My Personal Paradise

I know most people aren't into the Fiber Arts the way that I am. So, if you don't want to read about knitting, you can stop now.:) Estonia has some of the oldest knitting traditions in the entire world! Old Town is full of souvenir shops full of linens and hand-knit wool items. The Jouluturg, or Christmas Market, was overflowing with traditional knits. Everyone on the streets wears hats, and mostly mittens. Every time I go out, it is a treat for me. I told Dan that this is almost as enjoyable for me as a visit to the Louvre would be. There are works of art all around me!

For Christmas, I got my own copy of, Folk Knitting in Estonia. I have read it and studied the patterns the entire trip. In the market, I was able to pick up and feel and smell hundreds of pairs of mittens, socks, gloves, scarves, hats, lace shawls, and sweaters. I know, I am one weird chick. I get into words and yarn. Oh well. Here are pictures of my purchases. I was surprised to realize I had picked the same motiff for Gavin and Andreas. They look so different when you change the colors. A's has a dark pattern on a light background, and G's is reversed.

The sweater is for Andreas. Charlotte, I got it for 293EEK!!! Can you believe it? One of the ladies at the wall sold it to me. I think the market affected their sales. She took what I had in my pocket. I had looked at one a few booths down, and was told 750EEK. The mittens are for Meredith and Connor. Gavin gets the jester hat. Dan gets the other hat. My mom gets one pair of gloves, and the other pair is for a very special friend who helped us get here. The scarf is for another very special friend who also helped us get here. Nothing for me, you see. I get to buy yarn and make my own.:) I was disappointed to find almost all the hats, scarves, sweaters and lace are machine made. No one can afford to handknit them. I'm glad I found that hand-knitted hat last year. Anyway, I believe the machine knitting is still done on a small scale by individuals. Oh, Garrett didn't want anything. Since he really wouldn't use it, I couldn't see spending the money.:)