Three years ago, on 6 July 2022, Gintarė Murauskienė from Marijampolė found herself at a football stadium watching the “Sūduva” team play. At 9 p.m., the crowd stood together to sing Lithuania’s national anthem. “It was beautiful, and for some reason, I felt the urge to knit a jumper with a portrait of Vincas Kudirka,” she told LRT.lt. That moment sparked an idea – now joined by knitters across Lithuania – to craft jumpers featuring the face of artist and composer Mikalojus Konstantinas Čiurlionis.
A creative meditation
Gintarė was taught to knit as a child by her grandmother, but for years the hobby lay dormant – until that fateful moment at the stadium rekindled her passion. She threw herself into the project, sketching patterns, colouring designs, knitting, unravelling, and knitting again. The result was the face of Vincas Kudirka, author of the Lithuanian national anthem Tautiška giesmė, taking shape on her jumper. Since then, Gintarė hasn’t put her needles down.
“I don’t think there’s been a single day since that July 6 when I haven’t picked up my knitting. It was exactly what I needed,” said Gintarė, who previously worked as a translator.
July 6 holds special significance in Lithuania as Statehood Day, a national holiday commemorating the coronation of the country’s only king, Mindaugas. Since 2009, Lithuanians worldwide gather at 9 p.m. local time to sing Kudirka's Tautiška giesmė in unison, marking a deeply symbolic moment of unity and national pride.
Following her jumper featuring Kudirka, Gintarė continued to knit portraits of other prominent Lithuanians, including the writer Žemaitė, filmmaker Jonas Mekas, noblewoman Barbora Radvilaitė, and even patterns inspired by the Lithuanian folktale Eglė the Queen of Serpents.
“I drew my first pattern by hand on wallpaper, then discovered more modern tools – computer software to draw and count stitches,” she said.
Gintarė proudly wears her jumpers and often receives compliments. Strangers express admiration or curiosity – some say they want a similar jumper, others ask where it was bought.
“There have even been times when, travelling abroad, passers-by have asked me who is depicted on my jumper – and for me, that was an opportunity to tell them about Lithuania’s famous figures. That’s exactly why I like these jumpers so much – they carry a message,” said the creator.
Many ask whether her jumpers are for sale. Usually, the answer is no. The amount of labour involved is hard to price. However, she has lent her work to friends, musicians, and traded with other artists. She also readily shares advice with anyone who wants to try knitting something similar.
From translator to textile designer
Gintarė now describes herself as going through a transformative phase, taking on very few translation jobs and dedicating most of her time to knitting and creating patterns. She has attracted designers, both Lithuanian and Italian, who entrust her with turning their knitting ideas into detailed charts.
She’s currently working on a project inspired by old photographs taken in 1935 by photographer and ethnographer Balys Buračas. Using them, she is reconstructing traditional mittens with century-old patterns once made by grandmothers. This initiative is supported by a grant from the Lithuanian Council for Culture, and Gintarė aims to knit 17 pairs of mittens over the year.
So what draws her to knitting so deeply? “I’d call it meditation and silent creativity. There’s something tactile about it – it feels good to touch soft yarn. The rough kind that was common in the past isn’t used much anymore. I prefer a method called intarsia – it’s like painting with yarn,” she said.
A stitch in time for Čiurlionis
Back in her hometown, Marijampolė, Gintarė lacked fellow enthusiasts, so she began attending knitting meetups in Vilnius. There she met Daumantė Strelčiūnienė, an organiser of these gatherings.
In May, with the 150th anniversary of Čiurlionis’ birth approaching, Gintarė shared an idea: she wanted to wear his portrait. After discussing it with Daumantė and other knitters, the project Mezgam Čiurlionį (Let's Knit Čiurlionis) was born.
The idea is simple – those who want to join (so far, only women have reached out) are invited to a private Facebook group, Mezgam Kartu Čiurlionį. There, Gintarė shares patterns in various sizes and colours. Members post updates, exchange advice, and encourage one another. On September 22nd, Čiurlionis’ birthday, they plan to meet in person, each wearing their finished jumper.
Knitting a movement
“I love knitting, but it can be a lonely hobby,” said project co-founder Daumantė. “That’s why I started organising knitters’ meetups. In Vilnius, we gather monthly at Miesto laboratorija [community centre] to knit and share stories. Last year, we knitted warm socks for Ukrainian soldiers. In June, we took a train to Valkininkai – we had a ‘knitting carriage’ – walked around the town and, of course, kept knitting. Now, we’re knitting with Čiurlionis.”
For Daumantė, the project is about much more than yarn. “It’s about community, education, and pride in our national treasures. This jumper says: ‘I’m Lithuanian,’” she stated.
To support participants, Daumantė arranged a discount code for eco-friendly Norwegian yarn. Though she stresses that there’s no intention to promote brands, and sustainability remains key, so participants are encouraged to use yarn they already have at home. Some beginners, however, find it difficult to choose the right shades – one joked that her Čiurlionis looked suspiciously like Albert Einstein.
Knitting technique is another challenge, as the pattern requires managing multiple colours simultaneously. But the group is generous with advice, and a live meetup in August will allow women to share progress and receive in-person guidance. More experienced knitters may tweak the design to suit their taste.
Some have nearly finished already – only the sleeves remain. And those just learning about the project now still have time to join.
A gallery of jumpers in the making
As of the evening of Friday, July 11, the project’s Facebook group had 239 members, all aiming to complete their jumper by September. “Well, some might be delayed, but there will definitely be more than 20 or 30 jumpers, as Daumantė and I first imagined. I believe we’ll see 150 Čiurlionis jumpers – one for each of his 150 years. As the creator, I’m thrilled – the range of colours will be so beautiful,” said Gintarė.
The organisers of the initiative haven’t yet decided what kind of event they’ll host or where exactly they’ll gather to showcase their creations and delight passersby. At first, they considered visiting the M. K. Čiurlionis Museum in Kaunas together, but if the group grows too large, they may choose a different venue. What matters most, as they’ve said all along, is the sense of community.
And does Gintarė ever tire of answering questions and giving advice in the group? “The more knitting, the better!” she laughed.
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