Wool Week and lots more

One of the highlights of Wool Week was the presentation of the book A Legacy of Shetland Lace, by members of the Shetland Guild of Spinners, Weavers, Knitters and Dyers. It is a collection of designs and instructions of traditional Shetland patterns, with some of contemporary adaptations. I highly recommend to everyone to buy a copy--not only for the patterns but also the knitting advice and the biographical information of the designers. There is a project for every level of knitting expertise.

At the moment, it is only available from the Shetland Times Bookstore, http://www.shetlandtimes.co.uk/.  The ISBN number is 978-1-904746-76-8 and it is priced at £23.99 plus postage.

I took several workshops during the week and it was a treat to be so immersed in knitting and associated textile subjects. It seemed when I wasn't actually knitting, I was talking knitting! The workshops I took were held at the Shetland Museum and at Jamieson and Smith (known locally as The Wool Brokers), although there were activities mostly on the main island, but also to Unst and Yell. The workshop in the photo was one given by Hazel Tindall in a Fair Isle design. (Not sure who the man was--he kept turning up all over the town--I was told that he has written several books about spinning wheels.)

At J. & S., it was a real treat to see the many colours and weights of yarn arranged around the walls, including their new Shetland Heritage line. The weather during the week was very fair and I spent times walking along the seafront and just enjoying being back on Shetland again.

More to come in future posts.