Vee, I know you didn't aim this at me, but I wanted to tell you how much I enjoyed watching the video and listening to the narrator and the other woman who spoke about the lace not being producible by machines. The lace is ethereally lovely.

I noticed the narrator's pronunciation of the word 'pattern' as /pat-tron/. That's a particularly interesting transposition of sound, I think.

While I could not get sound on the video, I enjoyed watching it. The landscape is starkly beautiful, and I enjoyed seeing the sheep, with their incredibly thick woolen coats. Years ago, I had seen a TV prog. on the Shetland and Faroe Islands. There was a distinctly Scandinavian beat in the chants and songs the women sang as they wove together the sweaters. I should imagine these are descendants of Vikings, for the most part.

What beautiful lace! I would like to feel how soft it is.

Glad that you all chipped in; the more the merrier.

Mary, Shetland until the fourteen hundreds was within the Kingdom of Norway but was given as part of the dowry of the King's daughter when she married into the Scottish Royal family (I can't remember off-hand the names and dates).

As the islands are nearer Norway than Scotland (the nearest railway station is Bergen) and sea-trade was very important they had little connection with the Scots until a 'bad' Stuart was 'removed' there, where he built castles and was generally mean to the people.

The traditional Shetland fishing boats are still built like Viking ships with high prows at either end, many Norse 'finds' have been dug-up as have remains of longhouses and . . . further back in time, Pictish brochs (high round towers).

Frieda, the true Shetland dialect (though probably less marked these days) is almost impossible for incomers/visitors to follow and sounds like so much grunting; with the mouth hardly open (perhaps because it is often very windy up there . .. ).

The small Shetland ponies, which used to run wild, are fascinating and can be quite fearsome as can the sheep. Way back, when I was a child, we attend a local 'sheep dog trials' just held on rough ground behind the Unst village where we stayed. No-way were the sheep going to co-operate with the dog or shepherd and the small flock disappeared over the nearest wall into the blue-yonder.

Many incomers and much needed 'oil revenue' have probably changed the place I fondly remember but I think it fair to say the locals don't like to be thought of as Scots, nor will you see tartan, bag-pipes or kilts . . . but you will hear the fiddles being played and festivities/weddings etc that go on for several days!

And I've gone on too long . . .

Shetland Information

Interesting. Some of those "brochs" can be found in Ireland, as well.

Thank you, Vee. I shared this with some knitting friends. I knit as well, but only very simple things. I know some knitters who might someday tackle projects of this scale. Me, never, but I do admire them.