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Knitting Traditions Hold Strong on the Shetland Islands

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NPR story features Shetland Island knitters.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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Apple Knitting Patterns for Fall and Back to School

It feels like it’s too early to be thinking about back to school, but as I write this my daughter has just a couple of weeks of summer left! So let’s get in that school and fall knitting spirit by looking at some apple knitting projects. 

If you have a 22 needle circular knitting machine, knitting an apple is one of the easiest things you can do. I have an apple pattern over at Our Daily Craft that will take you just a few minutes to knit and they’re a great addition to your fall decor. 

Apple hats are a classic, and whether you want to knit a hat that looks like an apple or one with apples on it, we’ve got you covered. For hats that look like apples check out the rolled brim version from Emma Crochet Design 4 U, which uses worsted weight yarn and comes in sizes for kids of all ages; and the ribbed brim version from Hand Knit Hugs. This one also calls for worsted weight yarn and comes in four kids sizes. Both include a stem and leaf. 

If you’d rather have apples on your hat, try the Red Apple Hat from Little Red Window. This one is sized from newborn to 2T and calls for four colors of worsted weight yarn. 

How about apple socks? You’ll find Ariel Chang’s Apple Picnic Socks as a free download on Ravelry. These use three colors of sock yarn and come in three sizes. Stone Knits also a pair of stripey apple socks that show the inside of the apple. These also have three sizes but they use six colors total, with the main color being a self-striping yarn. 

If you want a little apple accessory for the house, the apple potholder from Nifty Knitter Designs is cute and a great way to practice double knitting. It uses two colors and you’ll find the colors in the reverse on the other side. The pattern only uses about 50 yards of each color of worsted weight yarn, so it’s a great use for odd balls, too. 

Once you’ve got your double knitting skills sorted you can also try the double knit apple scarf from Crow and Chai Shop. The Winter Apples scarf is shown in red and gold, but you can use whatever colors you like. There are apples, stars and random stitches in the design, which calls for DK weight yarn. There’s also a matching fingerless glove pattern.