My beautiful yarn souvenirs
November 16, 2019
We went on a Baltic cruise in October, and while we loved every single thing about the amazing cities we visited, as a knitter, I was truly in wooly heaven. At most ports our itineraries were fairly busy and we didn't have time to seek out knit shops, but at three stops we did have time to visit a knit store, sometimes two. Yarn souvenirs are about the only souvenirs I take home these days and is why my stash never seems under control!
In Helsinki we had an extra hour, thank heavens, because I really wanted to do some wool shopping there. I found two knitting shops downtown, both within walking distance of each other. Snurre was my favorite with a lovely selection of yarn; even my hubbie was impressed with this large and airy shop. In Helsinki I was looking for one specific yarn: Tukuwool. I don't think a knitter can visit Finland without coming home with Tukuwool, Finland's most famous yarn brand. I purchased a sweater's worth of an earthy fingering weight wool; a blend of Finnish bred Finnsheep and Finnsheep/Texel crossbreed. The yarn is also spun and dyed in Finland making it a truly 100% Finnish souvenir. I can't wait to get my needles on it!
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| Airy as an art gallery! |
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| A bed of Hedgehog! |
If you have time to visit a second shop in Helsinki, I would visit FiinaNeule. It was only a 5-10 minute walk from Snurre. It's a tinier shop, but very charming and the salesgirl was a sweetie. I purchased some Norwegian fingering weight machine washable wool for a Christmas sweater for Carter. It's a Rowan flagship store and I thought their prices were comparable to what we expect to pay in the states.
We spent three days in Copenhagen so shopping for yarn was no problem. We visited two yarn shops and both were within walking distance from our hotel, and about a ten minute walk from each other. They both were charming and lovely for different reasons and am so glad I had time to visit both! The first was Uld Stedet, tiny and busy, with lots of interesting choices. I happily settled on a sweater's worth of sport weight wool from a Danish company. Hjelholts Merinogarn is merino sourced from the Falkland Islands and feels lovely.
The next little shop in Copenhagen was throughly charming; Sommerfuglen had a lovely selection of yarn, including a lot of Isager, and while I love Isager, I can purchase that here. Instead I like to look for yarn I cannot find at home. I bought a little package of nine tiny 25 gr. skeins of soft pastels of organic cotton--enough for a sweater for Carter. Sommerfuglen had some great knitted sweater samples to admire including two beautiful examples of Pengueno by Stephen West. I could have spent hours here but I'm traveling with my patient husband and so I was quick, but thorough. BTW, my husband loved the Penguenos and wants me to make one.
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| Penguono! |
In Tallin, Estonia, I was certain I'd find many examples of lace and that I would ramble into at least a few knitting shops, but I really did not. Many shops carry wool, but much of it was unlabeled. Estonia is also known for their felted wool. It's very thick and sturdy and comes in natural colors only. With it they make the most gorgeous slippers, hats, mittens and even Christmas ornaments. I purchased a roll of gorgeous, thick, off-white felt to make trivets to replace my own very tattered trivets. I think I will just cut it up into squares and maybe do a little buttonhole embroidery on the edges. I feel so lucky to have this yummy roll as a souvenir from such a pretty little city.
We're leaving soon for a trip to New Orleans. I read that they have a knit store there 😉.
We're leaving soon for a trip to New Orleans. I read that they have a knit store there 😉.
4 Comments
Your souvenir idea is great, but the only souvenir I seem to bring home is extra weight!
ReplyDeleteLOL, this totally cracked me up! We always stop for lunch at a port and we're rarely even hungry. We tell ourselves it's because we want to support the local economy! And then the food on the ship, oh dear.
ReplyDeleteThank you for this gorgeous yarn travelogue, Kristin. Yarn heaven indeed. I have always loved Pengueno and found an amazing all-gray version on Ravelry which really shows off the beautiful lines and shape of the garment, which all the bedazzling colors of the original can obscure. I wish I could make both versions, but I know I never will. Have fun in N'Awlins! Cafe du Monde and a yarn shop too! Chloe
ReplyDeleteAngora should be spun at a rapid with next to zero pressure. Adding a little wool to the fiber will make it simpler to turn. Try not to be concerned if the yarn is not fluffy when you are turning it. It becomes fluffy later after it has been employed, set, and took care of. If you want to know more, Please check out here - Angora wool for more information.
ReplyDeleteYou make my day when you make a comment!