A love letter to Shetland

A few years ago I got the opportunity to travel to Shetland on one of Gudrun and Mary Jane’s Grand Shetland Adventure trips. To this day, it’s one of the best travel experiences I’ve ever had. Shetland is a magical, blustery place and I got to spend time focusing on things that bring me so much joy — knitting, good company, and nature.

Mary Jane and Gudrun know all the amazing places to visit around the islands and are impeccably organized. And did I mention we got to stay in the coziest place right by the sea where they served us gourmet food for breakfast and dinner? We had long strolls along the beach and on grassy cliffs with sheep and ponies nearby, mill tours, and visits to museums and cafes. Just describing it brings a happy glow back to me.

So when I saw that they had written a book to celebrate the Grand Shetland Adventure experience, I was immediately excited! And this book is even more beautiful than I expected.

Laine, the publisher sent me two copies of Grand Shetland Adventure Knits for free — one to keep and one to give away, so I’ll share giveaway details at the end of this post.

A book on a white background with Andrea’s hand just in the frame. The book is called Grand Shetland Adventure Knits by Gudrun Johnston & Mary Jane Mucklestone. The cover photo is over Gudrun wearing a gold shawl that’s waving in the wind. — A book on a white background with Andrea’s hand just in the frame. The book is called *Grand Shetland Adventure Knits* by Gudrun Johnston & Mary Jane Mucklestone. The cover photo is over Gudrun wearing a gold shawl that’s waving in the wind.

What’s in the Book

The book is made up of 14 knitting patterns, 4 travel stories, and loads of dreamy photos. It’s got a hefty, textured hard cover with dimensions that are a bit smaller than standard, so it feels like a precious object.

To me, the images throughout give it the feeling of an inviting coffee table book, that’s just as good for browsing as it is for using to knit from. The heavy matte paper mellows the vibrant colours and gives the whole thing a comfortable, well-loved vibe.

Knitting Patterns

Of course, any good knitting book should make a person feel like they must cast on right away and I definitely got that sensation! The pattern that calls to me the most is the Ling V-Neck by Mary Jane. It may have been the first thing I saw from the book on Instagram a few months ago and I’ll admit I was partly influenced by Mary Jane’s absolutely perfect hair in the photo, but the sweater grabbed me too! It’s got the perfect combination of decoration and simplicity that I love. I can picture myself making this in some grey, beige, and gold neutrals and I’m itching to search my stash and get swatching!

Gudrun’s Cake Fridge Hat is a close second. I knit a Bousta Beanie on my way home from my Shetland trip and it’s beloved in my collection, so I’m very into making another one of her wonderful colourwork hats.

And what about the gorgeous socks? Both Mary Jane’s Downstairs Socks and Gudrun’s Bousta socks are calling to me!

I’m laughing at myself as I write this because I keep flipping through and finding more things I’d like to knit. (I lost the traditional Shetland gloves I bought on my trip, so it’s only right that I should knit a pair of Snow Treasure gloves. And that moody green Lucky Lines sweater!) Really, all of the designs are gems.

I’ll temper my enthusiasm by saying that I haven’t actually knit anything from the book, so I can’t speak from my own experience about the patterns. But Mary Jane and Gudrun are both very experienced pattern writers and I know that had a brilliant editing team, so I’m confident the patterns will be a joy.

And I haven’t even mentioned the travel stories yet! I sat with this book over coffee the other morning just to read each one. They’re really a lovely dive into what it’s like to be there and I encourage you to take a trip with them even if you can’t get yourself all the way to Shetland just yet.

Giveaway!

Thanks to Laine, the publisher, I’ve got an extra copy of this beautiful book to give away! To enter, just subscribe to my email newsletter. I’ll pick a winner at random from my email list on November 8, 2023. So if you already get my letter on Wednesday mornings, you’re automatically entered to win! Thank you for being a subscriber!

My Own Grand Shetland Adventure

If you’re curious about my trip, here are some blog posts I wrote when I got back.

Have you been to Shetland?

Or have you taken any other knitting trips? Tell me about your journeys or your dream journey in the comments!

Grand Shetland Adventure Book Review