Titityy — The Beloved Finnish Yarn Paradise

From diapers to business

But first, there were cloth diapers. In 2006, while on parental leave from her job as a kindergarten teacher, Tiina started knitting woollen diaper covers and selling them. As suitable yarns weren’t available in Finland, she ordered them from abroad. Soon, others began asking her for “diaper” yarns. Tiina set up an online store, whose selection gradually expanded. Birdsong inspired the shop’s name: “titityy” is the Finnish way of transcribing the call of the great tit. Tiina says it was “a semi-random whim for a diaper cover brand”.

“It was never meant to be a street-credible business. But at least the name is fun and memorable.”

The brick-and-mortar shop also came about somewhat accidentally. Tiina first rented a small space in order to store her yarn stock, but ended up using it as a shop as well. For the past eleven years, Titityy has traded in Toivola Old Courtyard, a cluster of old wooden houses named after Herman Toivola, a blacksmith who owned the area in the 19th century. Once home to a blacksmith’s forge and even a maternity hospital, the courtyard is now a charming mix of shops, cafés and museums.

A significant part of Titityy’s charm lies in its location and interior. With its crystal chandeliers, romantic floral wallpapers, wood-clad walls, old masonry heaters and maze-like rooms, the shop feels like a nostalgic grandmother’s house.

“It would have been a completely different experience to set up a yarn store in a shopping mall. This is an escape from the everyday,” Tiina reflects.

Maiju Mäkelä, who lives just a few blocks away, also loves the shop’s vibe.

“It’s lovely just to browse the shelves and soak in the atmosphere. At some shops, the personnel only focus on selling, but you never feel pressured to buy something here. For me, a brick-and-mortar store is essential. I rarely order yarns online because I want to feel them in my hands and see the colours in natural light.”

Help and community

The door at Titityy swings open, and a novice knitter working on her first hat walks in. She asks about the difference between using DPNs and circular needles. 

“So, this is the level I’m at!” she exclaims. The staff provide guidance, and she leaves with suitable needles.

Customer service is a priority at Titityy. The staff are knitters themselves — when it’s quiet, needles click behind the counter — and they offer advice on everything from yarn substitutions to challenges with patterns.

Piia Lehrbäck manages the physical store and has worked at Titityy for four years. For an experienced knitter, it’s hard to imagine a more inspiring workplace.

“The best moments are when a customer returns to show a finished garment we chose yarns for together. I also remember one knitter who emailed asking how to move a stitch marker on the needles. A year later, she wrote to say her sweater was finished.”

Even experienced knitters can have gaps in their knowledge, such as understanding materials. They might ask for very soft yarn that won’t pill (which doesn’t exist) or substitute a lightweight yarn with a heavier one (which changes the look of the garment). Some customers also need encouragement to try something new. Tiina has met many knitters who finish dozens of pairs of socks each year but find the idea of knitting a sweater daunting.

“I tell them that knitting a sweater is actually easier, and you can do it in the time it takes to make two or three pairs of socks. I say, ‘Trust me, and come back to tell me if I’m wrong.’ So far, I haven’t been!”

Titityy also fosters a sense of community. Weekly Instagram Lives feature chats about yarn and knitting, and the free, open-to-all, knit nights draw around twenty people. The goal is to create a space where people can connect with other knitters, especially if there are none in their immediate circle. Knitting is an easy conversation starter and bridges gaps in age and background.

Knit nights became important for Mirjami Laajala when she moved to Jyväskylä from northern Finland a year and a half ago.

“I didn’t have a circle of friends in the city, and knit nights became a place to meet people. It’s wonderful to discuss knitting and solve problems together.”

The annual Jyväskylä Knit Fest is the most significant effort for the Titityy team. Last summer, it attracted 9,500 visitors to the courtyard over four days. Unlike similar festivals, there is no admission fee — a practical solution but also a conscious decision to keep the event accessible. While the lack of ticket revenue limits development, keeping the number of courses and side activities moderate leaves room for socialising.

“The main goal is still for people to meet each other,” Tiina says.

Maiju Mäkelä knits constantly, both for herself and as gifts for loved ones. She’s been a Titityy customer since the store’s early days. “Here, you get personal service, and the staff often even remember to ask how a particular project turned out.”

Trends and phenomena

When the story of Titityy began, Ravelry and other social media platforms were just starting to gain traction, and knitting culture was undergoing a transformation. Enthusiastic hobbyists immersed themselves entirely in knitting, and initially, Titityy was more of a niche store for these hardcore knitters. The Covid-19 pandemic marked a turning point, bringing new people to the craft.

“The target audience has expanded, and nowadays, the products we sell are more mid-priced than high-priced,” Tiina explains.

One of the newcomers is Eila Laurila.

“Previously, I mostly shopped in supermarkets, but it started feeling like their yarns were all too familiar. Then I found Titityy — imagine, such an amazing yarn store so close by! The whole place is lovely. I can always come here if I have nothing else to do.”

Titityy’s range includes dozens of brands, from well-known international names such as Sandnes Garn, Isager and De Rerum Natura, to smaller Finnish hand-dyers such as Kettu Yarn. The skeins from Titityy’s house brand, Tukuwool, cover an entire wall. The selection emphasizes sustainability and accountability, and customer requests are also considered. 

International knitting trends reach Jyväskylä quickly. The Danish designer PetiteKnit’s patterns are hugely popular, and many come looking for yarns for projects trending on social media, such as this autumn’s biggest hit, Susanne Müller’s Berlin Scarf. Overall, simple and classic knitting styles are now in vogue, whereas a few years ago, brioche, textured patterns and cables were all the rage.

“Perhaps people ultimately want to both knit and wear timeless basics,” Tiina muses.

The long-standing Icelandic yarn boom has finally waned, and domestic wool is garnering interest. This delights the Titityy team. Among their five best-selling yarns are all three Finnish Tukuwool varieties: Fingering, DK and Sock. Fluffy alpaca yarns are also in demand, and the silk-mohair craze shows no sign of slowing down.

Elina Randell, a loyal customer, finds it heartening to see how the knitting industry has gained new respect over the past 10–15 years — also as a livelihood.

“I still remember how many spinning mills were shut down in the 1970s and ’80s. It’s been wonderful to see that expertise making a comeback,” Elina says. “I wish policymakers would also recognize the importance of crafts. Creativity is emphasized these days, but we also need practical skills to be creative.”

Titityy has many loyal regular customers, but the staff also delight in newcomers. “We want everyone to feel welcome — not just those who know what they are looking for,” Piia Lehrbäck (left) and Kati Nuijanmaa say.

Knitting in the DNA

Tiina Huhtaniemi never intended to set up a business. Having grown up in a family of entrepreneurs, she had seen the highs and lows of this way of working.

“That has probably made me cautious, even in my boldness. I’ve always been clear with myself about my limits for taking risks.”

Today, Titityy has nine employees and a turnover of about €2 million, with more than 60% coming from the online store. Over the years, there have been challenging times: layoffs, personal crises, and financial investments that didn’t pay off. Although Tiina says the company is doing pretty well now, the current economic situation remains challenging. Last year was especially difficult for Tiina personally, as she suffered from serious illnesses ranging from pneumonia to meningitis. Thankfully, the rest of the team stepped up during her recovery.

One significant milestone in Tiina Huhtaniemi’s career was acquir­ing the Tukuwool yarn brand in 2016. Today, this brand, which focuses on Finnish wool, is Tiina’s pet project, and she hopes its share of Titityy’s sales will grow.

“Crises are always opportunities for growth for everyone. And I don’t regret anything. Every decision, even the wrong ones, was made with the best knowledge and skills at the time. Each choice moves you forward.”

Tiina is confident about the future of knitting in Finland, believing it is embedded in the Finnish DNA. For her, knitting remains a tool for organizing her thoughts. When faced with big decisions, she picks up her needles, and everything starts to fall into place.

“When it feels like the world is getting harsher, knitting grounds you and brings you back to the moment.”

Looking to the future, Tiina has a few wishes: that more young people would pick up knitting, that school craft education would receive investment, and that craft skills would be passed on in families. That consumers would value domestic production, quality and responsibility. But above all, that every knitter would build their hobby based on their own needs and desires.

“Social media can easily create the impression that everyone else is knitting these amazing projects you could never achieve yourself. But everyone knits with the skills, enthusiasm, money and time they have. Boldly carve your own path!”

Text: Maija Kangasluoma
Photos:  Hanne Manelius

This feature was first published in Laine’s special issue Finnish Knits.