Welcome to Shetland! The Shetland Islands are situated off mainland Scotland, although closer to Norway - Shetland is the birthplace of Fair isle Knitting and the Knitting Belt!
Our Shetland Tours are fully immersive in knitting, culture, history and day to day living - an authentic experience not to be missed. Fair Isle, Shetland Lace and the Knitting Belt are all classes covered on this tour and you will discover what it means to create and work with the yarn produced on the island and understand why Shetlanders take so much pride in their craft!
Janette Budge Shetland Knitting Belt Workshop! Discover how to work with the iconic Shetland Knitting Belt and we give you the Leather Belt and Needles!
Practice using a Shetland style stuffed leather knitting belt and long double pointed needles. After a few rows, try adding a raepin string at the bottom of your knitting to discover if this alters your tension, speed and ease of knitting. In the workshop you will use 2 long double pointed needles (40cm long) and a knitting belt. We will also look at different techniques for holding your yarns during fair isle knitting!
Fair Isle workshop with Hazel Tindall Hazel Tindall was born and brought up in Shetland, watching knitters – six days a week – from the moment she started to focus on movement. In Shetland, she leads workshops during Shetland Wool Week, and for visiting groups including Arena Travel and Celtic Tours.
She has been a tutor at Edinburgh Yarn Festival, Loch Ness Knit Fest, Dornoch Fibre Festival and Craft Cruises. She finds helping knitters overcome their fears about cutting their knitting, choosing colours for Fair Isle and trying more efficient techniques are the most rewarding parts of leading workshops. Hazel prefers to knit with long double pointed needles and a knitting belt and workshop participants are given the opportunity to try using these.
Discover The Art of Shetland Lace The making of very fine hand-knitted lace. Shetland fine lace is an extremely delicate knitted fabric made with soft Shetland wool spun into very fine yarn and knitted into intricate patterns.
For centuries Shetland Lace has been produced for Weddings and Christenings for centuries and Queen Victoria made the Shetland Lace Shawl so popular, knitters could not keep up with demand! A fine craft, the number of authentic Shetland Lace experts has dwindled over the years, however we have Shetland's finest Lace Knitting instructors on hand! The elegant stich is often produced on knitting belts and long needles for ease and our instructors will show you how.
Shetland Yarn! Jamieson & Smith, Jamieson of Shetland, Silly Fibre Sheep Co., Aister 'oo' and Langsoond by Donna Smith are just a few of the fine Shetland yarns you will have at your fingertips!
Shetland wool is organic and sustainable - it has been that way for centuries! Shetland yarn is generally wool spun and renowned for its durability and softness. Knitting with Shetland yarn is a joy, as garments improve after washing and wear! Shetland wool is perfect for projects with lots of colour, particularly Fair Isle. It is also wonderful for stranded and lace designs!
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