‘You show us the value of what we have’ – Wool Week launches for 17th year
Guests from Canada and USA make long trip across
SHETLAND Wool Week returned with a flourish on Sunday, with more than 600 people attending the festival’s packed opening ceremony at Clickimin.
Shetland Amenity Trust heritage manager Jacqui Birnie hosted the event, and introduced 2026 patron Helen Robertson to the stage.
Addressing the audience of wool enthusiasts, most of whom have travelled hundreds or thousands of miles to come to the festival, Robertson said: “Shetland Wool Week has been going for 17 years, and I think that it’s grown every year, and become stronger and more confident every year.
“That’s in a large part thanks to you, because you come here and show us the value of what we have.”
As always there was an eclectic mix of visitors at the opening ceremony, having journeyed from far and wide.
Jen Barr and Betty Hayne have travelled all the way from Canada just to attend this year’s Wool Week. Barr has had the event on her bucket list since first learning about it four years ago.
Barr said: “I’ve knitted the hats for the last three years although I keep getting desperately lost, but everyone is super nice when you’re desperately lost, so it’s so far, so good!”
Hayne knitted matching garments for the pair featuring red maple leaves in homage to their Canadian heritage. She said: “We did our first class this afternoon. It was awesome to learn different options out there that weren’t my traditional ways of doing it.”
Angel Quinones travelled from Oregon for this year’s festival and has owned Shetland sheep for more than a decade, calling them “the most incredible breed”.
She said: “I love their wool and their temperament, and their history. I’ve always wanted to come to Wool Week so here I am.”
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Quinones plans to spend her week on tours meeting “as many sheep as possible”, rather than taking workshops or classes.
Pete Burger and his husband Jonah Edgerly found out about Wool Week from looking at Spinners Guilds lists of events online.
Burger said: “Looking at the programme from last year, this is right up our alley, a deep dive into a local craft that’s deeply connected to a sense of place.
“One of my interests is heritage crafts, and the stories behind them, and the people there who are preserving things and doing modern interpretations for them. It looked like a really good excuse for a trip to Shetland.”
The couple have travelled extensively across Scotland, with Shetland the final destination on their list.
Edgerly developed a passion for knitting, crochet, and spinning during the pandemic lockdowns. They’re planning to do “everything” while here, with classes and workshops every day including nalbinding and basket making, as well as learning about the history of language in Shetland.
Attendees can join Robertson on one of three curated tours going to Unst, Ollaberry, or Whalsay throughout the week, visiting local museums and heritage centres, and meeting local makkers.
There’s even a mystery to solve, as sponsors Jamiesons of Shetland have asked amateur detectives to find out who stole Robertson’s knitting basket, with six suspects and clues hidden across their social media posts. Prizes are to be revealed later in the week.
The iconic hat photo traditionally taken at the opening ceremony was absent this year due to logistical difficulties.
Birnie said: “We normally move through into the bowls hall, but that wasn’t available, and it’s been proving more difficult to fit everyone in.
“Our normal seating capacity is about 500 and we increased it to 650 this year, so made a decision that there were too many heads to get in.”
After hearing that the audience were disappointed, she added: “I’m really sorry it’s not happening this year, we really couldn’t figure out how to do it, but I promise we’ll look into it for next year.”
The evening featured music from Amy Laurenson, a Shetland pianist who was named BBC Radio Scotland’s Young Traditional Musician of the Year in 2023, playing alongside saxophonist Norman Willmore, patron for Shetland Youth Music Festival in 2026.
Claire White recited two poems for the audience: Vagaland’s Shetlandry and Jackie Kay’s The Knitter, which uses the rhythm of knitting as a metaphor for life and coping with grief.
She said: “Language is the breath of culture, and I hope you fill your lungs over the next six days.”
The opening ceremony also featured a short play titled We Were Unusual, starring Lynsey Rendall and Hannah Eunson as Ethel Brown and Jeannie Jarmson, two celebrated women in Shetland’s rich textile history.
At the end of the night Birnie paid tribute to Addie Doull, one of the patrons for Shetland Wool Week 2024, who passed away earlier this year.
She also sent love and best wishes to the Doull family, who have played a significant part in Shetland Wool Week over the years, and said: “He was immensely proud of Shetland, and had an extraordinary knowledge and appreciation of Shetland sheep and their remarkable fleece.”
Birnie added that he always reminded her that the traditions, skills, innovations, and creativity all come from the wool itself, and the “humble Shetland sheep that makes it all possible”.
Shetland Museum and Archives is the focal point of the festival, with a hub in the café acting as a central information point from 9am to 5pm each day.
Lunchtime talks will also run from 1.10pm to 1.50pm on different topics each day, including History of the Makkin Belt with Janette Budge, and The Shetlandness of Shetland Textiles with Carol Christiansen.
Meanwhile, Mareel will host sessions with musicians and writers in its café, alongside knitting-friendly ‘Knitflix’ screenings.
Attendees can also take part in a spree on Wednesday 30 September, and go to a traditional dance gathering on Sunday 4 October.
Shetland Wool Week runs until 3 October, with a few final events on at Mareel on 4 October.
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