There is so much more to Wool Week than knitting.  It may seem that everybody spends dawn to dusk with various needles (straights, circulars, sock dpns, long dpns with a makkin belt … ) tucked about their person, but you only have to scratch the surface a little to find a wealth of other activities and tours.  Granted, they may have a knitting bent, and there may be plenty of knitters clicking their needles, but that isn’t the main event.

The Flock Book Prizegiving evening at Tingwall Hall was just such an event.  A flock book is pretty  much what is says on the tin, a record of a flock over a period of time; pedigrees, numbers, registration details, movement etc.  This evening was the prize giving following the Flock Book Show and Fine Wool competition.  Tingwall Hall was full to bursting and that was just the food!  The ladies of Shetland excelled themselves with plate upon plate of sandwiches, cold meats, dips, rolls, cakes, sweets as well as hearty soups and of course endless tea, coffee …. and the bar!

Then just as we thought we could eat no more, the band stuck up and the dancing began. There is nothing like a couple of rounds of The Gay Gordons to aid the digestive process! and yes I know this is not the Gay Gordons, I was too busy dancing to record at that stage.  I think this is a two step but am ready to be corrected as I am not an expert at all!

Finally it was time to award the prizes.  We had already been to have a feel and a sniff of the fleeces in the back room.  I love raw fleece, I love the smell, I love the feel of the lanolin, I love the crimps scattered through the fleeces.

I would like to point out that I was not the only fleece sniffer, and not one person seemed to think that is was a strange thing to do 🙂

 

Winning fleece

And owner of said fleece receiving his award from Oliver Henry of Jamieson & Smith (the Brokers) and this year’s patron of Shetland Wool Week and designer of this year’s beanie (or toorie as it’s know in Shetland).

This one:

And whilst we are on the subject of winners and hats.  Stuart won a puffin hat in the raffle!  Apparently it is going to be his new fishing hat, assuming it doesn’t scare them off!

Love Gillie x