Finnish Artist Makes Life-Like Crocheted Versions Of Her Villagers

Knitting might not be the most interesting art form, but the knitted creations of a Finnish artist called Liisa Hietanen are awe-inspiring. She creates crocheted versions of her villagers but in life-size.

Hietanen began her hobby of knitting and crocheting when she was just a 10-year-old girl. She was so good that she began making knitted sculptures while she was studying at art school. Her first-grade teacher became the inspiration for her first life-size sculpture. After that, she began making a series of sculptures of people in her village called Hämeenkyrö.

Before the process, she meets up with that person. They then discuss the pose and shoots pictures from different directions. She then takes some measurements. Hietanen pays close attention to the person’s mannerisms to best capture their personality.

A few months later, when the sculpture is completed, she would introduce her villager to their doppelganger, but in knitted version.

Hietanen mostly works off the pictures that she takes. However, for the crocheted mannequins’ hands and faces, she meets her model again to study their characteristics. She puts a lot of effort and time into recreating even the tiniest details as best as she can. And you can clearly see it in her work. The resemblance is just amazing.

To ensure that her sculptures can stand upright, Hietanen uses rebar and cement. After the knitted shell is finished, she puts soft materials into the sculpture so that it can have a life-like feel and look.

On her website, she writes:

It usually takes a minimum of three months for Hietanen to complete a single piece of structure.