Kalevala – The Finnish National Epic.

I can't say I'd ever heard of ‘Kalevala’ until a group of ladies from the crochet community got together and decided to start a Crochet-a Long (Cal) to celebrate the centenary of Finland’s independence from Russia.

Regarded as a national epic, 'Kalevala' is a collection of 19^th century poetry, compiled by Elias Lönnro from Finnish and Karelian folklore and mythology.

The Cal creates a beautiful throw (I’ve decided to make two at the same time) and each square is designed around a different part of the epic tail

My squares are crocheted using variegated, King Cole Superball 200 DK, in Butterscotch (Shade 3099) for the first throw,  Humbug (Shade 1676) for the other and I used a 4.00 hook.

 In primeval times, a maiden,
Beauteous Daughter of the Ether,
Passed for ages her existence
In the great expanse of heaven,
O'er the prairies yet enfolded.

You can find the full verse here

  Rune 1 – Birth of Wainamoinen

The first square is called Ilmatar (a virgin spirit of the air)

Ilmatar is the maiden in the Kalevala poem, a maiden from heaven who has created the world. She was tired of being in the sky, descended to the sea and became pregnant by the wind.

The designer of the square,  Sari Åström, says this crocheted square respects the divine femininity of Ilmatar and her blooming, as well as the air of heaven and wind.

Next Step…….blocking!

If you would like to join in with the Cal, you can find everything you need to know Here

Happy Crocheting!

Sue

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