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Brand New Kits!
The hard work is done and the patterns are printed so we can finally reveal four new Fair Isle kits to add to the J&S collection. Two of these are in our 2ply Jumper Weight yarn which I'm sure most of you are familiar with. The other two are in our new Shetland Heritage yarns that are inspired by the original hand spun 'wirsit' that used to be commonplace in the Isles. Three of these were designed by our very own Sandra Manson who is an expert at picking out colours and blending them together in beautiful patterns to create amazing garments. The first of these is the Antarctica Hat, Mittens & Neckwarmer. Sandra initially designed, knitted and gifted these to Dr Alexander Kumar whose address throughout 2012 has been Concordia Station, Antarctica. Dr Kumar learned of the wonders of Shetland wool for keeping you warm when reading of Sir Earnest Shackleton's trip to Antarctica over 100 years ago, when he was protected from the bitter cold with the aid of Fair Isle wool garments. We have had reports back that Sandra's knitting has helped keep Dr Kumar comfortable, or as comfortable as you can be in as cold as -91°C! You can learn more about Alexander's trip here. The second of Sandra's designs is the Peerie Bairns Jumper. This is an extremely cute little thing inspired by traditional Fair Isle patterns handed down over generations. It is completely flexible, with options available in blue or purple and for ages 2, 4 and 6. Though the more adventurous among you could try knitting it in different colours if you prefer - just make a note of the different shades of 2 Ply Jumper Weight you want in the Delivery and Order Comments box at checkout. The Peerie Bairns Jumper will definitely keep your peerie bairn cosy whilst making them look oh-so-cute. The third of Sandra's designs - and her first in our new Shetland Heritage yarns - is the Annie Jumper named after our Ella's neice. The Heritage yarn just oozes authenticity when it comes to Fair Isle knitting and Sandra's use of patterns brings it all together into a lovely little gansey. This yarn is also perfect for knitting for children as it is worsted spun, making it bouncy and soft to touch. The Annie jumper would also be suitable for boys or girls and is available in options for ages 2, 4, 6 and 9. My mam is currently knitting one for my nephew and I cannot wait for him to try it on! The final one of our new kits for now is the Fair Isle V-necked Jumper. The pattern for which is based on a garment in the Shetland Museum's Textile Archive which was one of the inspirations for the new Shetland Heritage range. The yarn for these original pieces was commercially spun but hand-dyed and it looks almost as good as new and very much like the new range. This shows just how well Shetland wool can last if cared for. One of the striking features of the garments in the Shetland Museum's Textile Archive is how they have been patched over time to match the original colours and pattern, giving them a real sense of history and emphasising their beautiful hand-made quality. This jumper truly is an heirloom piece of real Fair Isle knitting and we are very excited to finally be able to offer it to you. Detail from the original museum piece. Image courtesy of Jen Arnall-Culliford The kits are all available now and can be found here! (or directly by clicking on each kit's name above)
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the one and only bmc
Have a look at Kate Davies' blog to see her new version of the BMC, in lovely shades of J&S 2 Ply Jumper Weight. Can you spot which shade is which? Yum. x
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Rainy day crafts
Pom pom mobile - a pretty cool way to use up your Jamieson & Smith stash and experiment with colours. Oh, if only we could have one with every shade. It would take up the entire roof of our yarn store... x
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Snowy spring
Visual take on a strange week of icy blue (sea) and springy greens (land). Does anyone else have the April showers song from Bambi going round their head?
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More Leaves
We love it so much we can't get enough of the leafy goodness... Get it here, and stick it in a project bag. OOof.
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Frozen Planet - Guest Blog II
Alexander Kumar is a 28 year old British doctor currently living at Concordia Station in Antarctica, where he and his colleagues are conducting Human Spaceflight research for the European Space Agency. The team are completely unreachable at the most isolated, coldest place on the planet until November. In Alex's second blog post he fills us in on his latest experience with his hat, which is hand-knitted by Sandra Manson in Jamieson & Smith's Real Shetland Wool. .................................................................................................................................................... Every month or so, we clean our melt water tank. The melt tank is how we get our water. We load fresh ice into the unit daily and then melt it. Every month the unit has to be cleaned. Before we clean it, we use the opportunity to take a swim in it. Bear in mind it is outside (and we live in Antarctica)! Having nearly lost my ears last time I swam, I decided to try out Sandra's Shetland hat. It was just the ticket - my ears survived. Here are some photos of me wearing the hat taking a swim in -78 degrees Celcius. You can see my colleague and Glaciologist, Sebastien Aubin, who was not so lucky to have a Shetland Hat- just take a look at his hairstyle... I was extremely grateful to have Shetland here protecting my head. Next time, I will take Sandra's knitted mittens in also. Cheerio, Alex ........................................................................................................................................................ Thankyou Alex, we're looking forward to the next instalment already! x
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Shetland Daisies
We're delighted to have put a kit together for Shetland Daisies by Kieran Foley of Knit/Lab. Ooooh. Lovely, no?The design combines intarsia, stranding and lace stitches. After drooling over Kieran's images for a while, we've decided that this combination of different techniques makes Shetland Daisies even lovelier because it's challenging in a way that makes you consider the colours and stitches, and revel in the finished piece (while everyone else goes green). Wool (2 Ply Jumper Weight) here, and Kieran's beautiful pattern here. x
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The loveliest 50 things you ever did see!
We just got a (late) delivery of Lucinda Guy's new book 'Knitting Motifs for Babies and Kids' and oh my goodness, we're totally smitten. The book of 50 charted designs, in Jamieson & Smith yarn, are just so lovely. The first section has ridiculously helpful advice on choosing colours and yarn, and placing motifs. The designs are then split into sections, and are followed by helpful instructions on finishing and using different stitches and techniques.Although these motifs have been developed for little ones, I think they can work just as well on adults garments. I'd like a kitsch cardigan with little kettles and flowers. Well, actually... I'd like one with carrots and radishes, one with elephants and hearts, one with birds and cats, and a big sloppy jumper with robots... I could go on and on, there are so many combinations and oh, have a look for yourself.x
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Sneak preview
We are getting very excited about stocking beautiful products from Aamos Designs as part of the J&S Cooperative, which aims to promote products made using Real Shetland Wool. Aamos Designs is a local textile design company based in Scalloway. Owner and designer, Emma Blain, combines traditional and contemporary elements to achieve striking pieces which are fashionable, timeless and just plain cool, all at the same time. The range of cushions and blankets use Jamieson & Smith 2 Ply Jumper Weight, and will be available very shortly from www.shetlandwoolbrokers.live. Ooh, and we've got more exciting stuff lined up...
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