Woolly Memories and Modern Knits
Wool has been part of the Finnish way of life for thousands of years. Woollen hats and mittens have kept us warm, woollen pants have made us sweat and itch, we have proudly worn woollen knitwear in all colours of the rainbow and struggled with lost stitches in craft class. The fun event showcases wool as a material that is at the same time traditional and contemporary.
From Friday to Sunday, 10–12 November 2017, Hakasalmi Villa will feature a retrospective pot holder exhibition that showcases handmade potholders by amateur knitters and tells the stories behind them. The woollen potholder is one of the classic projects in Finnish craft education and for many, it is the only knitted item they ever finished. The room of woollen memories on the second floor welcomes visitors to make themselves cosy in storytelling chairs by the Concreatives collective and listen to knitting stories by Finns. The wool exhibition complements the 100 and Counting exhibition and is open during the museum’s opening hours, 11 a.m.–5 p.m.
On Saturday, 11 November 2017, from 12 noon to 4 p.m., the villa will house wool workshops. Welcome to refashion your knitted cap or brush up your darning skills. There is also charitable work involved: you can crochet tentacles that will be donated to a retirement home in Helsinki for people with memory disorders.
Three miniature fashion shows will be held in the hall on Sunday, 12 November 2017, at 12 noon and 1 and 2 p.m., featuring Finnish knitwear from different decades. The show offers elegant and fashionable designs wrapped up in warm-and-fuzzy nostalgia, including woollen treasures by the Selma Toivonen weaving shop, which operated from 1910 to 2004.
Woollen memories and modern knits is produced in cooperation between Helsinki City Museum and the degree programmes in clothing and textile design at Metropolia School of Applied Sciences. It is the closing event of the school’s FinVillage – tekemisen perinne project on traditional crafts, which is part of the Finland 100 programme.