Continuing on with my crafty exploring in Finland back in March, I spent a few days in Tampere.
Yarn shops
Taito shop
Inside the design shop there were stairs down to a small yarn section where I picked up a few more colours of Veto Vuorelma yarn.
Taito Pirkanmaa Verkaranta Taitopaja
Inside a beautiful building along the water is the Verkaranta Arts and Crafts Centre containing a few shops of handcrafts, an exhibition space and a cafe. Upstairs was a space filled with weaving looms and friendly folk who chatted to me about their community and activities. They also sold discounted (discontinued) yarn and rug yarn (I’m still kicking myself for not stuffing some in my backpack to bring home!).
Merletto
Tucked away inside a shopping centre, Merletto had a large supply of yarns and other craft items and I found some Danish yarns and Finnish ribbons for my collection.
Tallipiha Taikaviitta
This cute shop was bursting at the seams with delightful and beautiful handmade bags, crochet toys, knick-knacks and a selection of Finnish yarn. I had a lovely chat to a woman there who was sewing bags and pouches and I bought some chunky Finnwool yarn by Pirtin Kehräämö – made in Finland from Finnish sheep wool!
Lankaidea
Well-stocked yarn shop but I arrived 10 minutes before closing time so I had to do a very quick stop and shop and picked up a few balls of European yarns.
Lanka-aitta
I found this store and sadly it was having a closing sale (so of course I had to buy some yarn and knitting needles). I chatted at length with a woman in the store who gave me lots of tips on kniting needles and sock knitting methods and, while she didn’t expand on the topic of closing the store, I’m hoping that she has been able to continue the store elsewhere because she obviously has a passion for handcrafts.
Museums
Työväenmuseo Werstas (The Finnish Labour Museum)
This large collection of museums had free entry and gave insights in to the history of Finns and how they have worked. I adored the Textile Industry Museum which explored the history of Finnish textile manufacturing and the Finlayson factory.
Moominvalley Museum
Re-living a little bit of childhood I visited the Moomin Museum which had a beautiful collection of Tove Jansson drawings, art and sculptures from the Moomin series.
Andy Warhol exhibition at the Sara Hildén museum
In a blustery winter snow storm, this gallery wasn’t the easiest place to find because it’s inside fun park grounds and there was no one else around but I managed to find it, enjoyed the collection of Andy Warhol works on show, and I spotted some bunny prints in the fresh snow as I leaving the park.
Cafes
Kahvila Valo
Lovely busy cafe with great teas and and it was open until late.
Vohvelikahvila
Waffle cafe! A small cute cafe with a selection of tasty waffles made to order.
Cafe Europa
I’m sure this place can get busy but I stopped in for a weeknight late evening tea to warm up and scored myself a comfortable old couch to laze on for a while and rest my feet.
Pyynikin Näkötornin Kahvila
Climb to the top of a hill and be welcomed by a little cafe at the base of an observation tower. I had a delicious Finnish munkki (doughnut) and an espresso to stare out at the wintery landscape. They also had handmade crafts for sale dotted around the room.
Other shops and fun things to do
Pikku Putiikit
Another collection of lovely handmade Finnish design tucked away in between buildings. I picked up a rag rug bracelet from Intoa Design (who seem to have another Tampere store which I didn’t get a chance to visit).
Finlayson factory shop
A Finlayson outlet store with discounted linen, towels and fabrics.
Heading to Finland and interested in yarn or handcrafts? I’ve also posted my experiences from Helsinki, Rovaniemi and Jyväskylä.