Knitting Traditions Hold Strong on the Shetland Islands

A story about knitting in the Shetland Islands from NPR’s Weekend Edition popped into my Facebook feed over the weekend. It looks like the story originally aired in July (and that story has lovely pictures to go with it) but I never wrote about it so here it is now.

Some things in the Shetland Islands are changing because of the oil wealth in the area, but local knitters — who knit because it is a way of life passed down through the generations — say their traditions aren’t going to change and the younger generation is still interested in knitting.

Ingrid Eunson spins the local fleece and knits sweaters in her home in Brae and says it’s staggering to think how much a sweater would cost if the producer were paid a fair wage.

“And I’ve thought about how much it would cost at minimum wage,” she told NPR’s Ari Shapiro. “Nobody would afford more than one jumper in their lives if they paid according to the hours that went in.”

But as another local knitter, Wilma Johnson, says, “I just knit because it’s like breathing. I can’t do without it.” She learned when she was three.

This is a great story that really takes you to the islands and should make you proud to be a knitter.

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The felted slipper craze that began last year doesn’t seem like it’s fading away. The Sailor Slippers, often striped knit and felted slippers made with super bulky yarn, because the project of the moment late last year (check out more knit slipper options in this post all about sailor slippers) and they’re still consistently popular with knitters.

Which makes sense because they are fun and fast to knit, and seeing them go from this giant thing to something that actually fits a foot feels a little magical.

I have always loved felting (in fact my first book was about felting knitting) and it’s always fun for me to see people rediscover this technique.

If you’ve knit enough plain slippers to fit all the feet you know, maybe it’s time to stitch up some tabi style slippers instead.

Maymade Knits has designed these cute tabi ballerina slippers, made with bulky yarn and felted. They’re worked flat at first and then in rounds, and are available in 10 EU sizes (the Internet tells me add 31 to your American shoe size to get your EU size). The designer says the slippers are meant to have a close fit and you should choose a size a little smaller than your foot for the ideal fit.

The pattern includes a video tutorial along with the written pattern.

You can grab this pattern on Ravelry. The same designer has her own version of the striped felted slipper as well, called Sarah’s Striped Slippers. These are worked in super bulky yarn and have a contrasting foot and a striped body. These are knit flat and seamed and there are 7 size options available. Check that pattern out here if you’re looking for a more traditional slipper shape. They also look roomier so you can wear them with socks if you like.

[Photo: Maymade Knits]

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