Up Helly Aa arrived at J&S today in the form of a viking named Oliver, who most of you will be familiar with. We are currently in the middle of the worst weather in over 20 years but in true Shetland spirit no one has let that put a dampner on the day. So after a hectic day of touring the town and performing all the Jarl Squad duties Oliver popped in for a quick visit to show off the Jarl Squad suit, which was stunning!
Every part of the suit was beautifully designed to the last detail: the intricate metal inlay on the shields; the ornate helmet an axe; cow-skin cloak complete with dragon brooch; heavy scale armour; and most exciting of all, for us, the kirtle and pouch woven using J&S yarn.
The kirtle was made from our
Coll Black Shetland Heritage yarn. It was knitted in a way to make it look woven, giving a beautiful, smooth fabric that ties in perfectly with the Jarl Squad's Viking-themed suit.
Since this is a day we have all been looking forward to for years, especially Oliver, we thought we would need to get a group photo of him in full costume with the J&S staff (minus Ella who was out getting plenty of photos for a blog post later in the week).
All of us here at J&S hope Jarl Ivor Cluness and his squad, the 900+ guizers and everyone attending this years Up Helly Aa have had a fantastic day and enjoy the long night ahead!
Every part of the suit was beautifully designed to the last detail: the intricate metal inlay on the shields; the ornate helmet an axe; cow-skin cloak complete with dragon brooch; heavy scale armour; and most exciting of all, for us, the kirtle and pouch woven using J&S yarn.
The kirtle was made from our Coll Black Shetland Heritage yarn. It was knitted in a way to make it look woven, giving a beautiful, smooth fabric that ties in perfectly with the Jarl Squad's Viking-themed suit.
All of us here at J&S hope Jarl Ivor Cluness and his squad, the 900+ guizers and everyone attending this years Up Helly Aa have had a fantastic day and enjoy the long night ahead!
