Jaime's Lush Sweater

If you're a regular blog reader, you probably know that Amber and I recently went on a wool-filled trip to Scotland. On the Isle of Skye, we visited Shilasdair yarns where I picked up three skeins of their Luxury dk yarn. This beautiful yarn was naturally dyed with Meadowsweet - a pasture-loving plant that grows everywhere on the island. On our way out of Scotland, we stopped at a local yarn shop in Edinburgh and I picked up a copy of the newly-released book, "Handmade in the UK" by Tin Can Knits. This pattern for the Lush cardigan is one of the many amazing patterns in the book and I knew it would be the perfect project for my special Skye yarn.

Trying to re-create the lush landscape of Skye in Denver Co.

Knitting a project from yarn acquired on a trip is a great way to honor and remember your travels. My new Lush cardigan will remind me of the lush rolling hills of Skye and the great adventures we had there. The color that was dyed from Meadowsweet is the best shade of yellow and is going to be a great addition to my fall wardrobe. The yarn is a blend of wool, angora, camel and silk, so it is super soft, but tight plies mean it should wear well over time.

The Lush cardigan was a quick knit for me. The lace yoke is knit first and then the top and bottom of the cardigan are knit with picked up stitches on the top and bottom band of the yoke. This unusual construction made the cardigan seem to come together super fast. The cardigan features optional waist shaping which I included on my size 33" cardigan. The back of the cardigan is lovely with the leaf lace pattern coming together perfectly in the center back.

I finished my cardigan with metal shield buttons - fitting for a Scottish cardigan. The button band is worked last and you can choose your own button placement and determine the best number of buttons for you. I love my new cardigan - you'll be seeing this one a lot this fall!

We have the Tin Can Knits "Handmade in the UK" book in stock as well as individual patterns for Lush. Unfortunately, you'll have to travel to the Isle of Skye to pick up some Shilasdair yarns. If you can't make the trip, we have plenty of amazing yarns that would be perfect for this cardigan. Anzula Oasis would be the closest in make up as it is a plied camel/silk blend. Madelinetosh Dk and Fibre Co. Acadia would also make lovely Lush cardigans!

Scotland Journey Part 6: Isle of Skye and Shilasdair Yarns!

On the last leg of our Scotland adventures we took the ferry back to the mainland and trekked west with Stephen West and our friend Katie to the Isle of Skye. The Isle of Skye does not have the rich knitting traditions of the Shetland islands, but there is still a big love of wool, knitting and sheep! We explored Skye's epically beautiful landscape and were, again, constantly surrounded by sheep. Most of the sheep on Skye are Scottish Blackface, but Skye is near the outer Hebrides and the Soay and Boray islands - home to Hebridian sheep and Soay and Boray sheep - all very rare breeds of sheep.

The Quiraing is a stunningly gorgeous landscape on Skye that made us feel like characters in the Lord of the Rings...

Amber, Stephen, Katie and Jaime hiked the Quiraing!

Stephen happy among his sheep friends

Picturesque sheep on the Quiraing

We also went to the Fairy Glen, a magical collection of mossy woods and conical shaped hills dotted with sheep. If you don't believe in fairies, just go here and it will change everything.

Antics with Jaime and Stephen and a fairy tree

An adorable Scottish Blackface sheep in the Fairy Glen

Sheep graze near stone spirals in the Fairy Glen

On the northern tip of Skye's Waternish peninsula lies the most picturesque yarn shop of all time - Shilasdair! Shilasdair yarns is amazing because Tony and Eva dye all their own yarns using natural dyes. A lot of the plant dyes they use are from plants found on Skye. We couldn't resist purchasing even more yarn for even more projects!

Shilasdair yarn shop by the sea

The Shilasdair spectrum of naturally dyed yarns

Beautiful hues of red dyed with Cochineal, Madder, and Logwood

Jaime's acquisition of yarn dyed with Meadowsweet

More Shetland wool yarn at Shilasdair

Thanks so much for reading about our Scotland adventures. It is a magical place with a deep history and appreciation of wool and knitting and we hope you can all go one day. If you need any advice or suggestions for your own trip, feel free to email us! Check back tomorrow for a bonus post, with more epic photos of our journey, and look forward to lovely Shetland yarns in the shop soon!