We chat with the Shetland designer and yarn maker
Shetlander Donna Smith carries on the traditions of her native islands through her beautiful designs and yarns. Juliet Bernard met her
THE ISLANDS of West and East Burra, with their white sandy beaches and beautiful shorelines, lie just ten miles from Shetland’s capital, Lerwick. Nestled in this beautiful location is Donna Smith’s home, on the croft that her grandparents farmed and where she grew up. Donna hasn’t come to designing knitwear through a traditional route – but then, the people who live in the Shetland Islands are resourceful, adaptable and, above all, creative.
Listening to Donna talk about her life is a joy, as she intersperses her native dialect in every sentence, and she speaks in rich, deep tones. She learned to knit in school at around five or six years old, and by the age of eleven she was knitting lace scarves which her granny would sell for her.
Donna went to the mainland to go to university in Aberdeen and, even though she really wanted to pursue an art degree, she took the sensible option and plumped for zoology so that she would be able to find work in the marine and fisheries industries back home. However, she yearned to be creative, and after a spell working at the North Atlantic Fisheries College, she took the plunge and went back to college to study a National Certificate in Art and Design.
It was only some six or so years ago that Donna once again picked up her needles, when she and a friend enrolled in an evening class to learn Fair Isle knitting – a class that she now teaches. That evening class gave her a way back to the knitting traditions of the islands, and keeping these skills alive is integral to Donna’s work as a teacher and a designer. She still proudly owns many items her mother knitted, as well as one precious pair of gloves from her granny. Because so many crofters were making items to sell, there are few examples left of their incredible skills.
Teaching traditions
In the 1970s most knitwear produced on the island was a valuable source of income to the crofters, but when the oil industry took off it made a huge difference to Shetland in so many ways. Once the women didn’t need to knit any more, many put down their needles. As a result, there is a generation of people in their 30s who missed out on learning these skills, and who are now eager to recapture their heritage. Donna’s evening classes help them to learn all the basic techniques of how to knit Fair Isle by producing a mini jumper over the course of 10 weeks under her expert and patient guidance.
She also teaches a hap class, and has helped Anderson High School, one of the schools where she works, with its knitting group. She is helping the next generation of knitters and designers such as Alyssa Malcolmson (who we profiled in Issue 132) to find their creative voice through knitting. Donna’s workshops at Shetland Wool Week give a valuable insight into the traditions she champions, and are an absolute must for knitters looking to improve their skills.
When Donna was invited to become the Patron of Shetland Wool Week in 2015, she had already established a fantastic reputation for her work in textiles including knitting. Her design style embraced her desire to create patterns for items that would be wearable, incorporating motifs or lace that were paired down and elegant – almost Scandinavian in style. You may have seen her ‘Houlland’ shawl in The Book of Haps by Kate Davies, but it is well worth having a search on Ravelry where you will find such signature patterns as ‘Shallmillens Snood’ and ‘The Good Years’ hat. Sometimes she will incorporate traditional motifs, but often she brings a more graphic style to her work that is both refreshing and striking.
An island yarn
Last year, Donna decided to branch out by creating her own yarn, using the fleece of the sheep on her family croft, as well as some of her neighbours’ fleece. Called Langsoond, after a strip of water on Burra, the yarn is a DK-weight and comes in four natural colours, although the shades may vary year on year depending on the clip and the colour of the lambs.
Donna gathers in the fleece and sorts and skirts it before it makes its way to Cornwall to be spun by yarn expert Sue Blacker at the Natural Fibre Company. The yield of 350 kilograms is substantial enough to meet demand, yet is still manageable for Donna. The 2018 clip will be available to buy in spring 2019 - but make sure you keep an eye out because Donna’s fans all over the world rush to buy the gentle shades. If you are going to Shetland Wool Week next year, she will be selling her yarn in kits at the famous Makers Market where you can meet the designer herself.
– Discover Donna’s patterns, yarns and workshops at www.donnasmithdesigns.co.uk