Shetland Lace Scarf

Fall of 2016 I visited the Shetland Islands in Scotland because of their historic knitting tradition. I knew they had invented Fair Isle knitting there and their yarn is well known (remember those Shetland wool sweaters with the grossgrain ribbon button bands in the 1960s?) But I had no idea how deep their lace knitting history went. Women were so adept at it that they would attach one needle to a device around their waist and knit lace making. It freed their right hand to tend children and livestock. Amazing! Their whisper weight yarn is so fine that it is said a large shawl could be pulled through a wedding ring. Queen Victoria had stockings made of this lace. It was hot stuff in her day! But enough history! Would you like to have a taste of it? I brought enough of their yarn for exactly six scarves which we will use in this class and choose their simplest pattern (which isn’t) for the class. The pattern is written in chart form but you need no experience with charts, you will learn this in class.