Fun
Virtual Shetland Wool Week
Dear Ann,
The kids call it FOMO: fear of missing out. Once again, I have a bad case of wishing I were in Scotland for Shetland Wool Week, which started yesterday and continues through next Saturday, October 1. If by some chance you are in Shetland, or near Shetland (is anything near Shetland?) and didn’t know about this special festival, get yourself there!
For the rest of us misser-outers, I have a short list of consolation activities.
Knit a Bousta Beanie
The Bousta Beanie is this year’s commemorative Shetland Wool Week hat pattern, designed by the Shetland Trader herself, Gudrun Johnston, this year’s Wool Week Patron. Look at all the Bousta beauties on Instagram!
With a Bousta Beanie on your head, or on your needles, you can be one with everyone who is in Shetland this week.
Shetland Wool Week trivia: the beloved Baable Hat and Crofthoose Hat both started their lives as the official Shetland Wool Week hat pattern, in 2015 and 2016, respectively.
Watch Shetland
I’ve barely gotten into Shetland, which is up to three seasons at this point. The series is based on a book by Ann Cleeves, who also wrote my beloved Vera, another crime series with great sweaters and well-worn outerwear. (Can we call them “sweater mysteries?” Can that be a thing?)
Your eyes do not deceive you; that’s Kate Davies’s Peerie Flooers hat in this scene from Shetland. Several of Kate’s designs appeared in the series.
I’m finding Shetland very good so far. I found it on Netflix.
Of course, if you’re just looking for an overall Scottish-magical-historical mood, you can’t go wrong with Outlander.
If Shetland and Outlander do not provide enough sweatertainment for you, check out Marie Wallin’s new collection:
Knit and Eat Baked Goods
We could eat like a Shetlander, too, but personally I’m not going to start with reestit mutton or saat fish. We could whip up a delicious hufsie cake, but really, a pot of tea and a plate of cookies should get us halfway there, I think.
Happy Shetland Wool Week to those who managed to get there, and pleasant missing-out to the rest of us. Maybe next year!
Love,
Kay
The SWW Facebook page will be streaming the opening ceremony live at 7-9pm British Summer Time tonight. If you click on the first link in the post and then on the Facebook “f” at the left then it takes you through.
My husband has always referred to the show Shetland as “the one with the sweaters”, as in :”when is the one with the sweaters coming back?”. The Boosta Beanie will probably be his surprise Birthday hat this winter.
I love the series Shetland, but in my opinion, there isn’t enough good knitting after the first season!
Shetland is a great series. I think I’m actually caught up on it. I am woefully behind on Dr. Blake Mysteries and Orphan Black though. I will watch for sweaters in Season 4, and am going to check out the Bousta Beanie pattern.
I watched all of Shetland last month. What a great show and such a treat to see Kate’s designs in the first season! I think I better cast on a Bousta beanie this week to celebrate virtual SWW.
I’ve been watching Hinterland – the Welsh need to step up their knitting game.
❤️
I love that Bousta beanie! It can be subtle or striking. Yum.
I dumped my TV after the election and haven’t missed it @ all. Netflix fills my needs and now I have another series to look forward to ! Many Thanks
I have started rationing my Shetland watching, but busting it on Anne Cleeves books. Can’t wait to knit the official hat for the fest. I especially like Shetland because it reminds me of the seaside in N.Cal. lots of thundering waves and fog and if you head toward Mendocino you just might be stopped by a herd of sheep crossing the road. From my residence in S.fl. I got nothing like it. Going to turn down my a.c. put on my Aran sweater bought from the isle and knit.
Does anyone know why Shetland knitting evolved as the stranded colors but in the Aran Islands knitting evolved as cables? Why were the knitting styles so different?
My understanding is that Aran Islands knitting was developed for the tourist trade, and inspired by Austrian/Tyrolian style knitting. All the stuff about family patterns to identify fishermen’s bodies was just to add to the allure.
I’m here and it is AMAZING! I’ve never seen so many shops selling wool in one place before. The classes and events are wonderful, and the scenery beyond compare. It’s well worth the trip to get here.
Pro Tip: If you want to follow the story and not get hopelessly lost in the atmosphere, turn your closed-captioning on – the accents are thick and unfamiliar. (But delicious nevertheless!)
SWW is on my bucket list.
I read all the Shetland books and loved every one of them!!! I wish could get the series in the US. Of course I read and watched all the Outlander books and series.