Wool week patron

THE WORLD’S fastest knitter Hazel Tindall has been invited to be the guest patron for this year’s Shetland Wool Week.

The 61 year old from Aith is the first local knitter to have been asked to support the event.

She said she feels “greatly honoured” to play an important role in the festival that attracts an ever-growing number of wool enthusiasts from around the world.

Held every year in October, Shetland Wool Week is now in its fifth year. Last year 174 people registered attendance at the event.

Tindall, who has twice held the world’s fastest knitter title, said: “The wool week is a great way to increase the profile Shetland has.

“A lot of people in the isles have been designing and knitting for a long time, but noone has really put her head much above the parapet.

“And there is the feeling that probably it is time for Shetland to start pushing itself a little more, certainly in the knitting and textile world.”

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She is inviting local craftspeople with ideas for events to get involved in the 2014 festival, which this year will run from the 4 to 12 October.

She has agreed to design a special Wool Week pattern, which will be made available prior to the event.

Details will be posted to the website at www.shetlandwoolweek.com later in the year.

Wool week organiser Emma Miller, of Shetland Amenity Trust, said: “It never ceases to amaze us how popular wool week is, and how keen folk are to start booking for the next one.

“We were already being asked for the 2014 dates at the last event and the enquiries about classes and dates for this year are getting fairly constant now.

“It really goes to show the massive enthusiasm that exists for Shetland wool and knitting from a global audience. This year will be bigger than ever and it looks set to continue like that for a good while to come.”

This year’s festival programme is expected to be finalised and available from mid April.