While I was in Helsinki, I got a chance to check out a really sweet local yarn shop called Snurre. I got my travel knitting fix on, and came away with some excellent yarn to add to my stash.
It’s become a bit of a tradition for me to visit knitting shops wherever I travel. There are a many benefits to this yarn-addict “habit” of mine. Not least of which:
- It’s a chance to shop local
- Knitting stores present an opportunity to shop for something personal and meaningful, that you will always love. Items made with yarn gathered around the world are some of my most sentimental souvenirs. Sometimes I start knitting while still on the road. Sometimes I wait for months, or even years. But every time I wear or touch the item, I remember where I was when I bought the yarn.
- Birds of a feather, knit together. Knitting shops are an opportunity to make friends. No matter what the language in the country you are visiting, there is a common language to crafting. Knitters communicate in a special shorthand of gage and needle size.
Despite the fact that it was nearly mid July when I visited, it was cold in Helsinki. The cold damp weather made me want to eat soup, read books and knit. It made me miss living in Portland, Oregon, which is the city where I first learned how to knit.
I knew I wanted to visit a yarn shop there, and serendipity struck when the driver of my tour van pulled out a gorgeous mohair scarf that she was working on. She was making steady progress, as we toured and she waited in the car, parked next to assorted landmarks. She made a list of yarn shops for me, and one was just a few blocks from my air bnb shop.
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Snurre was a sweet little store, tucked onto a side street near a busy shopping mall. The selection inside was impressive for such a small shop. Especially noteworthy was the t-shirt yarn. This is apparently what they are most famous for.
But t-shirt yarn was not what I was looking for. I knew we’d be spending a few more days on ferries on this trip and when I am on ferries I always want to stay outside. This is far more pleasant when I am wearing a warm and cozy cap. This is simple enough to whip up and I wasn’t looking for anything fancy. Just a soft, warm, basic stocking cap that would keep my head warm.
I settled on some navy blue merino wool, and my daughter bought some of the same yarn in dusky purple. We got to work right away and before long we had much warmer heads. We did not use a pattern, just cast on 80 stitches and knit in the round then reduced by knitting two stitches together every 10 stitches for a round, then every 9, then every 8 (etc). No need for a hat pattern as long as you have the right size needles to knit with 80 stitches. It’s my fave hat “unpattern”.
There was more yarn than we thought in the two little balls. Ani found a pattern for a crocheted beanie online, and made that as well.
Marly is not a fan of the fiber arts. But she tolerated our yarn shopping habit. Fortunately the store had wifi.
Here I am in the hat I made, head cozy at last!
After I got home I added some pins to the hats. They look nice with and without. I love that about plain stocking-type hats.
The owners of Snurre were super sweet and helpful. I recommend visiting if you are ever in Helsinki. You might not think you will be, but you never know. I never expected to find myself in Finland either. But I am so glad we went! Visiting this charming shop was part of what made me love this beautiful Nordic country.
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