Join us for an informative talk on Estonian Knitting! Knitting has a very strong tradition in Estonia and is an integral part of Estonian culture and identity. Every parish in the country has its own color palette, stranded colorwork knitting pattern (for mittens, socks, and gloves), as well as unique knitting techniques. In Estonia, there are master knitters who keep the traditional ways of knitting these techniques and patterns alive with their intricate knits which are knit in the way they have been knitted for generations. Alongside the beautiful traditional works of the master knitters are modern traditional inspired knits inspiring new generations of knitters in Estonia and around the world. Discover the stories of some of Estonia’s master knitters, unique Estonian knitting techniques and how those have inspired modern traditional inspired designs by Aleks Byrd.

About Aleks Byrd:

Aleks Byrd is a knitwear designer with roots in Estonia, Canada, and the USA. Aleks’ passion is creating modern patterns with a connection to the past using little-known traditional techniques for unique wearable designs that are fun and rewarding to knit for all levels of knitters. Her portfolio of designs includes individual patterns as well as those published in The Knitter magazine and Laine Magazine. Her latest book Traditions Revisited – Modern Estonian Knits brings together her designs and teaching as an introduction to Estonian knitting, both traditional and traditional-inspired.

Aleks teaches workshops to demystify the deceptively easy techniques used in her patterns all over the world in the UK, Europe, Canada, the United States and Australia. Most notably with sold out workshops at Vogue Knitting Live in New York. Aleks especially loves sharing traditional knitting techniques from Estonia with knitters around the world to expand their view on what knitting can be.

She works with yarn shops and knitting event organizers to bring engaging workshops to your knitting community.