Mittens to Dress

I recently finished a new pair of mittens, just in time for the wintery weather.  We haven't had much snow here in Shetland but we have had a lot of gales and it has generally been colder.  These mittens are Polar Star mittens designed by Outi Kater.

 

 

Outi lives in Shetland but is originally from Finland and she draws on inspiration from both places to create her designs.  I love the way she uses Shetland yarns and Fair Isle knitting techniques to create something contemporary, often geometric in style.  The motif on these mittens is a traditional Finnish pattern as is the knitting style of using only two colours, unlike Fair Isle knitting which traditionally uses several colours blended together.

 

 

The pattern was very easy to follow, and I would have had a pair of mittens in no time but this was my travelling project for a few months and I took it to work and away for a weekend, so I only knitted a few rows now and again.  The final result is very pleasing, the mittens are large and cosy as the pattern creates a thick fabric ideal for keeping out the cold.  For more details on needle size and yarn you the project is on Ravelry.com here.

 

I could have just worn them as they were when I cast them off, but Shetland yarn (as does most wool projects) really does benefit from washing and blocking, or dressing as we say in Shetland.

I received these glove boards from a friend recently as she wanted them to go to someone who would use them, and luckily they were the perfect size for the mittens.  They are probably for men's mittens but as the Polar Star mittens are generously sized these were just right.  These boards would have been homemade, most houses in Shetland would probably have had several pairs in different sizes at one time when knitting provided people with an income.  These boards have thumbs, but I have heard of people using blunt kitchen knives. 

I soaked the mittens in water with a mild detergent for woollens for about twenty minutes then put the boards inside, flattening out any stitches that were uneven.  Shetland wool almost fluffs up and becomes more fuzzy when it's washed, helping patterns to blend together.  To keep the cuffs tight around the mitten I used two elastic bands, I could have sewn a thread into the cuff and pulled it tight but the bands were much quicker and easier.

 

Once they were dry I removed the mittens from the boards. Where the elastic bands had been had left some marks, a quick steam over the spout of the kettle sorted that out.  This is an ideal way of pulling in Shetland wool ribs that have been stretched during the dressing process. By holding the cuff over the steam for a few seconds, I could almost see the stitches flatten and shrink and then the cuff could be pulled into shape.  Garments often benefit from this if they have been work a lot and have started to stretch out of shape. 

 

 

These are some of my collection of wooden mitten and glove boards, it is lovely to think they have been used to dress many many things in the past, and they are beautiful objects in their own right.

 

I will speak about dressing the Polar tam next time. 

 

But for now have a good weekend!

Shetland Knitting, A Way Of Life - 60 North Magazine

I received the latest copy of 60 North magazine yesterday afternoon and I must say I feel very proud -  my photo is featured on the front cover. 

 

In an article in the magazine I speak about how important knitting is for my personal and Shetland's heritage.  Knitting has been a huge part of my life, as I grew up I was constantly surrounded by women knitting and finishing garments to sell and for clothing for the family.  However, it is only now that most of them are no longer with us, I realise that the skill and knowledge they had was truly invaluable.  I regret not paying more attention to what they are doing.  We are at a crucial stage in Shetland where the number of hand knitters is in decline, particularly those that knit for money.  Unfortunately knitting is no longer taught here in schools so it is up to us as individuals to pass on these hugely valuable skills before it is lost.

 

 

There are several other textile related articles in the magazine, Rosalyn Chapman looks at the Truck and Barter system, where knitters exchanged their work at the local shop for goods rather than cash.  Interestingly, I mention in my article that I remember my Grandmother telling us how she used to go to the "street" on Saturday with gloves and come back with the Sunday roast.  I assume she got cash which she then spent at the butchers but you never know, she was the kind of person who could and would barter for anything!

 

 

There are two very interesting personal accounts of last years wool week by visitors to the islands Diana Lukas-Nulle from Hamburg and Anna Bednarikova from Czechoslovakia :

 

 

Alistair Hamilton looks at "Everest" Jumpers as worn by Sir Edmund Hillary:

 

 

Elizabeth from Elizabeth's Kitchen Diary Diary gives us a taste of the Shetland food trail:

 

 

 

This is just a small sample of what the magazine has to offer, there are many more articles including a lovely looking recipe for pan-fried hake on spiced coconut and chilli puy lentils with pickled carrots, mussel pakora, raita and coriander oil by Akshay Borges from the Scalloway Hotel.  That one is definitely on my "to do list".

 

 

 

If you are in Shetland you can purchase the magazine from The Shetland Museum shop, the Tourist Office at the Market Cross, and Scoop.  You can order a copy online from the Promote Shetland website, or even better why not buy a year's subscription.  At only £15 for four copies a year it really is a bargain.

 

I personally think it is a very good magazine (think the Shetland version of the Simple Things), there are always lots of interesting articles, and it is beautifully laid out.  It is an ideal read for both tourists and locals alike. 

 

In fact - I took a copy on holiday to Tenerife last year and reading it made me a bit home sick!!

 

 

 

 

 



Aestlight Shawls

Before going away for a holiday in October I was looking for a knitting project I could take with me that would be transportable, and wouldn't need a large amount of yarn. I chose Gudrun Johnston's Aestlight shawl, and I am glad I did, I only knitted for a short while each day but it knitted up very quick and the pattern was very easy to follow and there were no difficult techniques.

 

 As I didn't leave myself much time to plan this project before I went away I grabbed a purple heather coloured yarn from my stash (Shetland jumper weight but as it is old I don't you where it came from or what colour it is.)  

 

 

 

I also didn't have 4.0 mm needles so took 3.75 needles. I was very happy with the result, it made a very warm and cosy scarf.

 

 

I made a second one just before Christmas, as a gift again in Shetland jumper yarn from my stash but in a darker shade of blue.  Since I had left it to the last minute I wasn't sure if I would finish it on time, but it is a quick knit, I managed to cast it off a couple of days before Christmas. Because of the construction there is minimal finishing (that always takes me a bit of time and the bit I like the least). The central part is knitted first in garter stitch, with a YO at the beginning of each row creating a triangle that seems to appear before your eyes.

  

The loops at each edge of the triangle are picked up and the birds eye lace section, which is a traditional Shetland lace pattern, is made in one piece.  Then the edging is knitted and joined to the live stitches of the shawl as it is made.  In the case of the blue shawl, by the time I got to the edging I realised that I wasn't going to have enough yarn.  Because I had used the recommended needle size this time (4.0mm) the shawl used more yarn and turned out a bit larger (I forgot to measure it before I gave it away). I decided to do a picot cast off, and I am very pleased with this result.

 

 

 

 

This is definitely a pattern you should try if you would like to make a triangular scarf especially if you haven't done it before.  I think I might make myself another soon!
 

 

The projects can be seen on Ravelry here (purple one) and here (blue one).

Aald Claes and Gruel

A New Year is very often a time for reflection, new beginnings and new ideas.  We have had a lovely festive  period spending time with family and friends and it is alway a bit sad that it's over.  

On the other hand there is something good about getting back into a routine, making new plans and thinking about new projects.  It's time to pack away the decorations, eat normal food and get into a better sleeping pattern.  As someone said this morning it's back to aald claes and gruel (old clothes and porridge)!  I.e. time to get back to normal.

I don't tend to make New Year resolutions but this year I have been planning new things in terms of my work and I was inspired by my friend Emma Varnham to look back at all the things I have made this past year, not including things I have made for sale.  Emma is a crochet and knit designer and made a huge number of things last year: you can see them here.

It was quite interesting making a list of the things I have made, there were several things I had forgotten about and I actually was quite surprised of the number of things I had finished, there were more than I thought.

Top L to R:

Felt knitting needle case - made one for a friend's birthday and one for myself to help solve the problem of an ever increasing needle supply.

Alice Starmore's Fair Isle Beret - blogged about here and ravelled here

Stasis Jumper - started in 2013 but finished in 2014 so I have included it in the list.  Blogged about here and ravelled here

 

Middle: L to R

Black and White Tunic: Blogged about here

Mouse with Jeans and Fair Isle jumper: Blogged about here

Vintage Denim Coat: Blogged about here

Glove: OK, so there's only one so I need to do the other this year! 

 

Bottom: L to R

Polar Star Tam, pattern by Outi Kater:  Ravelled here.  I have just finished mittens to match - I will blog about these soon.

Cushions: Blogged about here

 

 

Top L to R:

Kid Alpaca Fair Isle Star hat:  Ravelled here

Ursula Cardigan: pattern by Kate Davies: Ravelled here

Knitted vegetables: Ravelled here

 

Middle L to R:

Freefield Jacket: Blogged about here and ravelled here 

Denim Dress: Pattern by Sonia Phillips but sides taken in and some length added, and Aestlight shawl, pattern by Gudrun Johnson: blog post to follow soon!

A Circle of Lambs Cardigan: Blogged about here and ravelled here

Linen Dress: Dress A from Stylish Dress Book in light grey linen

 

Bottom L to R:

Aestlight Shawl, pattern by Gudrun Johnson: this is the second of two I made and ran out of yarn for the edging so completed it with a picot bind off.  Blog post to follow soon!

Christmas Baa-bles: Made for Shetland Wool Week Christmas project.  I blogged about the small one here

 

My Not On The High Street Shop is currently closed, I have scheduled it to open in February, but will review it at the time.  Currently I don't have a dedicated work space, I was working in the kitchen but I packed it all up before Christmas.  I am hoping to have a work room in the house soon, we are waiting on getting stairs installed in our house, then we can use the upstairs of our house - I can't wait to get more room!

 

Also, I have taken on a few more hours a week working as a science technician supporting the Shetland high schools, which means anytime during the day I could have had to myself I go out to work.

 

Much of my new work plans and ideas will involve wool, more specifically Shetland yarn and I am not going to make a strict monthly year plan, and basically see what happens.  But that's the beauty of being self employed.

 

Now, where are those aald claes.......