A full week

This week we have been doing all sorts of things.

It is the week when not only is His Royal Highness Prince Charles in the islands to, among other things, meet representatives of Wool Week - he is the Patron of the Campaign for Wool - but our very own Ann Sutton arrives for a day! Ann, who will be well-known to weavers and artists in the UK, created the Ann Autton Foundation which is now housed in the studios in Yell, and has been hugely influential in making me a weaver. We cannot wait to see you, both, Ann and fellow-traveller Isobel. 

We have also been sending new tweeds off to the finishers to be washed and pressed. Alexa has created a really lovely fabric with white, pink, blue and green; fresh, lively colours which will be used to make wraps and throws.

Now a new warp (right) is going onto one of our beams which is a combined effort by 'Lex and me. The colours are coming from a painting of a Shetland wave (left), and we will be making thirty metres of this fabric. 

The heat that much of the rest of the country has been experiencing has not made its way up to the isles. We have beautiful weather; not too hot or too cold. The sunshine is doing a power of good to the flowers and plants and our roadsides and sea edges are full of yellow, pink, red and purple. This is a great time of year to be outside, gathering ideas and inspiration for the winter production. 

One of our Swiss students, Nina, on the summer residencies has gone now, and Regula is weaving for another couple of weeks in the studio. Next year we are offering residencies again and more details about those will be added to the website and blog over the next few weeks. Maggie has been busy making products for sale: wraps, cushions, scarves and blankets. All in all, the studio has been productive and busy. 

For those of you in the summer heat here are some pictures of Shetland to cool you down. And for those of you in the depths of winter these same pictures will remind you of the warmer time of year and the life that comes with that.