"Craft Trips": How a Passion for Knitting Brings Together Hundreds of Latvian Women
For several years, knitter Ilze Salna has organized so-called "Craft Trips" — joint excursions and camps for knitting enthusiasts in Latvia and abroad. What began as a small trip to Estonia now gathers more than 600 participants.
The idea for joint knitting trips traces back to the pandemic period, when a small group of like-minded enthusiasts traveled to a mitten exhibition in Tartu, Estonia. Afterward, interest grew in organizing such trips more regularly, giving rise to what is now known as the "Craft Trips." The initiative is led and organized by craftswoman Ilze Salna.
Alongside the trips, Salna also runs knitting camps where participants temporarily set aside daily responsibilities to devote time to their hobby without restriction. According to the organizer, new friendships form at these camps, and participants return home inspired and rested.
Routes Across the Baltics and Europe
The knitters regularly attend international craft events — a yarn festival in Finland, the Leipzig yarn festival in Germany, and Tallinn's craft fair "Mardilaat." In Latvia, a special place is reserved for Ērgļi in Madona municipality, where camps are held every summer. This summer, participants also took part in the Ērgļi festival, knitting scarves for the statues in the medieval castle park together with local craftspeople.
According to Salna, the geography of participants keeps expanding — camps have drawn women from Liepāja, Smiltene, Ludza and other places, as well as from Sweden. The group currently has more than 600 members, though longer trips typically involve around 40 people.
Community and Process
Salna notes that although knitting is an individual pursuit, it has become a source of inspiration and mutual support among participants, who often work together to solve tricky knitting problems. For her personally, knitting is a meditative process that helps relieve stress. She has been knitting since age seven, and wool socks made by the group are also sent to soldiers in Ukraine.
This autumn, a trip to Estonia's "Mardilaat" fair is planned, for which participants are already preparing by learning new knitting techniques.
