Anna Puolakka

Finnish Craft & Design

Every year in November is the biggest craft fair in Finland held in Tampere. For years I have been visiting and working in Finnish Craft & Design fair. I appreciate every crafter who comes there to sell their own products and love to buy present to my family from there. These fair is also great place to buy yarn, fabrics or other materials.

Our Taito-organization has own stage in the middle of the hall. Last year I was giving a presentation of spinning and this year I took my students with me. We called it “The choir of spinning wheels” but nobody sung. My students were spinning and I was interviewing them and explaining what they are doing. We had spoken beforehand what I will ask, so they were well prepared. I think our show went well, there was a lot of people in the audience watching it and asking questions. I love to see that spinning is getting to be popular.

Nannatextiles and Max Berk Textilsammlung

In April 2024 I was visiting my friend, textileartisan Nanna Aspholm-Flink in Stuttgart, Germany. We hosted together her studio during ETAK which is held every year in Europe.

I was presenting Taito-organisation and Craft- and design school Näpsä where I teach.

Max Berk Textilsammlung is Textilemuseum in Heidelberg and during my visit in Germany i also kept my presentation in the museum.

Young Craft 2022

Summer 2022 I was attending Young Craft camp in Denmark, Dhe Efterskolen Skjern. Camp was organized by Nordic craft organizations, danish organization Fora was the main organizer. In the camp there was young people from Finland, Sweden, Norway, Estonia, Iceland and of course Denmark.

I ran a workshop called Ryijy / Rua / Rug. We teached to participants what is ryijy and then they designed their own. There was 6 workshop at the same time, on from each country. Camp was great and we had really nice time with young participants, they were so excited and did really nice works.