10 Modern Knitting Patterns Inspired by Island Life

“Led by a desire to use what is already available on her island home of Burra in the Shetland Isles, designer Donna Smith has produced her own yarn from fleeces of the family’s flock of Shetland sheep, supplemented by those from neighbours’ and friends’ crofts. The yarn is named “Langsoond” after the stretch of sea that runs between the two isles of Burra: water that connects many of the crofts where the wool comes from. Donna also dyes the yarn with natural dyes, and often uses plants that grow locally to produce a range of stunningly unique shades. Inspired by the sea, the land, the people, and the sheep, she has designed ten contemporary patterns using Langsoond yarn that are modern and yet timeless as a celebration of her island home and its resources.”

Details:

Size: 273 x 210mm portrait; 104 pages; 420g; Photography by Liam Henderson, Collwyn Goodlad and Donna Smith; Printed and bound in the UK

If you purchase the printed copy you will be provided with a code inside the front cover for a complimentary e-book version which is downloadable through Ravelry.

Designer Donna Smith has lived in Shetland - an island archipelago at the very north of the United Kingdom - all her life and can trace her family back there for many generations. After studying Marine Biology on the mainland of Scotland, she returned home and after a few years set up her own business designing knitting patterns, and more recently has produced her own range of yarn, Langsoond. Donna loves everything to do with Shetland and can think of no better way of spending her time than walking around the coast with her dog and a flask of tea. She lives on the family croft surrounded by sheep, with her son, their two cats and border collie.