• When our children were small we used to play a game with them at bedtime to keep the scary monsters away! We used to blow 1000 kisses into the air and get them to catch them in their hands then pop them under their pillows to give them reassuring kisses if they needed them during the night. Smooriken is Shetland dialect for a kiss and this co...

• West Lynne Beanie

Anyone who knows me knows I am a real coffee lover and so when I was invited to come up with a new design for Blacker Yarns using their new range of Shetland Yarns inspired by their love of coffee I couldnt resist!

I was asked by Anne Stevens Frost of I Thought I Knew How podcast to create a design for a Shetland Hogmanay inspired advent calendar which was released in December 2022. Each of the Shetland based designers were paired with a Shetland based wool producer and I was paired with Cecil Tait of West Lynne Croft in Shetland and I was challenged to c...

My North Star Sweater has been designed to replace a much loved sweatshirt which is decades old and falling apart at the seams. After hearing me moaning – again! - after searching fruitlessly for a new one, my husband said ‘so why don’t you knit one!’ so I did!

https://www.shetlanddialect.org.uk/mp3/swirds/smoorik- en.mp3

Print of the Wave Fingerless Mittens

This beanie is a lighter weight version of my Print o’ the Wave beanie - originally created in sport/light DK weight yarn.

This beanie was designed to support Growing Local Northmavine, a local project to me in Shetland which aims to support both local groups and individuals to grow their own local produce thus reducing food miles and promoting wellbeing.

Print o’ the Wave Beanie

My Mangaster Beanie is the fourth in my series of beanie patterns inspired by the countryside, flora and fauna of Northmavine. The beautiful area in the North Mainland of Shetland which I’m blessed to call home.

This design is my third release in a series of beanies all inspired by the flora, fauna, countryside and wildlife of Northmavine - the beautiful area of the North Mainland of Shetland which I’m blessed to call home.

My East Burn Beanie is my second release in a series of hat patterns all inspired by the flora, fauna, life and countryside in and around Northmavine in Shetland. A place I’m proud to call home! The East Burn Beanie was inspired by a small woodland just a few miles from our home – East Burn Woods – which we often walk through when we are cravin...

My Ollaberry Beanie is my first release in a series of hat patterns all inspired by the flora, fauna, life and countryside in and around Northmavine in Shetland. A place I’m proud to call home! The Ollaberry Beanie was inspired by the changing colours we see every day when we take our dogs down to the beach here –

So when you hear this autumn song

So when you hear this autumn song

So when you hear this autumn song

This beanie is a lighter weight version of my “Charlie Beanie” which is knitted in a heavier yarn. Both beanie patterns were written as a way to show that by playing with colour and tone a relatively simple pattern can look a lot more complex than it is! Both beanies use just four shades of yarn – I would suggest that you choose three that are ...

This is the second of my designs (along with my Solace Gloves and Beanie) which I sketched out during the early days of the 2020 pandemic lockdown here in the UK. At this point I felt quite vulnerable, I was scared of catching ‘it’ due to ongoing health issues and I was scared of not being able to see friends and family on the Scottish Mainland...

One of the highlights of living here in Shetland is the wonderful wildlife we see. A favourite pastime is to watch the wonderful marine life around these shores. We frequently see seals, dolphins, humpbacks and porpoise plus orca. It is such a special sight seeing them in their natural habitat. There are several active pods of Orca which visit ...

This beanie was inspired in part by the colours and patterning of this beautiful mosaic made from upcycled materials by an artist in Perthshire where I used to live. It is knitted entirely in the round using the fairisle/stranded colourwork technique with decreases at the crown being done using centred double decreases (CDD). A hyperlink is inc...

This beanie is a heavier weight version of my “Brodie Beanie” which is knitted in a lighter yarn. Both beanie patterns were written as a way to show that by playing with colour and tone a relatively simple pattern can look a lot more complex than it is! Both beanies use just four shades of yarn – I would suggest that you choose three that are f...

This shawl was created for Jamieson’s of Shetland using their Chunky Marl yarn. For this design I wanted to show that lace work can also be done in a heavier weight yarn – ideal if the thought of working in cobweb or lace yarn seems daunting or if you are new to lace knitting. The shawl starts by knitting a simple crescent shape – very quick to...

So when you hear this autumn song

“Oh what a tangled web we weave, when first we practice to deceive”

When our children were small we used to play a game with them at bedtime to keep the scary monsters away! We used to blow 1000 kisses into the air and get them to catch them in their hands then pop them under their pillows to give them reassuring kisses if they needed them during the night. Smooriken is Shetland dialect for a kiss and these hat...

When our children were small we used to play a game with them at bedtime to keep the scary monsters away! We used to blow 1000 kisses into the air and get them to catch them in their hands then pop them under their pillows to give them reassuring kisses if they needed them during the night. ‘Smooriken’ is Shetland dialect for a kiss and these m...

“Sail away with me, What will be will be”

Like many people I’ve struggled through the Covid Pandemic of 2020. Not being able to meet with family and friends was and still is especially tough. Being of a high risk group I also had to stay home for around four months – not easy for someone who is used to being on the go all the time! However like many people during this time I’ve found s...

Like many people I’ve struggled through the Covid Pandemic of 2020. Not being able to meet with family and friends was and still is especially tough. Being of a high risk group I also had to stay home for around four months – not easy for someone who is used to being on the go all the time! However like many people during this time I’ve found s...

I moved to Shetland in the late 1970s and was delighted to find that we were taught knitting in school there!

My husband has a really sweet tooth - so much so he has a list of his top 100 puddings! The top ten varies from time to time but always featuring in there somewhere is rhubarb crumble and custard! As soon as I saw these two shades of Shetlands newest yarn - Aister Oo - it immediately brought this to mind soo I decided to have a wee play and eve...

The Alexandra Capelet was first designed many years ago as a Birthday present for my younger sister. She loved it so much she begged me to make her another one in a different colour palette!