News / Worldwide line up for Wool Week
A WEEK long festival celebrating Shetland’s wool and textile traditions begins on Monday.
Shetland Wool Week is part of the international Campaign for Wool headed by the Prince of Wales.
More than 30 events have been planned throughout the isles involving some of the best local firms and craftsfolk beside international designers and artists flying especially for the occasion from the US, Japan, Norway and Germany.
The festival has been organised by local firm Jamieson & Smith Shetland Wool Brokers and is sponsored by luxury bed manufacturers Vi Spring from Devon and Norwegian financiers DNB Nor.
Visitors include Norwegian textile artist Karin Flatoy Svarstad; Daks designer Emma Bradbury and New York knitwear fashion veteran Mary Jane Mucklestone, and there will be talks, tours, exhibitions, workshops and children’s events throughout the week.
The festival will culminate with the annual Shetland flock book sales and fleece competitions on 16 October, when the winners of the Real Shetland Stories competition will be announced – the top prize being a luxury Vi Spring bed.
Jamieson & Smith marketing manager Sarah Laurenson said: “The great variety of this year’s Wool Week gives it an international scope. This gives people in Shetland the opportunity to experience some of the very best in design and textile practice, and to share our culture, heritage, skills and knowledge with people from all over the world.”
The full Shetland Wool Week 2011 programme can downloaded from www.shetlandwoolbrokers.co.uk and www.shetland.org.
It is also available to pick up at Shetland Museum and Archives, Jamieson & Smith, Vaila Fine Art, Shetland College and the Shetland library.
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