Shetland Wool Week

 quote: :"Shetland Wool Week is a world renowned celebration of Britain’s most northerly native sheep, the Shetland textile industry and the rural farming community on these islands...Since its conception fourteen years ago, Shetland Wool Week has grown into an internationally acclaimed event. Throughout the week there are an extensive range of exhibitions, classes and events, which will cover many different subjects. ...Events take place from the most southern tip of the Shetland, right up to the most northerly island of Unst, famous for its beautiful lacework, with many locations in between." unquote.

Shetland Wool Week (or SWW) is something I've been meaning to go to for years but the timing never seemed right. Also it isn't easy to get to, being in the far north. I almost went before COVID, even getting as far as buying a pair of waterproof trousers after reading about the horizontal rain and constant wind.  So SWW was high up on my retirement bucket list and 2023 was the year I finally went.  The events of the week run from Saturday through to the following Sunday, but as the programme isn't released until a few months before and yet you have to book accommodation a year ahead, I had booked to be in Lerwick for 12 nights just in case.  So that's why there was no blog the past two weekends, as I was up north with only my phone. Travelling took up a full long day each way: train to Birmingham, flight to Aberdeen then a layover, and another flight to Sumburgh airport on Shetland which is 25 miles or so out of Lerwick.  As I don't drive any more, I was staying at a small hotel in Lerwick itself.  But I managed to book several of the bus tours offered during the event and eventually saw most of the main islands apart from Unst.

It was a great week!  The camaraderie amongst participants (some 600 for event bookings and many more friends and partners, and people just hanging out) reminded me of the early years of the Paducah quilt festival: everyone in a good mood, everyone enjoying their week, lots of creative inspiration and gorgeous knitware being worn, you ended up chatting to strangers everywhere or even sharing their table for dinner or their car for a lift. The Shetlanders themselves gave us a warm welcome, they seem to love having the SWW every year and lots of shops and communities were doing special exhibitions of traditional knitting for  visitors to see. 

Shop window display

Early in the week I visited the Jamiesons shop, the Jamiesons & Smith Wool Brokers (a different company despite the name), and the Loose Ends knitting shop. I managed to secure shade cards for both Jamiesons' shops so no more guessing from online pictures of Spindrift or jumperweight.

Knitwear for sale in Loose Ends

I spent a lot of time at the Shetland Museum in Lerwick, both to enjoy the exhibits and some booked talks and a music evening, but also just relaxing and knitting in the knitters 'Hub'.

Historic knitwear on display

Entrance to the Hub (above) and inside (below)

I took tours of the South mainland, the North mainland, Yell, Whalsay, Uradale Farm in Scalloway and the Jamiesons factory in Sandness, so I saw a lot of the magnificent scenery and coastline.  Lots of sheep, lots of Shetland ponies, some highland cattle and even some seals. Many of the tour guides referenced the 'Shetland' TV series which I had never seen (we've started watching it now I'm back) and one guide had even been an extra - playing 'angry villager'. I have to say that having grown up in a heavily forested part of the world, I don't find the open heather moors and miles of empty peat bog to be beautiful as such, but it is striking. I did love the coastlines and if you come earlier in the year you can see puffins and lots of other sea birds. I was a bit surprised to learn that Shetland is actually very affluent - they get a lot of money from the pelagic fishing fleet, the cruise ships, the oil industry and of course tourism.  The hotel where I stayed the last night, the proprietor had a Jag sitting on his drive with a personalised numberplate. The cost of living is high, probably because so much has to be imported, so prices were high for example in restaurants, and houses appeared to cost the same if not more as where I live.

We were lucky with the weather: although it was almost always windy, it was never the Force 9 gales they had last year. Weather stayed relatively warm at 12-14 degrees C, and although there were many sudden showers of rain, they were generally light. So I lived in my raincoat, hat and quick dry trousers the whole time, but didn't need my waterproof trousers after all.

I took one class on blocking knitwear which was quite interesting, and I ended up investing in some glove boards and a jumper stretching frame like this one. I've already used mine to dry the acrylic cardigan I wore on the plane after washing it.

The knitwear on show was amazing, loads of people wearing their creations.  I took a few things to wear but generally I find handknits too hot to wear indoors.

Just before I went, I had started clearing out my knitting room and bagging up no-longer-wanted yarn for sale or to give away, so I was trying hard not to buy more in Shetland. Of course a few things crept into my luggage.

Shade cards for both shops, a couple of project bags, a weird pen-shaped scissors, and yarn to knit a pair of fair-isle wrist warmers (pattern from Little Cotton Rabbits)

A pin cushion

Genuine Shetland hat and gloves bought at one of the community sales that we visited, and a greeting card with mini Shetland lace on it

Obligatory tea towel (got one for the MiL as well), a bag recycled from fair isle knitting, and a cushion cover sewn from tweeds into a Shetland scene

From Urudale Farm, I bought a pattern for handwarmers and three balls of their own yarn.  During the week I was able to knit the body of both handwarmers but I think I am going to add some fingers.

I also bought several traditional patterns including one for a yoked cardigan (Hairst Yoke by Sandra Manson)- so while I was there, I chose yarn for the cardigan.

It is recommended to purchase membership of the SWW early on, so that you get an advance look at the programme when it is released and can plan your attack for the subsequent ticket selling bloodbath.  But you also get a cool membership set which I picked up at the Hub while I was there. The hat motif is this year's SWW hat pattern.

All in all, it was a pretty good week.  Many people go every year - I met one woman who had been 11 times.  Most people rent cars so that they can get around easily and book nicer accommodation outside of Lerwick. I feel like I 'did' the event pretty thoroughly so I don't know that I would go back again, at least not for a while. As a non-driver, I would only end up booking the same tours again unless I could entice DH to come along and act as chauffeur.