When I Saw This,

I had to consult my calendar,

before posting this, in case it was 1st. April! it is all about the latest craze to sweep Finland, Heavy Metal Knitting, I had never realised there were people into Heavy Metal Knitting, but apparently there are and they are having a competition to find the best, Finnish Marketing Agency Tovari teamed up with Joensuu City Cultural Services and the Joensuu Conservatory in order to bring together two of the most popular things in the northern European country. Heavy metal is really big in Finland, with over 50 heavy metal bands per 100,000 Finnish citizens (more than anywhere else in the world), and knitting not less so, as hundreds of thousands of people out of a population of around 5.5 million are practicing some kind of needlework craft,

“What combines them both is the great joy of creativity,” the official website of the event states, “When playing guitar as well as knitting stitches it is all about the pleasure of creating something cool with your hands. And – it’s all about the attitude! in heavy metal knitting, needlework and music become united like never before. On the same stage, accompanied by a million dollar guitar solo, with hair flowing in the air, there’s heavy metal music and knitting, shaking hands,” the organizers add. “Knitting to the rhythm of heavy metal music can be compared to playing air guitar – which is a Finnish way to goof around as well. In heavy metal knitting, the knitter becomes a part of the band, showing their best needlework tricks as the heavy riffs echo on the background. The knitter takes part in the jam while their balls of yarn and knitting needles swish through the air.” knitting enthusiasts wanting to take part in the world’s first Heavy Metal Knitting Championship have to download the song “Fight or Die” by Joensuu heavy metal band Maniac Abductor and upload a one-minute clip of themselves knitting to it to YouTube, this guarantees them a spot in the event’s semifinal, and while it’s not clear how applicants make it to the live final, on 11 July 2019, I guess organizers will select the best acts, what unlikely bedfellows, but there it is.