Minun Riksukat won the Riihimäki knitting competition thanks to their many details

The winner of the Riihimäki City Knitting Competition was a pair of red, knee-length wool socks called Minun Riksukat. The socks were knitted by Satu Suominen from Riihimäki. Minun Riksukat are an excellent example of how traditional handicrafts can express the city's culture and identity.

The jury of the knitting competition was impressed by the designer's creativity and ingenuity, with which she was able to knit a lot of details into the socks. The socks combine the history and present of Riihimäki, and they contain references to roundabouts, robotics, the lynx and a lively cultural city, among other things. The creative and playful choice of name, Minun Riksukat, crowned the work.

The knitting competition started on October 14, 2024 and ended on February 28, 2025. You could enter the competition with any knitted garment depicting Riihimäki. A total of fifteen entries were submitted. Most of the entries were sweaters, socks or mittens.

Honorable mention for the Riihimäki sweater

The competition's honorable mention went to the Riihimäki sweater knitted by Leena Salminen from Riihimäki, which wonderfully combines modern technology and local culture. The patterns on the sweater, such as railway tracks and small robots, refer to Riihimäki's history as a significant railway junction and the city's reputation as a robotics city. The jury appreciated the sweater's balanced overall design, where all elements support each other and create a unified and beautiful end result.

"The competition included a wide variety of knitwear, from socks to beanies and sweaters to mittens. The knitwear highlighted things that are characteristic of the city, such as robotics, the railway, glassblowing and the R symbol familiar from the city's graphic identity. All of the competition entries exuded warmth towards Riihimäki. The knitwear is a true expression of love for Riihimäki," says jury member Mia Miettinen, Communications and Marketing Manager.

Knitting instructions will be published in the fall.

Those who participated in the knitting competition were able to choose whether they wanted their work back or whether they wanted to donate it to the diaconal work of the Riihimäki parish.

“The lovely Riihimäki sweater, which received an honorable mention, among other things, will find a new owner through diaconal work,” Miettinen says.

The City of Riihimäki will commission a knitting pattern for the winning entry and the entry that received an honorable mention. The instructions will be published in the fall of 2025. The instructions will be distributed through the city's digital channels and at least at the Piene Nappipuoti.

"We want to give everyone from Riihimäki and those who love Riihimäki the opportunity to knit socks like the winning work or a sweater like the honorable mention. The knitting designer will create instructions for the socks and sweater based on the finished work," Miettinen says.

The winner will receive a product package worth 200 euros.

The winner was chosen by a jury consisting of City Council Chair Miia Nahkuri, City Mayor Jouni Eho, Pienen Nappipuodi entrepreneur Sanna Ventola, Community College Deputy Principal Minna Lankinen, and Communications and Marketing Manager Mia Miettinen.

The winner of the competition received a product package worth 200 euros, which included 150 euros worth of Pienen Nappipuodi products and 50 euros worth of R-products. Due to the high level of the knitting competition, the jury also awarded an honorable mention. The recipient of the honorable mention received 50 euros worth of Pienen Nappipuodi products and 50 euros worth of R-products.

See pictures of all the entries in the knitting competition on the city's website. riihimaki.fi/knittingcompetition.