Day 8: Tiernapojat

In the old times, and even today in schools and kindergardens children play this traditional play called “Tiernapojat”. Originally this play was performed in churches but since it has grown into various, different plays in many European countries.

In Finland there are two kings, little boy who carries the candle and the star, and a soldier. It was the possibility to make different head pieces that got me interested in dressing the little kittens as “Tiernapojat”. There are two crowns and a helmet (papermache) and this candle boy’s hat.

At first, I made the little candle boy with the star. I thought that I was making one of the kings, but the little cat looked so small and boyish that it had to be one without much to say. He is shy and I doubt that he would remember all the words that the kings need to remember. (He insisted having the candle lit while I was taking pictures, and he almost burned his hair…)

Then I made the two kings. They were quite straight forward, loved making the huge tassels and the crocheted crown.

But the soldier, he took so much redoing that I almost did not make him at all. I think I made at least three different helmets for him, but every time he looked like the Policeman in the Moomin characters. I am quite happy with the last one, the one he is wearing, and I think I leave it like that.

The hardest thing to make was the swords… They usually are made of wood in the children plays, so I decided to mimic that and indeed made them out of wood. I am not a wood worker and I am little bit ashamed of the way they look. I might have to return to them and one day give them another go. The solder with the long stick is fine but the two kings with these poor swords… And the swords are important in the play.

While I was making all the little parts of the attire, I realized that I need to search the Internet to find little accessories for belts and shoes and I need a better selection of buttons too.

This was a different challenge and I am happy with the way they look. I have them standing on a piece of wood and will have them as a Christmas decoration from now on.

Most of the time when I make the creatures, they are just born the way they are, but this time the process was different, because they had to come out a certain way. This process taught me a good lesson about making pictures to a story.

Once the kittens are off the to-do list, today I am going to bake the walls and the roof for the gingerbread house. I will only make the house parts today, will decorate them later and then build the actual house when I can gather all the determination needed to succesfully glue the pieces together. That part of the process is the most difficult one… and no matter how hard I try; the house always ends up looking crooked… as you will see someday soon.

Wool with you,

Lene