There are still lots of fantastic events and experiences during Shetland Wool Week which have tickets available. Below we have separated out the events into different sections to make it easier to see what is still on offer.
TOURS
A Textile Tour of UHI Shetland
Friday 29th September, 13:30, Ticket Price: £3
Join a tour to see UHI’s knitting, weaving, and silk screen printmaking workshops. You will see an exhibition of student work before visiting the textile facilitation workshop containing three electronic Shima knitting machines and many other woolly technologies.
Bring On Bigton
Thursday 28th September, 11:45, Ticket Price: £98
Head to Bigton Hall for Loops and Lunches, for displays of local knitwear and craft tables with items for sale – and, of course, lunch! After lunch, join Cecil Tait from Paparwark Furniture for a tour of West Lynne croft.
Busta Food and Drink Tour
Tuesday 26th September, 10:45, Ticket Price: £111
Enjoy a fantastic three course food and drink experience in the wonderful setting of Busta House Hotel. Your hosts have created a delicious tasting menu from Shetland’s finest produce, paired with local alcoholic beverages. Afterwards, you will have time for knitting in the Long Room (or sampling some of their many whiskies).
Croft Tour and Workshop Gallery Visit
Saturday 23th September, 10:30, Friday 29th September, 14:30, Ticket Price: £30
Visit the Tait family croft in Bigton to meet their flock of sheep with a fantastic view over to St Ninian’s Isle. Then head back to the crofthouse where Paparwark Furniture is based. Here you can visit the workshop gallery where Cecil creates various knitting accessories, and has fleece and yarn available to purchase.
Makkers Mates
Monday 25 September, 09:15, Ticket Price: £95
Are you a trailing spouse? Or a non-knitting companion? Fancy doing something non-knitting related? Fancy meeting other non-knitters? If you answered yes to any of those questions then this tour is for you. Come along for a tour of the South Mainland and visit Paparwark Furniture, where you will try your hand at whittling.
Tour of Garths Croft Bressay with Chris Dyer
Sunday 24th September, 16:30, Monday 25th September, Tuesday 26th September, 10:00, 13:30, 16:30, Wednesday 27th September, 15:00, Sunday 1st October, 13:30, 16:30, Ticket Price: £45
Visit the island of Bressay for a tour of Garths Croft with Chris Dyer. Meet native and heritage breeds in their natural environment, including Shetland sheep with traditional colours and markings. Refreshments are included.
Uradale Visit
Friday 29th September, 11:00, Saturday 30th September, 14:00, Sunday 1st October, 11:00, 14:00, Ticket Price: £25
Visit Uradale Farm and yarn store to learn about native Shetland sheep and their wool in an Organic production system. See online for further information on local transport if required.
Visit Old Scatness
Tuesday 26th September, 12:30, 14:30, Thursday 28th September, 10:30, 12:30, 14:30, Ticket Price: £6
Old Scatness Broch and Iron Age Village lay undiscovered beneath our feet for over a millennium. Join Shetland Amenity Trust as we uncover the mystery, myth and legend of this world class heritage site.
Shetland Museum and Archives Curator Led Textile Treasures Tour
Thursday 28th September, 10:00, Ticket Price: £20.00
Join Shetland Museum and Archives curator Dr Carol Christiansen for a tour of the textile collection on display in the museum galleries. Learn from the expert about our knitting history and why this collection is of recognised national significance. She will also explore further information about the garments, not highlighted in the public interpretation.
Shetland Museum and Archives Exhibitions Officer Arts Highlight Tour
Tuesday 26th September, 10:00, Wednesday 27th September, 14:00, Ticket Price: £15.00
Explore Shetland Museum and Archives art collection and have an in-depth guided tour of the Diane Arbus exhibition in the Museum’s gallery.
Shetland Museum and Archives Tour of Shetland Archives
Monday 25th September, 14:00, Ticket Price: £10.00
A rare opportunity to see behind the scenes in the Shetland Archives.
Shetland Museum and Archives VSA Textile Tours
Monday 25th September, Wednesday 27th September, Friday 29th September, Saturday 30th September, 11:00, 15:00. Ticket Price: £10.00
Join Shetland Museum and Archives Visitor Services Assistants for a tour of the Textile displays. The Textile Collection is Recognised as a collection of national significance. Tour lasts approximately 40 minutes.
Shetland Rural Experience
Friday 29th September, Saturday 30th September, 11:00, Ticket Price: £90
Isla and David will introduce you to Shetland’s traditional coloured sheep and traditional methods of shearing. Meet Shetland ponies for photo opportunities and see what is involved in the training and working of a border collie sheepdog. At Herrislea House Hotel you can appreciate traditional Shetland food.
TALKS
A Talk with SWW Patron Alison Rendall
Monday 25th September, 19:30, Ticket Price: £12.00
A chat with 2023 Patron Alison Rendall, as she talks about the inspiration behind her beautiful Buggiflooer Beanie. Alison grew up in a knitting household and learned her trade from her Nan, who continues to inspire her work today. Alison will share her passion for Shetland’s heritage – nature, landscape, traditions and language – and explain how she incorporates that in her work.
An Evening with Former Patrons of SWW
Wednesday 27th September, 19:30, Ticket Price: £12
Join us for an evening of Wool Week memories with a chance to hear from some of our previous Patrons. Informal panel discussion with opportunities for questions from the audience. Claire White will be there to chair the evening and keep the woolly conversation flowing!
11 O’clocks at Shetland Museum and Archives – Conserving Textiles
Friday 29th September, 11:00, Ticket Price: £8
11 o’clocks is a traditional break time where a mid-morning cup of tea and bannock is enjoyed. A mid-morning treat will be supplied by Hay’s Dock by the Dowry as part of your ticket price. Carol Christiansen is Shetland Museum’s curator overseeing its Recognised Textiles Collection of National Significance in Scotland. Join Carol as she talks about how she curates the collection, what is chosen from donations offered, the criteria used to purchase items, and how a textile’s story plays a role in whether it is accepted into the collection.
Bella Tait – An Ordinary Knitter of Extraordinary Skill with Janette Budge
Tuesday 26th September, 16:30, Ticket Price: £8.00
Get to know Bella Tait through a slideshow of her knitting work. A typical Shetland knitter and spinner of with exceptional skill. Winning prizes at local and national level for her lace and fair isle pieces. Many items of her work were donated to the Shetland Textile Museum with some on display. Hear about her life and her influences.
Dorset Buttons Revisited Through Shetland Wool with TJ Frog
Thursday 28th September, 16:30, Ticket Price: £8.00
Join Tania of TJFrog as she takes you on a journey from Dorset Buttons revisited through Shetland wool. From history, techniques, designs, effects of different weight wools, be inspired to incorporate them into your Shetland wool projects.
Extending Life of Knitwear with Hazel Tindall
Wednesday 27th September, 16:30, Ticket Price: £8.00
A PowerPoint presentation looking at a range of old garments to see how they were mended/changed in order to prolong their wearing life. Includes short videos to demonstrate these methods.
Inspiring Knitters with Hazel Tindall
Tuesday 26th September, 13:00, Ticket Price: £8
As a young girl, Hazel was surrounded by knitters. She grew up in a three-generational household, where extended family and neighbours often visited with their knitting. This PowerPoint is an introduction to those who made a significant influence on her interest in knitting.
Shetland Heritage Through a Designer’s Eye with Helen Robertson
Monday 25th September, 16:30, Ticket Price: £8
Helen extracts stories and legends from Shetland’s rich history and illustrates it with textiles and jewellery. Get a glimpse into her design process and original techniques. Join her on a journey from Picts to Zoom Meetings with a few dead bodies on the way! Event will also be available online. Online ticket information will be shared in August.
Shetland Lace Unveiled
Thursday 28th September, 14:00, Ticket Price: £12.00
Join Betsy and Elizabeth Williamson as they talk all about Shetland Lace. Between mother and daughter they have about 99 years of lace knitting experience. There will be items of lace knitting on show and they will look at some of these in detail.
Weaving the Waterline Tapestries: Viewing and Live Talk
Tuesday 26th September, 18:00, Ticket Price: £10.00
Both a weaving project and a learning experience, led by Scottish tapestry weaver Joan Baxter, Waterline brought together 15 tapestry weavers from around the world to collaborate on a project on the theme of a river. See the tapestries, meet Irene and Anna who supported Joan, hear how the project came together and what the experience was like for the weavers.
SOCIAL EVENTS AND SHOWS
Afternoon Teas with Harriet Middleton
Sunday 24th September, 15:00, Ticket Price: £9.50
Harriet designed a Fair Isle hat which resulted in worldwide interest and set up a knitting group that made items for auction and sold patterns in order to fundraise for a MRI scanner for Shetland. The MRI Maakers raised in excess of £100,000. The renowned portrait artist Stuart Pearson Wright created a portrait of Harriet for the BBC’s ‘Extraordinary Portraits’ programme, and this is now part of Shetland Museum’s permanent collection. The painting will be on display with an opportunity to meet Harriet and enjoy a cup of tea with a scone, which is included in the ticket price.
Exhibition, Teas and Sharing Skills with the Guild of Spinners, Weavers, Knitters and Dyers
Saturday 23rd September, Sunday 24th September, 09:30, 14:00, Ticket Price: £15.00
Spend some quality time with the Shetland Guild of Spinners, Weavers, Knitters and Dyers. They would love to see what you are are “makkin” or crafting and will share what they are working on too. Bring your spinning wheel if you wish! An exhibition of the Guild’s work will be on display and refreshments will be provided.
Walk in Dir Shoes
Saturday 23rd September, 12:00, Ticket Price: £12
Head down to Dunrossness and step back in time in a traditional 19th century thatched crofthouse. Hear stories about crofthouse life and what families had to do to make a living from the land, including fetching peats in kishies. Women were often photographed doing this whilst knitting at the same time. You will be asked to do the same. You will be issued with a kishie or a pack of similar weight and taken on a short walk (weather permitting). Bring along your own knitting to mak with on the walk, preferably with a ‘makkin belt’
We Wir Unusual
Saturday 23rd September, 16:00, Monday 25th September, 16:30, Thursday 28th September, 17:00, Sunday 1st October, 12:00, Ticket Price: £3.00
A dramatic re-telling of the story of two important women in Shetland’s history. Jeannie Jarmson and Ethel Brown, two 20th century Shetland designers, will be brought to life in this short play performed in Shetland dialect. Starring Caroline Williamson Leask and Lynsey Rendall, who incidentally is our Patron Alison Rendall’s sister!
CLASSES – ARTS AND CRAFTS
Colour Printmaking with Tetra Pak and Chine-colle
Monday 25th September, 09:30, Ticket Price £90
This workshop will lead you through techniques to make stunning colour etchings using the humble Tetra Pak carton. This wonderful recycled material offers flexibility in image making: you can score, peel and cut your plate to create something truly unique. You will also be guided by Gaada’s expert printmakers through the art of Chine-collé — the preparation of coloured or patterned paper for incorporating into the etching. You will get the opportunity to print your image several times using the workshop’s geared etching press.
Fair Isle Fused Glass
Monday 25th September, Tuesday 26th September, 10:00, 14:00, Ticket Price: £70
A great opportunity to make Fair Isle fused glass! You can choose to make a large hanger or two small ones. Patterns will be provided or you can make your own. The class is held in the newly built workshop where you can enjoy the stunning views and relax. (Glass will be fired and returned at a later date.)
Knit Your Own Wire Lampshade with Helen Robertson
Monday 25th September, 09:30, Ticket Price: £140
Create a stunning lamp for your home with your own unique knitted wire shade. No previous wire knitting experience required. A lampshade is provided and can be posted home or the shade only can be used and attached to your own lamp base. “Fabulous class, I’m amazed at how brilliant my lamp looked at the end of the day”.
Listening to Fair Isle Patterns with Felicity (Felix) Ford
Wednesday 27th September, 10:00, Ticket Price: £60.00
In this unique class, you will hole-punch special cards with Fair Isle patterns for use with a componium (programmable music box). After punching the Fair Isle patterns onto the special cards, you will run them through the music box, to hear how they sound. Bring a smartphone if you would like to make a video of your audible Fair Isle pattern(s)!
Make a Silver Pendant or Brooch to Your Own Design
Sunday 24th September, 09:30, Wednesday 27 September, 09:30, 14:00, Ticket Price: £130
Make a pendant or brooch to your own design using silver pre-etched with a Fair Isle pattern and copper.
Make a Small Fabric Lantern and Lampshade with Julie Williamson
Wednesday 27th September, Thursday 28th September, 09:30, Ticket Price: £55
Join Julie, a local print designer, for a fun filled two hours making your own 20cm lampshade and 12cm lantern. You will chose from a selection of Julie’s own designs each with a nostalgic Shetland scene and story. The lampshade will be made to the point of easy transporting, then finished at home.
Paper Cut Initial Design with Gilly B
Thursday 28th September, Friday 29th September, Sunday 1st October, 13:00, Ticket Price: £45
Gilly B works in paper cut to produce bold designs featuring life in Shetland. Gilly will guide you through the process to design and create a paper cut initial. Bring your ideas and any supporting visual inspiration to create a design unique to you.
Paper Marbling Masterclass
Tuesday 26th September, Wednesday 27th September 10:00, Ticket Price: £100.00
Gaada’s master printmakers will lead you through a paper marbling masterclass inspired by the colourways of Lichens and the Shetland Landscape. You will learn to blend your very own palette of marbling inks from scratch which you will use to make stunning patterns and/or happy accidents which you can take home at the end of the day.
Pom Pom Puffin with Helen Robertson
Thursday 28th September, 19:00, Ticket Price: £60
Puffins are adorable! Helen always wanted to catch one and take it home, but that is illegal, so she made her own! Follow her visual instructions to make your own too. You will use Jamieson’s of Shetland yarn and a pom pom maker. You will also receive a pattern for Helen’s new Pom Pom Toorie.
Shawl Pin Whittling Course with Cecil Tait
Tuesday 26 September, Wednesday 27 September, 10:00, 14:00, Ticket Price: £50
Tutor Cecil Tait of Paparwark shows you how to hand-make a beautiful, simple, timber shawl pin and brooch using knives and chisels. Unlock your inner whittler!
CLASSES – FAIR ISLE AND COLOURWORK
Colourwork Two Ways: An Adventure in Oddments & Beads with Felicity (Felix) Ford and Jeanette Sloan
Tuesday 26th September, 09:45, Ticket Price: £130
This class explores different options for working colourwork with yarn oddments or beads. You will explore creative ways of using oddments in stranded colourwork with Felix, then rework the same charts with Jeanette using beads. You will make two swatches – one each in stranded and beaded colourwork – gaining all the skills required to complete a hat using either technique.
Introduction to Beaded Colourwork with Jeanette Sloan
Wednesday 27th September, 10:00, £120.00
Beaded knitting can add a touch of glamour to a plain knitted fabric. This full day workshop takes a slightly different approach by using different coloured beads to create motifs, worked into the knitting as you go. You will learn this technique by working on a design, created by Jeanette especially for Shetland Wool Week. See online for homework.
Knitting with Climate and Other Data with Deborah Gray
Wednesday 27th September, 09:30, Ticket Price: £49
Design a knit that interprets data about climate change, or another data set that interests you. Deborah has previously used data about road traffic and about daylength as well as weather data. The class is mostly about design but be prepared for a little swatching. If you have data that interests you bring it with you.
Fair Isle Hina-Doll with Chihiro Sato
Monday 25 September – Wednesday 27 September, Friday 29 September, 10:00, Ticket Price: £75
At the traditional girl’s festival in Japan, Hinamatsuri, to celebrate the health and happiness of girls, dolls (always a couple) are put on display. In this class with Chihiro Sato you will learn how to create one of these Japanese dolls wearing a Fair Isle pattern kimono.
Fizzy Fair Isle Wristlets with Helen Robertson
Friday 29 September, 10:00, Ticket Price: £140.00
Helen has created an easy way to get three colours in one row while only knitting with 1 or 2 strands at a time. You will learn this new technique and knit gorgeous wristlets. Part of the class looks at colour selection and you will choose 100g Spindrift. Included are 2 patterns for wrist warmers. “Genius!”
Knit Your Teddy a Yoked Cardigan with Rachel Hunter and Emily Poleson (2 Part Class)
Saturday 23 September AND Friday 29th September, 14:00, Ticket Price: £120
In this two-part class you will learn to knit a teddy’s yoked cardigan in the traditional Shetland way over two half days. You will learn about the construction of traditional Shetland yoked garments and be introduced to some key skills including Fair Isle knitting, steeking (cutting your knitting), button holes, and picking up stitches.
CLASSES – STITCHWORK, REPAIR AND ALTERATIONS
Sew Pretty: Beginners Embroidery onto Knit and Crochet with Jeanette Sloan
Thursday 28th September, 10:00, Ticket Price: £120
Learn how basic embroidery can take the plainest garments to another level. You will be asked to bring along an item of your own. In the morning, Jeanette will introduce you to some simple techniques and you will have a chance to practice. In the afternoon, use the skills you have learned to decorate your item, giving it a new, prettier life!
Hand Stitched Badge Workshop with StitchBirdie
Monday 25th September, Wednesday 27th September, 14:00, Friday 29th September, 10:00, Ticket Price: £60
Using a variety of embroidery stitches and embellishments, stitch a beautiful badge using traditional Shetland materials. This class is suitable for beginners and those looking to expand their stitching skills and confidence.
A Happy Accident with Mandy Moore
Sunday 24th September, Friday 29th September, 14:00, Ticket Price: £60
Most of us have had a knitting mishap when washing our garments or have a pile of swatches that we don’t know what to do with. During this class, Mandy will show you how to use your felted wool items to make a wearable accessory. Patterns will be provided to make either a hat or mittens.
Re-Use, Recycle, Re-Wear with Mandy Moore
Friday 29th September, 10:00, Ticket Price: £60.00
Most of us will spot a gorgeous sweater in a charity shop or store that is not quite the right size or is gorgeous wool but not our colour or style. In this class Mandy will demonstrate how to repurpose yarn from a bought sweater to be reused in a new project.
Simple Knit Repair with Hélène Driesen
Monday 25th September, 14:00, Ticket Price: £60.00
Learn how to make simple repairs on your beloved knitted items. Hélène will cover invisible as well as visible repairs, which has become so popular over the past few years. Bring along an item in need of repair, consider how to approach it and – if time allows – work on the repair. You will be given small pieces of knitted fabric along with different types of threads to practice repairs.
CLASSES – WEAVING
Ancient Textiles – Peg Loom Weave a Mini Rug
Wednesday 27th September, 09:30, Ticket Price: £140
Weave yourself a mini rug or seat pad using raw Shetland wool. You will learn to use a peg loom to wrap lengths of raw fleece around a set of sticks to create a thick and cosy fabric. Following the class, enjoy a private tour of the Iron Age Broch and Village with Shetland’s Regional Archaeologist, Val Turner.
Weaving the View: Explore Shetland through Tapestry Weaving
Wednesday 27th September, 10:30, Ticket Price: £75
Enjoy some creative time observing the landscape of Hillswick, then use the age-old technique of tapestry weaving to create your own small tapestry. Look at how tapestries can evoke a sense of place through colour, texture and shape, including examples from the Waterline exhibition, and be guided through some simple techniques to have a go yourself.
Weaving Toward Perfection with Deborah Briggs
Wednesday 27th September, 09:30, Ticket Price: £70
The class focuses on strategies to improve handwoven items. During the class discuss decisions to be made before and after a project is woven, including: choosing colours; finding the appropriate sett; the best fibre for the expected finished product; and measurements. Deborah will also discuss finishing a handwoven piece.
CLASSES – SPINNING
Blending Coloured Fibre for Spinning or Feltmaking with Deborah Gray
Friday 29th September, 13:30, Ticket Price: £55
Using images of Shetland landscapes for inspiration and primary-coloured fibres you will blend your own unique palette of nature-inspired shades to take home to spin, make felt or use in other fibrecrafts. All materials, equipment and images provided but bring your own favourite image of Shetland nature if you have one.
CLASSES – LACE
Blyde Balaclava – Applied Shetland Lace with Helen Robertson
Thursday 28th September, 10:00, Ticket Price: £140.00
Design your own balaclava featuring Shetland Lace motifs in DK yarn. Top down and bottom up construction techniques will be examined and colour selection will be explored. Blank charts will be provided for adaption. You will leave the workshop with a personalised pattern for your own unique Blyde Balaclava and the knowledge and skills to design and knit more.
CLASSES – OTHER
Thrummed Slipper Socks with Hélène Driesen
Thursday 28th September, 10:00, Ticket Price: £60
Learn how to make wonderfully warm and fun slipper socks that have tufts (thrums) of wool knitted into the fabric, which originated in Newfoundland. You will receive a digital and hard copy of the pattern. Wool top for the thrums will be provided but bring your own sock yarn (175 yards of heavy worsted or aran). Homework Required.
Gunnister Man Day with Helen Robertson
Saturday 23rd September, 10:00, Ticket Price: £180
The Gunnister Man, dating back to 1700, was found in a Shetland peatbog. Textile historian, Carol Christiansen, will talk about the reconstruction of his purse. Following a traditional lunch, a guided bus tour through Northmavine will take you to his grave. Cast on his purse around a peat fire, and recreate elements from it. Purse pattern included.
