(image courtesy Shetland Museum and Archives) I am a great fan of haps (which form the focus of one of my long-term projects) and I’m very happ-y indeed to see increasing interest in these simple and timeless shawls: Gudrun has a wonderful Craftsy class on haps, and has been running a knit-along for her full…
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haps!
a woolly wednesday. . .
As the weather grows more chilly, things are becoming very busy round here — in a good way. I have been knitting and designing and writing for weeks now, in advance of a few new Winter releases. In a few days I will be publishing the next design in my Edinburgh Series of garments (which…
Read Moresunshine on . . .
Yesterday we had beautiful weather while we popped back to our old stomping grounds in North Edinburgh and Leith to take some photographs of two new sweater designs. I’ve been working on these patterns for a while now, and they form part of my Edinburgh series — garments inspired by my favourite places in the…
Read Moretransititions
Winter really felt interminable this year. It seemed that, for weeks I passed the same corner every day looking in vain for the snowdrops that always appear there, heralding Spring. “I don’t know what I’d do if it wasn’t for those” said one of my neighbour-buddies, indicating a single patch of struggling crocuses that provided…
Read MoreUrsulas
I always find it exciting when different iterations of my patterns are posted on Ravelry. This is particularly the case when knitters’ colour choices and personal modifications really transform the look of a design. Some amazing Ursulas have begun to appear which, because they have a completely different feel to my original, and also because…
Read MoreDigital Colours of Shetland!
Today I’m very excited to announce the release of the digital edition of Colours of Shetland! This means that those of you who wished to purchase a digital-only copy can now do so here, and that all of you who have already purchased the print edition can now use the ‘unique download code‘ in your…
Read Moremonday stuff
Can one develop an addiction to pompom makers? If so, I fear I am sorely afflicted, for I am now the proud owner of several different varieties in a range of sizes — the most recent of which is pictured above. These tiny and rather pleasing contraptions will enable me to turn out miniature fluffy…
Read Morenumbers
(image via Morgan Morgan) Number of different countries to which Colours of Shetland has now shipped: 35 Number of US States to which Colours of Shetland has now shipped: 50* Number of pompoms I need to make for my new design samples: 8** Number of stitches I failed to increase when working from my own…
Read MoreIndustry
Here’s what Mel, Gordon, Tom and I have been doing for the past couple of days. . . . . .when I tell you that this pretty pile is about 10 boxes shy of the total amount of orders we have processed just this weekend, you will have some sense of the scale of operations…
Read Morejust popping in . . .
. . . to say that today is the last day to order a copy of Colours of Shetland if you would like it signed by me. I’m very sorry about this, but signing large volumes of books is proving to be extremely physically demanding as well as time consuming, and I’m afraid it can’t…
Read Morethankyou!
It is fair to say that I’m feeling a little overwhelmed and humbled this morning — thankyou so much, all of you, for purchasing the book and supporting my endeavours. It is incredibly exciting to see the orders coming in from all over the world, and Gordon and I are now working really hard to…
Read Morewe made a book!
Well folks, let me tell you that this is all rather exciting. I am very happy to report that a muthaload of books arrived yesterday, and that they really do look bloody amazing. Today we’ve been getting a head start preparing for orders. Here I am in Colours of Shetland dispatch central, aka, Mel and…
Read Morepuffins!
So, I suspect it won’t be hard for you to guess what provided the inspiration for the last pair of designs in the collection . . . ©John Moncrief Photography These two designs really were an awful lot of fun to work on . . . For what is more fun than a puffin? ©John…
Read MoreStevenson sweater and gauntlets
Ahoy there! I have two complementary designs to show you today — the Stevenson Sweater and Gauntlets. These designs were inspired by Shetland’s iconic lighthouses . . . . . . such as the Bressay light, which provides the dramatic backdrop to these photographs. Seven of Shetland’s lighthouses, including the one at Bressay, were designed…
Read MoreUrsula Cardigan
Its time to show you another design, from the next of my Shetland ‘colour stories’. This is the Ursula Cardigan. This design is named for writer and naturalist, Ursula Venables, who lived and worked in Shetland during the 1940s and ’50s. (You can read more about her in my book.) Ursula’s writing about wildflowers, as…
Read MoreNorthmavine hoody
Phew! Things are really busy round here today! There is just time to show you the fourth design from Colours of Shetland – – the Northmavine Hoody. Just like the accompanying hap, the hoody is inspired by the blues and greens of the rocks and water that shape the turbulent landscape of Northmavine. The hoody…
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KDD & Co 