Review of Marie Wallin's Shetland Pattern Collection

Image courtesy of Marie Wallin

All things Shetland are currently on trend in the knitting world what with this year's successful Shetland Wool Week, Susan Crawford's eagerly-awaited Vintage Shetland Project, and now the publication of British former Rowan Head Designer Marie Wallin's sumptuous Shetland pattern collection.

When working on Shetland Wallin collaborated with Jamison's of Shetland and used their Spindrift yarn for many of her designs. As ever, Wallin's book is superbly-photographed in locations around Shetland, once again provoking serious lifestyle envy in the reader!

Says Wallin in the book's foreword:

"Shetland is a collection of twelve beautiful Fair Isle designs inspired by the people and wild beauty of this most northerly part of Scotland.  The wool from the small and hardy Shetland sheep is warm and hardwearing, softening with wash and wear, just like a favourite piece of tweed ... because of my internet in the history of Fair Isle knitting it is important for me to use a Shetland wool which is graded, scoured, blended, carded, dyed and spun on Shetland too."

The eight garments and four accessory patterns are all beautifully designed, with their intricate colour work providing a challenge for intermediate knitters. A Woolly Yarn's favourite patterns in the collection are:

Bressay, a jumper with a deep Fair Isle yoke design knitted in the round.

Image courtesy of Marie Wallin

Fetlar, described as a simple Fair Isle scarf knitted in the round that's perfect for the novice Fair Isle Knitter.

Image courtesy of Marie Wallin

Scalloway Tam, a hat named after the old capital of the Sheltnad Mainland. The design has a traditional striped ribbed band.

Image courtesy of Marie Wallin

Unst, a fitted short Fair Isle cardigan, photographed on the Isle of Unst.

Image courtesy of Marie Wallin

Samphey, named after an uninhabited Shetland isle, this jumper has a more complex Fair Isle design.

Image courtesy of Marie Wallin

All the Fair Isle patterns are charted and these may be difficult to start of with for the inexperienced Fair Isle knitter to follow. Colour charts, rather than black and white, may have been more useful. That, however, is the drawback of what is overall a marvellous collection that, as with Wallin's previous books, is a delight to look through and admire the photography.

View all twelve of Shetland's patterns on Ravelry here. The book costs £17.99 plus P&P and is available to buy direct from Marie Wallin's website. Thanks to Wallin for the review copy - all opinions are A Woolly Yarn's own.

Want more Marie Wallin stories? Read these past blog posts:

• Review Of Marie Wallin's North Sea Collection
• Marie Wallin's Springtime Six Collection Reviewed
• First Self-Published Book For Marie Wallin

Susan Crawford Launches FUBC Shawl Kit Using Ghyll Lancashire Wool

Vintage knitwear designer, historian and author Susan Crawford has been open over the last 18 months about her breast cancer diagnosis and treatment, which ended on Thursday 12th October with her last oncology injection.

To thank the charity Cancer Care, who supported her and other local women going through the same ordeal, and to raise awareness for breast cancer, Crawford has launched a FUBC Shawl Kit for £65, £15 of which will go directly to Cancer Care.

Image courtesy of Susan Crawford

What makes the kit extra special is that the wool comes from her 70-year-old neighbour Jeffrey's herd of Lonk, the only truly local sheep to Lancashire. Crawford took the 2016 clip and worked with four of her favourite dyers, Old Maiden Aunt, Skein Queen, Countess Ablaze and The Knitting Goddess, to create four exclusive colourways for the kit.

Crawford herself designed one of the shawl patterns for the kit with the other coming from her friend Tess Young. There are less than 100 kits available in each of the four colourways. Here are the four to choose from:

1. Susan Kit Dyed By Old Maiden Aunt

Image courtesy of Susan Crawford

2. Jo Kit Dyed By The Knitting Goddess

Image courtesy of Susan Crawford

3. Victoria Kit Dyed By Countess Ablaze

Image courtesy of Susan Crawford

4. Karen Kit Dyed By Skein Queen

Image courtesy of Susan Crawford

But that's not all that the kit contains. If I tell you that the BC part of the FUBC acronym stands for breast cancer then there are no prizes for guessing what the F and U mean. Along with the patterns and wool kit buyers will also receive the Knocker Jotter - a 200 page journal featuring photographs of 16 women, including Crawford, who are part of Cancer Care's online group Phoenix. The portraits show them sharing their scars, both physical and mental.

Image courtesy of Susan Crawford

Says Crawford in her newsletter: 'These 'Scarletts' as they became known wanted to share their personal experiences of how cancer, and particularly breast cancer, attempts to strip women of their physicality, their visual identity. Through the portraits they wanted to take back ownership of their bodies, and to be proud of who they had become.'

The kits are on sale at Susan Crawford's website here. Each kit costs £65 plus £3.35 P&P within the UK (overseas postage available for an extra charge). Don't forget that the kit is the only way to get your hands on the 2016 clip of Ghyll!

Want more stories about Susan Crawford? Read these previous blog posts:

• Review of A Stitch In Time Vol 1
• Get Knitting For Christmas Jumper Day
• Thoughts On Austerity And Knitting

Shetland Wool Week Annual 2017 Review

Image courtesy of Shetland Wool Week

Shetland Wool Week 2017 may be over but it won't be forgotten thanks to the keepsake annual published to mark the occasion. Our excitement at receiving a review copy in the post was akin to that of finding a Bunty annual in our Christmas stockings aged eight.

The annual is a celebration of all things woolly in Shetland, the island off the north coast of Scotland, and contains a keepsake mixture of patterns, essays and book reviews.

The articles will keep the reader coming back again and again to the annual with their fascinating social history topics including knitting for men; the life of Arthur Anderson who founded the P&O shipping line and championed Shetland's textile industry; a look back at 50 years of Victoria Gibson's designs; rooming - the Shetland method of plucking fleece from sheep; and the renovation of a tweed-weaving building in Hillswick, once the centre of Shetland textile production.

Bousta Beanie image courtesy of Gudrun Johnston

Each year Shetland Wool Week chooses a patron who designs a pattern especially for the event. This year's patron is Gudrun Johnston, perhaps better The Shetland Trader. Her Bousta Beanie is the annual's first pattern. She says "The Bousta Beanie uses three colours combined to great effect within a simple Fair Isle pattern. What with all the colours available in Shetland Yarn, the possibilities are endless!"

There are 12 patterns in all in annual, designed by Shetland locals and other designers who have an affinity with the island's wool.

Tveir Gloves image courtesy of Ella Gordon

Stand out patterns include Terri Malcolmson's Triple Tone Circular Scarf, described as 'an enjoyable project for anyone new to Fair Isle and colourwork'; Outi Kater's Rosepath Sweater that's inspired by and named after a Nordic countries' folk weaving technique and is a warm cover up that if looked after will become an heirloom; and Ella Gordon's Tveir Fingerless Gloves that would be
easy to adapt to a full-fingered version. Says Gordon, "For somewhere with so few trees you often see them in Shetland knitwear, usually adorning a yoke but I decided to take the motif and use it on a pair of fingerless gloves. They are knit with an afterthought thumb using bright shades inspired by Autumn in Shetland.

The annual costs £18 plus P&P and is available online at the Shetland Wool Week shop. There are still a few copies of last year's annual left too.

Wool Week 2017 Plans

Each year The Campaign for Wool, whose patron is Prince Charles, runs Wool Week to showcase just how fabulous British wool is for clothing, soft furnishings, carpets and much, much more.

Image courtesy of The Campaign for Wool

The trick this year is that the week is extending to 16 days. Yes, Wool Week will begin on 7th October with celebrations continuing until 22nd October.

What's on?

The full schedule has yet to be revealed but The Campaign for Wool has announced that the flagship event will be 'Wool Fusion', a visual extravaganza of the endless versatility and natural properties of wool, featuring photography and video alongside wool clothing, furnishing, fabrics and flooring.

The event will run from 17th - 15th October at Carousel, 35 Baker Street, London. Opening hours are 10am to 6pm daily. It's free to attend and there will also be a programme of workshops, talks and special events.

Image courtesy of The Campaign for Wool

At Bicester Shopping Village in Oxfordshire there will be pop up shop featuring a selection of items from the Campaign's retail partners. Jack Wills has commissioned a short film telling of their obsession with wool, whilst John Smedley is releasing a collection for Wool Week using black sheep wool.

Retailers and designers across the country are planning to support Wool Week, ahem fortnight plus two days, with instore activities at stores including Brora, TM Lewin, Walker Slater, Finisterre, Smalls and Wool and the Gang.

Image courtesy of Loveknitting

Further information, when it is released, will be available from The Campaign for Wool's news page.