Your Shetland Wool Adventure Starts Here
Immerse yourself in Shetland’s nature, knitting, history & heritage and discover a journal for people who long to wander northernmost Scotland from the warmth of their own living room.
Feel the windswept coast of someplace new
An open letter to curious creatives who have a desire to
From things you see on the telly and in glossy magazines, it is hard to know if you’re getting the whole story.
You’re hunting for deep and honest insights, but you have become aware — from experience — of the tendency to sentimentalise a place. And to ignore the hardships of Shetland’s weather and isolation.
And the crafts that sustained its inhabitants.
Not just the picture-postcard days.
Get to know Shetland like a local
Shetland Wool Adventures group knitting tour guest
“What a dream vacation; yarn, sheep, knitting classes by experts in their fields, incredible food and travelling the width and breadth of beautiful Shetland without ever having to drive or worry about details. Misa at Shetland Wool Adventures has thought of everything.
From a central location in Lerwick your small group will set out daily to experience unique people and places that you would not have access to without this tour. Pack an extra bag because you are going to need it to bring back all your yarn!”
Embarking on the trip of a lifetime
Take me to Shetland
What better place to learn about Shetland textiles than from the people who know most about these techniques. And with an intimate, small group of fellow knitters.
Experience the Shetland islands like a local — with the locals as your guides — on a Shetland Wool Adventures tour. You’ll get a true taste of these islands, combining expert masterclasses, knitting workshops, heritage tours, wildlife guiding and nourishing food.
Whether it’s on a knitting tour, or one of our knitting & hiking holidays, let us take you on an adventure to the most remote isles of Scotland, to get closer to the spirit of this incredible and isolated place.
Feel a part of the Shetland story
KNITTING TOURS TO THE SHETLAND ISLANDS
Journal reader from Norwich, England
LISA
“As I turn each page of the Journal, Misa's writing and photography, a blend of thoughtful words and pictures, transports me northwards.
My heart soars and flies away up to Lodberries, and stone steps that lead down to a small sandy beach lapped by the tide. I'm reminded of a wonderful week where the scent of warm wool — sharp and nose tickly — greets you in some of the shops.
Even though travel isn't an option for me at the moment, through Misa's beautiful Journal I feel that I am still able to enjoy Shetland, and bring a little of that experience into my home through pottering over the stove with one of her recipes.”
‘I travelled up to Shetland and left my heart behind’
Experience Shetland from your cosiest armchair
Span generations and rough seas, in just a turn of the page. Soak up historical yarns, interviews with the locals craftspeople and recipes, as you feel closer to the custodians of Shetland’s knitting traditions.
Scouring Ravelry might present you with a plethora of patterns, but you aren’t told the history behind each piece — a story that can turn an everyday garment into something with more meaning. In each Journal volume, you’ll get a selection of thoughtfully designed patterns by Shetland designers for everyday knitwear. Now you can understand the landscape they’ve been designed in too.
As you peel open the first page and that undeniably inky smell wafts up, you are transported to Shetland. You will find comfort in these pages, time after time.
Rekindle your curiosity for textiles & tales
THE SHETLAND WOOL ADVENTURES JOURNAL
Scotland-based publisher & knitwear designer
KATE DAVIES
“Substantial in every sense of the word, this publication is a truly beautiful thing – a purposeful and joyous celebration of so many of the things there are to love about Shetland.”
The Journal is loved by knitting professionals, too
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Immerse yourself in Shetland’s culture — with our selection of publications by the most intuitive and astute Shetland writers.
The stories, the communities, even the challenges of living on these islands, have been remembered over the generations. And now they are celebrated.
As you turn each page, the world suddenly feels smaller, like we aren’t so far away from each other.
Explore these wild isles while your tea is still warm, from the comfort of your home.
Create a thread between you & Shetland that spans oceans. But you can keep your hand-knitted socks dry.
OUR FAVOURITE SHETLAND READS
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Donna Smith’s first book Langsoond – A Shetland Yarn is a collection of 10 contemporary knitting projects inspired by Donna’s life in Burra, by the sea, the land, the people and the sheep. Langsoond is the name of a stretch of sea that runs between the two isles of Burra: water that
Langsoond – A Shetland Yarn
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Meet Marie Bruhat, a young entrepreneur who fell in love with Fair Isle and set up her own bespoke knitwear business. In this interview, she shares her experience of starting a business in such a unique location. But Fair Isle is not just about knitting – there’s also stunning scenery, a rich history, and plenty
Starting a successful knitting business the Fair Isle
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In Shetland, spring can be deceptive – it might seem it’s really here to stay this time, only to be swiftly pushed away again by days of blizzards and bitterly cold winds. But when it does finally arrive, it’s with vigour and elation. Everything in the garden is waking up after the long winter
Rhubarb and Almond Cake
Explore our Shetland blog
Get to know these passionate people, who knit and contribute to Shetland’s textiles industry. Discover the connections between people and the landscape.
Sometimes you’ll find musings from Misa and her own adventures here, too.
This is your window to the wind and wilderness of Shetland.
Meet the locals, knitters & crofters
OUR BLOG OF ALL THINGS SHETLAND
I didn’t grow up in Shetland.
But having lived here for nearly 20 years, I truly appreciate how extraordinary this place is — don’t you feel like we often overlook the specialness of the places we grow up in?
Shetland is such a vibrant place with a fascinating past. Yet it is a forward-looking place and a well connected place, despite its remoteness. So I wanted to connect Shetland with the rest of the world. I wanted to celebrate the people, the place, the past and the crafts of Shetland.
Even in times when no one was allowed to travel…
Soak up the most intricate insights into the place I call home, so you can feel akin to this resourceful and very skilled bunch of fellow knitters.
Create a thread between you and Shetland that spans oceans. All from your cosiest armchair. Whilst your tea is still warm.
A warm invitation up North
hey I'm misa
Dive deeper into Shetland with the Journal
Browse lifestyle content and recipes to bring a piece of Shetland life to your own home.
Be inspired by our contemporary knitting patterns — using traditional methods — created by the islands’ most skilled designers.
Let yourself be drawn into the Journal’s immersive photography, so you feel like you’re hiking these stunning trails yourself, along Shetland’s indented coastline.
Find insightful interviews with industry-leading knitters and craftspeople. And those who source and refine the materials needed to fuel a vibrant textiles industry.
Travel back in time to stories that reveal the epic and the everyday, when Shetland communities relied solely on what nature had given them.
Leaf through stories that illustrate the colour and texture of Shetland life, the people, the crafts and the landscape.
If you can unravel the social history of your favourite pastimes or knitting style — and place it in its environmental context — new layers of meaning are uncovered. So it’s not just your hands that are staying busy, but your imagination too.
The richly researched journal that helps you dive deeper than a birds-eye-swoop over Shetland
I'm proud to have worked for local organisations & initiatives
You can help us embolden these incredible craftspeople. And so you become part of Shetland’s history too.
With all these new stories gathered, you’ll find yourself an inspiration, as you share them with your weekly knitting circle.
…as you elevate an industry with such deep roots
Your interaction with us helps Shetland’s small industries flourish.
From the knitwear designers and yarn producers to the storytellers that are a part of our Journal and tours: on their behalf, we want to say thank you.
…by supporting independent businesses in Shetland
If you grew up hungry to know more about generations past, or you learnt to knit at your granny’s knee, most of us learn best from interacting with real people (not history books or travel guides).
That’s why you will only find interviews, narratives and anecdotes from real people, both in our Journal and in-person tours.
…from learning through stories & experience
Whether you’re learning about Shetland from wandering the islands or from far flung places, you’ll find your experience is all the richer…
Sign up to our monthly messages and get the best bits of the Journal — volume 1 — sent straight to your inbox. For free.
Plus, get insight into running the business from this wild place I call home.
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