It is no secret that I am a big fan of Hazel Tindall. I first met Hazel during a visit to Shetland in Wool Week, 2011, when I took a class with her on Fair Isle knitting. I often think about that afternoon, and the profound effect it had on me. Hazel talked to us…
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Today’s hap is a rather special one. It is the work of Shetland designer, Donna Smith, who you may know as the patron of Shetland Wool Week, 2015, and the creator of the famous Baa-ble hat. Donna’s hap was inspired by her great auntie Emma Isbister, a wonderful knitter, who has been making Shetland haps…
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At the end of last September, I travelled to Shetland for Wool Week. I’d spent several previous months exploring a new-to-me world of yarn development, and the result – Buachaille – was about to be launched with the Seven Skeins Club. At home, so many boxes of yarn had arrived that the bathroom floor had…
Read MoreIt is Wool Week in Shetland, and I began it in this cottage out at Vementry. What a spot! It was lovely to take some time out to visit my friend Hazel Tindall. I just love the part of Shetland where Hazel lives, and it was a real privilege to potter about her garden, and…
Read MoreGudrun I recently had a chat with one of my favourite designers, Gudrun Johnston, and thought I’d bring this to you today. I just love Gudrun’s work. She has this knack of producing designs that are are always classic, timeless and wearable, often using stitch patterns (particularly those originating from Shetland) in really innovative and…
Read MoreThe Spring edition of 60 North is out! And its a great issue. Those of you who have my Colours of Shetland book may recall mention of my archeologist friend, Chris Dyer, whose knowledge and inspiration helped me to develop my ideas for my Scatness designs. Well, Chris recently started to raise his own Shetland…
Read MoreJust in case you hadn’t noticed, it is Shetland Wool Week! I’m very sad not to be there in person this year, but I’ve kept up the tradition I started three years ago of designing a hat in woolly celebration! In 2011, it was Sheep Heid (using Jamieson and Smith Shetland Supreme) ; in 2012…
Read Morewhere we stayed (I would heartily recommend it). And the view from our window. Shetland Times Bookshop, ready for Wool Week. Delicious Fair Isle Cake, at the Heritage Yarn launch Wonderful new yarn from Shetland Organics Projection of Jo Jack’s work at the Bonhoga Gallery Luminous Yarns Jane Outram’s prize-winning tablet weaving at the Shetland…
Read MoreMel at Aithsetter Mel and Hazel McKenzie, our Wool-Week landlady. Sandra and Ella at J&S (if you are wondering about their cardigans, there’s a free pattern here) Eric Stewart, showing us around the impressive textile facilitation unit at Shetland College Knitters from six nations enjoying a trip to Unst (yoohoo ladies! It was lovely to…
Read MoreHello from Shetland, everybody! Wool Week is in full swing, and it has got off to a great start. I thought you’d like to see the pattern we produced yesterday at the Shetland Museum — named and photographed by the workshop participants, and modeled here by the lovely Tania — the Sixareen Kep. In the…
Read MoreI appear to have spent the past thirty-six hours in the place Tom refers to as Wool World. This is not actually a world full of wool (just imagine!) but is rather a particularly intense state of being, characterised by a vacant stare, furious knitting, and the inability to talk about anything but knitting. Conversations…
Read MoreShetland Wool Week is almost upon us! I have much to do in preparation — one pleasing task involves knitting with this lovely stuff. This is Shetland Heritage yarn. It is the result of an exciting collaboration between the Shetland Museum and Archives, the Shetland Amenity Trust, Curtis Wool Direct, and Jamieson & Smith —…
Read MoreA final wool-week round up . . . Shetland rams at Lunna prize-winning Shetland fleeces Traditional tam in natural Shetland sheep-shades from the Shetland Museum collection. Weaving sample book from the museum collection. Fairisle swatches from the museum collection – some worked as individual swatches, most simply cut from old garments to preserve the pattern.…
Read MoreI think that the most enjoyable few hours knitting I’ve ever had was the afternoon I spent last Wednesday with Hazel Tindall at the Braewick Cafe. Since 2008, Hazel has held the title of the world’s fastest knitter, working an unbelievable 262 stitches in 3 minutes. She is also an incredibly talented designer – Jamieson…
Read MoreHuzzah for Shetland Wool Week! I have been enjoying: Spectacular landscapes in beautiful weather . . . (The Drongs from Braewick) . . .hanging out with my favourite woolly creatures (Shetland sheep at Lunna) . . .meeting inspiring people . . . (Hazel Tindall) (Mary-Jane Mucklestone) . . . good company . . . (Wool…
Read MoreI am sure you are about as tired of hearing about my health as I am of experiencing it, but it has not been a great few days round here. I had a seizure on Sunday which left me totally exhausted, and scuppered a long-arranged plan to pop over to Glasgow earlier in the week.…
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KDD & Co 