Feature
| CroChet in lithuania
This month, Inside Crochet
Lith
Cr
u
oC
a
hEt
n
IN
ia
heads to the craft hotspot of
eastern Europe, Lithuania.
BY Donna DruChunaS
hen i was little, my lithuanian The short trip didn’t satisfy me, so I returned
(above) From large
W
grandmother crocheted hats, the following summer, this time for seven weeks!
squares to small alleys,
hats, and more hats. i don’t After four weeks in language school studying
Lithuania is bursting
remember if she made anything Lithuanian, I was joined by my husband and our
with knitting and crochet
else. Grandma Druchunas wasn’t a big crafter. friend, June Hall, and we travelled around the rest of
delights.
She crocheted while watching her 'stories' the country, visiting knitters and crocheters, spinners
(above right bottom)
(afternoon soap operas) on tV, but that was and weavers, museums, folk art schools, woollen
Donna discovered some
about it. Still, she infused in me a desire to know mills, and sheep farms. As we travelled to cities
gorgeous yarns created
more about the lithuanian nation and people. and villages, I discovered that, just like in America,
using natural dyes.
When i became interested in knitting and museums around the country are filled with textiles
crochet as an adult, the interests merged and i exhibits. Knitting and crochet often took a back seat
found myself buying up lithuanian craft books, to spinning and weaving, but all these crafts were
and ultimately booking a visit to Vilnius. present in every museum I visited.
On my first visit to Lithuania in 2007, I only had
five rainy days to explore the nation’s capital. In textiles in Lithuania
those few days, I stumbled onto knitting and crochet Lithuania has a long textile history. Yarn has been
everywhere – in Old Town at the tourist market, spun from wool and flax since the Stone Age, and
in fibre arts galleries hidden in small alleys, in woven textile fragments have been discovered at
museums, at a national folk-singing festival where many archaeological sites. Over time, different
performers dressed in historical costume, and in techniques were used to make lace and patterned
demonstrations of traditional crafts at Cathedral garments, as well as many different types of
Square. There were also yarn shops hiding in nooks accessories. But knitting and crochet are relative
and crannies around the city. newcomers to the area.
42 | INSIDE Crochet
IC3.feat.Lithuania.2.RE.BS.indd 42 7/7/09 16:24:32
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