The Shetland Trader – Book One is a showcase of some of my favorites in the knitting world — Gudrun Johnston designed the pieces, Jared Flood did the photography, and Ysolda Teague is one of the models! I am a big fan of Gudrun Johnston, and her designs are beautiful as ever in this book. In fact, I want to make every single thing in this collection, and am on my way to accomplishing that! To make it easier, most of the patterns in the book feature yarns we carry, including The Fibre Company yarns, Hempathy, madelinetosh prairie, and Malabrigo Sock.
The first project I finished back in December. I love the geometric lines in the Hömin Shawl, and Neighborhood Fiber Co. Studio Sock perfectly displays the lace and garter stitch. This yarn has a more prominent twist, giving the simplicity of the garter stitch section a nice texture. The construction of Hömin was new to me, and quite clever! The edging is worked first, then the body is knitted in short rows. Trust me, it is easier than it looks! If you want something a little different from the usual triangular shawl, try this one. It is more shallow and wide and looks great as a wrap or a scarf. I suggest you make it in your favorite color.
The next thing I had to have was Norie. I love the look of slouchy hats, and this one has a touch of lace that makes it more feminine than the usual slouch. A few of you have already made Norie and told me that you cut one of the lace repeats because it was either slouchy enough or you were short on yarn. The pattern calls for 260 yards of DK weight yarn, and Dream in Color Everlasting DK comes in hefty skeins of 275 yards that will get you through the entire pattern. Dream in Color yarns are spun and dyed in the USA through a special veil-dyeing process that keeps the colors from pooling. I chose the Brownie colorway, and I love the result.
I may be crazy, but I am planning to knit the sweater on the cover…that is made with lace weight yarn. Laar is knitted on size 6 needles, so it is not as scary as it sounds. Gudrun Johnston designs many seamless sweaters, and this is no exception. Could you imagine seaming all those tiny stitches? With all the gorgeous lace yarns in the shop, choosing one will be tough. I think it will look amazing in Madelinetosh Prairie, a superwash Merino single-ply that feels like butter (but without the calories). Miss Babs Yasmin will work up nicely, too. Its crimped texture will add body to this lightweight cardigan.
Have you fallen for this collection, too? What are you knitting?