Jana Bukolovska reports

Latvia can be proud of its ancient crafts, amongst which knitting and crocheting take the most prominent place, the tradition dating back to the 14th century. Rich in national character, different patterns and natural colours, traditional knitted accessories and garments such as hats, scarves, sweaters, wraps, mittens and thick winter socks can be found in the small souvenir shops as well as in the big brand stores.

Being an essential part of everyday life centuries ago, modern mittens and scarfs still reproduce the ancient pagan ornaments. Famous for being hand made, these warming souvenirs attract tourists’ attention at any time of the year.

The small company Hobbywool, founded in 2009, was included in the top 100 of the most interesting shops to visit in the world by the Italian tourism portal www.easyviaggio.com. Producing hand made knitwear accessories from high quality wool and alpaca and organising community projects, the company is a good example of the modern approach to the traditional craft.

High technology approach

On a completely different and industrial scale and orientating towards high technology markets, the small Jekabpils based knitwear manufacturer Viola Stils, founded in 1991, is proud to be an international leader in seamless knitwear production.

It has produced more than 600 knitting programmes for seamless knitwear made on Stoll flat knitting machines. Viola Stils has 10 CMS Knit & Wear machines some of which have additional needle beds for gauge changing – allowing the company to produce garments in a wide range of gauges.

Focusing on exporting, the company supplies its production to countries like Germany, Ireland, UK, Russia, Finland and others.

As part of his regular visits to the Latvian regions, the Latvian President Andris BÄ“rziņš visited the Viola Stils factory this January, where the company’s president and owner Juris Bruzuks introduced him to the latest technology and equipment used to produce  high quality seamless knitwear.

Elegant and comfortable

Recently, the company complemented  its portfolio of seamless knitwear by presenting its new Autumn/Winter collection, featuring new jacquard jumper and tunics designs, as well as a variety of knitwear accessories.

Working with  natural raw materials, the company has produced a collection that features Royal Mohair blends, with silk and Merino wool maintaining an anti- pilling effect. The company’s hat and scarf collection this season is knitted by hand  into beautiful designs, using high quality wools.

New type of leggings that keep their shape even after being stretched and worn for a long period are part of the collection. Buttonholes have also been replaced by button loops, which have been knitted directly into the garments giving them a better optical and quality look.

LOS Knitwear

According to Viola Stils, its LOS or ‘Lack of Seams’ knitwear can act as a second skin, helping to regulate the body’s temperature, adjusting to the weather conditions and the wearer’s sensations. “Due to its structure and design, the LOS knitwear is a material that records the shape of your body, making it a perfect fit,” says Juris Bruzuks.

One of the main features, outlined by Viola Stils, is the technology used to manufacture the garment:  “The closest clothing item to seamless knitwear in the past has been socks, but today, technology has reached such levels that we are able to knit complete sweaters, dresses, or other garment types, without the inclusion of a single sewn or linked seam.”

“The technology allows to produce a complete knitted product leaving a single thread of yarn which is invisibly closed in the garment, guaranteeing a uniform density of knitting without any seams.”

www.violastils.lv

www.hobbywool.com