All thoughts were on getting to Aberdeen and then the ferry to Shetland. It was a really lovely bright sunny day and we were keen to be off. However, we only had About a hundred miles to travel and from past experience today's aim was not to get to the ferry terminal too early.
We ambled leisurely along and eventually we deemed it time to join the ferry queue just before booking in opened so we got checked in and parked in the 'holding pen'. I had whiled the time away knitting more of the fingerless gloves.
In the ferry queue, bot in the background
If you are thinking about going to wool week (or Shetland in summer also great) , in the future you might be interested to know a bit about the ferry. We travelled on the Hjaltland, it is a big boat ( to us anyway) being 400' long, taking 600 passengers with about 350 berths and 140 cars - it also takes lorries and containers ! The journey by sea from Aberdeen to Lerwick is 216 miles. You leave Aberdeen at tea time and arrive in Lerwick early breakfast time the next morning. There are two boats on this route, which cross one another somewhere in the middle of the night so you always get to sleep on the boat- unless of course you choose to sit up all night! We have always enjoyed our night on the ferry and were glad that it looked like a calm crossing again.
Once we got on the ferry - which seemed to take an AGE - I settled into the lounge with my knitting and spinning. I had my spinning wheel in the motorhome, as I intended spinning at Unst Heritage Centre before wool week started. Instead I had one of my favourite spindles with me, the tiny 17g (0.6oz) James Bosworth. I love 'drop' spinning by rolling it up or down my leg ( depending on whether I am spinning or plying). I had Norfolk Horn and Boreray fleece with me but decided to use the Norfolk Horn. This was my 'offering' for National Spinning in Public Day which had been the day before.I couldn't spot anyone around who was obviously going to wool week, but then we were very fortunate to be going to have 5 days in Shetland before wool week started.
I had lots of interested people looking at me but all were too tired, nervous of the journey on the ferry or just stunned to see me spinning to actually talk to me about it!
I had a great time and spun the Norfolk Horn very fine. ( see Blog post 5Oct12 where I compare my fine spinning with sewing thread and a hair! )
The sea was calm, the dinner was good, but it would be even better when we reached Shetland the next morning.
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