RUHNU. Kirjad kudujate saarelt

In the middle of the Liivi cove is a small island of Ruhnu, where a very unique knitting tradition has survived for centuries. Knitting was a part of the way of life for the women of this island – this is how gloves, socks, stockings and sweaters with intricate travelling stitch and patterns unique to Ruhnu were born. The cultural traditions of this fragment of the people on the island of Ruhnu were suddenly interrupted when almost all Ruhnu people relocated to Sweden in the whirlwind of the war in 1944. However, the patterns that were once knitted remained, as if a memory of the past times of life on Ruhnu island. The book contains a comprehensive overview of all Ruhnu traditional knitwear, as well as instructions for knitting them, from how to knit mittens, stockings or socks to how to make a cut or count stitches for knitting Ruhnu sweaters. A total of 120 patterns have been taken from old Ruhnu gloves, half gloves, socks, stockings and sweaters in various museums and private collections. In the photos of the book, we invite you to travel to the island of Ruhnu, the clothes accompanying the knitwear are also designed and sewn with Ruhnu in mind. By knitting like Ruhnu, we keep the dexterity and sense of beauty of the former women of this island! The book is in Estonian, but the charts can well be read even without knowing the Estonian language.