Historically the Finnish people pride themselves on having determination, perseverance, and the ability to act rationally in the face of adversity. This idea of stoic resilience carries through and is seen through all layers of Finnish society and is evidenced in Finnish hand crafts including knitting.

Knitting in Finland was influenced by its neighbors, both Nordic and Baltic. Although many of the motifs and patterns seen are typical of Scandinavian knitting, the colors found in Finnish pieces are bolder and brighter. This comes from a Russian influence. Most Finnish ethnic sweaters came out of the Ostrobothnian region that lies next to Sweden. Ostrobothnia has a large Swedish influence.

The Jussi pullover is one of these ethnic sweaters. Developed in the 1920s, it gets its name from a character in the play, Pohajalaisia or Ostrobothnians. It is a story depicting the deteriorating relationship between a farm community and its oppressive sheriff. The Jussishirt was originally designed to be worn by a character named Jussi Harri. From the play’s main theme and the character Jussi Harri, the sweater became associated with self-reliance and represents a primordial force.

The sweater became popular as a men’s everyday sweater. Jussi pullovers are instantly recognizable. The sweater was designed for durability and warmth but also serves as a symbol of the district of Härmä and of everything Finnish. There is no doubt that anyone wearing this sweater identifies with the attributes the sweater represents.

Traditionally, the sweater was designed to be functional. Sweaters were both hand and machine knitted for men. Today, the sweater’s color and motif has been adapted to other knitwear, such as socks, vests, gloves, and more. I’ve even seen items such as blankets and pillows with the Jussi symbols and colors. The motif has gone beyond knitwear as evidenced by the sale of T-shirts, car decals, and tattoos. The color and image continue to evoke memories and carry on the symbolism from which they originated.

The sweater is a wine-red-embellished gray sweater. The ribbings are red while the mid sweater is gray with a red stripe at the bottom. Red stripes with a diamond patterning between them follow the mid body. The spacing of the diamonds varies from several inches to a single stitch. The stripes then alternate with stripes of gray, shifting the main color to red at the yoke and collar. The sleeves are made to match. The sweater has also been made using blue or black and grey.

The Anttishirt is the same sweater with blue replacing the wine-red color.

The following pattern is a recreation of these iconic sweaters and my interpretation. This pattern accompanies the Learn Something New article in this issue on “How to Join a New Yarn.” The sweater is worked in four pieces and seamed. There are stripes as well as motifs. Yarn is joined at the beginning of both right- and wrong-side rows, as well as in the middle of the work, and in ribbing worked in the round. It is recommended to work the diamond section using the intarsia technique. Using the stranded technique or a hybrid of intarsia and stranding will create a thicker fabric and alter the stitch size and gauge, making the fabric in this section different than the rest of the sweater. The Learn Something New article explains how to work all of the yarn joins and tail weaves needed for this project.