HUME SWEET HUME
With its tranquil pastel colours, and carefully curated window displays, it’s hard to resist stopping for a look at Hume Sweet Hume on Albert Street, Kirkwall. This homegrown, family run enterprise began in 1998, when sisters Lizza and Jenna Hume started making a range of cushions and throws from their kitchen table on the island of Westray.
Since then, the business has grown beyond its North Isles home, becoming very much a family affair. Lizza’s daughters, Megan and Aileen Bain, have helped to bring Hume Sweet Hume’s luxurious contemporary knitwear range to a wider clientele in Kirkwall.
“When we were growing up in Westray, quite a lot of folk had knitting machines,” recalls Lizza.
“It was our grandmother who really encouraged us to pursue art, as she had wanted to go to art college herself, but had ended up doing teaching instead.”
The sisters did indeed follow their creative side, studying south before returning home to share their talents.
“It’s a real community thing,” Lizza continues. “Our knitwear story starts in the yarn store of our workshop. From there, the cones are either distributed to our outworkers on our home island of Westray, in Kirkwall on Mainland Orkney, or they are knitted here in the workshop.
“Each piece is well travelled during its different stages of production, whether by road, sea or air. Regardless of its journey, the knitwear ends up back in the workshop in Westray to be finished, checked and washed, before being lovingly packed up and sent out to our customers.
“Our garments are knitted by hand, using domestic knitting machines. They are then finished by linking, or in many cases skilfully handcrafted. Many items travel between two or three ladies, who expertly complete each stage of the process using their particular skill. We are extremely lucky to have such a skilled group of people working with us.”
Hume Sweet Hume’s Orkney-made knitwear is crafted from luxurious natural fabrics, such as silk, lambswool and geelongora — a combination of geelong lambswool and angora to give the items a sumptuous feel.
Recent years have brought the launch of a new website and the company’s first ever men’s range, meaning even more customers are now able to enjoy this cosy, stylish apparel.
“When it comes to the website, and the social media side of things, Megan and Aileen have really been able to take the lead in reaching out to a wider audience,” adds Lizza.
“A lot of folk nowadays are buying online, and those who don’t often like to browse on the internet before they come in-store to make their purchase.”
Hume Sweet Hume’s luxury, easy-wear designs are complemented in their Kirkwall shop by Scandi-style clothes, homewares and gifts.
“We are proud of our Nordic heritage, so many of our products stocked in the shop have a northern twist,” Lizza says.
Alongside the knitwear from local designers Quernstone and Ingrid Stout, they stock simple, yet eye-catching clothing from brands ICHI and Byoung from Copenhagen. Ceramics from Hkliving also bring some Nordic style.
“We are also very keen on ethical and Fair Trade products,” says Lizza, who makes sure the shop features a wide range of ethical products, including Earth Squared bags and Nkuku ceramics and giftware.
In recent years, Hume Sweet Hume’s knitwear has found itself in the spotlight, when it was worn by British acting legend Joanna Lumley OBE in the feature film Falling for Figaro. Closer to home, the Hume Sweet Hume brand has gained its own reputation for quality.
Together, this family of creatives has cultivated a treasure trove of beautiful things. It’s the perfect place to visit, whether you want to adorn yourself or your home.