In 2014, Lisa Wiitala began an in-depth exploration of her Finnish American roots. Part of that journey involved rescuing her grandmother’s carpet loom from the abandoned family farm, learning to weave rag rugs with it as her grandmother once had. She’ll share the story of that rewarding experience, including how it led to the discovery of other family treasures and an additional form of traditional Finnish weaving known as ryijy.

Lisa Wiitala is a science teacher, writer and weaver living in her 117-year-old restored childhood home in Michigan’s Keweenaw Peninsula, where she thankfully looks forward to the long winters so she can cross country ski. A collector of family stories, artifacts and heirlooms, Lisa houses her grandmother’s Union-36 rug loom in her former bedroom, weaving rag rugs with materials salvaged from her grandmother’s supplies. In warmer months, she enjoys gardening, berry picking, and hunting for agates on Lake Superior, the greatest lake of them all.