An afternoon of talks and demonstrations with

RACHEL CHALLONER OLIVER HENRY ELIZABETH JOHNSTON DONNA SMITH SUE WHITE

Room 12, Islesburgh Community Centre & Online

Email enquiries@shetlandtextilesnetwork.org to reserve your free space.

RACHEL CHALLONER is originally from Lincolnshire and moved to Fair Isle in 2015 after working as the Assistant Cook at Fair Isle Bird Observatory.  She runs a 25-acre croft with around 90 sheep and, five years ago, switched from breeding commercial crosses for sale to focus on increasing the range of colours in her fibre flock of Shetland sheep.  Rachel worked for two of the island's knitwear businesses as a finisher and knitter before setting up her own Bee Croft brand in 2021. As well as offering Fair Isle knitwear Rachel also has wool for sale, spun from the fleeces of her pure Shetland sheep. In 2024 she launched The Fair Isle Project and is researching the history of knitwear production in Fair Isle as well as documenting pieces that survive in museums and collections around the country.

OLIVER HENRY has worked in the Shetland wool industry for nearly 60 years.  He studied at North of Scotland College of Agriculture and has worked at Jamieson & Smith ever since. He is a Director of Jamieson & Smith and a Wool Sorter and Grader.  He often judges wool at shows throughout Shetland and beyond as well as Wool on the Hoof for the Shetland Flock Book Society. He was the Shetland Wool Week Patron in 2019.

ELIZABETH JOHNSTON is a Shetland spinner, knitter and weaver.  She learned much of her craft as a child, before she could read or write, observing and learning from family and friends. She uses these age-old skills, handed down through generations, to turn Shetland fleece into beautiful soft yarns, and knitted Fair Isle and lace items in her business, Shetland Handspun. Elizabeth demonstrates, lectures and tutors workshops in spinning, lace and Fair Isle knitting, and warp weighted woom weaving. She is a tutor and programme co-coordinator for Hoswick Wool Week, part of the internationally popular event Shetland Wool Week, an annual event throughout Shetland in late September. Interest in the long history of Shetland textiles led to research into historic fabrics and the warp-weighted loom, learning how to weave on this ancient loom in the process. She is the author of two chapters in the book Shetland Textiles 800 BC  to the Present, and co-authored The Warp Weighted Loom with friends from Iceland and Norway.

DONNA SMITH is a yarn producer, natural dyer and knitting pattern designer living on the island of Burra in Shetland. Her yarn, Langsoond Yarn is made from 100% Shetland wool from the sheep reared on the family croft and is supplemented by the fleeces from friends' and neighbours' flocks. The first batch of yarn was spun in 2017 and as the majority of the yarn was white, that sparked an interest in natural dyeing partially as materials could be used that would otherwise be going to waste. Donna has designed a large range of knitting patterns and has written a book containing ten patterns using Langsoond Yarn.

SUE WHITE is a professional ecologist and has been working in the farm/croft conservation advisory sector for 25+ years. Currently her focus is on peatland restoration, promoting the importance of the peatland habitat and peatland restoration for climate change, biodiversity and crofting. She is happiest outdoors walking, swimming, running and rowing.  She is a part time knitter and yarn enthusiast.

With Speakers

HAZEL TINDALL, Knitwear Designer and Tutor & HILARY GRANT, Founder at Hilary Grant, Orkney

Room 9, Islesburgh Community Centre or Online

To reserve your free place please email enquiries@shetlandtextilesnetwork.org

Hazel is a lifelong knitter. She began knitting for income in the 1960s, knitting Fair Isle yokes onto machine knitted bodies, while at school and college. More recently she’s worked as a knitting tutor, written knitting patterns and knits items for sale.

Hilary is the founder of Hilary Grant, a creative design-driven knitwear studio based on the Orkney Islands, first established in 2011 by trained textile designer Hilary. Today the brand is run as a creative and business partnership with Robert Harvey who trained in architecture. The brand initially started out as a home-run business, with all production taking place on a domestic knitting machine by Hilary herself before working with a small number mills in the Scottish Borders from 2012 – present day. The brand has sold internationally in department stores and respected design shops in Japan, Hong Kong the US and EU and has built an international customer base online shop. They have received national press for both design and sustainability credentials, exhibited at London Design Festival and many other international trade shows. In 2021 Hilary and Robert began to set up an Orkney-based knitwear factory, which has been in full operation since August 2023. 80% of their collections are produced in Orkney, the remainder continuing with trusted mills on mainland Scotland.