Feb 15, 20192 min read

Knit Fest Winter 2019

Jyväskylä Knit Fest is an annual knitting event that takes place over a long weekend each July in Jyväskylä, Finland. Knit Fest Winter is a smaller, more intimate gathering. This year's Knit Fest Winter took place last weekend, February 8 and 9, 2019.

On the morning of Friday the 8th I went to see the trunk show of Finnish crafts magazine TAITO. Hosted by my LYS TitiTyy, Taito were displaying designs from their latest issue, 01/2019: a woven shawl and throw, a crocheted place mat, a knitted beanie, and colorwork mittens. And this sweater.

I fell in love with this delicately beautiful raglan pullover, Shimo Sweater, designed by Leeni Hoi. The sweater is knit in two strands of yarn in the style that's very popular these days: one of wool (Tukuwool Fingering), one of mohair (Isager Silk Mohair). Raglan garments are my favorite and it's of course knit in that soothing gray — no wonder I was drawn to it!

Friday night was time for a very dark, rowdy, and laid-back knit night at a bar with master sock designer Tiina Kuu. In a short interview she told us about how she started designing socks, about her design philosophy, and her first sock pattern book that's coming out this summer.

Hand dyed yarns from Lanitium Ex Machina

Saturday morning was time for the yarn market! The winter market is always smaller than the one in July and no wonder: the vendors have to stay outside in the snow. Freezing their ... yarns off.

Gradient sets from Rva Silmusolmu

This year's yarn market featured only a couple of hand dyers (Lanitium Ex Machina and Silmu & Solmu) and more local farms with their woolly products.

Kainuu Gray wool from Niemelän tila

Finnsheep wool from Isokummun tila

And finally, there was the closing dinner at local restaurant Le Qulkuri, located in an old turn-of-the-century industrial building. I usually knit waiting at restaurants anyway but it was refreshing to NOT get weird looks from your table mates when you dig out your project bag — everyone was doing the same!

With my belly full it was time to leave this year's Knit Fest Winter and go pet the lovely — and surprisingly pink! — purchases I'd made at the yarn market.

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