Scotland Journey Part 1: Ysolda's Edinburgh Studio

-jaime

Amber and I recently got back from our own self-guided fiber tour of Scotland! We have come back filled with amazing inspiration, stories, and new yarn acquisitions that we want to share with you all. We traveled with Scottish knitting designer, Ysolda Teague, designer Stephen West, and Malia Mather of Penelope Craft in Amsterdam to the Shetland islands, home of Fair Isle knitting, Shetland lace hap shawls and, of course, Shetland sheep. We then headed west to the mystical Isle of Skye with Stephen and our friend Katie for even more woolly adventures. Stay tuned to our blog for the next week to read all about our adventures in this magical land. Our travels started in the fine city of Edinburgh - home to Ysolda!

Ysolda picks out buttons for a new baby sweater design

Ysolda was kind enough to give us a tour of her studio in Edinburgh! Edinburgh is a beautiful historic city. While in Edinburgh, we were able to explore delicious local food, beautiful parks and historic landmarks. Ysolda's studio is located in a fun part of town full of local restaurants, boutiques, and coffeeshops - kind of like Broadway in Denver if it were on a narrow, cobble-stoned street.

Amber, Ysolda, and Jaime, just chillin' in Edinburgh

Ysolda's studio is small, but very functional and organized. There are computer stations for her and her assistants. An inspiration wall of swatches sits behind Ysolda's desk and her collection of Shetland wool yarn is displayed in colorful round bins on her wall.

Ysolda has everything she needs for designing patterns right at her fingertips. It was fun to see how she organizes her materials and tools. Drawers full of yarn ready to knit are labeled and organized by yarn company. Ysolda's bookshelf is filled with knitting books and stitch pattern references to answer any quandary or lend inspiration to a design.

Ysolda is hard at work designing!

There are labeled bins containing everything from buttons to ribbon to needles and notions. She also has color cards from every yarn company under the sun in well organized file folders so she can easily plan a design and order the perfect colors from any yarn line.

Ysolda is all about fit, so it is no surprise to see professional dress forms in her studio in various sizes. Her patterns reflect her commitment to helping people make garments that are flattering on a variety of body shapes and sizes. 

A Cria sweater is displayed on a dress form

The most amazing thing about Ysolda's studio is her secret garden - an adorable outdoor courtyard, perfect for sharing a cup of coffee from nearby Artisan Roast on a nice day! Thanks for the tour, Ysolda! 

Ysolda's adorably overgrown outdoor courtyard

On Monday read all about what happens when 5 knitters descend upon Shetland!