Blog
5ply Colours
Hello everyone, thank you for the great response to our new Yarn, 5ply Shetland! Today we thought we'd show you a closer look at the colour palette we chose to produce. The yarn is available in 20 shades, 14 solid and 6 natural/overdyed. As discussed in our last post the colours were inspired by our maritime history, Shetlands landscape and those classic seafaring colours: We knit up a square of each shade, so today we thought we'd go through them: We had to include two Navys, both a mid and dark - these are timeless nautical shades. The blues continue with Turquoise and Marine, two blues that lean towards a greeny, jewel tone. Then we have Airforce, a very grey blue and Olive, a rich mid-green. Marsh is a lighter yellow-green and Mustard is a bright golden yellow. There is the rich warm Rust and the super bright Scarlet As well as the refined Maroon and luscious Aubergine. The final solid shade is the purpley grey Lavender, and the base for all these shades is the lovely creamy White. We also used a mix of undyed wool to create the Natural, this light grey is then overdyed to create the Twilight shades - such as Turquoise Twilight Mustard and Rust Twilight And Scarlet and Lavender Twilight! We can't tell you how delighted we are with how all the shades came out. We wanted to create a well-rounded group of colours and the Twilight shades really add something special to the range: It's amazing how much the 5 colours change depending on the White or Grey base! We've also spent a lot of time over the last few weeks working on redoing our Yoal Gansey pattern, seen here modelled by Oliver and knit by Sandra using the shade Turquoise. Originally it was designed and knit in Shetland Heritage holding the yarn double. But as we found out two strands of Heritage matches the gauge of 1 strand of 5ply! So we have extended the size range and fixed any mistakes. We have ordered paper patterns but the pattern is available digitally on Ravelry and Payhip now. If you are interested in how much yarn you would need for a Gansey using the Yoal here is an estimate: Chest inches 37 (40.5, 42, 45.5, 47.5, 50, 51, 56.5) = 640 (680, 730, 770, 830, 850, 900, 960) grams The stitch definition is clear to see, we are so happy with this yarn! As a reminder here is the Yarn information: Yarn Information 100% Real Shetland Wool Worsted Spun 5ply/Sport Weight, wpi 16 115m/125yds per 50g ball 575m/625yds per 250g cone suggested needle size 2mm-3mm Available in the shop and online here If you own or have a Local Yarn Store that you would like to carry it in the future please contact wholesale@shetlandwoolbrokers.co.uk - We are looking to make it available to stockists very soon! Happy Knitting!
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Elizabethan Cowl and 50g Jumper Weight
Hello everyone, you may seen our post on social media last week but we thought we'd share more detail about one of our new patterns and the perfect yarn pairing to go with it! Sandra designed this cowl - The Elizabethan Cowl in 2ply Jumper weight to use two shades in a fully reversible design, the motif is inverted from one side to the other. It's worked in the round - you cast on, work one side then switch the colours and work the other side. It's then cast off and seamed together. For the yarn, we had a balling mishap recently whereas 8 shades of 2ply Jumper Weight were balled into 50g instead of the normal 25g BUT our mistake is your gain and we are offering them at a discount individually here or in a full pack for a bigger discount here. They ended up working perfectly for the Elizabethan Cowl because you only need one 50g ball (or two 25g balls) of two shades so you can find the paper pattern here, or the kit or if you already have the wool the pattern is available digitally on payhip and raverly. So if you fancy any of these slightly bigger balls this is your chance to pick them up - we dont think they will last long.. Happy Knitting!
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Tirval's Toorie
Hello everyone, you may have seen our post on instagram with our new pattern earlier today, Sandra has designed this lovely hat in Shetland Heritage in two different colourways and lengths -Tirval's Toorie! The pattern is written for a longer Kep style and a shorter Beanie, both use the Shetland Heritage yarn - the shorter style in the Dyed Heritage and the longer one in the Natural: The Shetland Heritage is a great option for a hat as we move into Spring, its Worsted Spun (meaning its been combed before spinning) which creates a drapier, softer yarn and its slightly thinner than Jumper Weight making for an overall lighter weight hat. The pattern uses traditional Shetland motifs and corrugated ribbing and is finished off with a plain crown and a tassel. So if you have a stash of Shetland Heritage the pattern is available to download on ravelry here, payhip here or the kit is available on our online shop here, Happy Knitting!
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Pattern PDF's
Hello everyone, its the beginning of another busy summer here in Shetland. We have lots of tours during the summer and gearing up for another Wool Season but as always we are working behind the scenes on lots of things - for a while now we have wanted to make available our single patterns as PDF's as well as in kits we sell. To begin with we have chosen to make the patterns available on Loveknitting. (also now available on Ravelry!) We decided to start with a selection of our Fair Isle patterns knit using 2ply Jumper Weight: The Roadside Allover, Antarctica Jumper, Antarctica Set and one of our most popular patterns the Hairst Yoke. These are all great examples of Shetland designs by a Shetland designer - Sandra Manson who you will have met if you've ever been in J&S is the designer of all 4 patterns and I think her expert colour sense can be seen in them all. The Antarctica Set was released in 2012 and you may remember they were released after being made for Dr Alexander Kumar on his research trip to Antarctica, the set includes a Double layer hat, neckwarmer/cowl and mittens. The Antarctica Jumper is knit using the same motifs and colours and is knit from the bottom up with steeks for the armholes and neckline, this is a traditional Shetland technique where extra stitches are cast on and then cut open later so you can continue knitting in the round. The Roadside Allover features the same construction, it was knit for Oliver to wear at Edinburgh Yarn Festival as his Wool Week Patronage was announced in March. it features a softer but equally striking colour scheme. The Hairst Yoke is our version of a traditional Shetland Fair Isle yoke, it is one of the most well-known Shetland styles and we released this pattern in 2013, it has been one of our best sellers ever since. A Fair Isle yoke is a great way to use up your odds and ends and if you use a cone for the main shade it can be a very economical project. So you can find these patterns on our designer page on loveknitting here and on Ravelry. We will be adding more over the next while so let us know of any of our self published patterns you would like to see as an individual PDF. Happy knitting!
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Roadside Allover
Hello everyone! We have been delighted with the feedback on the Roadside Beanie, both here in Shetland and at Edinburgh Yarn Festival over the weekend. If you were there you may have seen Oliver in a very striking Fair Isle Jumper - which is what we are sharing today! When Oliver was thinking about going to EYF he asked Sandra if she would make a jumper for her, so in a couple of weeks (!) she knitted up the Roadside Allover for him to wear when he got to Edinburgh. It was a design she had made before and we all agreed he would really suit the colours. It features a mix of blues with some surprising shades thrown in and a lovely all over OXO pattern. Its knit in the traditional Shetland way - in the round with steeks added in for the armholes and neck. Me and Oliver headed down the new pier in in front of J&S a few weeks ago to get some photos and it fitted in perfectly with the fishing boats So if you would like to knit yourself a Roadside Allover you can find the kits on our website here, we are running out of a few shades which feature in both the Roadside Beanie and Allover but we are expecting a stock delivery in the next week or so so if you see anything sold out dont panic, Happy Knitting!
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Oliver's Ewan Sweater
Hello everyone! Just a quick post today to show you the jumper Sandra has made for Oliver using our Croft - Shetland Tweed yarn which we launched last year together with West Yorkshire Spinners.. Sandra made Ollie the Ewan Sweater from the Croft - Shetland Tweed pattern book, it contains 14 designs by Sarah Hatton all to be made using the Croft Yarn. The Ewan Sweater is one of two patterns for Mens jumpers in the book and there is a nice selection of other jumpers and cardigans for Women as well as some accessories. Oliver decided on the Boddam colourway for his jumper and I think it looks great! Sometimes with a very flecked or speckled yarn its hard to imagine how the wool will knit up but this shows how the speckles really work well with the texture and cables in the pattern. Sandra likes to knit in the round as much as she can but she chose to follow the pattern and knit Oliver's jumper in pieces, the Croft yarn has a good drape and can grow a bit when its washed so a big project like this is best worked in pieces for stabilitly. I think Oliver is pleased with his Jumper! You can see the Croft Shetland Tweed yarn on our website here and the pattern book here, you can also see more of the patterns in the book here. I would suggest looking through the projects made with the yarn on Ravelry too, there are some great ones! Happy Knitting!
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Sletts Shawl L252 Re-imagined
As our yarn range grows and changes sometimes its fun to take a look back at one of our older patterns and try it in a newer range. This is what Sandra did recently with the catchily named 'My Weekly Baby Knits Shawl L252' - originally released in the 1980's and designed by Gladys Amedro. Originally knit in the Woollen Spun 2ply Lace Sandra remade this version in the undyed White shade of Shetland Supreme 2ply Lace - worsted spun and somewhat finer this has resulted in a very soft and drapey shawl. I was surprised how modern and wearable it seemed when we were rephotographing it, it would still make a perfect Hap for a baby or a christening but wrapped around your neck and shoulders its lovely and quite stylish! The Shetland Supreme 2ply is quite lightweight but also substantial due to the two plys, the worsted yarn of course is fine for next to skin and I can imagine it would look lovely in all the natural 2ply Shades. Construction wise the shawl is made as indicated by my quick drawing above - you initially knit the edging first, the stitches are all picked up and the four borders worked at the same time in the round. The centre is then knitted from one of these borders and knit whilst attaching to the other two sides and grafted onto the last border. We decided to rename this pattern the Sletts Shawl, which is where we took the photographs, its a bay in the town and made the perfect backdrop for the shawl. We have also updated the pattern with charts and updated all the abbreviations to the modern ones, so you can see on the product page there are now two choices for the kit - one is the original patttern and knit in L1 Woollen Spun Lace and the new pattern which is both written and charted in the Shetland Supreme. We hope this means there is something for everyone depending on how you like your lace patterns! We hope your enjoying your summer, we have been been having some nice summery weather in Shetland so long may it continue, Happy Knitting!
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Shoormal Hap
As soon as we saw the Shetland Heritage Naturals we all knew they would be perfect in a traditional Shetland Hap, Sandra quickly got to work and just in time for Wool Week the Shoormal Hap is the result! The Bestway K133 pattern booklet is full of inspiring Shetland patterns, (we have a photocopy of the pattern booklet for sale here) They are all written out longhand in very small writing but we were very inspired by the 'Scalloped Shawl' pattern, its a traditional Hap which you probably know has been everywhere lately. They have been made and worn in Shetland for centuries and we knew the nature of the Shetland Heritage Naturals would be ideal to recreate this pattern. courtesy of the Shetland Museum and Archives. We have used shades White, Fawn, Moorit and Shetland Black in the Shawl, Oliver has told us many times that the Heritage is very similar is weight to the old Hap weight of yarn, long since discontinued but the soft and strong properties of the Heritage yarn especially in the undyed colours harks back to this historical yarns. We have added charts for the border and edging sections of the pattern as well as keeping the written instructions so you can choose which to use. The construction of this Hap is that the centre is worked first followed by the four sides which are all worked individually and sewn onto the centre and each other, finally the edging is worked and sewn on. This makes it a great portable project as you are working each element separately before sewing it all together. The finished shawl is approximately 45 inches square making it very large, warm and cushy. It's knit on relatively large needles for the yarn (4mm and 5mm) which creates a warm and lofty fabric, perfect for wrapping yourself up in, keeping on your couch or wrapping around a baby. If you would like to knit your own Shoormal Hap you can buy the kit here! Happy Knitting! Save
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lambing time
One of the nicest things about this time of year in Shetland (apart from lighter nights!) is the sight of Lambs. Lambing starts end of April and goes on throughout May, and all the photos in this post have been taken in the last few weeks. The Shetland is the smallest of the British breeds and is believed to be of Scandinavian origin. It retains many of the characteristics of wild sheep such as natural hardiness, longevity and an ability to thrive on a low level of food intake from our heather clad hills and peat moors. Shetland Sheep are naturally good mothers, they require little assistance when giving birth and easily lamb by themselves. You can see from the photos that the mothers fairly keep an eye on you when your near their babies! Hill sheep in Shetland average 25 kilos and the new born lambs birth weight can is ususally 1 to 2 kilos and sizewise not much larger as a cat. Ewes that lamb on the hill usually give birth at dusk or dawn, this is natural instinct to lamb in semi-darkness to avoid predators such as the Bonxie and Ravens. By lambing at night this timing gives the lambs a chance to get to their feet. Lambs become quite independent after a week or two and start to graze and chew the cud. At this time of year Shetland hills echo with the loud bleating of straying lambs followed by the answering call of its mother. If you would like to make your own Peerie Shetland Lamb you might like our newest kit! The Peerie Sheep, this was designed by Sandra Manson who works at J&S and was inspired by all the lambs in Shetland at spring time. til next time, happy knitting! Photos by Jan Robertson and Ella Gordon
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