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Celebrate in advance
Kaunas women already celebrated World Public Knitting Day on Thursday. Traditionally, everyone chose the Lana Yarn House. Aušra Dimšaitė, the festival organizer, says that this year the festive gathering has taken on a new tone.
“This time we decided not to do charity, not ride a bike, trees, not make rugs, just to be together,” says the owner of Yarn House. “Of course we knitted that day, but we were very happy to see one another live again.”
According to Aušra, live communication even overshadowed the weaving process itself, the benefits of which could be talked about non-stop. “Every second Lithuanian lives feeling the stress of the future, okay, it is extremely important to be able to get rid of it for at least a short time. And that opportunity is provided by the activities of our club on Thursdays, where the women are,” he laughs. , “they tear more than they hit because they hide”. loses the number of eyes, confuses the pattern … “
Chords from past vacations
The yarn house hostess says that during the years that World Knitting Day was celebrated in public in Lithuania, her club tried many great ideas.
One year, the women created a mandala installation, in which they tried to weave the best emotions, thoughts, and wishes. Last year, club members made a blanket for a daycare for children with mental disabilities.
“Then we saw,” says the initiator of this idea, “how the little ones sit on that colorful, soft and lovingly sunken blanket, crawling, catching the colors of the woven particles with their palms like the butterflies of a summer meadow.”
However, the most memorable thing for A.Dimšaitė was World Knitting Day on Public Day, when the organizers rented a red carpet especially for this occasion, and the women wearing their knitwear went to that carpet. The idea was very beautiful: to present (not only demonstrate, but also comment) his own work that gave the best emotions.
“I remember a client came up with a worn out sweater and told me it had miraculous powers, as soon as he wore it he felt a lot of positive emotions,” recalls Aušra. Turns out, there are a ton of beloved clothes in our closets. And they are loved because they weave women, they warm their emotions. “
The future – clubs
When every Lithuanian second lives feeling stressed about the future, okay, it’s extremely important to be able to get rid of it for at least a short time.
“Knitting is really relaxing, especially for those who don’t meditate, don’t practice yoga. Otherwise, would we vendors have worked from the shoulder during this pandemic, even sending a small ball of yarn to our customers ?! – Aušra talks about the year of quarantine – Knitting, crocheting, embroidery, and other needlework are as effective a way to combat stress as exercise or sports.The nerves at the ends of the fingers are involved in the part of the brain that regulates the human psyche and internal organs. tension. “
What do women talk about knitting? Hearing that question, Aušra starts laughing: “About everything. And at least, in fact, about the fabric itself. After all, there are many important things to talk about.”
Even women who were stranded in other countries joined online during the quarantine. “We choose coffee, tea, sweets. And I have to finish the sweets the next day!” Laughs the interlocutor and already seriously shares the vision of the future. “The yarn shops will only remain as clubs. It is a welcoming and hospitable place where women can communicate, share not only knitting patterns, schemes, but also life issues. After all, it is people who are most lacking in communication these days. “
Aušra is happy that her emphasis on the idea of communication is supported by World Knitting in Public Day. Every day, all the people who knit or want to learn how to do it go out to public spaces around the world: patios, schools, parks, cafes, squares. The purpose of such a campaign is to encourage live communication, not to spend days after work on televisions or smartphone screens.
Warm thrill toys
Jolanta Antanaitienė, owner of the Lithuanian brand “Vilnaragis”, would be happy to join in the celebration of World Public Knitting Day, inviting her friends to knit in a green square near home. Therefore, making crochet toys with a hook for Jolanta is currently the only refreshment of the soul.
– It will be two years since I have to take care of my sick mother. When I dive into those toys, I just forget it, because I have to count every eye. Then I focus on what I’m doing, and all the big problems are put aside, “says the passionate weaver. – I remember when my mother was in the hospital after a stroke last year, the doctor brought her a hand to do something like that. He had to be pressed. I asked him and he would try. The doctor was amazed: not even the men squeezed that much, they asked me what kind of work I was doing. So knitting trains not only the mind but also the body!
– I will not miss the opportunity to admire your knitted toys in a Lithuanian goods store. Tell me, how was such a beautiful name “Vilnaragis” born?
– I had to turn my head a lot. They didn’t want to name their tissues in some boring or primitive way. And when I reached the end of the road with my fantasies, the name was suggested by the man. He comes from Šakiai, and in that country, for the children to listen to the elderly, the elderly frightened them: “Don’t go there, children, because you will meet Vilnaragis …” I liked that name.
– Did you discover knitting only when your mother was sick?
Sometimes I swallow a new toy for a long time. During that time, it becomes infinitely expensive for me. So expensive that I plant it on a shelf and house it with myself. Or your granddaughter.
– And yes and no. In fact, when my first granddaughter was born, Martí asked me to knit a toy. At first, I grabbed my head: well where will you fall when the stores are full of finished Chinese food? But then I started surfing the internet, looking at what current knitted toys are. I found photos of so-called amigurumi (warm crafts) on a website. And then my mother had a stroke … And I realized that I could knit my toys perfectly while I was by her side. And even contribute a little to the family budget. I have finished decorating, I have worked in the field of art for many years. I can sew and knit.
– You mentioned a non-Lithuanian name for toys. Perhaps you can say in more detail who those amigurumi are?
– They started knitting in Japan according to the popular cartoon hero of the time. You can dip anything with a hook according to a special scheme – a doll, an animal, food, household items. Although they do not have a practical use, they can become a great gift or decoration to decorate a house. Incidentally, amigurumi toys are unique in their own way. All are characterized by a disproportionately large head, large eyes, a cylindrical or spherical body, and other rounded limbs.
– Do you have a lot of work to do?
– Much. And the most frustrating calculation. Each line should count, follow the diagram. If you dream, you will close more eyes, you will have to go back to the beginning, disassemble, the thread will wrinkle. It wasn’t until a few years later, when I was a little competent, that I felt a little more relaxed.
– Weaving toys is a very responsible job. Don’t you think the child you will come to will feel the energy you gather as you knit?
– Of course. Toys are woven only accompanied by the best emotions. As they say, anger cannot produce food, and toys no less. I add only the most beautiful thoughts to them, so, I admit, it is sometimes unfortunate to stand out with some.
– You mean that not all of your sunken toys are for sale?
– Certainly not. And not necessarily my favorite children’s toys will be my favorites either. Sometimes I swallow a new toy for a long time. During that time, it becomes infinitely expensive for me. So expensive that I plant it on a shelf and house it with myself. Or your granddaughter. Then I look and think: it was already of such high quality that it seems even a shame to give the child to play. And sometimes I finish a toy according to a new scheme and I know, I will never play it again. Unpleasant, and to the point.
– Would you tell me the secret of which of your anxious wool horses is the most popular among children? Which copies are drowned the most?
– Oh, I don’t even know. Maybe giraffes and dancers? Even little ones love toys and rattles, which I call Dreams. These are such stylized bunnies. Children love simplicity. The simpler the toy, the better. Every time I knit a new toy, I check how my granddaughter will react. If you liked it, other kids will love it too!
– It is said that crafts can only be appreciated by those who dive, weave, make crafts. Is it really the case?
– Really so. Not everyone will notice that I sit on a toy for hours and sometimes weeks. Three days are spent knitting, stuffing, shaping the toy, and two more days: collecting everything and sewing it beautifully. I always make only one toy at a time. And all my toys are woven and embroidered in exactly the same way: on the same line you will find the eyes, the nose and the mouth. You can verify and count … I am diligent with madness (laughs).
– But then it is very unfortunate to sell your works …
– As long as those toys are really worth it, I will never get them. To get rid of the children’s favorite giraffe, I have to dedicate it to the whole day, at 8 o’clock, because the giraffe has many little individual details.
– I have seen a toy more than once – carried by a child, dear, but still firmly compressed in the hand, still the only and irreplaceable. Tell me, are your toys washable?
– yeah By hand, not in the washing machine. Oh, how many problems it was until I selected the right yarn to crochet, that it would not dilute after washing and the toy would not form. And until I figured out where to download the quality details of the toy, so catches don’t leak when a child plays … This isn’t a laugh! We are talking about children, their safety, so that they do not accidentally swallow details. By the way, babies can boldly stick my restless rattle in their mouths because acrylic thread has no hair (like wool). My granddaughter grew up with them. How many wool horns does she have? Oh a lot. Recently, Martí sent me a photo of where there are perhaps 30 woolly horns next to his granddaughter.
Knitting on the public day
The purpose of Worldwide Knit in Public Day is to show that this activity is intended for people of all ages and social backgrounds. This day, when people take to the streets in their knitwear, it is like a peaceful protest against the 21st century. alienation of people, slavery to technology. He wants to encourage knitting for those who have never tried it before and have no idea how fun the activity is!
Danielle Landes conceived of World Knitting Day in public, thus proclaiming the idea of communion. And to make that happen (the universal knitting virus is gaining the largest scale possible), Danielle invites knitting enthusiasts from around the world to go out to the parks, square with their knitting every year on the second Saturday in June and communicate meaningfully. 2005 25 events of this type took place around the world, now more than 10,000. Women, often men, began weaving not only for themselves, but to do it in an organized way, keeping in mind the previously announced specific theme of the event and the recipient of the charity. This is how he started knitting for hospitals, orphanages, and nursing homes. The fabric even tried to draw attention to social and ecological problems, hence the appearance of stunted trees in urban squares.
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