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Mary Jane Mucklestone

Hand Knitting Blog & Knitting Patterns

shetland

Vementry Vest

November 23, 2019 by Mary Jane 1 Comment

Vementry Fair Isle Vest

Vementry Vest has been published on Ravelry as a stand-alone pattern with extended sizes. It was originally designed for my Craftsy Class (now Bluprint) The Fair Isle Vest: Stranded and Steeked, and is in my opinion a great introductory project for Fair Isle knitting, not too hard, but with enough going on to learn the basics. The traditional styling makes the vest popular with experienced knitters as well. With unisex styling it is easy to customize and make your own. It’s a wonderful project for developing your own colorway. Find the pattern Here.

Vementry Vest is knit with a DK weight yarn so the work goes quickly. You can immediately see progress. It is knit in the round with steeks for the armholes and neckline. The pattern comes with two pdfs, one each for the smaller sizes and the larger sizes, so you only have to print the one you need!

Isle of Vementry, Shetland

Vementry Vest is named after Vementry, an uninhabited island in Shetland, that I was lucky to visit with friends several years ago. As there isn’t a bridge or a ferry, we chartered a boat in of the town of Aith on Mainland Shetland. The island is known for its well-preserved Neolithic heel-shaped cairn, which sits at the highest point on the isle with spectacular views in all directions.  Cairns were used as burial chambers, and heel shaped ones are only found in Shetland and Orkney.

PATTERN DETAILS Smaller Sizes

Finished Smaller Sizes 1 (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8)
Bust 32 (34½, 37, 39½, 41¾, 44¼, 46¾, 49¼) in, 81.5 (87.5, 94, 100, 106, 112.5, 119, 125) cm

Yarn
Jamieson’s Double Knitting (100% Shetland wool, 25 gr ball – Approximately 82 yds / 75 m)
4 (4, 5, 5, 6, 6, 7, 7) skeins 103 Sholmit (MC)

2 (2, 2, 2, 3, 3, 3, 3) skeins 102 Shaela
1 (1, 1, 1, 2, 2, 2, 2) skein(s) 106 Mooskit
1 (1, 1, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2) skein(s) 105 Eesit
1 (2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2) skein(s) 182 Buttercup

2 (2, 2, 3, 3, 3, 3, 4) skeins 390 Daffodil
1 skein 350 Lemon
1 skein 660 Lagoon
1 skein 570 Sorbet

PATTERN DETAILS Larger Sizes

Finished Larger Sizes 9 (10, 11, 12, 13)
Bust 51 3/4 (54 1/4, 56 1/2, 59, 61 1/2) in, 131.5 (137.5, 144, 150, 156.5) cm

Yarn
Jamieson’s Double Knitting (100% Shetland wool, 25 gr ball – Approximately 82 yds / 75 m)

7 (8, 8, 9, 9) skeins 103 Sholmit (MC)
3 (3, 4, 4, 4) skeins
102 Shaela
2 skeins 106 Mooskit
2 skeins 105 Eesit
2 (3, 3, 3, 3) skeins 182 Buttercup
3 (4, 4, 4, 4) skeins 390 Daffodil
1 skein 350 Lemon
1 skein 660 Lagoon
1 skein 570 Sorbet

Find Vementry Vest on Ravelry

Filed Under: Patterns Tagged With: color, color pattern, colour, craft, DK weight, fair isle, fiber, fibre, handmade, handmade craft, Jamieson's, knit, knitting, knitting pattern, Mary Jane Mucklestone, ravelry, shetland, sizing, steek, steeking, unisex, updated sizes, Vementry Vest, Vest, wool, yarn

Fair Isle – the place

October 13, 2019 by Mary Jane 2 Comments

Three sheep rounded up during the caa on Fair Isle. Iconic Sheep Rock in the distance. Bright green grass with blue seas and sky.
Sheep with Sheep Rock in the distance, Fair Isle, Shetland.

When an opportunity arose to spend a week on Fair Isle in a creative residency, I jumped at the chance. To enjoy peace and reflection in the place where my favorite knitting technique hails from was a gift.

Lying where the North Sea meets the Atlantic Ocean, it takes a bit of planning to get to Fair Isle. Traveling from Maine, USA, I took a bus, three planes, a car and a boat! Even with the best of planning, you are never guaranteed of getting there, it all depends on the wind and the weather.

  • MJ and
    The Good Shepard IV
  • Farewell Mainland
  • Hello Fair Isle!

I’ve always wanted to take the boat to Fair Isle, but time constraints and unwilling companions meant I’ve always flown. I believe we had a good crossing, or maybe I’m just used to being on lobster boats, but I loved every moment of our journey. Watching Mainland Shetland recede, while Fair Isle slowly came in to focus made it all the more real for me, getting to an island by boat just seems right. I posted some videos on Instagram (@mjmucklestone) if you would like to see more.

And here below is my darling croft-for-the-week, where I spent time working on my upcoming book. Stay tuned for further posts, take a look at my instagram archives, and sign up for my Newsletter!


Lower Leogh Creative Residency with Malcolm’s Head in the background.

Fair Isle Travel information

By Air:

  • Air Task – Shetland Islands inter island air service
  • Air Task Facebook Page Keep an eye on this page for current flight information.

By Sea:

  • The Good Shepard IV  Tuesday year round, also Saturday in Summer, weather permitting.

Where to Stay:

  • Auld Haa Guesthouse
  • South Lighthouse Bed and Breakfast
  • Upper Leogh Guesthouse

Fair Isle Studio – Creative Residency

  • Fair Isle Studio Residency details and application information.

Filed Under: Travel Tagged With: Air Task, artisinal, Auld Haa Guesthouse, craft, fair isle, Fair Isle Studio, handmade, knit, kntting, Mary Jane Mucklestone, shetland, South Lighthouse Bed and Breakfast, The Good Shepard IV, Upper Leogh Guesthouse, yarn

Shetland in July

July 6, 2018 by Mary Jane Leave a Comment

July means Shetland for me this year! Beautiful Shetland! Above you see St. Ninian’s Isle, connected to Mainland Shetland by the UK’s largest tombolo. St. Ninian’s is one of my favorite places to take a walk. We are blessed with stunning weather so far. Shetland is a WiFi challenged location, but I’ll try and defy the odds!
Tomorrow I visit Fair Isle with a few friends who are helping me with a secret project. Subscribers of my newsletter will get the first details, so sign up if you’re inclined!

Knit Stars Special Offer!
Production has started for Knit Stars 3.0 and I can’t WAIT to share my lesson with you! I’m developing some of the content while I’m over here in Shetland. November is still a ways off, though, so if you can’t wait and want a some fresh inspiration and fantastic instruction RIGHT NOW, you can get a special deal on Knit Stars 1.0 and 2.0 for the next week! Click  HERE  for more info and to see who’s teaching what. Offer ends July 12th.

Summer also means small project knitting. I’ll be making a hat while I’m here because I forgot to bring one and I already needed one last evening! What’s your favorite summer knitting project?

Weston Beanie

Maritime Mitts

Kanoko Socks

Filed Under: Events Tagged With: apparel, color, colorwork, colour, fair isle, fiber, fibre, handknitting, handmade, handmade craft, knit, Knit Stars, Knit Stars 3.0, knitting, Mary Jane Mucklestone, shetland

Oorik Pattern Reveal!!!

September 2, 2017 by Mary Jane 3 Comments

Oorik_MaryJaneMucklestone

I’m pleased as punch to reveal my contribution, Oorik, to the great new book A Year of Techniques by the ever-clever duo at Arnall-Culliford Knitwear, Jen and Jim.

Oorik is a sweet vest for the toddler in your life, the word Oorik which means “small person” in old Shetland dialect.

Knit in the round with just four colors. Of course never more than two are used in a single round. The sweet vest features two border patterns alternated with a single peerie pattern. I feel the colors are suitable for all genders, but they are easily substituted for you to dream up your own color scheme, which would be really fun. I can’t wait to see what folks come up with.

Steeking is the technique you’ll learn with Oorik. As with every project in this stellar book there is a technique to learn and master. Jen and Jim have made a video tutorial which will be go live on Mason-Dixon Knitting on 1st Feb 2018, the same date as a KAL will begin.

A Year of Techniques (with complimentary ebook) costs £19.99 plus shipping, or you can buy the ebook only for £19.99.

Visit Arnall-Culliford Knitwear to purchase.

A kit with the yarn will soon be available in their shop as well.

I hope you’ll join us for the KAL in February…if you can wait that long!

If I ever need cheering up I look at the many photos of Jen and Jim’s niece the vest. I know full well how challenging photographing a toddler can be – she is the cutest!!!

jen_ac_bath_138 jen_ac_bath_101 jen_ac_bath_097 jen_ac_bath_155 jen_ac_bath_157 jen_ac_bath_162 jen_ac_bath_125 jen_ac_bath_141

Filed Under: Patterns Tagged With: apparel, artisinal, color, colorwork, colour, fiber, fibre, handknitting, handmade, knit, knitting, knitting pattern, Mary Jane Mucklestone, Oorik, ravelry, shetland, steeking, stranded knitting, tutorial, Vest, wool, yarn

Foula Wool

December 12, 2016 by Mary Jane 1 Comment

foula_wool

I got a treat in the mail today, wool from one of the most remote, permanently inhabited islands in the UK, Foula, one of the Shetland Islands. The sheep on Foula are the least fussed with flock, living in isolation for a very long time, so their wool is probably the most like that of the original ancient Shetland breed of sheep.

The natural colors are beautiful, I got 2 balls of mioget and one ball of fawn. I intend to make a pair if Muckle Mitts so I can enjoy a good view of the yarn all winter! It feels surprisingly soft, which I was not expecting. Because the wool comes from such a small flock, several colors were sold out. I think that just adds to the charm. It seems pretty amazing that the wool can be ordered at all, and so lovely to receive with a handwritten thank you note.

It was easy to purchase online from the shepherds Magnus and Justyna Holburn who raise the sheep that grow the wool. Visit their website Foula Wool to learn more about it and to order. Don’t miss scrolling through the gorgeous sheep portraits taken by Magnus.

I hope to visit sometime, the ferry runs twice a week in the winter and 3 times a week in the summer. You’ve got to stay overnight. There’s good hiking with spectacular scenery and loads of birds to see. Foula means bird island in Old Norse. Sounds like an adventure I need to take!

Last summer, our group took a walk from the top of Sandness Hill, skirting the coast down to the beach at Deepdale and had spectacular views of Foula.

foula_hillside_group-1

foula_group-1

foula_cliff-1

foula_deepdale-1

Be sure to visit Kate Davie’s blog for an interview with Gudrun and I about our trips!

Learn more about Foula here!

Filed Under: Knitting, Travel Tagged With: foula wool, grandshetlandadventure, shetland, shetland wool, undyed, wool

Before Footer

Happy Fair Isle Friday. The sea brings solace. V Happy Fair Isle Friday.  The sea brings solace.  Veesik from my book Fair Isle Weekend knit with DK weight @jamiesonsofshetland Shetland wool. 
#fairislefriday #fairisleweekend #maryjanemucklestone #shetlandwool #fairisleknitting 📷 @jenireid 💃🏽@ellagordondesigns #fairisle
9 from last year. It was a wonderful year for me i 9 from last year. It was a wonderful year for me in so many ways, despite the strange and scary times. Number one was your number one too, baby Otis!  Thank you for all your support this year and the outpouring if love for my new book Fair Isle Weekend. 🙏 we’ve got some adventure and exploring ahead! Even if it’s in our own neighborhood. 🏡 🏔I’m glad we’ve started a new year. May it be happy and safe for everyone. ✨⭐️✨ 
Now go eat some black eyed peas! 
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#topnine #granny #fairisleweekend #fairisleweekendbook #knitting #norwegianpurl #demo #wearalltheknits
Have a lovely evening! #maine Have a lovely evening!
#maine
Happy Sunday in Maine! Clearing our heads at the b Happy Sunday in Maine! Clearing our heads at the beach.
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Twelve21 hats fresh off the needles ~ still 15%off through tonight. Secret code 1221
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#maine #twelve21hat @hiravelry #knittersofinstagram
Happiest of Holidays! Leelee the Wonder dog, Empre Happiest of Holidays! Leelee the Wonder dog, Empress of the Universe extends her love and benevolence to you all and every being on the planet and in our solar system and all other solar and other systems ✨ blessing on us all. On a personal note, Vogue Knitting Magazine arrived Christmas Eve! Such a gift!!! And and slide 3 The Man from Cebu Borneo is surrounded by special snowflake light!
✨ 
MeRrY mErRy🌟
Twelve21 !! Happy Solstice 🌞New pattern today! Twelve21 !! Happy Solstice 🌞New pattern today! Use code: 1221 for 15% off on @hi.ravelry thru Sunday ~ link in bio. Cozy cozy with super bulky or bulky yarn. Two skeins of @quinceandco Puffin made 2 hats (not including pompous) One already gifted and away! Many thanks to busy mommy Sophie for agreeing to an impromptu photo shoot. Pandemic make do - safety in the backyard! 
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In 3 sizes, shown grey in large, black in small. Medium was absconded with 🤣 I mean...gifted
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Newsletter subscribers check your on box for a special discount✨
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#Twelve21Hat #quickgift #knitgift #strandedknitting #strandedcolorwork #maryjanemucklestone #knittersofinstagram #knittingaddict #newpatternrelease
Happy Fair Isle Friday! Kuvvel is a cowl with a tw Happy Fair Isle Friday! Kuvvel is a cowl with a twist! Knit as a tube, given a turn and grafted together. I love testing out different color combinations. The two swatches on the left are simply rearrangements of the same 5 colors as the original. The monochromatic swatch on the right uses 4 shades of @woolfolk_yarn Tynd. The possibilities are endless! I even have a swatch that used glitter yarn, but it’s so hard to photograph! Which one do you like best? Have a great weekend friends - have some fun! Swipe for an example 😂
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 #fairisleweekend #kuvvel #fairisleweekendbook #fairisleknitting #shetland #fairislebook #knittingbook
#maryjanemucklestone #fairislefriday 
#lainepublishing #lainemagazine #strandedknitting #stickning #tricoter #stricken #neulonta  #編み物  #フェア 📷 photos 2&3: @jenireid
So happy to share with you what I was working on t So happy to share with you what I was working on this summer. Such an honor to work alongside editor and chief Norah Gaughan and art director Emily Jones, and with all the talented  designers, writers and photographers. Teamwork ❤️ 
Photo: @gretarybus 
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Repost from @vogueknittingmagazine
•
From pandemics to politics, the world has changed. I think you’ll agree that the next issue of Vogue Knitting has also changed radically. The issue is inclusive and diverse, and represents what Vogue Knitting is known for: solid, painstakingly accurate instruction and our signature fashion-forward designs. I want to thank Norah Gaughan and her team who put together such a uniquely different publication. I truly hope you find enjoyment in this well-crafted collection.⁠
⁠
Art Joinnides⁠
President⁠
SoHo Publishing Company

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