A Visit to Jamieson's of Shetland Yarn Store

A visit to Jamieson’s of Shetland had been on my radar since I first started using their colourful Spindrift yarn for two strand knitting.

It seemed a bit extravagant to take a trip all the way to the Shetland Islands from Ireland for yarn (although I’ve travelled with less of an excuse!), but an opportunity came up that I hadn’t anticipated.

When I saw that a cruise I was thinking about taking with Norwegian / NCL would be stopping off in Lerwick, Shetland en route to the Faroe Islands and Iceland, it turned the cruise from a maybe into a definite!

Before I went ashore via tender boat, I read up a little bit on the history of the company and its connections to Shetland.

History of Jamieson’s of Shetland

Shetland has long been steeped in the traditions of the wool trade, as sheep farming, wool production and hand knitting gave a livelihood to islanders who faced the considerable challenges of remote, rugged island life.

Sandness Mill

Jamieson’s was founded in the 1890s by Robert Jamieson and by the middle of the 20th century, the company had moved beyond local hand-knit garments to establish a small mill in Sandness on the western edge of Shetland, where wool could be processed on-site rather than sent to mainland Scotland.

This development helped to keep production local, giving Jamieson’s control over the quality of their yarn. Sandness Mill continues today and Jamieson’s has a close connection to Shetland’s crofting heritage by sourcing wool exclusively from Shetland sheep farmers.

Shetland wool is known for its warmth and durability, due in no small part to the windswept Shetland sheep!

Fair Isle Revival

Jamieson’s growth (including via a successful online presence, see links at the bottom of this page) is most likely connected to a revival in Fair Isle knitting.

As knitters worldwide rediscovered Fair Isle’s colourful (if challenging) patterns, Jamieson’s yarns grew in popularity, in no small part because of the beautiful range of colours inspired by Shetland’s moorland, sea and sky.

I’d be interested to know if their popularity grew further during the pandemic when lots of us had extra time for crafts!

The range I have used most is called Spindrift, a lighter weight yarn suitable for intricate patterns or colour work.

My Experience in Lerwick

The main challenge I find with yarn selection is having to buy it online. You simply never know quite how colours will work together.

I love a yarn shop, so I was delighted to get the tender from my cruise ship to the dock at Lerwick and to hot foot it to Jamieson’s standalone shop right in the centre of town.

I was surprised that a few other cruise passengers had already beaten me to it and were browsing through some racks of what appeared to be beautifully-made Shetland sweaters.

I can’t say for certain if these were hand-knit or machine-made, but at a price point around £110, I’m guessing machine-made.

I did get chatting to two members of staff who made me feel very welcome and shared that they had quite a few male crafters who came to the shop! That’s always good to know.

What I Bought

I had a constraint: when I cruise, I travel with only hand luggage, so I can’t do the big purchases that is so tempting!

I wanted to fill out my stash of Spindrift with additional colours so that I could get some variety in smaller pieces like hats and mittens. The great thing is that you don’t need quantity of individual colours for that, you can go a long way by buying fewer skeins.

I picked out 6 or 7 colour options but then I did spot a few sale items with colours from last season. There was a lovely mossy green on sale and I confess a few of those went in my basket!

I’ve been making quite a few hats this past couple of winters based on colour work patterns from Ysolda. There’s a pattern called Daniel’s Hat that seems to work for my Irish-sized head!

Final Thoughts

If you’re going to be in Lerwick, Jamieson’s yarn store is very much worth a visit. I got the impression that if I were staying locally, I could pop in with questions or for yarn advice and it would be no problem.

You might know me well enough by now to recognise that I think that about most (independent) yarn stores! Either way, if you come across some Spindrift in your local yarn store, give it a go and see if this weight and feel of yarn mixes in with the kinds of projects you like to do.

Essential Links

Please note: I have no affiliation with Jamieson’s or Ysolda at all, and recommend them simply because I’ve enjoyed working with their products.

• Jamieson’s of Shetland online store
• Ysolda - source for patterns and teaching