I
grew up in a Finnish home where the native crafts were appreciated and practiced.
My mother was schooled in weaving. I don't remember a time when there was not
a loom in our large country kitchen, and Mother sitting at it, banging away, making
rag rugs. I can still hear that muffled thump as she drew the reed against the
portion she had just added, thus to tighten and secure it. Often I would sit on
the long bench alongside her, listening to her accounts of how she had designed
and made the beautiful ryijy (pictured left) that always had a place of
honor in our modest home. It was news to me then that ryijys used to be woven
on a loom. Though she never worked on a ryijy during my lifetime, she instilled
in me an interest in and respect for this Finnish beauty. Later on, I made my
own ryijy employing a new technique of "sewing" the nap with a needle onto a woolen
backing. (Pictured on the right: the name of the ryijy design is "Pörriäinen,"
or "Fuzzy Bug.")
With these fond memories and
respect for my mother's art, I decided to do some cursory research into the
history of this fascinating heirloom craft.
The
Finnish ryijy is akin to the magnificent Iranian rug in that its
technique of manufacture is similar, though not nearly as refined and
detailed as its Persian distant cousin's. The beautiful designs for both
are made by forming knots of yarn on a backing and leaving a length of the yarn, either
wool or silk, to make the nap. The Iranian carpet may have hundreds of
knots per square inch (the more knots, the better the quality), while the
ryijy has not more than twenty-five. It is fair to say that the
Persian is a sophisticate among the rugs of the world—the king among the
common bourgeois knotted beauties. Happily, the Finnish ryijy is not in
competition with its Iranian counterpart; the two may be in the same
category, but they are in separate classes.
This is not
to say that the ryijy is without aesthetic merits; quite the
contrary. I don't know of a Finn or a foreigner who is not enamored
with this Finnish treasure. The secret of ryijy’s charm is its simplicity
of design and color and its flexibility of function.
Though it is difficult to assertain just which of the Scandinavian countries saw the first creations
of a ryijy, it is evident that it was in Finland that the rug found its true
charm. The earliest ryijys still in existence are from the 1700's, from
Vesilahti, and they demonstrate that colorful patterns were used to weave
these rugs. It was then a custom to give a newly woven ryijy to a couple
who were about to be married. They would kneel on this soft surface to
exchange their wedding promises. Later on, the ryijy would hang on their
wall as a memento and a reminder of the couple’s start in life together.
Special thanks to Päivi Suomi whose article
Rya Tapestry:
A Brief History was used as a partial source.
The first ryijy pictured was designed and hand-loomed by Mrs. Lucia Flinkman-Hanski
in 1935, in Joensuu, Finland.
Pictures of historical ("kansanomaiset") ryijys courtesy of Ryijypalvelu, used by the company's express permission.
The oldest examples of
ryijys come from the 14th-century Norway, where they were utilized as
bedding for their incomparable warmth and softness. Curiously, they were
used the "wrong" side out, leaving the nap side next to the body. These
ryijys and the ones used in Swedish courts were usually monochromatic, most
often beige, yellow, black, gray or natural white. By the end of the 16th
century, other, more readily washable and changeable bed-coverings became
the vogue among the upper classes, while the commoners enjoyed the cozy and
comfortable ryijy far into the following centuries.
The weavers of the ryijys
were specially skilled in their craft. They would travel from place to
place with their looms to make the ryijys for couples who were planning
their weddings. Colors were derived from plants; raspberry-red was the
most commonly used, and evidently was first concocted in Vesilahti, and thus
has become know as the “vesilahtelainen väri” or the color of
Vesilahti. (See example on left, a ryijy dating from the year 1722.) The patterns were most commonly abstract, somewhat cubistic,
in nature, but occasionally they would depict landscapes, buildings, and
animal and human figures, the latter two being more rare. Unerring and sure
sense of style, color and design was the hallmark of these early artisans,
and left a worthy legacy for the young weavers of the ensuing centuries.
Today, ryijy-making is
much easier than it used to be. Kits are available which do not require
the use of a loom, but are rather knotted onto a purpose-made woolen
backing with specialty needles. Designs and colors are still exquisite,
some very modern and some based on antique ryijys that are available for a
closer look in exhibits around Finland. Anyone who knows how to thread a
needle, pull it through fabric and form a knot (and has a lot of time and
patience) can make a ryijy!
FOR MORE RYIJY PATTERS, PLEASE, CLICK HERE
 "Elämänlanka"; Design: Aino Baeckman ("The Thread of Life"; 120x250cm)
|
 "Maamiehen ryijy"; Design: A.W. Raitio ("Farmer's ryijy"; 120x250cm)
|
RYIJY SELLERS:
Helmi Vuorelma Oy Wetterhoff Oy Suomen Käsityön
Ystävät
Ryijypalvelu
Abrahaminkatu 7
00180 Helsinki
FINLAND
http://www.ryijypalvelu-rp.fi
E-mail: ryijypalvelu@kolumbus.fi
Hämeenkatu 20
FIN-15110 Lahti
www.vuorelma.net
E-mail: helmi@vuorelma.net
Tel.: +358 3 8777820
Fax: +358 3 8777830
Wetterhoffinkatu 4, PL 115
FIN-13100 Hämeenlinna
www.wetterhoff.fi
E-mail: myymala@wetterhoff.fi
Tel.: +358-(0)3-62 6260
Fax: +358-(0)3-616 5502
Runeberginkatu 40
FIN-00260 Helsinki
www.finnishhandicraft.net
E-mail: sky@kasityonystavat.fi
Tel. +358-9-612 6050
Fax +358-9-612 60515
Copyright © 1998-2008 E-mail can be sent to: mailtokk at yahoo dot com
This page was created on March 16, 1998
Most recent revision: March 1, 2007
