Why Scotland’s Shetland Islands and their wool attract knitters from around the world

Anne Doull is busy during winter. Not only does she have a regular job as an engineer, but her family also owns 650 sheep in the northwest of Mainland, the main island of Shetland, an archipelago off northeast Scotland. Last year, her family became patrons of Shetland Wool Week, an annual handicraft gathering that has been held for the past 16 years and is among the highlights of the region. Knitters and crafters from all over the world come to the isles on the northern tip of Britain, and many come especially for Wool Week, which was held in October this year. Although the islands are difficult to reach, people come to learn knitting techniques and patterns, exchange ideas with like-minded people, and, of course, to see the Shetland Islands. The southernmost of the inhabited Shetland Islands is Fair Isle, where a special knitting technique was invented by the wives of fishermen centuries ago. Fair Isle patterns are not for beginners to the craft. In some cases, the colours change with every stitch to create a pattern on the outside. On the inside, the threads are pulled through to create an item with several layers of wool. The result is warm and insulating, which is perfect for the often changeable weather in northern Scotland. It is not just hats and gloves that are knitted this way: Doull and her mother, Margaret, show off jumpers and cardigans that are also made using patterns passed down through the family. All handmade, of course. Eleven different breeds of sheep live on the islands, and more than 30 different shades can be produced from the coat colours. “Producers now also offer shades that are reminiscent of the colours on the island – the sunset, for example: dark blue, pink, orange and yellow,” Anne Doull says. Becky Pritchard dyes and sells her own wool. She runs The Silly Sheep Fibre Company in Walls, in the far west of the main island. Around 50 sheep, a few ducks, geese and chickens live on her fields. Pritchard either uses the natural coat colours for her wool or dyes small quantities by hand. Her wool has many fans, especially during the last quarter of the year and Wool Week. It is also when she starts packing the advent calendars that she sells every year. Janni Beichert, from Hanover, Germany, has not come here for the wool from Walls, but to the islands with her friends Elke Bothe and Vanessa Jakel from northern Germany to knit, relax and explore the Shetland Islands. There are 100 islands in total, 16 of which are inhabited, located between Orkney, the Faroe Islands and Norway. All three German visitors rave about what they have seen, even if it was mostly in the rain and wind. There are green hills, rugged cliffs, small lakes and lochs, and beaches with turquoise seawater. There are winding roads, almost all single lane, with bays to let traffic pass the opposite way. You can even, with a bit of luck and a clear sky, see the Northern Lights as early as the beginning of October. It is completely different up here – lonely, but special like nowhere else – and it is easy to imagine how people might simply knit all winter long when it is stormy, wet and dark, spinning wool for domestic use and sharing techniques for the more complicated Fair Isle patterns and lace knitting. The women of Shetland were once famous for both, as visitors to the Shetland Museum and Archives in Lerwick, Mainland, can learn. It was mainly the women from Unst, the northernmost tip of Britain, who knitted the lace from very fine wool. This is a real science, even for those who are experienced. A small group still meets up regularly at the Heritage Centre on the northernmost of the larger islands in the archipelago. In a side room of the building, they knit, chat and pass on their knowledge. They also analyse mistakes in patterns or techniques. Minnie Mouatt and the others in the group are helping to ensure that the cultural heritage of lace knitting is not forgotten – there was once a danger of that happening. But now, there are a few younger women who join the gathering to create the delicate patterns. The annual Wool Week in autumn sees organised trips to Unst, plus numerous other tours to visit shepherdesses and spinners, wool producers and designers. There are also lots of workshops on spinning, knitting, weaving, felting – everything you can do with wool. The Shetland Museum and Archives is the hub for Wool Week, and all are welcome to come with their crafts and any questions they might have. There, in a kind of living room, people sit on cosy sofas, needles clacking, with balls of wool lying around on the ground. On one wall, there is a large world map with numerous flags that show how wool enthusiasts have come to the north of Scotland from places as far-flung as South Africa, New Zealand, Japan and the US state of Hawaii. Bothe, one of three friends from Germany, is a rare case among the visitors: she cannot knit – yet, anyway. Despite that, she was determined to come on this trip as she is fascinated by something without which no knitter could take up their needles. “I could sit there for hours watching someone make wool on a spinning wheel.”

Why Scotland’s Shetland Islands and their wool attract knitters from around the world

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Events like Wool Week and a deep passion for all things knitting make Scotland’s Shetland Islands a paradise for knitters and crafters

Events like Wool Week and a deep passion for all things knitting make Scotland’s Shetland Islands a paradise for knitters and crafters