Shetland Fine Lace Cowl 2

Fine Shetland lace cowl ready to wear

This is as authentic as I, a Shetland lover living in Norfolk England can make it. I have designed the structure of the cowl, based on the ones I machine knit. (1) 

I have machine knit several of these and have them in colours to match all my different outfits. They are technically a challenge to knit as the yarn is very fine, 40wpi approximately. ( 2) 

The yarn used: 

Full concentration is needs for all of the machine knitting time.They are knit in synthetic yarn, which I ‘kill’ as part of the finishing process but they give a super drape and I wear them throughout the year. ( 3)

My first fine hand knit Shetland cowl was inspired by these characteristic cowls of mine, was this one. 

moss green one, see the link below for more details. 

What do I mean when I say it is ‘authentic’ ? I have used individual motifs in the cowl from Shetland, particularly from Unst that have been charted by Hazel Laurensen. Hazel lives in Unst and her and other knitters and spinners of the island meet at the Heritage Centre there and do all they can to raise the profile of the rich heritage of fine lace knitting in the island. Some years ago I took an advanced lace knitting class with Hazel during a wool week and try and meet up with these ladies when we are in Shetland. Do look at this website which will give you some idea of the wonderful items they have there and the patterns that are available to purchase. (4) 

So most of the motifs are from Unst. I also used 2 techniques taught to me by Elizabeth Williamson (5) the Betsy join and knitting on an edging. She is a Shetlander by birth and comes from a long line of Shetland Knitters, she gives online classes where she is actually there in the class with you. So the joining techniques are authentic Shetland.

The yarn I used is Jamieson and Smith 1 ply cobweb. (6) It is strong enough to go through the vigours of my natural dyeing and when dressed gives a wonderful lace structure which shows the design so well. If you follow me you will know I usually dye my yarn with using plants from my garden and surrounding area. This one is no exception and I used golden rod, in the early stages of the plant coming into flower with a madder overdye. Originally the colour was devised to match a Harris Tweed from Harris skirt that I made but I can see it being worn with lots of other items. 

Finished weight is 22g. 

So some more photos of the cowl. 

Dressing- I had fastened off most of the threads, there were only a few. But not cut them off until after the dressing. This spent about 3 weeks on the board. 

The edging was knitted on, the join is between the insertion and the edging. I am very pleased with this technique

Waiting for the Betsy join

More detail of the motifs I used

Betsy join about to happen, it will be up the centre back and invisible but it deserves  a super join. 

Completed Betsy join, well worth learning as it is so delicate

Completed cowl on my body duplicate as it will be worn. I absolutely love how this has worked out and it ‘sits’ very well around the neck. 

So all in all this is as authentic ‘Shetland’ as I can get for someone who is not a native! I hope it shows how  much I value the skills, techniques and yarns of Shetland and it’s spinners and knitters and hope that by supporting the tradition in this way it can continue, evolve and be appreciated. Thank you Shetland and all who help me on my journey, you know who you are. 

I will be asked if there is going to be a pattern, I always say no but I might say yes this time! 

Notes

1. I showed examples of my machine knit ones and the previous design for the similar but constructed differently olive lace cowl in this post http://imagejem.blogspot.com/2022/01/
2. Please email fleecelovedproducts@gmail.com for availability of this super gauge. The other side is for cobweb yarns. The crepe nature of the yarn which you can see is why I say ‘approximately’.
3. ‘Killing’ this synthetic crepe is a well known technique to machine knitters, it involves steam and patience. 
4. Unst Heritage Centre http://www.unstheritage.com/web/unst-heritage-centre/
5. Elizabeth Williamson knitting https://www.elizabethwilliamsonknitting.co.uk
6. Jamieson and Smith https://www.shetlandwoolbrokers.co.uk