Knit Your Way Through Scotland RECAP

I'm just back from an incredible trip to Scotland with 18 fabulous knitters and crocheters. We spent a week touring the mainland of Scotland, focusing on Edinburgh and Inverness, with stops in-between as we took workshops and visited fascinating historical sites. Here are some of the highlights:

Visiting the Highland Cows ("Coos")

First and Foremost: The yarn shops we visited and loved (in order of visit):

Ginger Twist in Edinburgh

Moulin Yarns in Pitlochry

The Caledonian Wool Co in Fort William

Yarn Cake in Glasgow

For the Love of Yarn in Glasgow

DAY 1: The Tour Begins!

We had a wonderful first day getting to know one another during our workshop at Dovecot Studios in Edinburgh. There, we learned some basic tapestry weaving techniques and toured the exhibition that was there. After weaving, we took a walking tour of Edinburgh and learned about Scotland's history and government. Our welcome dinner was delicious!

Day 2: Edinburgh

In the morning, we visited the Witches' Well near Edinburgh Castle, then we popped over to Ginger Twist yarn shop and it did not disappoint! After picking out some beautiful yarn, some tour members visited Holyrood Palace while I and others went to Calton Hill. We lucked out there, because there was a rehearsal for the Beltane festival - an ancient Scottish festival of fertility - happening that day. It was fascinating to watch the performers practice and to learn about the festival. Later that afternoon, we had an incredible underground ghost tour.

Day 3: Art and Castles

We toured the V & A Dundee and got to see the incredible exhibits being shown. After lunch in Dundee, we visited Glamis Castle and learned about its history. The tours on Day 3, particularly the juxtaposition between new architecture/modern art and older architecture and historical relics, were very interesting. We also had our first group-Highland-Cow-sighting!

Day 4: How It's Made - Yarn Edition

We started our day at the Scottish Crannog Centre and learned about life in the Iron Age in Scotland. We tried our hands at weaving, nalbinding (a yarn stitching craft that predates knitting and crochet), tin casting, and making wire jewelry. After a hearty lunch there, we met David and Linda of Moulin Yarns for a yarn processing demonstration and some fabulous yarn shopping.

We were even treated to a Scottish welcome at our hotel that night with a bagpiper greeting us a we got off the bus!

Day 5: Loch Ness and Inverness

We began our day searching for Nessie on a Loch Ness cruise. We then had a wonderful tour of the Glen Ord whiskey distillery and learned all about how whiskey is made. The last stop of the day was the Highland House of Fraser Kiltmaking Studio. We then had a relaxing evening, knitting together at our hotel.

Day 6: Needle Felting and Becoming One With Nature

Caledonian Yarn Company welcomed us to their studio and we made the most beautiful keepsakes of our trip - needle felted pasture scenes that could have been a view from the bus as we toured together. Jam was a phenomenal teacher and we love our flocks. After a morning of needle felting fun, we drove to the Glencoe Visitor Center where we learned about the spectacular mountain range on the west of Scotland. Some of us walked to the hotel from the Visitor Center to get even more time with nature.

At dinner that night, we had show-and-tell of our favorite projects on the trip and we even danced a bit to music by a kilt-clad guitarist.

Day 7: Our Last Hurrahs

Our day started with a trip to Inveraray Castle, a stunning and ornately decorated castle. We then made our way to Glasgow and visited Yarn Cake, a yarn shop that also sells tea and cake (so fun!). We had seen one of Miss Cranston's tea rooms at the V & A Dundee, so our next stop was to the Miss Cranston Tea Room in Glasgow for high tea. It was fantastic! We then visited For the Love of Yarn and got to buy even MORE Scottish yarns to bring home and knit.

We had a lovely farewell dinner and can't wait to travel together again!

During the trip, the travelers worked on some of the projects I'd designed with Scotland in mind. We made Scottish Thistle Bookmarks, Scotch Pearl Necklaces, and Tartan Plaid Cowls.

One of my favorite memories of the trip is of our driver, Bob, asking me to repair a sweater he had purchased for his father, who passed away over 20 years ago. He knew that he'd be driving a rowdy group of knitters around Scotland for the week and packed the sweater just in case one of us could help him. Of course it was my pleasure to repair the sweater. Bob was so grateful that he could wear the sweater again and think of his father. It was wonderful to see him wearing it on the trip.

I can't wait for the next trip - I hope you'll be on it!