Maardilaat-St. Martin's Day Fair
This weekend is Maardilaat (St. Martin's Day Fair) in Tallinn, Estonia. It is Estonia's largest handicraft and folkloric lifestyle event. At this event you can see mix of modern and tradition, this can be seen in masters of their skills showing off their work and skills to younger audiences. You can also see every region and parish represented in pattern side by side. I love to see how the knits are displayed, particularly the mittens, which have been an inspiration for me in my work and particular in my MA research and practice. You can see the patterns together and see the shared motifs as well as unique elements.
Photo of mitten display from VisitTallinn Facebook page. You can see the variations of the eight-point star side by side.
Photo of display of Kihnu sweater from VisitTallinn Facebook page. These sweaters from the island of Kihnu ( very much associated with the island and traditionally worn by men) feature an all-over repeat of a eight-point star variation.
Reportage illustration Ii created at the fair in 2015 ©Aleks Byrd
Photographs
VisitTallinn (2017)[Facebook] 18 November. Available at: https://www.facebook.com/VisitTallinn/