In the autumn, the University of Eastern Finland was presented with a knitting challenge on Twitter, inviting members of UEF to knit woollen socks, either alone or in groups, and to donate them to charity. The idea came from the Centre for Continuous Learning, where staff members have been knitting together throughout the autumn and donated woollen socks to different charities.
“The idea of UEF’s very own sock knitting patterns lingered. Since UEF is home to specific expertise in handicrafts, we contacted people in craft science and asked whether students would be interested in taking on a sock knitting challenge of some kind. We also wanted to develop the idea a little bit further,” Marketing Coordinator Anna Kuikka says.
Mari Tarnanen, who studies to become a crafts teacher, found herself fascinated by the sock knitting challenge. She has designed patterns already before, and she liked the idea of her first real design job.
“I knit all the time; it helps me to concentrate. It’s been nice to notice how knitting has become a very popular hobby in recent years. In fact, this inspired my Master’s thesis, which focuses on how the coronavirus pandemic has changed the significance of handicrafts,” Tarnanen says.
She designed two different patterns for the UEF socks: an easier, striped sock in UEF’s colours for beginners, and a slightly more demanding colourwork sock for advanced knitters.
Director of Human Resources and Staff Well-being Ulla Hurskainen got instantly excited about the idea.
“On many levels, this is a nice idea that boosts community spirit. For us brain-workers, handicrafts are a good counterbalance. And once you get the hang of it, knitting can be even therapeutic. These socks can now be knitted together by workplace communities and student groups during meetings and lectures, for example.”
With Christmas approaching, woollen socks also make a great gift, either for a friend or for charity.
“For me at least, the significance of a gift is immediately greater if it is self-made.”
Hurskainen also proposes “woollen sock days” on campus in winter – they could be a Finnish equivalent to casual Fridays.
“What could be nicer than wearing on-brand woollen socks at the office?”
Tarnanen says that she found an inspiration for the colourwork socks when studying UEF’s graphic image. According to her, the wave-like pattern on both the designs is also a reference to the fact that both campuses are located near water.
“To me, those waves are also a reminder of how it’s never been completely calm here: we always have something going on,” Hurskainen says, smiling.
