Connecting Threads to Latvia

I first got involved with the Latvian community and culture when I owned The Wool Works, a yarn shop in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and met Irma Mežaraups Ciganovich in about 1985.  She brought her handknit mittens, socks, and Christmas stockings into my shop and I sold these items for her.  The warm, lined Latvian mittens, patterned socks, and beautiful Christmas stockings always sold out quickly.  My friend, Sandy, and I wrote an article about Irma that appeared in Piecework magazine.

Irma, circa 1995

 

I had no idea my friendship with Irma would lead to a deeper connection with Latvians and their culture and many more friendships.  Irma passed away in 2000, shortly before my first knitting trip to Latvia.  My world has grown so much because of her.

Two years ago, the XIII (Thirteenth) U.S. Latvian Song & Dance Festival took place in Milwaukee and my husband and I were recruited as Kasieri, or Co-Treasurers, of the event.  Holding this volunteer position was quite an experience and involved working with ticket orders in both Latvian and English when over 3,000 people arrived in downtown Milwaukee and attended the festival.

"Meet me at the Laima clock"

(at the Hyatt in Downtown Milwaukee)



Last year, during the conference in Estonia on Traditional Knitted Sweaters Around the Baltic Sea, I met some of the women that came from Latvia and I connected and chatted in particular with Ziedite who works at Senā klēts, the National Costume Centre in Riga.  I was able to make plans to meet with her again this year.  We met at Senā klēts, where all of the mittens that are photographed and charted in the recently published book, Latvieša Cimdi by Maruta Grasmane, were on display.  What a feast for the eyes!

Ziedite at Senā klēts



I've written before about Ravelry (here) and I recently met a new Latvian friend on Ravelry.  I saw Mara's comments in the Knit Like a Latvian group and noticed that she lived in Riga.  I thought that it would be nice to meet her.  Before my trip to Riga, she provided me with advice including information on yarn shops and book stores in Riga.  During my visit, we met for dinner and a stroll one evening.  I was able to share a knitting book with Mara - Latviešu Cimdu Raksti.  This book was written by a Latvian woman, Erna Jansons, whom I met about 10 years ago and who now lives in the same senior-living complex where my mother lives. 

Mara with Erna's book and the Riga skyline behind her



These are some of my many threads of connection to Latvia.

Breathtaking Results of the Wisconsin Walk & Knit Contest

The first-ever Wisconsin Walk & Knit event took place at the Wisconsin Sheep & Wool Festival on Saturday, September 6, 2014.  Ten teams competed in the Walk & Knit Relay Challenge for fun and fabulous prizes!  That's forty walking knitters!  Volunteers to coordinate the walking knitters were recruited from the Milwaukee, Madison, and Door County areas of Wisconsin and many spectators came to watch and cheer on the teams.

The calm before the storm

Competition was fierce, but no competitors were injured during the race.  However, emergency vehicles arrived just prior to the race and traveled along the racetrack to assist another festival-goer who apparently was stung by a bee.  The competitors may not have been breathless when they finished the race, but everyone who competed gave it their all.

 

Four teams raced at one time, two teams walking west from a central point, and two teams walking east from that same central point.  The Judges, Jamie and Laurie, were busy counting stitches and checking for errors as soon as the first "heat" was finished.

Judge Jamie and Judge Laurie

 

Winning was based on rankings in the following criteria:  fastest speed of walking, largest number of stitches completed, and lowest number of errors. 

Tallying the Results

 

Based on this criteria, the 1st place team was from Yarns by Design and the team members actually won some prizes that were donated by Yarns by Design - who wouldn't want Beth Brown-Reinsel's new DVD on Color Stranded Knitting Techniques?

1st Place Team

 

What surprised us was how close the walking times were.  All teams completed the race within 19 seconds of each other.  Wow!  Maybe someone will try speed-walking next year.

The 2nd place team was an ad-hoc team of individuals that came together minutes before the race and then proceeded to knit the highest number of stitches, by far.

2nd Place Team

 

The final "heat" was between two teams from spinning guilds - the Sarasponda Spinners and the Arachne Spinners.  The Arachne Spinners finished in 3rd place in the field of ten teams, wearing their Minnie Pearl hats.

3rd Place Team

 

Congratulations to the winning teams and thanks to all the competitors, volunteers, spectators, and the sponsors who provided fabulous prizes.  Thanks also to the Lossi Guild who runs the Käi ja Koo in Estonia and provided the inspiration for this Walk & Knit event in Wisconsin - read about my experience at the 2013 Estonian event here:

My blog on the 2013 event in Estonia

It looks like this should be an annual event in Wisconsin!

The Ethnographic Open-Air Museum of Latvia Opened its Historical Doors and Drawers to Us

I was sorry to miss the International World of Mittens Conference that took place in Riga, Latvia, in June of this year.  Friends were going but I chose the Estonian Craft Camp instead.  Although I missed the mitten conference, I was eager to return to Latvia.  After craft camp, I made my way by bus to Riga.

I had briefly met Linda Rubena, the organizer of the Mitten Conference, last year when she was the speaker on Latvian textiles at the Conference on Traditional Knitted Sweaters Around the Baltic Sea.  I contacted Linda to see if she would have time to meet with me and I was happy to make plans to meet her at Tīnes, a handicraft shop in Riga.  We also had time to walk around Vecrīga (Old Riga) and Linda showed me some of the sights.

With Linda at Tīnes

I had wanted to return to the National History Museum of Latvia in the Riga Castle to study mittens but learned that the castle had sustained damage due to a fire and it was closed for repair.  The good news was that no one was hurt and no textiles were damaged in the fire. 

Instead, I planned to visit the Ethnographic Open-Air Museum of Latvia (Latvijas Etnogrāfiskais Brīvdabas Muzejs) on the outskirts of Riga and view their collection of mittens.  Before my arrival, Linda had given me contact information for the museum.  I made some arrangements via email to visit the museum but was told that there would be no one there who spoke English.  I figured I could probably get by.  However, the museum grounds are large and there are many buildings on the grounds and I wasn't sure exactly where I should go.  I mentioned this to Linda and she made some phone calls for me to get an answer.  But more than that, she contacted her daughter, Elza, to see if she might be able to accompany me to the museum the next day.  Yes, indeed!  Linda and I then made our way to Senā klēts, the National Costume Centre, and I met Linda's daughters, Dārta and Elza, who were both there working.

The next day I met Elza and we took the bus to the museum and then Elza led me to the first building where we viewed mittens and other textiles.

Then on to a newer building across the museum grounds where older mittens were conserved in drawers.  Our shortcut through the woods took us by some wild blueberries.

Elza has a keen interest in traditional textiles and was as happy as I was to have a chance to view these textiles, since she had never seen them before.  Besides textiles, we also had a chance to view some of the traditional buildings on the grounds.

 

Elza, my English and Latvian-speaking guide

 

Books, Bikes, Beasts

From Estonian Craft Camp, I travelled to Viljandi.  I could have taken a bus from Olustvere to Viljandi (about 14 miles) but I was able to snag a ride with Ave from the University of Tartu - Viljandi Culture Academy.  After lunch with the other craft campers, we got in Ave's car and she took the scenic route back to Viljandi, giving me a little tour through the countryside and some small, nearby towns before dropping me at my hotel.  Thank you, Ave!

During my afternoon promenade around Viljandi, I stopped in some book stores.  As I was looking in one of the book shops, a clerk appeared and asked if she could help.  I indicated my interest in handicraft books, especially knitting, and she pointed to the exact book that I was looking for.  It was a book of knitwear that had recently been completed by students of the Viljandi Culture Academy, using traditional Estonian techniques in a contemporary way.  The clerk then told me that she had a garment in the book.  I purchased the book and had Enelin sign her page.  The book is Loo Koo Rõõmusta.  I've been told the title is a spin on Eat, Pray, Love and means Create, Knit, Rejoice.  Although the book is in Estonian, it provides a lot of contemporary, yet traditional, inspiration.

I was also happy to find Pattern Puppets, the English version of Kiri Kari by Anu Raud and Anu Kotli.  I already owned Kiri Kari and had made an adorable knitted cat with traditional Estonian designs, but it is nice to be able to read the text and not just guess at the diagrams.

I then stopped to visit Ave at the Viljandi Culture Academy and to see the facility where their classes are taught.  Ave gave me a tour and I saw students working on large displays to be used on the stages at the upcoming Viljandi Folk Music Festival (July 24-27, 2014).  The size of these displays was huge - room-sized in order to make an impact from a distance.  At the end of my visit, I was excited to receive a hard-to-find, out-of-print book, The Letters of Kihnu Roosi.  Rosaali Karjam, aka Kihnu Roosi, is a famous knitter that I met 9 years ago on the Island of Kihnu.  What a bonus!

Kihnu Roosi shown with some of her gloves

(from my 2005 visit to Estonia)

As I continued to wander Viljandi, I was delighted to see Wil, a student from craft camp, biking down the street towards me.  She had brought her bike with her from the Netherlands and had started a bike tour that afternoon.  I do a lot of bicycling myself, so I felt a special kinship with her.  She's biking, but note the hand-knit scarf she's sporting.  Bon voyage, Wil!

The next day I saw Kristi Jõeste, a teacher at Estonian Craft Camp and at Viljandi Culture Academy, and author of Ornamented Journey, (link to my blog on meeting Kristi last year).  Kristi had just begun her vacation and had time to meet with me and we sat and chatted about knitting at one of her favorite local coffee shops, Rohelise maja pood ja kohvik.  We enjoyed our drinks in the oasis of the outdoor courtyard.

The (Estonian) Hills are Alive With the Sound of Music

When Estonian Craft Camp announced that we would have a field trip day on Wednesday of camp week and told us of our options, I knew immediately that I would choose Setomaa, the Seto region which is located in the southeast corner of Estonia, very close to the Russian border (less than 5 miles/8 km) and very close to Latvia.  It is an area with unique traditions - their knitting, embroidery, and metalwork were all of interest to me.  This area even has its own language, separate from the Estonian language.  It is an area I thought would be best to explore with a guide.

We went to the Obinitsa Art Gallery/Handicraft Shop first:

Nele (our Estonian Craft Camp guide) in Obinitsa

We met Ülle Kauksi and her husband, Evar Riitsaar, at the gallery and they talked with us (through Nele, our guide and translator) about the Seto traditions and handicrafts.  We also saw Külli of Nordic Knitters again (link to my blog post about meeting Külli) with her hand-dyed yarns and beautiful mittens.  She had many mittens out on display, but still more in a suitcase:

Lunch was served family style at a local restaurant/house.  At the entrance to the restaurant, we were asked to remove our shoes, which is traditional in Estonian homes.  Lunch consisted of a cold "pickle" soup, bread made locally, ham, three different grain casseroles (oats, rice, and buckwheat?), a local cheese, and jam.  The Seto people - the original locavores! 

Entrance to Seto Seltsimaja (restaurant)

Following a tour of the Orthodox church by the choir director, Eleanora Aida, we headed outside the church to hear some traditional singing "leelotamine" by Eleanora and our Seto guide, Ülle.  This singing is usually done with a larger group of women, so they told us to imagine more voices.  Here's an Estonian stamp showing Seto women wearing traditional folk costumes including their large silver circular brooches which resemble breastplates or armour.

Imagine the women above in costume as you view the video in the link below.  This video is of an informal two-person Seto singing demonstration (I apologize for a little, occasional sound of wind with the voices).  The voices have a rather haunting nature to them.  Enjoy this 41-second clip I filmed of Ülle and Eleanora singing:

Setomaa traditional singing demonstration

If you are interested in more information about the Seto national costumes, I found an interesting blog here with lots of detail:

Folk Costume Blogspot - Seto



A Team That Knits Together, Stays Together

Team sports tend to bond people together.  But who knew when I participated in the Käi ja Koo (Walk & Knit contest) last year in Estonia that I would meet up with a team member again this year.

 

Last Year's Blog: Results of the Käi ja Koo 2013

 

Külli (third from right in photo above) and I have stayed connected thru Facebook this past year.  Besides being one of my teammates, Külli was a vendor at the Heimtali Craft Fair last year and sells beautiful hand-knit mittens and hand-dyed yarns.  Her business is Nordic Knitters and you can find her knitwear here:

 

http://www.nordicknitters.com/

 

I wrote to her before craft camp to see if she might be coming to craft camp as a vendor.  However, she hadn't yet heard about it and she was not going to be in the area of Olustvere during the week of craft camp.

 

What a surprise then to run into her in Tallinn before craft camp even started.  She had a booth at the outdoor market in Town Hall Square during Tallinn Medieval Days where she sold her hand-knit mittens.

 

I purchased a beautiful pair of mittens from Külli and we chatted about craft camp.  I told her that we would have a field trip day on Wednesday of that week and that we had three options to choose from for the field trip.  I had chosen Setomaa (the Seto region).  It turns out that Külli lives in that area and is very involved with the Seto community.  She then made plans to come to the Seto Art Gallery/Handicraft Shop in Obinitsa to meet us on our field trip.  She brought her wares and the "craft campers" were happy to have a chance to buy some of her colorful yarns and bright mittens! 

So nice to see her again!  So happy to have a pair of her mittens and some yarns with which to knit Estonian-style mittens!

MENTALly Preparing for Estonian Craft Camp

Estonian Craft Camp began in Tallinn as we all met and toured some fiber art exhibits and then boarded a bus that took us to Olustvere and our week's classes.

We went as a group to view the OrnaMENTAL exhibit (in Estonian, OrnaMENTAALNE) that was on display at the Tallinn Art Hall from June 28 to July 27, 2014.  The arts and crafts were displayed in unique ways and the focus of the exhibit was "ornamentation in art and the meaning of signs in crafts."

Exhibition ornaMENTAL

Many crafts were represented but my interest was especially in the knitted items.  LOVE these displays!

 

We also saw Exhibition THE Folk Costume at the Estonian Handicraft House Folk Art Gallery, which included 12 complete sets of folk costumes from different regions based on traditional garments.  My favorites were from Tarvastu (with Mulgi embroidery) and Muhu.  In both cases the motifs are densely crowded.  Less is not more, in this case.  More is More!

Exhibition THE Folk Costume - in Estonian

Detail of Tarvastu (Mulgi) embroidery on apron

 

Muhu is More!