After 150 years, the Fair Isle cap still fits

By Martyn McLaughlin
Published on Saturday 29 October 2011 21:26

IT WAS knitted by the womenfolk on Britain’s most remote inhabited island in order to barter with passing boats, only to be lost for centuries.

But now, what is believed to be the earliest surviving example of Fair Isle knitting has been returned to the Shetland Islands after a craftswoman spotted it on eBay.

The traditional woollen cap, which dates back to the middle of the 19th century, was discovered during a house move in London and was nearly thrown out, only to be put up for sale on the internet auction site.

While few buyers seemed willing to stump up for the relic, one observant knitting enthusiast recognised its potential age, and promptly bought it with a winning bid of just £7.39. The cap, which features the classic Fair Isle OXO pattern copied by knitters the world over, has now been donated to Shetland Museum and Archives, where specialists praised the “fantastic” find.

Already, the item has attracted hosts of tourists and work is now under way to learn more about its creation, with Fair Isle experts noticing some patterns on the cap never seen before.

Dr Carol Christiansen, textile curator at the Lerwick-based museum, told Scotland on Sunday: “The cap is the oldest example of Fair Isle knitting we have at the museum. We think it dates to the mid-19th century, although it’s hard to know exactly. It’s a very, very old and rare piece, the sort of thing that just does not surface very often.”

The cap was bought from a Kent-based seller on eBay by Masami Yokoyama, a keen knitter from Japan who now lives in London. She was in Shetland this month on holiday as part of a trip organised by Jamieson and Smith Ltd, a local wool brokers, when she handed her find over to museum staff to take pride of place in their textile collection. “I’m thrilled that it has been added to the collection,” she said.

Christiansen recalled: “When Ms Yokoyama showed it to me I could tell it was very old and valuable in terms of our collection.”

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