Garment Patterns

Hello everyone, a few weeks ago we launched Sandra’s most recent garment pattern – the Joseph Slipover:

This tank top features traditional motifs and techniques but uses 10 zingy shades of 2ply Jumper Weight, we have the sample in the shop and everyone comments on just how bright it is! It’s knit completely in the round using steeks for the neck and armholes, you might recognise the motif and colours from the Parrots of the Rainforest Mitts, Sandra just wasn’t finished with it..

We thought we’d go through our other single garment patterns we have available at J&S, knitting a full garment can be intimidating – especially in fine yarn but we have a wide range of styles to make your entry (or re-entry) into garment knitting as easy as possible!

Our heritage and traditions here in Shetland are important to us and our main focus will always be Shetland/Fair Isle or inspired styles so we have a number of Allover garment designs which are as the name implies patterns featuring an all-over pattern:

Roadside Allover

Lynsey Jumper

Fair Isle V-Neck Jumper

Antarctica Allover

Click here to see the patterns: Roadside Allover, Lynsey Sweater, Fair Isle V-Neck Jumper and Antarctica Allover

As well as the Joseph Slipover we also have the Cruden pattern, if sleeves are not something you fancy (unfortunately there are usually two of them..!)

Cruden

Click here: Cruden

and another popular Shetland style – yokes!

Adenia Yoke

Eid Top

Moorie Cardigan

Ola Yoke

Winter Yoke

Sandvoe

Hairst

Click here: Adenia, Eid, Moorie, Ola, Winter Yoke, Sandvoe and Hairst Yoke

Bairns patterns are something we also have a few of – this can be a great introduction to Shetland Garment knitting, all the main skills being used just on a smaller scale:

Natalia

Bairns Crofthoose

Peerie Lynsey

Gremista Gansey

Perrie Bairns Jumper

Click here: Natalia, Bairns Crofthoose, Peerie Lynsey, Gremista Gansey and Peerie Bairns Jumper

So that’s just some of the garment patterns we have available at J&S, unfortunately, our website doesn’t have the capabilities to have kits for all the different sizes but it means you can change colours, add extra balls or just purchase the pattern if that’s how you feel! We have the amounts and shades listed on the pattern pages so you can just make a list and add the colours to your basket.

Please note: many of these patterns are available digitally either from us on Ravelry or payhip or directly from the designer. If you are outside the UK you might find the p&p is expensive for just a pattern so we would encourage you to see first if it’s available digitally or add the pattern to an order. Happy knitting!

Wirsit Inspo

Hello everyone, If you follow our Instagram or Facebook page you will have seen over the past few months we have started doing weekly ‘Wirsit Inspo’ posts. basically, its where we take an image of something in Shetland and put a palette together inspired by the picture. I have mainly done them in 2ply Jumper Weight but have done one in 2ply Lace and I’m going to try and use more ranges too. When we post them they always get really good feedback so I thought we would share them here too:

Seaweed at the Shetland Museum Slipway. 2ply Jumper Weight top to bottom: 2. 1281, FC38, FC44, FC11

Seapinks and Sea, Northmavine. 2ply Jumper Weight top to bottom: FC61, 203, 121, 1283, FC12, 4

Wool Bales. 2ply Jumper Weight top to bottom: 81, 54, 1281, 2, 202

Peerie Boat, Shetland Museum. 2ply Jumper Weight top to bottom: 202, 66, 125, 16, 122, FC14

Scalloway Haa. 2ply Jumper Weight top to bottom: 3, 27, 1, 16, 101

Stratsraad Lehmkuhkl, Lerwick Harbour. 2ply Jumper Weight top to bottom: 36, 21, FC47, 91, 66, 1

Fading Heather, Nesting. 2ply Jumper Weight top to bottom: FC12, 80, FC38, 1284, FC21, 16

Sunset. 2ply Lace Weight top to bottom: L63, L15, L53, L96, L95

Wintery Beach. 2ply Jumper Weight top to bottom: 203, FC39, FC47, FC21, 2

The Lodberrie and Bains Beach. 2ply Jumper Weight top to bottom: 77, 54, FC61, 1281, 32

Seapinks, Sumburgh Head. 2ply Jumper Weight top to bottom: 81, FC41, FC11, FC6 and 1A

As we head into winter here (the sun set at 3.22pm yesterday..) it’s great to look back at pictures from seasons past, I will post them here every couple of months but you can follow the #wirsitinspo hashtag on Instagram to keep up with them as we post them, hope this has given you some inspiration,

happy knitting!

Ella

Northern Light KAL Final Projects!

Hello everyone, we have reached the end of our Northern Lights KAL! today I’m going to share the projects which have been finished during the KAL, the rules were that the item had to be inspired by the Northern Lights in Shetland and could use any style of knitting or any of our ranges of J&S yarn. If you want to see more pictures please click on the link on each picture – that will take you to the Ravelry project page.

We have spilt the poll into garments and accessories so once you’ve had a look over please vote for your favourite, Voting will be open for a week then we will reveal the winners next Tuesday in our Ravelry Group and on Instagram!

Garments

Shetland Skies

Sandvoe

Northern Lights KAL Jumper

Norrsken

Merrie Dancers Dress

Birkin

Thank you for voting, the poll is NOW CLOSED

Accessories

Shetland Mirry Dancers Night

Project Bag

Northern MN Lights

Northern Lights Cowl

Night Wing

Millions O Stars

Every Flavour

Bousta

Hap Cowl

Thank you for voting, the poll is NOW CLOSED

Happy Voting!

Lockdown Inspiration

Hello everyone, we hope you are staying safe and well. I thought today we’d share some inspiring finished projects which have been shared to our Ravelry group, it’s always interesting to see what other people have been working on using our yarns and it can give you great ideas on patterns, colours and yarns to use:

Starting with this beautiful version of Vaila from the Vintage Shetland Book, we love the colours Kim chose in 2ply Jumper Weight and although the shades are quite modern and bright it still gives off great vintage vibes!

We shared this project on our social media last week but its so lovely, its the Quaarl Hat pattern knit in Supreme Jumper Weight. We love the big motif on the main body of the hat – it’s so impactful and in the natural shades it’s just beautiful.

This cardigan knit in Shetland Heritage really stood out to me when I saw it and its a great example of someone taking elements from a pattern to make something perfect for them. The lace pattern is from one of the designs in the Legacy of Shetland Lace book. Light Grey Heritage is such a beautiful colour!

This scarf is knit using 2ply Supreme Lace held together in a marl and the finished project is so great! We love that it shows the different things you can do with laceweight and the way all the natural colours work together is so inspiring. The pattern is from the new Cecelia Campochiaro book ‘Making Marls‘

This project stood out thanks to the use of Purl Bumps in this pattern, aptly called Purl Bump Mitts is so great and the cuff and fingers texture is so good. simple but so effective! Although it looks like black and white the dark shade is actually Jumper Weight shade 82 which is a really dark green – it works so well with the white.

This project shows off the beautiful finished texture of the Shetland Aran Worsted, it looks so soft and the colourwork is so strong, The pattern is Speedy Selbu Mittens and the colour choice is that bit different than usual but still so effective (Berry Wine and Fluggy White).

Looking at the recently shared projects on Ravelry always leads you down a happy rabbit hole so during this time when many of us have a bit more time you can spend time looking at some really inspiring projects knit using J&S yarns.

Again we’d like to thank you for your support during this time, happy knitting! x

This weeks patterns

Hello everyone, we’ve added some more patterns this week to both Lovecraft’s and Ravelry. We are trying to add a mix of Fair Isle and Lace every week to give you a good choice of patterns knit in a range of our yarns.

Bluebell is a pattern which always sells well in the shop when people see the sample, its knit in 2ply Lace and features corrugated rib and a simple Sanquhar inspired Fair Isle motif. This makes it a lovely lightweight garment that still features some interesting elements.

Shetland Crescent which was designed by Kieran Foley was released in our Lace Collection in 2012 and although its a simple introduction to Lace motifs the finished shawl has a lot of impact, its another one which sells well when people see the sample. Knit in Shetland Supreme 2ply Lace, an undyed worsted spun yarn, it has drape which works well with the shape.

The Oxna Mitts are another classic Shetland pattern designed by Sandra, they are simple fingerless mitts with a Norwegian star and seeding to the palms. Knit in Shetland Supreme Jumper Weight and 2ply Jumper Weight these are perfect for keeping your hands warm but your fingers free.

The Sletts Shawl is a remake of our Gladys Amedro patterns (L252) Originally knit in 2ply Lace (and still available as a kit here) we recently remade the shawl in Shetland Supreme 2ply Lace and updated the pattern with Charts. This is a great entry into Square Shetland Shawls, and perfect for wrapping up a baby!

As always let us know if there are any specific patterns you would like to have available as downloads, happy knitting!

More Patterns..

Hello everyone, this week’s patterns have been uploaded to Ravelry and Loveknitting (soon to be Lovecrafts) We’ve chosen a mix of Fair Isle and lace this week – and I know it is a heatwave in many places so it might seem a bit strange to be thinking about Gloves and Hats but we are sitting in a usual Shetland Summer day of 11 degrees..!

The Fair Isle Cap was a design we published in 2012 at the launch of our Shetland Heritage yarns, worsted spun to match items in the Shetland Museums collection. This hat is knit fully lined with a plain inside and a traditional Fair Isle outer.

Skerry Gloves is a design we recently commissioned from Lesley Smith as we felt we were missing a traditional Shetland Glove pattern, it features a traditional Norwegian Star and is perfect for using up your odds and ends of 2ply Jumper Weight.

We decided to also make available one of our all-time best selling patterns – the Gibbie Shawl, named after our former manager Gibbie Johnston and designed by Gladys Amedro. Knit in 1ply cobweb the pattern is written out line by line and not charted and the abbreviations used are those Gladys Amedro coined so although different to modern abbreviations once you get them, you get them!

The Shetland Bound stole was designed for our Lace Collection in 2012 by Monqiue Boonstra, knit in our 1ply Shetland Supreme yarn, it is a beautiful and impactful lace project. Perfect for when you want more than a scarf but not a wedding ring shawl!

We hope you are enjoying being able to get some of our patterns as downloads and we thank you for the  feedback we’ve had, remember if there are specific patterns you would like to see please leave a comment. Happy Knitting!

Pattern PDF’s

Hello everyone, its the beginning of another busy summer here in Shetland. We have lots of tours during the summer and gearing up for another Wool Season but as always we are working behind the scenes on lots of things – for a while now we have wanted to make available our single patterns as PDF’s as well as in kits we sell. To begin with we have chosen to make the patterns available on Loveknitting. (also now available on Ravelry!) We decided to start with a selection of our Fair Isle patterns knit using 2ply Jumper Weight: The Roadside Allover, Antarctica Jumper, Antarctica Set and one of our most popular patterns the Hairst Yoke. These are all great examples of Shetland designs by a Shetland designer – Sandra Manson who you will have met if you’ve ever been in J&S is the designer of all 4 patterns and I think her expert colour sense can be seen in them all.

The Antarctica Set was released in 2012 and you may remember they were released after being made for Dr Alexander Kumar on his research trip to Antarctica, the set includes a Double layer hat, neckwarmer/cowl and mittens.

The Antarctica Jumper is knit using the same motifs and colours and is knit from the bottom up with steeks for the armholes and neckline, this is a traditional Shetland technique where extra stitches are cast on and then cut open later so you can continue knitting in the round.

The Roadside Allover features the same construction, it was knit for Oliver to wear at Edinburgh Yarn Festival as his Wool Week Patronage was announced in March. it features a softer but equally striking colour scheme.

The Hairst Yoke is our version of a traditional Shetland Fair Isle yoke, it is one of the most well-known Shetland styles and we released this pattern in 2013, it has been one of our best sellers ever since. A Fair Isle yoke is a great way to use up your odds and ends and if you use a cone for the main shade it can be a very economical project.

So you can find these patterns on our designer page on loveknitting here and on Ravelry. We will be adding more over the next while so let us know of any of our self published patterns you would like to see as an individual PDF. Happy knitting!

Roadside Allover

Hello everyone! We have been delighted with the feedback on the Roadside Beanie, both here in Shetland and at Edinburgh Yarn Festival over the weekend. If you were there you may have seen Oliver in a very striking Fair Isle Jumper – which is what we are sharing today!

When Oliver was thinking about going to EYF he asked Sandra if she would make a jumper for her, so in a couple of weeks (!) she knitted up the Roadside Allover for him to wear when he got to Edinburgh. It was a design she had made before and we all agreed he would really suit the colours.

It features a mix of blues with some surprising shades thrown in and a lovely all over OXO pattern. Its knit in the traditional Shetland way – in the round with steeks added in for the armholes and neck. Me and Oliver headed down the new pier in in front of J&S a few weeks ago to get some photos and it fitted in perfectly with the fishing boats

So if you would like to knit yourself a Roadside Allover you can find the kits on our website here, we are running out of a few shades which feature in both the Roadside Beanie and Allover but we are expecting a stock delivery in the next week or so so if you see anything sold out dont panic, Happy Knitting!

Roadside Beanie

Hello everyone, today is the first day of the Edinburgh Yarn Festival marketplace, Derek and Sandra are there (if you are going we can be found at stand K8) but Oliver is also down because he has been announced at this year’s Shetland Wool Week Patron!

We are very excited of course as Oliver was instrumental in organising the first Shetland Wool Week 10 years ago as J&S founded the event. It has gone from strength to strength every year so for the 10th anniversary, it’s great to see such an important figure in the Shetland Wool Industry as the patron.

Oliver’s design – the Roadside Beanie has been launched today and you can find kits here on the website and the pattern here on the Wool Week website. The design features common motifs for a Shetlander, sheep and fishing boats! To learn more about the Roadside Beanie have a read of the pattern.

We are extremely proud of Oliver and look forward to seeing all the Roadside Beanies this year. Happy Knitting!

Up Helly Aa

Guizer Jarl and the 2019 Jarl Squad this morning in Lerwick

Hello everyone, Happy Lerwick Up Helly Aa day! Just a quick post to remind you that as tomorrow is a public holiday in Lerwick we wont be open but everything goes back to normal on Thursday. To learn more about Lerwick Up Helly Aa have a look here and here, every year the Procession and burning are streamed live – to view that see here.

If you’d like to get into the Up Helly Aa spirit we recently released the Guizers Toorie kit, Sandra designed this for Ella a few years ago and shes worn it at every Up Helly Aa since! knit in 2ply Jumper Weight in a group of fiery shades the fold over brim keeps your head very warm! UHA is known for its fiery procession which takes place at night and the Guizers Toorie depicts the burning torches as they near the galley. UHA season lasts until March here with different fire festivals taking place all over Shetland so theres still plenty of time for your Guizers Toorie!

Happy Knitting!