When my mind drifts back to May of 2014 it is filled with frolicking lambs, large waves, a guild meeting with new friends, plus my first visit to Jamieson & Smith in Lerwick, Shetland. Our typical travel luggage for international vacations is one backpack and one small daypack each. This accommodates the essential clothing for…
It’s that time again! This past Friday the official 2021 Shetland Wool Week knitting pattern ‘Da Crofter’s Kep’ was released. It was exclusively designed by the patron for two years running, Wilma Malcolmson. You can get your copy HERE. Last year’s Katie’s Kep was a huge success, and I’d say that Wilma has knocked…
As Fall, or “hairst” as Shetlanders say, rolls around each year knitters have a lot to be excited about. ‘Tis the season for some of the big wool festivals in the US – most of which happened virtually this year. It also marks time for many of us who love traditional wools and designs to…
I’m aware that crazy skinny yarn isn’t for everyone, but since March we’ve noticed an uptick in purchases of skinny yarn. Maybe it’s the weather. As temperatures rise some knitters prefer not to have a big lapful of heavy wool. It may also be that with less time spent commuting and being social,…
We’ve been quiet lately, but busy. As a follow-up to Ultima Thule- Patterns Inspired by the Shetland Islands we have turned our attention to the vast tallgrass prairie of central Kansas. For two years we have been making trips to Chase County, Kansas, finding inspiration, getting to know the people who live there, and knitting a lot.…
In May of 2014 Denise and I took a trip to the Shetland Islands of Scotland. Denise, as she is wont to do, saw potential for patterns everywhere. In the year and a half that followed she designed five patterns that were inspired by Shetland. I returned to Shetland in the fall of 2015 to…
When we are at home there is always something that requires my attention at the farm and Denise is always either elbow deep in a dyepot or sketching on a new design. We get into our grooves and work. When we get a little burned out we have to remind ourselves that we have an…
Nothing about the Shetland Islands is pretentious. The stark beauty of the landscape, treeless except for windbreaks homeowners have planted, goes on and on. A collection of homes along a bay. A ruined stone structure. A fuel station, open Sunday from two until five. Rocks in a field, divided by the other rocks in another…
One of the spots Denise had scoped out to visit was the Jamieson and Smith Shetland Wool Brokers in Lerwick. There are a few shops in Lerwick that sell knitted items and yarn, but Jameison and Smith is on a street no tourist would wander past. Inside there were scores and scores of dyed Shetland…
In the Fall of 2013, as we could see a busy year for Lost City Knits wrapping up, Denise and I discussed the possibility of a big trip. We usually get away for ten days or two weeks for a road trip, but it had been awhile since we’d had a big adventure. “Where would…