My first class in Shetland was a full day event about the archeological site of Gunnister Man. This is a bog burial that was discovered in 1952. I’ve written about it before, and it is featured in an article in the Fall 2023 Issue of The Journal of Scottish Yarn. The Journal also includes a pattern inspired by one of the knitted fragments from the site. You can page through photos of all of the projects included in the issue. There are 2 sock patterns, and mine is the second one you come to.
The day began with lectures, and the first one was by Winnie Bigland Balfour, daughter of one of the two men who found the grave site while out digging peat for fuel. She was a young girl in the 1950s and remembers clearly that she was not allowed to see either the grave nor the recovered materials. Her father felt the material to be too sensitive for a young girl, and beyond that, the villagers wanted to retain some respect and dignity for the remains. Winnie recalled that the experience truly affected her father.
The grave was excavated by archeologists from Sundbergh, and the remains taken first to the local post office where they were displayed, and then to the Scottish National Museum in Edinburgh. What remains on the hillside outside of the now abandoned village of Gunnister, is a simple stone marker. You have to know where it is and what it looks like to locate the site. Like the man himself, this simple memorial is anonymous.
There were talks by Dr. Carol Christiansen, Curator at the Shetland Museum and Archives, whose research and analysis resulted in careful replicas of the clothing for the museum’s display (the originals remain in Edinburgh).
We also had a nice talk about cutting peat, with demonstrations of the tools that are still used for the process (note the lovely Fair Isle vest!). Few people still cut peat. It is a backbreaking job, and the skill is likely to be lost as time goes by. Local environmental scientists will be happy to see it pass into history; it takes years and years to deposit enough layers of organic material to reach the depth of a single peat brick, and there is a strong desire to preserve and restore the peatlands. A natural resource to be sure, but not an easily renewable one, and it also is a vast carbon sink we would do well to maintain.
The day ended with a class in knitting the famed Gunnister Purse led by the local knitter and designer Helen Robertson (you see her husband above with the peat tools). The tricky part is the cast on with the loops to hold the drawstring. While we could make a choice about the ribbed section and make it an even count around, the original had a variety in the number of knits and purls.
I haven’t even finished the cast on (let alone the entire bag!), so it is currently resting in the WIP basket. Actually the “basket” has become a large storage bin, which would last me through a couple of years of a yarn drought.
Another Yarn Story
Meet Sheila Halcrow, owner of Laxdale Yarns. I found her hard at work in her in-home shop, packing up and preparing her yarn and kits for the Maakers Market at the end of Wool Week.
Sheila’s yarn business is only part of a family business that includes the croft where she raises some 800 Shetland sheep, and a very busy transport company that works with tour groups visiting the islands.
Her two older children left Shetland for university and careers, but ultimately decided to return to participate in the family business. Once again, the pull of the islands and island culture led to another generation returning home.
Sheila did not set out to have a yarn business. It was the suggestion of her neighbor, knitter and designer Wilma Malcomson that ultimately resulted in the new business. After all, what do you do with the fleece from 800 sheep? You could sell to a wool broker, but you could just as readily decide that the quality of the fleece deserved its own label. Sheila has really strong standards for yarn quality that brought her to finally choose the Natural Fiber Company in Cornwall for wool processing. The mill is well known for producing specialized, breed-specific yarns, often in very limited batches.
Brake Mitts is one of the patterns Sheila has developed specifically for her yarns. The Wedgewood blue of the original is truly lovely, but I was immediately drawn to the “Ruby Red” both for its depth of color and its sheen.
Other patterns she offers include inspirations from her late Mother-in-Law, Maggie’s knitting, and designs by her Mother, Annie (who still is knitting gloves into her 80s).
So far, the offerings from Laxdale Yarn are limited. However, as time permits, Sheila will continue to derive inspiration from her collection of traditional family patterns.
My first impression in casting on this yarn was that while tightly spun, it is softly plied. I like using very pointed needles, so will need to take care not to split the plies during knitting. The other thing I noticed right away was that the soft ply makes the hand really nice and soft, and there is a tiny bit of halo that gives the yarn character. I suspect these will make for really lovely color work.
I’m only as far as the turn for the cuff, but already am liking what I see and enjoying the feel of the yarn. Laxdale Yarn is a company I will be keeping an eye on to see how it will grow and change. I look forward to an expanded range of color, and perhaps a second yarn weight in time.
I was able to visit several purveyors of yarn in Shetland, many of whom appeared just before and around the time of the 2020-21 pandemic. It is unlikely that all of them will survive given the small size of their enterprises and limited exposure. Laxdale is one that should survive. The yarn quality is excellent, and the color palette is lovely with rich, saturated colors. If you have a chance to get your hands on some, by all means give it a try. Go for one of Sheila’s kits that come with yarn and a traditional Fair Isle design. Her instructions are very well written and tested, so you’re sure to enjoy the entire experience.
Meanwhile….
We finally had our first snow last week. It wasn’t much to see — barely a dusting, but a welcome surprise. We are definitely into knitting-and-a-hot-cup-of-cocoa weather. The best time of year as far as I’m concerned.
So keep calm and craft on, and to my US friends, Happy Thanksgiving!