To say that we have been excited about this release would be something of an understatement…
I’m not entirely sure when I first started to talk to Gudrun Johnston (below) about working on her next print book, but from a trawl through my extensive email collection, it seems to have been around five years ago. From the start I knew that this collection was going to be something really special.
Gudrun’s mother, Patricia Johnston, ran a knitwear business in Shetland in the 1970s, called The Shetland Trader. It specialised in hand-knitted garments, and they were often available in a number of colourways, and with different styling options (choices of necklines for example). Gudrun’s own hand-knitting design business is called The Shetland Trader after her mother’s inspiring legacy, and has always drawn on her Shetland roots. A chance encounter at Shetland Wool Week in 2014 lead Gudrun to Wendy Inkster at Burra Bears, who had come into possession of two of Patricia’s original 1970s sweaters. She generously gifted the sweaters to Gudrun, and from there, the inspiration for this collection grew.
Fast forward a few years, and we really knuckled down to the pattern writing and editing part of the process in 2019. It was such an amazing collection to work on. I had a hard time, each time Gudrun sent over a new design, to not abandon my desk and cast on immediately! There are smaller garments, such as the beautiful Willapund Vest, which features a neat i-cord edging, and larger projects to really sink your teeth into over the coming months, such as the dreamy Elsk and Hjarta dresses. Alongside the garments are beautiful accessories, including the Tarra shawl, which is high on my “to knit list”, and the Smora hat that comes in both beanie and tam options. The headline contents might be seven garments and four accessories, but that would massively underrepresent the number of pattern options this collection contains.
Each pattern in Shetland Trader Book 3: Heritage draws from garments and accessories offered by Patricia’s 1970s mail order Shetland Trader business. The patterns have been created with multiple options for choosing your necklines, and sleeve designs, as well as multiple colourwork patterns and different colourways. The garment designs are sized between approximately 81.5cm and 149cm [32in and 58.25in] at the chest (there are a few designs that go slightly larger – up to 156.5cm [61.75in].
The book will be released on 14th October 2021, but you can now place a pre-order with us. Orders containing Shetland Trader Book 3: Heritage will be shipped on 14th October, so please place separate orders if you have other items you require sooner!
And as if having the book weren’t enough excitement, we have also created a one-stop shop for the collection. Here you will find kits for each design to make yarn shopping for this collection even easier. We stock a wide range of shades of Jamieson & Smith jumper weight yarn (both the 2ply Jumper Weight and the Shetland Supreme ranges), and we have set up kits in both the original J&S colourways from the book, and in a small selection of alternative colourways.
When shopping for kits, please take care to double check that you have selected the correct size, colourway AND style (where relevant) for your desired pattern, before you checkout.
I’m looking forward to talking more about the designs over the coming weeks, and will soon be sharing some exciting knitalong information, so keep your eyes peeled for that!
You can order The Shetland Trader Book 3: Heritage from our online shop for £24.50 and you will find yarn kits for the designs in the book in our Shetland Trader Collection here.
Happy dreaming about knitting!
Images © Ali Denney.