Shepherd'sCrochetHat

Do you remember my AAW Mittens No10? I designed and made a hat for them! I used our own AAW yarn (50% our own ethic produced arctic angora wool, 40% ethic produced FinnSheep wool and 10% nylon) (100g = 238m). I plant dyed the yarns with coffee and tea. It is ethic and sustain produced wool and dye. Also, it is a slow craft and FashionNOW. It is very warm and He loves it!

TrapperHat No1

I bought a fox fur coat from a friend. It is unpractical design. It is in relatively good shape but demands a huge work to turn out to be something else and useful according to FashionNOW. Now it has lost its 1st sleeve. 

I designed and made trapper hat for Him. It is a traditional design with updates. It do has padding inside but as a lining fabric I have used mulesing-free merino wool. 

Usually you see trappers hat bind up on the top of the head. We use it in this way: bind at back. This way is perfect in the cold climate where you still need to protect your ears but can open the side flaps a  bit.

The front side fabric is 100 % wool and twill woven. Traditionally we use here leather for it. I used these materials to create breathability to the hat. He do has 2 extra warm traditional trappers hat. That's why this is made a bit differently.

I think it looks great and He loves it!

ForestSámiWomen'sGoatFurHat (trad.)

This is traditional style Forest Sámi goat fur hat. Its pattern bases on the traditional style form that is used in different types of Forest Sámi hats. Previously in this blog I introduced the same pattern in Forest Sámi woollen hats. This is the exactly same hat but made of fabric. For this GeatFurHat I made the ties by historical fingerloop braiding technique.

ForestSámiWomen'sHat (wool) (modified)

This Forest Sámi women't hat is slightly modified from the original traditional pattern to fit better for modern Forest Sámi women style and need of use. I will bring also this out in my upcoming book.

ForestSámiWomen'sHat (wool) (trad.)

I graded the traditional ForestSámiChild'sHat (wool) to bigger sizes. Also women have used it in daily life but given up slowly after WW2 because of the discrimination. It has been replaced by a full fur cover hat style that reminds more other Sámi group head wears. It is also a traditional pattern but not so different style looking than this wool or partly wool made of hat. Also about this you will hear more in my upcoming book.

ForestSámiChild'sHat (wool) (trad.)

This year I have spent quite a lot of time investigating and researching traditional Forest Sámi head wears. This one bases on an old traditional Forest Sámi pattern and design.

The pattern has several special points that differs it from the SámiCradleHat. I will point them out in my upcoming book. This hat is on an adult hat mold so it looks a bit funny.

It is very beautiful and simple but practical traditional Forest Sámi design. Later I will make a fur hat version of this in the traditional way.

NB Hat No2

I designed and made this needle binding winter hat. No, there is no design for it. Typical for needle binding is that they are made "on you". It means you bind a bit, try it on, keep going on until finished. I used our own AAW yarn (50% our own ethic produced arctic angora wool, 40% ethic produced FinnSheep wool, 10% nylon (100g = 238m). I plant dyed the yarns by weld (reseda), onion, lupin and reed. I used Finnish stitch (2+3 F2). I crocheted the flowers and leaves for the decoration.

It is FashionNOW slow craft and I plan to wear with wollen jumpers. This hat matches with the shade of my pale eyes. 😍

ForestSámiMen'sFourWindsHat

In my Sámi siida region men used to wear this kind of hat instead of the more common one pictured above. We don't know for how long they used FourWindsHat like women. Obviously perhaps since it started to get common among other Sámi tribes and also women's hat got bigger. This hat is made according to the old hat. I took the pattern from an old hat at Musea Noiti Viessu in Salla at the same time when I traced ForestSámiWomen'sBonnet.

This Men'sFourWindsHat has two different kind of fur. The design is traditional but often claimed to be fake because of the sheep fur. But it is not. It bases on the tradition with sheep fur around the edge and other fur around the forehead part. Other fur is often reindeer or beaver. This one has wild mink which my father-in-law hunt.

It is often claimed Sámi did not have or possessed sheep. But they did, not reindeer nomad Sámi but some other groups did. Since when? Since the sheep got up to the north obviously at least 1000 years ago. You can have sheep when living not so nomad life, like SeaSámi/CoastalSàmi tribes did. Forest Sàmi have always lived semi-nomad life and when they were forced to put up permanent estates (=build the houses to preserve their traditional living areas) they were able to have 1-3 sheep. At least then they learnt to use sheep as a source of material and food. Moore like material because why to kill an animal who produces wool when the forest is full of wild game. 😊 Sheep is not our traditional food, I can't even cook it!

SámiCradleHat

I made a traditional style SámiCradleHat. It is an infant hat called "komsiolakki" in Finnish. Lakki means a hat. Komsio is a special Sámi type of cradle made of wood and leather. You can carry it or hang it for example from a roof. It is made for the baby's sleep but also to protect the baby.

Opposite to the tradition, it has a merino wool lining that is left over material from the tube scarf project. According to the tradition it has traditional Forest Sámi decoration style.

Above the ear, on the both sides of the head, it has a small decoration for the protection of the baby. Can you spot the red and green squares? Can you spot the hole in the green square? Previously I told you the holes crate the place where noidi/shaman can travel between the worlds (present here for us alive ones, above for gods and below for the dead ones). The holes create also the spots where the evil can be driven away so that it can't master you or start to live in you or get attached to you in any way. It just goes through like a wind. This symbolic traditional figure creates a huge blessing for the new born baby. Gods and ancestors can come to protect the baby and evil can't catch the baby. That's why the symbolic holes are on the both sides of the head.

The figure on the top of the head is a personal blessing for the baby. It represents the sun, the water and the reflection of the sun on the water surface. So, there is that reflection to chase the evil away despite there is not any shining elements like glass or silver. By this blessing I send sunshine and safety for the baby's life.

ForestSámiMen'sHat

Traditionally at my Sámi siida region men used to wear this type of hats instead of larger Four Winds Hat. They used also fur hats. Four Winds Hat arrived later on Forest Sámi men costume and still some prefer fur hat instead of Four Winds Hat. Forest Sámi men using Four Winds Hat is again one more reason of them being accused of cultural appropriation and being fake; just Finns who disguise of being Sámi for some personal benefit reasons. 

Also this hat -just like Forest Sámi Women's Four Winds Hat- is made according to 100 years old hat of which we have received a photographs from far away. I can't publish those pictures here because they include private persons and have been trusted to us despite including sensitive material.

Originally the hat pictured on the photograph has reindeer fur around it. Also in this hat I used a marten which I received as a thank you gift from Irene Kangasniemi. It doesn't matter what the fur is. Traditionally everything what you had was used. I brought also this hat with me to Forest Sámi Summer 2024 Expo in Kittilä where all the visitors had the change to see and investigate also this hat.

Originally the hat has tassel made of fabric stripes but you could use also wool yarn for it. I made it in the original way to show it to everybody so that people can see how it works.

ForestSámiWomen'sFourWindsHat

Among Sámi tribes -yes, there are different Sámi tribes- Four Winds Hat is often classified to be men head wear. Because Forest Sámi women may wear Four Wind Hat they are often called misusing the hat and insulting the traditions and not being real Sámi because they don't know it is men wear. 

Many old photographs prove Forest Sámi women wearing Four Winds Hat. Oral tradition prove Forest Sámi women can wear Four Winds Hat. More about the oral tradition in this issue I will tell in my research when ever I´ll get it all finished. This is one good example what Sámi community in Finland misses out when excluding Forest Sámi tribe out from the Sámi Parliament. It is a loss to the whole Sámi community in Europe because it loses the tradition of one whole tribe because of Forest Sámi discrimination in Finland.

This Four Winds Hat is made according to 100 years old hat of which we have received a photographs from far away. I can't publish those pictures here because they include private persons and have been trusted to us despite including sensitive material. One of my dreams is travel to see and investigate the hat and save all the information of it, but it locates behind the seas. It has end up there because of the emigration.

The exact hat of which I have made the new patterns has reindeer fur around the hat. You can see the beautiful picture of Riitta Ahmasalo on our siida site of the costume including Four Winds Hat Irene Kangasniemi has made with the help of mine. For the first time ever the public has been able to see the Forest Sámi Four Winds Hat at Irene Kanagsniemi's exhibition Untamed in January 2024. I used a marten in my hat. I received the marten fur as a thank you gift from Irene. I will always carry the memory of it with my hat. It doesn't matter what the fur is. Traditionally everything what you had was used. I brought also this hat with me to Forest Sámi Summer 2024 Expo in Kittilä where all the visitors had the change to see and investigate also this hat.

For me it is very difficult to say Four Winds Hat that's correct in English. I always want to write Four Wind Hat. It is because to me as Forest Sámi there is only one wind that can be seen in many directions, forms,  tempers and characters. 

ForestSámiWomen'sBonnet

At Forest Sámi Summer Expo 2024 I had a presentation about costume history and women's hat in our culture. It was connected to the lace and decorations of the hat. During the past 12 months I have received so many questions about head wears so I decided to give a presentation about it despite my costume history research is still unfinished. 

The research I make is unfortunately slow because I do it on my free time without funding. ForestSàmi culture doesn't receive any kind of funding from Sámi Parliament of Finland because they think we don't exist anymore.  We neither receive any funding from the state because they say it is Sámi Parliament's job to share the funding. Anyway, this is our alive communal culture and history so I think everyone has the right to know about it. That's why I do my best for the community and share the information when ever I have reached the point something is ready to be shared. 

Lace started to appear in Forest Sámi hats obviously at the end of 1800 or early 1900. Today we can use the lace or not, it is up to individuals like it has always been. In my hat I have used hand made bobbin lace my mother brought me as a gift when she traveled in Portugal almost 25 years ago. That is exactly how Forest Sámi people had their first lace: a gift or self bought item in trade. 

This hat is made according to old traditional design. The decoration can vary but what is common to all is the minimum use of fabric and supportive ribbon over the seam that connects the top and side parts together. Traditionally all the decorations were home made of fabric but when it became possible also Forest Sámi used factory made decorative ribbons in their head wears. For the hats you need less material than for the whole costume so many people could afford that for the hats.

This is the original hat of which I have taken the pattern at Musea Noiti Viessu in Salla. It is an old hat. It is exactly the same pattern. I had to triple check it when finished the new hat, so different it looked. But yes, it is. It just looks different and the top part stands on differently because it is not used and worn. Notice the beautiful small lace around the face part.

BubbleCowl

Do you remember BubbleSocks, BubbleMittens and BubbleHat? I used Sublime's lusturous extrafine merino dk yarn (67% extra fine merino wool and 33% of nylon) (25g = 95m) in shades 332 Laurelie (grey), 335 Peridot (green), 291 Hush (very light pink) and 294 Folie (pink).

Now BubbleSet has got the final part: BubbleCowl!
My own design.

BubbleHat

I've been knitting more bubbles.

I designed and knit WoollyBubbleHat.

It fits perfect with BubbleSocks and BubbleMittens.

I used the same yarn as in socks and mittens. It is Sublime's lusturous extrafine merino dk yarn (67% extra fine merino wool and 33% of nylon, 25g = 95m).

I like it a lot.

It is all mine.

But hey, I still have this yarn left. Let's see what else will be designed to accompany MyBubbleSet...

OOW HatNo2

I was happy to knit this my own design hat for someone special. It is made of OurOwnWool (25% arctic dog wool and 75% Finnsheep wool). It is actually made to be match with LegWarmers and Hand Warmers. 

Dear December, hope you'll be here soon!

With love by me!

OOW HatNo1

Do you remember the moment when I started to knit a hat for a friend of mine? For it I used OurVeryOwnWool (OOW). Here is the last part for the hat -a pom pom- that is actually a flower.

The hat is my own design.

I knitted the hat and crocheted the decoration flower.

The style is very simple. The point is to knit long enough...

...to get it folded like this...

...and when you wear it the look is a bit romantic.

It is 75% ethic produced Finnsheep wool and 25% ethic produced arctic dog wool.

Very Happy Yarn!

Very Happy Hat!

Updating?

I was loading a picture for you about something else and found old pictures from the last Christmas time. The clothes are my own design but anyone who can knit a pair of sock can do the same. Actually these are easier than the socks. So have a try and make someone happy.

For the Christmas 2012 I knit these kind of sets for a BabyBorn doll. I used loose end yarns. Simple, cheap and made one little girl very happy after Santa Claus visit. I sew also a bag for the clothes so she won't be missing doll clothes so easily. :)