Beautiful knitted sweaters have long been made on Shetland’s windswept isles, where livelihoods have relied on sheep and the sea. Esther Rutter reveals the origins of this design classic
On a tiny island caught between the Atlantic Ocean and the North Sea, a woman carries a basket of peat on her back. In her hands, she holds knitting needles, while at her waist are a makkin belt and a ball of worsit yarn. As she walks, her hands repeat four fluid motions – in, around, under, off. She is a Shetland crofter, one of generations of handknitters whose exquisite knitwear is a product of the islands’ unique geography and culture.
The best known of all Shetland knitwear is the Fair Isle jumper. Two distinct styles are associated with the islands: all-overs and yoke jumpers. All-overs, as the name suggests, have stranded colourwork patterns across the entire garment, while yoke jumpers are mostly plain, with patterning across the shoulders.
The story of these jumpers combines traditional knitting techniques with the unique qualities of Shetland wool and the influence of other cultures, all working together in a design classic recognised and worn all over the world.
Knitwear has been a staple of Shetland’s economy since around 1600, when European fishermen first visited the islands in pursuit of herring, and traded gin, gingerbread and other commodities for knitwear. The oldest surviving example is a ‘haaf’, or fisherman’s hat, knitted in blue, red, brown and cream. Caps like these were worn in Shetland from at least 1822, when visiting geologist Samuel Hibbert described the striking “boat dress” of Shetlanders, including a “worsted covering for the head dyed with so many colours that its bold tint is recognisable at a considerable distance”.
A Shetland woman knits while carrying a basket of peat on her back in the late 19th century 
Crofters carding and spinning wool in a Shetland cottage, circa 1925 
A crofter wearing a Fair Isle knitted jumper smokes his pipe by the fire 
Knitted Shetland shawls are ‘dressed’ by stretching the lace on racks to dry under tension, 1908
FISH AND KNITS
Fishermen were also some of the first people to wear jumpers in Shetland. In the early 19th century, sweaters were not fashionable: most men wore shirts, waistcoats and jackets, while women opted for dresses or blouses covered with woven or knitted shawls. The only people who did wear jumpers were gardeners and sailors, men whose work outdoors required warm, closefitting garments. Heavy and dense, their jerseys were tightly knitted to retain warmth and repel water, and from Shetland to the Channel Islands, woollen jumpers were fishermen’s de facto workwear for over a century.
They were not called jumpers, but ‘Guernsey frocks’ or ganseys. In use since the 1820s, gansey is our oldest word for a jumper and is believed to come from ‘genser’, the Norwegian term for sweater. By the 1830s, the word ‘jersey’ was sometimes used, followed by ‘jumper’ in the 1850s and ‘sweater’ in the 1880s. In Shetland, ganseys were known as frokes, derived from ‘frocks’, where they were worn by locals as well as visiting fishermen.
While ganseys are knitted in one colour, Fair Isle jumpers feature alternating shades of yarn, usually two per round or row. Named after Shetland’s southernmost island, ‘Fair Isle’ describes any patterned fabric featuring the angular geometry of colourwork, for unlike Harris Tweed, it has no protective patent. Although Fair Isle caps have long been made in Shetland, we don’t know exactly when stranded colourwork was first used for jumpers.
JUMPER MIGRATION
We do know that by 1902, Fair Isle all-overs were being worn outside Shetland, as members of the National Scottish Antarctic Expedition took them to Antarctica. This demonstrated the jumpers’ excellent capacity for warmth, for Fair Isle sweaters are twice as thick as single-colour garments: each round contains two strands of yarn, wrapping the wearer in a double layer of wool. This is possible thanks to the uniquely fine, warm fleece of Shetland sheep, which traps minute pockets of air without adding extra weight or bulk.
All-overs became fashionable in the 1920s, in part thanks to Shetland hosiery dealer James A Smith, who sent a Fair Isle all-over to Edward, Prince of Wales. The Prince wore it while playing golf, pictures of which were seen around the word. This secured the popularity of this style of jumper, upholding a tradition of royal patronage going back to the days of George III, who wore Shetland stockings given to him by botanist Sir Joseph Banks.
UNFAIR ISLES
Despite the prestige, knitters were rarely paid fairly for their work. Shetland landowners sometimes collected stockings in lieu of rent, writing the provision of saleable knitwear into crofters’ contracts. Knitters could sell their work directly to merchants but they were often exploited through the notorious ‘truck system’. To ‘truck’ meant to barter, but knitters had little power as the traders determined how much each knitted piece was worth, and how much tea, sugar or ‘fancy goods’ the knitter would receive as payment.
It took the Second World War to change things, when British and American troops stationed in Shetland created a new market for knitwear. Many sent knitted items home as presents as well as buying them for themselves, and they paid cash, which effectively ended the truck system. Fashions – and lives – were changing, and as women swapped traditional crofting roles for better-paid office and industrial work, they chose clothes more similar in style to those worn by men, abandoning shawls or haps in favour of jumpers and cardigans.
YOKE OF WAR
By the 1940s, a new style of knitwear had emerged: Fair Isle yoke jumpers. Although all-overs also included motifs found in Scandinavian knitting, the fit and style of yoke jumpers were influenced by life in wartime Shetland. Military uniforms started a fashion for fitted garments, and several thousand refugees from German-occupied Norway arrived on the Shetland Bus, bringing their own knitting traditions and patterns to the islands.
Unlike all-overs, the bodies of Fair Isle yoked jumpers were made plain – often by machine – while the intricate yokes, featuring ‘Norwegian star’ and ‘Tree of Life’ motifs, were handknitted. Yoked cardigans, or ‘lumbercoats’, were also made in this way and sold to department stores, including Marks & Spencer. Although some men did knit, the trade was dominated by women, who were thereby able to support themselves. As knitter Audrey Smith recalls: ‘‘The brothers got a croft each and my mother got enough money for her to buy a knitting machine.”
Today you can still buy jumpers handmade in Shetland. After a period of decline in the 1990s, the island’s knitwear industry is thriving once more. The University of Highlands and Islands Shetland campus now offers degrees in knitting, and contemporary designers are using the islands’ native wool to make a huge variety of both traditional and modern styles of jumper. Why not treat yourself to one of their beautiful designs, or, better yet, have a go at making your own?
SEE FOR YOURSELF
Shetland Wool Week
The best way to learn about Shetland’s woollen crafts is to attend Shetland Wool Week. Held in September, this annual celebration of all things woollen offers talks, workshops, tours and events to suit knitters of all skill levels. There are also online events and an archive of free patterns available. shetlandwoolweek.com
Shetland Wool Adventures
Misa Hay runs a series of knitting-themed tours and events around the island throughout the year, as well as producing the Shetland Wool Adventures Journal. shetlandwooladventures.com
Esther Rutter is a writer and artist based in Fife. Her first book, This Golden Fleece (Granta), traces the cultural history of the art of knitting and won a Society of Authors’ Roger Deakin Award.
SHETLAND SHEEP
Sheep have grazed in Shetland for more than 5,000 years and belong to the North Atlantic short-tailed sheep type. Their fleece contains two distinct types of wool, soft under-wool and coarser outer wool, the first of which is used in yarn for hand-knitting. They are a predominantly unimproved or ‘primitive’ breed, which means that they are extremely hardy and well-suited to Shetland’s cool and windswept climate.
There are several dialect Shetland terms for the patterns and colours of the sheep: ‘bersugget’ means variegated; pale sheep with white faces are ‘snaelit’; while those with lower legs a different colour to their bodies are ‘sokket’.
If you want to knit your own Shetland jumper using the islands’ indigenous wool, then there are a wide range of genuine Shetland yarns available, including Jamieson & Smith (shetlandwoolbrokers.co.uk), Jamieson’s of Shetland (jamiesonsofshetland.co.uk), Uradale Organic yarn (uradale.com) and hand-dyed small-batch Langsoond yarn from Donna Smith (donnasmithdesigns.co.uk).
BUY AN AUTHENTIC SHETLAND JUMPER
Anderson & Co: The Shetland Warehouse
Founded in 1873, Anderson & Co has been trading from Lerwick since 1883 and sells a variety of all-overs, cardigans and yoked jumpers from £80. shetlandknitwear.com
NielaNell
For contemporary Shetland knitwear made from the islands’ yarns, Niela Nell Kalra makes beautiful pieces from £185. nielanell.com
Jamieson & Smith: The Woolbrokers
Jamieson & Smith stock a huge variety of Shetland yarn and sell Shetland-made yoked jumpers and cardigans from £90 (pictured above). shetlandwoolbrokers.co.uk
Mati Ventrillion
For bespoke jumpers handmade on Fair Isle, you can order direct from designer Mati Ventrillon from £400, selecting colour, pattern and size. mativentrillon.co.uk