, you can still find signs in both Swedish and Estonian.

We began our day early with a drive from Tallinn to Rohukula, a town on the western coast of Estonia, quite near Haapsalu. We had a 10:15 ferry to catch. The weather was cool and windy with a few spots of rain but otherwise a bit of sun, too. In late May, the tourist season had not yet started. Restaurants were not yet open and access to other sights was limited. We took a car across on the ferry since we had just one day to explore the island and almost immediately we found the Vormsi Handicraft Society located in the Craft Center. It is located in Hullo and we were lucky to find the building open, so we stopped in.

They had some beautifully knit gloves and I chose one fine pair with traveling stitches and a red cast-on edge to bring home with me. Prices were very reasonable.

We took a walk to see the 14th century St Olav's Church, a sundial from 1741, and an old cemetery with Celtic crosses (suncrosses). There may have been a few mosquitoes that joined us as we walked through the cemetery grounds.

We visited Pears Farm which has been restored by the Vormsi Local Heritage Society. There we found a small museum where we saw traditional clothing, dolls, books, and household items. There was a display of handmade items including some colorful handknit gloves that intrigued me. It turned out that the woman working at the museum, Marju Tamm, was the knitter of the gloves. I got her gloves and her life story, too. She was born on the island. But her story is not as one might imagine. She told us that her parents had lived in Tallinn and worked at the botanical garden. They had a summer house on Vormsi. Marju arrived one summer, a month and a half early! Surprise! She is truly a native of Vormsi. Anyway, although she grew up in Tallinn, she also summered on Vormsi. She moved back to her "home" where she was born and now lives there full-time and runs the private museum. The island has about 400 year-round residents.

Signe and Marju holding the gloves I bought

Marju gave us a tour of the museum and the various buildings, and showed us the bright upstairs meeting room in the replacement stable building. She was in the process of pleating a traditional skirt of a jumper-style dress for a folk costume. Since the skirts are black, it is very hard to photograph them so that you can see the detail. Marju was working under a special task light. The skirt fabric is tightly pleated and what you see in the photo below is the inside of the skirt with white fabric and MANY pins, VERY close together. She was cording, or lacing, the bottom of the skirt so that it could be cinched up. She said that she had spent over 3 hours already and she was not halfway around on the first cord. I believe more bands of white fabric were to be added further up the skirt. She said that additional cords would go faster. You can see a small sample of the black pleated skirt fabric on the doll's outfit below.

We continued our drive around the island and made our way to Saxby lighthouse. It was closed. From the sign, it appeared that it was open May 31 to September. We were there on May 25th in the early afternoon. However, there was a phone number on the sign and Signe called it. After hanging up, Signe said "Ten minutes, he sounded kind of sleepy." The caretaker arrived and let us in and we climbed the spiral stairs to the top. Once at the top, we slid the iron bar that was holding the 6" thick wooden door closed and I stepped out onto the metal platform. And I held on - to the railing - tightly! It was very windy!

Saxby lighthouse

View from top of lighthouse

Signe had packed us a picnic lunch and although we had to hold onto everything so that it wouldn't blow away in the wind, we sat at a picnic table by the water and ate our little round sandwiches made of rice cakes, bacon, cheese, spinach, and tomato. We had other accompaniments including Lithuanian chocolate with forest berries, because Signe had just returned from a work trip there.

Further along on our drive, we found a windmill and a tiny farmers market with just two vendors. One vendor sold plants including fruit trees and the other sold smoked fish, smoked sausages, and dried mushrooms. I think I made a wise choice not to bring smoked fish back in the car and instead to eat the rest of our Lithuanian chocolate on the ferry ride back to the mainland.

I recently saw an interesting post on Facebook by Craft Camp Estonia that mentioned Vormsi Island. It stated, "The women of Estonian islands are known for being hard-working - a knitting bag was a woman's companion basically everywhere until the beginning of the 20th century. An old saying from Vormsi Island considers a woman without a knitting piece to be sitting like a man." Too funny!

I know a lot of knitters. We are industrious; we do not "sit like men." If we're not knitting, we might be grinding flour.

Flour grinding equipment at the museum,

photo courtesy of Signe

Together With Knitting Friends in Tallinn

This year I got to introduce a number of knitting friends to some of my favorite places in Tallinn, Estonia. Before our Handicraft Tour of Setoland began, many of us had a few days to explore Tallinn. Most of these knitters were in Tallinn for the first time. I had given some suggestions in prior blog posts (a-knitters-guide-to-filling-your-shopping-cart-in-tallinn and lacy-days-and-busy-nights-at-estonian-museums) and on our arrival day, we made our way to the Eesti Käsitöö shop at Pikk 22. I had been in touch with Riina Tomberg and knew that my only chance to see her was in her workshop on my arrival day. After that, Riina would be back at the Cultural Academy in Viljandi and someone else would be staffing her workshop. So many lovely knitted garments! Some with distinctive fabric accents.

On my list for this year was a visit to the Vabamu Museum of Occupations and Freedom. It was well presented and the layout was interesting. Outside, at the entrance to the museum, there was an eerie display of abandoned suitcases. This work by Marko Mäetamm and Kaido Ole is titled "21 Suitcases."

At one point in the Vabamu Museum, I found myself in a room the size of a railroad car and the floor (and I) moved and I heard the sound of a railroad car moving on tracks. This reminded me again of how the Estonian museums make use of more than just one's sense of sight to engage their visitors.

Moving floor of the railroad car

I had made a reservation well in advance for eight people at Rataskaevu 16, my favorite restaurant in Tallinn. After dinner, I shared a dessert of bread pudding with a friend. And trust me, those are not carrots, onion, and corn next to the pudding - everything was sweet and delicious!

Bread pudding presentation

I've never been disappointed at Rataskaevu 16 and their staff is always so nice. We totally enjoyed our 3-hour dinner and our entertaining waiter who wrote a personal note on each person's receipt! Kristjan P wrote "I can't thank you enough for making the night so amazing!" Well, I can't thank you enough either, Kristjan P!

Five of us took the tram to Karnaluks, a notions, yarn, and fabric store located near the bus station. I had warned the knitters about the size of this store and it is now even larger than the last time I was there. It is overwhelming! One friend was looking for buttons for a sweater she is knitting. She found so many options. In the end, she brought home two sets of buttons rather than making a final decision. The prices were so good that she spent less than she would have on one set of buttons at home.

A portion of the button display at Karnaluks

Nearby is another small yarn shop, Wool and Woolen (Lõng ja Lõngast), and we stopped in. The owner is very friendly and she answered questions about how she opened her yarn shop after freedom came to Estonia. There were opportunities available to her as a woman that she hadn't had before. This woman is strong, independent, and an entrepreneur!

On our way back to the old town, we stopped at the Rahva Raamat book store in Viru Keskus shopping center and then walked through Tammsaare Park and happened upon an outdoor photography exhibit titled Our Own. The exhibit was described as "a series of portraits introducing Estonian people and showing, even in its limited capacity, the diversity of the population of our small country and nation." We were excited to find photographs of people from Seto since we would be going to that part of Estonia soon.

Our Own, outdoor photography exhibit

Annela Laaneots,

former King Peko of Seto

Liisi Lõiv,

young Seto woman in handmade folk clothing

Kauksi Ülle,

ethno-futuristic thinker and poet

When we traveled to Seto on our handicraft tour, we actually met Kauksi Ülle in person at the Obinitsa Art Gallery. I will have more to tell about the handicraft tour in an upcoming blog post.