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Crafts

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A traditional Fair Isle pattern.

The most distinctive and widely-celebrated craft in Shetland is knitwear, though none of the garments described as ‘Shetland’ that you will see in chain stores around the world is likely to have the remotest connection with the islands. To find real Shetland knitwear that reflects our heritage and the skills of our knitters, you need either to track down a specialist outlet or website, or visit us in Shetland, where there are several shops and home-based designers offering the real thing.

Aside from traditional knitwear, local textile designers are working across a wide spectrum of styles and materials. The textiles department at Shetland College is gaining a reputation for nurturing innovative young makers and their work is beginning to find its way into the market place.

Craftspeople in Shetland work in many other media, however. We may not have very many trees, but we do have some skilled woodworkers who can produce anything from a pepperpot to a table and set of chairs. We have workers in metal, jewellery, stained glass and much else.

It may be that you admire the crafts of Shetland as further evidence of the vitality of the place, or you may have it in mind to move an existing craft business to somewhere that will free your creative impulses. Either way, we believe that Shetland has much to offer.

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