Shetland Shawls for Sale in 2 Ply Shetland Lace Wool

Well, Christmas is coming upon us faster than ever and I'm not very organized this year. Last year I had about everything done and dusted by September but sadly this year I'm still in 'last minute mode'!
I have to let myself off a little bit though because I've been trying to start a small business from home called Croft Cottons. You can find my shop at www.croftcottons.etsy.com. At the moment there are some fabric covered buttons I made myself, pincushions, small cotton zippy pouch bags to hold your bits and pieces and also details of Shetland lace shawls you can pre-order. I am happy to discuss colours with customers and give an idea of time scale.
The shawls you see below are two 'in the making'. The shawl in natural colours is for a customer. The one in grey, blue, black and white is one I began before I got my latest commission and can be pre-ordered right now if you feel you would like it. It is available in my Etsy shop but you can also email me via my blog by clicking on the email sign top right.
There are various other colours I could do for you, eg, blues, reds, purple and lilac and green. Or you may prefer one colour such as black, white, pink, blue etc. If the shop has the colour then you can have a shawl!
Here are the two shawls I mentioned.......

I think the above shawl would make a lovely heirloom shawl for a spring baby boy. Here is the natural shawl colour arrangement......

Here are a few more colours readily available for me to knit with. There are plenty more.






Those are just a sample of colours available. If you would like more information or have something in mind please contact me and I will do my best to meet your requirements. Perhaps you've found a pattern for a shawl that you love but can't knit it for one reason or another. I'm keen to have a go for you! Just email me.

Now I'm off to get a cup of tea and get ready to wrap the last of the presents tomorrow. I hear we are in for some nasty weather so I'll batten down the hatches and tape down the wrapping paper!!
Until next time folks, take care and I hope you have a great Christmas and good year to come.

Three Quarters of the Shawl Finished

I'm very chuffed to say that I've got three quarters of my shawl knitted and I'm quite pleased with how it's looking. I really didn't think when I started it that it would go so well and almost ""boo-hoo"" free!!
Here's a photo......



Today I've been thinking of what I need to get knitted for the local shows this year. Where I live there is a local show that takes place just over our garden fence! Not far to travel to that one. The year before last I came home with 5 rosettes and a trophy. The trophy was for "Best in Show" jam. It was strawberry jam and I think the jar was empty next day!!
Last year I had been ill for several months and didn't manage to get anything made to enter. Hoping this year I'll manage knitwear, chutney, jam, maybe some artwork too. We'll see. The lace shawl and some scarves is my main goal.
Well, I'd better press on. I've got holes to make in some knitting!!See you again soon.
Until then, stretch your boundaries and discover new heights!

Further Progress on my Shawl

Hi, just a quick update today after taking a couple of photos of my progress. I apologize for the pics not being completely blur free but I have a problem with my joints at the moment and I have a little difficulty holding the camera still. Yes, I should have used the tripod!! But I hope you like what you see nevertheless.




The borders are actually sewn together using herringbone stitch once the shawl is completed but I have 'butted' them up to meet each other just to give you the idea of how the colours come together. I'm off to do some more knitting! Back soon!

OO'VE BEEN FRAMED!!

Hi again.
For those reading this who may think the post title is a misprint, or a product of a tired brain, let me explain. In this blog post I'm going to share some of the photos I took when me and my sister visited Jamieson & Smith (The Wool Brokers) here in Shetland. The Shetland dialect word for wool is 'oo'. Plain and simple 'oo'. I could have called it 'Ewe've Been Framed' but there were no sheep inside the building so technically I would have misled you!! Now, joking apart, here are some photos........



No better place to start than with a teapot! This one has a nice Fair Isle cover to it. The pattern is available through J&S.


Spotlight on Pure Wool

I loved going into the wool shed because of the smell of the raw oily wool. It was the real deal! Straight from the sheep and ready for the next step.
Down a few steps from there we went into a part of the building that Oliver Henry, the director of J&S told us used to be the old Police Station many moons ago. He showed us the cell where they put the offenders. No moon shone in there! And we were on our best behaviour for the rest of our photo taking time!
Here are a few photos from that section of the building.....


A hand knitted lace hap draped over an old herring barrel with a photo of a Shetland herring station in the background. I will add a link at the side for those of you who would be interested to see more photos of the herring stations. You can also simply Google "Shetland herring stations".



Oliver told us that you will know pure Shetland wool by the 'wavy' look it has nearer the body. The photo below also shows pure Shetland wool, this time on the surface. I do believe I unintentionally captured some grass in the form it goes in one end and also in it's 'post-processed form'!! Oh well, this is raw wool at it's most organic!!



And something I hadn't seen before was this excellent quality pure wool carpeting made from Shetland wool.The photo below shows a mat made from the same carpeting with the 3 Vementry rams Logo on it. Vementry is a place in Shetland.






Just beside the carpeting was this lovely old rocking chair, probably made in Shetland too, complete with 2 hand knitted lace cushion covers on the cushions. I could have sat in it for a few minutes but I was frightened I missed something!



Some more photos now.....



A beautiful example of an all-over Fair Isle jumper in natural colours. Exquisite when seen in reality!




Snuggly!!!




Just a very small selection of the shades of wool available at Jamieson & Smith, The Wool Brokers, Shetland Isles.



Shawls in natural shades. I love these. They are a work of art and of huge talent. I aspire to produce work like this!




I couldn't resist photographing this old window half way up the stairs that had the wool cones on them. Although I couldn't get the whole window in because of the stair banister I was happy to include the spinning wheel ornament, the three little sheep in the middle and the old vase ( maybe full of spiders by now!!) I love quirky!!!




Fair Isle knitting in the natural un-dyed colours of Shetland wool. There are many very talented Fair Isle knitters on Shetland. I've knitted a little Fair Isle but at the moment I'm trying to master fine lace knitting. One thing at a time!!!




This is a Cockle Shell scarf knitted by Sandra Manson who also designs and knits garments in pure Shetland wool. She is always very welcoming when you enter the shop and has a great way of encouraging people to try something new. She has helped me a lot!!

Well, I'll leave you to have a look at those for now. My next post on here will be a photo of my shawl progress. Until then, stay crafty!!

Start of New Shaded Hap Shawl

Hi, I'm happy to report I've made a start on my new shaded shawl today. In Shetland we call a shawl a "hap" so I will probably just refer to it as that from now on. Here's a pic of the few rows I've done. This hap begins in the centre and then works out to the border and peaks, as in the photo in a previous post ( just scroll down).



I'm not exactly sure yet how I'll use the colours and I'll probably use a couple more shades as well. These are lovely natural colours of Shetland sheep and the wool knits beautifully.
Watch this space for my next installment plus photos from The Wool Brokers.

Stay creative!

Welcome To My Knitting Blog!

I decided to start a knitting blog because I aim to work mainly in Shetland lace and other Shetland wools and I thought others may find that interesting.
But let me begin by showing you a couple of reprinted Shetland postcards depicting hardy Shetland women from generations back,walking home from the peat hill with a "kishie" of peats on their backs and knitting their Fair Isle garments or lace scarves or shawls as they go! These women were certainly a breed all their own! I can't see many women or young ones today being able or willing to tackle such chores in this way, but to them it was a way of life. It was all they knew. Their husbands would have been away at the fishing or perhaps the whaling and they were left at home to see to the children (often large families too!), making sure the winter fuel of peat was safely taken home and then they also earned a little extra money by way of knitting, or 'makkin' as it is known in Shetland.
Here are the postcards.......



My current project though is a gilet for my hubby. He chose the pattern and the wool and I should be able to finish it in the next few days. This is the pattern and wool. The colours are gorgeous and very suited to this time of year as we seem to be saying goodbye to the summer we never had and are being blown quickly into autumn!!



Once I finish the gilet I am going to start learning how to knit a Shetland shawl. I think the pattern below is the one I will use. It's beautiful and will look stunning in the natural shaded colours of Shetland wool.

What do you think?





Off now for a cup of tea and to knit a few rows on the gilet.
Please call back or start following now to keep up to date and find out more about Shetland and it's world famous wool!