Your window into our Shetland lives

A week of ever-changing weather and much excitement I won’t lie, the past few weeks have been tough and exhausting. Between working very hard to keep things going, homeschooling as well as starting a new project there has been little time to rest and recharge batteries. Most of the time it feels like being on […]

As I write the start of this post (Tuesday morning) we are still in lockdown here in Scotland. This means our walks are limited within short distances of our homes and until recently we have only been allowed outside once a day. You can imagine it’s been tough not being able to get outdoors properly, […]

This morning I was speaking with Andy Ross from Global Yell who is currently in London. Andy set up GlobalYell in 2006 and his charity, based in Yell, has been working in textiles education and training since then. Andy trained as a singer but he has a special interest in textiles, tweed in particular. He grew up […]

I was looking through the many photos on my mobile phone, all of them carrying special memories, and I came across a few shots from January 2016. We were in New York at the Vogue Knitting Live show with Shetland Wool Week, and it still feels quite surreal that we were able to take a […]

Wilma Malcolmson is one of my favourite knitwear designers in Shetland. Her subtle colour combinations are instantly recognisable and her garments are simply stunning. Wilma has been on the Shetland textile scene for a long time and her expertise and skill are highly valued, not just locally but internationally too. And as Wilma is one […]

Notes from a February Fair Isle Adventure Wednesday 12th February ​After a long time the dream is finally coming true – we’re going to Fair Isle! ‘A bright green spot like an emerald on the wide ocean, this place is quite a world in itself; covered with grass of a most vivid luxuriant verdure.’ The […]

I had the privilege to be involved in organising Shetland Wool Week from its beginnings right until last year, when the time was right for a change and I left my full time job with Shetland Amenity Trust. As we celebrate the tenth anniversary of the event here are some highlights and notes about how […]

You know the feeling when you’ve been planning to do something for so long and it just doesn’t seem to happen. You’re always too busy, too tired or simply can’t be bothered because you’ve had a busy week at work, there’s all the housework to do, the garden… I have a long list of ideas […]

Today I’d like to introduce someone very special to you – Penny Armstrong and Alan Robertson from Transition Turriefield. Since the first time I met them, back in 2013 I think, they’ve had my utmost respect and admiration for what they do. Not only they grow fruit and vegetables in Shetland’s extremely harsh and challenging […]