Old Photograph Shetland Knitters Scotland

Old photograph of crofters knitting in a cottage on the Shetland Islands, Scotland. Women ran the croft and knitted at home whenever time allowed. It was the Norse settlers in the 9th century who brought the native sheep to Shetland. A hardy breed which lived off the sparse vegetation and seaweed, their wool was woven into a cloth called Wadmal. But the texture of Shetland wool, soft, light and warm was more suited to knitting than weaving, so knitting became the main craft of the Islands and a significant part of the economy.



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