While we were up in Shetland in October, we had the great pleasure of attending the launch of the Shetland Guild of Spinners, Knitters, Weavers and Dyers's new book: A Legacy of Shetland Lace.
What a wonderful book!
There are 19 designs for neckwear (scarves, stoles & shawls) as well as two garment patterns, and if you love lace knitting, then you really, really need to get your hands on a copy of this book. The designs are by members of the Guild, and I was already familiar with some of the names, from my work with Jamieson & Smith: Mary Kay, Ina Irvine, Kathleen Anderson and Hazel Tindall all have designs in the book.
I really enjoyed reading the short biographies of the designers, which accompany each pattern - it was wonderful to gain an insight into how these inspirational women have developed their knitting skills. The tales of skills passed from generation to generation are fascinating.
Each pattern has a clear layout, with plenty of space around the instructions and a good font size too. The charts are clear and generally of a good size to work from. For a couple of the larger charts you might find it helpful to photocopy them at a larger size for your personal use (that's not a criticism - it's just sometimes necessary).
It's fantastic to have a whole book dedicated to Shetland Lace that has been written by Shetlanders themselves. I'm not sure that this has happened before (how is that even possible?!). The motifs and designs are traditional, but absolutely beautiful. I would so enjoy working any of the patterns in the book. The only reason that I'm not casting anything on today, is that I really must complete the Shetland shawl and my Golden Wheat Shawl that are already on my needles! The Shetland sampler has been on my needles for so long that I cast it on before I started at The Knitter (in May 2008!) - it's on my old Ravelry account!!
I purchased the book for £23.99 at the book launch during Wool Week. You can get hold of a copy by purchasing direct from Shetland Times, who are the book's publishers.
A Legacy of Shetland Lace by the Shetland Guild of Spinners Knitters, Weavers and Dyers. 100 pages. Softcover. ISBN: 978-1-904746-76-8
