Tallinn

Today we will be introduced to Estonian handcrafts by the experts. The textile masters continue to nurture their crafts and protect their heritage. We will be guided through the Estonian Folk Art Gallery at The Estonian Handcraft House in Tallinn as well as a viewing of some of the textiles in progress on the studio looms. As the Handcraft House is  in the center of Old Tallinn, we will have some time to explore some of the food venues for lunch, before returning for an afternoon of needle felting. We will be working on a small decorative object of our choice

Parnu

We will bid Tallinn goodbye for now as we head out after breakfast and board our bus to visit Estonian publishing house Saara Kirjastus. There we will meet editor and author Anu Pink who has extensively researched Estonian knitting traditions and has written many definitive books on Estonian knitting. Anu will give us a talk (translated by her colleague) on these traditions and will have several private collections of antique stockings, gloves and mittens for us to admire. We will continue southward to visit a wool processing plant established by Liina Lehis. Liina, who raises her own flock of Wensleydale sheep, established Muru Villavabrik as a labor of love. There were no wool processing plants able to process wool from small farms, so Liina created her own center and is now a go-to processing center for Estonian and regional fleece. With any luck, we will get to see some of the beautiful yarns she has processed with dog hair as well as more customary blends. We then head to our beautiful Jugendstil  (Art Nouveau) hotel in the town of Parnu.

Parnu and Tostamaa

We will tuck into breakfast and then head to the village of Tostamaa. We will be visiting the Handcraft Center, where we will be met by master knitters and dyers. After some refreshments and a brief introduction to the center, we begin our adventure in Estonian knitting with our first workshop on the inlay technique. Our introduction will involve the making of a pincushion in order to develop our inlay skills. After lunch and a visit to the store and the exhibition room, we will set off once more into the countryside. We will gather at a local farm for a sleigh ride through the woods followed by a traditional Estonian wood fired sauna! Very much like its neighbor, Finland, Estonia has a strong tradition of sauna as a ritual and as a connection to nature in all seasons. For those preferring to stay on the cooler side of things, a wedding tassel workshop will be on offer. We will stay on for a hearty farm dinner before heading home.

Parnu and Tostamaa

After breakfast, we will go back to the Handcraft center for a presentation on traditional dying led by a master dyer. Local plants and other materials will be presented both in traditional and current use. After a coffee break, we will get started on our inlay knitting skills and embark on creating our wrist warmers. Be aware that Estonian knitting uses tiny needles and numerous stitches knit tightly together. This is a time consuming process, but we should be able to get a solid start on our projects. After lunch, we will have a presentation on the traditional Estonian folk costume, and specifically on the one connected to our host village Tostamaa. Our time will include a slide show, a dressing demonstration and the opportunity to model the costume ourselves. In the late afternoon we will have a workshop on making ethnic necklaces that usually festoon the traditional dress, and create our own. We then head out for a traditional hunter’s supper- wild game caught and prepared by our hosts (vegetarian options will be available upon request). 

Tallinn

We will enjoy a last breakfast at our lovely Villa Hotel, return to the Handcraft Centers to finish our wrist warmers, and perhaps receive some instruction on how to proceed with mittens and gloves. We will have a final lunch together with our teachers before we board the bus for our return trip to Tallinn.  We will arrive in time for a final wander through town and one last visit to the Christmas market before our farewell dinner together at the hotel. We will be different knitters by then with much to share. 

Tallinn

We will assist with arranging for transportation to Tallinn airport in the morning and you may depart at any time, equipped with new skills, new perspectives and full hearts!

Sydney Morrell is a knitter, spinner, crocheter, dyer, and felter. She loves to explore how different local cultures work with fiber.  At one time Sydney managed Quail Hill Farm including sheep for fiber and meat as well as pigs, goats, horses, donkeys, too many cats and dogs, plus various types of poultry. She took her sheep wool from shearing to dying, using her own dye plants, to spinning to knitted garments.  Sydney grew up in NYC and Switzerland and is fluent in French, Italian, and German. She worked for many years as a French teacher and mentor in Waldorf Schools. Before that she worked as a financier on Wall Street and she now uses those skills for strategic planning at Rowan Tree.

Suzie Briddsang is an avid knitter, spinner, and all-around fiber enthusiast plus  writer, gardener, adventurer and appreciator of both cityscape and  landscape.  When she realized she could combine her love of making  things with her love for travel and new experiences, she found her happy  place! Suzie lives in Santa Fe, New Mexico. She’s the author and  illustrator of The Nervous New Owner’s Guide to Angora Rabbits. No  longer a fiber animal owner, she loves nothing more than visiting fiber  animals someone else owns -- preferably in another country. She writes  about her travel experiences at www.studiobriddsang.com