12 DAYS OF CHRISTMAS: HANNELE KÖNGÄS
Image: Courtesy of Hannele Köngäs
Hannele Köngäs is a weaver, plant dyer, and wool enthusiast. Her roots are in Lapland, but she lives and works in South-Western Finland.
Previously working as a teacher specializing in hand weaving, textile history, and historical textile techniques informed the artistic approach and methods that she uses today. Hannele eventually opened her own weaving studio, Waveweaver's Wool, in early 2000.
Image: Courtesy of Hannele Köngäs
A commitment to sustainability, and desire to protect the fragile ecosystem in which she lives, guides every step of Hannele's process. The two materials that are most important to her work are Finnish grey wool and horsehair. Next to her studio is a dye kitchen, where she dyes her fibres with plants.
For SELVEDGE, Hannele is offering the Seafarer’s striped woollen underblanket, hand woven on a pedal loom, using 100% Finnish single wool yarn for both warp and weft, measuring 100cm x 220cm, and valued at £434.00.
Image: Courtesy of Hannele Köngäs
Hannele explains the authenticity of this item: ‘In the south-western archipelago of Finland, even into the 1950s, most people had a woollen undersheet. While giving warmth, wool absorbs moisture and therefore is a superior material in the cold and wet circumstances of the coast. The old people knew that. The sheets were warm, and they also were striped— striped in different ways and colours in different parishes. These striped woollen sheets have inspired me over many years. You can wrap yourself in this Seafarer`s woollen blanket and imagine the sea wind blowing.’
Image: Courtesy of Hannele Köngäs
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