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# Virtual Yarns

Home of Alice Starmore Hand Knitting Yarns & Designs

## Sitemaps

- [XML Sitemap](https://virtualyarns.com/sitemap.xml): Contains all public & indexable URLs for this website.

## Pages

- [Home Page](https://virtualyarns.com/) - Virtual Yarns: the showcase of Scottish textile designer Alice Starmore; luxury pure wool yarns and hand knitting designs available exclusively from our shop.
- [Yarn Stock Page](https://virtualyarns.com/yarn-stock-page/) - Current Yarn Stock Our Hebridean Yarns are artisan products, made from premium quality pure new Britsh wool. Each component shade used in each colour is separately dyed in the fleece before being skillfully blended to make each of the complex colours in the range. This means that each new dyelot takes time to make, so
- [Tutorials & Techniques](https://virtualyarns.com/tutorials-techniques/) - Our in-depth tutorial section with articles, photographs and videos of a variety of hand knitting techniques.
- [Shop](https://virtualyarns.com/virtualyarnsshop/) - Virtual Yarns is the home of Alice Starmore Yarns and Designs. We have our own range of unique luxury pure wool yarns, a wealth of hand knitting pattern kits, and knitting books that have become famous standard texts with accompanying yarn packs.
- [Buttons & Beads](https://virtualyarns.com/buttons-and-buttons/) - Buttons & Beads The Button & Bead Class teaches you how to knit, stuff, embroider and felt buttons and beads and also how to make cords for stringing beads. These little felted projects are the ideal way to finish your garments. You can use scraps left over from any of our kits and yarn packs
- [Delivery Information](https://virtualyarns.com/delivery-information/) - Delivery Information Are You Ordering from outside the UK? Virtual Yarns is based in Scotland, which is in the UK. Customs officials in countries outside the UK may levy VAT/taxes or handling/duty charges/tariffs on incoming packages from other countries. Customs charges vary from country to country. Some countries may have no charges, others may have
- [Latest News](https://virtualyarns.com/news/latest-news/) - News Keep up with our latest news and catch up with anything you might have missed by browsing our newsletters. We upload a new newsletter at the end of each month. February Newsletter January Newsletter
- [St Kilda Collection](https://virtualyarns.com/st-kilda-collection/) - The St Kilda Collection Our current project - The St Kilda Collection - is growing steadily. A mixture of patterncard kits and online courses, these designs are inspired by the landscape and culture of the archipelago of St Kilda, one of the most remote areas of the Outer Hebrides. This collection is designed so that
- [Newsletter February](https://virtualyarns.com/newsletter-february/) - Dear Knitter, Over the last year I have been working on designs for the legendary Heroine character of our St Kilda Collection. This powerful character is defined by crisp lines and textures, huntress colours and military-style touches. I am happy to be able to give you a first glimpse of this set of designs (which
- [News](https://virtualyarns.com/news/) - News & Archives We are constantly adding to our website - new designs, articles, video talks and tutorials, stories and more. You can catch up with what happened last year in our 2025 News Archive. You can check our Current Yarn Stock for yarn updates or you can look at our 2026 Newsletters in Latest News.
- [Summer Isle](https://virtualyarns.com/summer-isle/) - The Alice Starmore Hebridean 2 Ply range of hand knitting yarn is inspired by four different aspects of the Hebridean landscape. The Summer Isle range has nine colours, each with their own special character.
- [Sea & Shoreline](https://virtualyarns.com/sea-shoreline/) - The Alice Starmore Hebridean 2 Ply range of hand knitting yarn is inspired by four different aspects of the Hebridean landscape. The Sea & Shoreline range has nine colours, each with their own special character.
- [Birds](https://virtualyarns.com/birds/) - The Alice Starmore Hebridean 2 Ply range of hand knitting yarn is inspired by four different aspects of the Hebridean landscape. The birds range has nine colours, each with their own special character.
- [Moor & Mountain](https://virtualyarns.com/moor-mountain/) - The Alice Starmore Hebridean 2 Ply range of hand knitting yarn is inspired by four different aspects of the Hebridean landscape. The Moor & Mountain range has nine colours, each with their own special character.
- [USA Customs Update](https://virtualyarns.com/usa-customs-update/) - USA Based Customers We are open to orders from the USA and have been sending with no issues since the 29th of August. Delivery times are the same as usual. The US Government has imposed a tariff on packages entering the USA. Currently the rate for UK origin goods is 10%. We are using the
- [Purchase Information](https://virtualyarns.com/purchase-information/) - Purchase information for Alice Starmore Yarns & Designs.
- [Newsletter January](https://virtualyarns.com/newsletter-january/) - Dear Knitter, We are starting off 2026 by bringing you the Kimberley Jacket as a patterncard kit. This was a much requested design at the end of last year, so we have brought it back in 5 sizes and a choice of colours from our Hebridean 2 Ply range. This striking jacket will have a
- [Hat Sets](https://virtualyarns.com/design-stock/hat-sets/) - Current Stock Hats, Gloves & Collars Our designs are available in two forms - patterncard kits and yarn packs for book designs. Our patterncard kits include a full colour patterncard with instructions and all the yarn required for making your chosen size. Our yarn packs contain all the yarn required for making your chosen size
- [Pullovers](https://virtualyarns.com/design-stock/pullovers/) - Current Stock Pullovers & Ponchos Our designs are available in two forms - patterncard kits and yarn packs for book designs. Our patterncard kits include a full colour patterncard with instructions and all the yarn required for making your chosen size. Our yarn packs contain all the yarn required for making your chosen size using
- [Wraps & Scarves](https://virtualyarns.com/design-stock/wraps-scarves/) - Current Stock Wraps & Blankets Our designs are available in two forms - patterncard kits and yarn packs for book designs. Our patterncard kits include a full colour patterncard with instructions and all the yarn required for making your chosen size. Our yarn packs contain all the yarn required for making your chosen size using
- [Waistcoats & Vests](https://virtualyarns.com/design-stock/waistcoats-vests/) - Current Stock Waistcoats & Vests Our designs are available in two forms - patterncard kits and yarn packs for book designs. Our patterncard kits include a full colour patterncard with instructions and all the yarn required for making your chosen size. Our yarn packs contain all the yarn required for making your chosen size using
- [Hebridean 2 Ply Range](https://virtualyarns.com/hebridean-2-ply-shadecard/) - Alice Starmore® Hebridean 2 Ply luxury pure wool yarn range is dyed in the fleece and meticulously blended to unique recipes created by Alice, based on her interpretations of the landscape of the Outer Hebrides of Scotland.
- [2025 News Archive](https://virtualyarns.com/news/2025-news-archive/) - 2025 News Archive In 2025 we added 19 patterncard kits to our website, bringing new and old designs into our patterncard kit collection. From the Persian Tiles Wrap, the full Glamourie collection, a new video class kit with the Greeta Cardigan and many others. We also added three new colours to our Hebridean 3 Ply
- [Our Designs](https://virtualyarns.com/our-designs/) - Alice Starmore knitwear designs guarantee creativity and technical innovation. Virtual Yarns offers a dazzling range of Starmore expertise in the form of Patterncard Kits, Books and Yarn Packs.
- [Privacy Policy](https://virtualyarns.com/privacy-policy/) - Virtual Yarns Privacy Policy We are required by law to clearly and simply explain what personal data we collect and the reasons why we collect it. Here is our Privacy Policy in a nutshell ... We collect the bare minimum of personal data and use it only for the core business purposes of accounts,
- [Cookie Policy (CA)](https://virtualyarns.com/cookie-policy-ca/) - This page was last changed on December 4, 2025, last checked on December 4, 2025 and applies to citizens and legal permanent residents of Canada. 1. Introduction Our website, https://virtualyarns.com (hereinafter: "the website") uses cookies and other related technologies (for convenience all technologies are referred to as "cookies"). Cookies are also placed by third parties
- [Cookie Policy (AU)](https://virtualyarns.com/cookie-policy-au/) - This page was last changed on December 4, 2025, last checked on December 4, 2025 and applies to citizens of Australia. 1. Introduction Our website, https://virtualyarns.com (hereinafter: "the website") uses cookies and other related technologies (for convenience all technologies are referred to as "cookies"). Cookies are also placed by third parties we have engaged. In
- [Cookie Policy (ZA)](https://virtualyarns.com/cookie-policy-za/) - This Cookie Policy was last updated on December 4, 2025 and applies to citizens and legal permanent residents of South Africa. 1. Introduction Our website, https://virtualyarns.com (hereinafter: "the website") uses cookies and other related technologies (for convenience all technologies are referred to as "cookies"). Cookies are also placed by third parties we have engaged. In
- [Cookie Policy (BR)](https://virtualyarns.com/cookie-policy-br/) - This Cookie Policy was last updated on December 4, 2025 and applies to citizens and legal permanent residents of Brazil. 1. Introduction Our website, https://virtualyarns.com (hereinafter: "the website") uses cookies and other related technologies (for convenience all technologies are referred to as "cookies"). Cookies are also placed by third parties we have engaged. In the
- [Cookie Policy (EU)](https://virtualyarns.com/cookie-policy-eu/) - This Cookie Policy was last updated on December 4, 2025 and applies to citizens and legal permanent residents of the European Economic Area and Switzerland. 1. Introduction Our website, https://virtualyarns.com (hereinafter: "the website") uses cookies and other related technologies (for convenience all technologies are referred to as "cookies"). Cookies are also placed by third parties
- [Cookie Policy (UK)](https://virtualyarns.com/cookie-policy-uk/) - This Cookie Policy was last updated on December 4, 2025 and applies to citizens and legal permanent residents of the United Kingdom. 1. Introduction Our website, https://virtualyarns.com (hereinafter: "the website") uses cookies and other related technologies (for convenience all technologies are referred to as "cookies"). Cookies are also placed by third parties we have engaged.
- [Opt-out preferences](https://virtualyarns.com/opt-out-preferences/) - This page was last changed on December 4, 2025, last checked on December 4, 2025 and applies to citizens and legal permanent residents of the United States. 1. Introduction Our website, https://virtualyarns.com (hereinafter: "the website") uses cookies and other related technologies (for convenience all technologies are referred to as "cookies"). Cookies are also placed by
- [Cardigans](https://virtualyarns.com/design-stock/cardigans/) - Current Stock Cardigans & Jackets Our designs are available in two forms - patterncard kits and yarn packs for book designs. Our patterncard kits include a full colour patterncard with instructions and all the yarn required for making your chosen size. Our yarn packs contain all the yarn required for making your chosen size using
- [Hebridean 3 Ply Range](https://virtualyarns.com/hebridean-3-ply/) - Alice Starmore® Hebridean 3 Ply luxury pure wool yarn range is dyed in the fleece and meticulously blended to unique recipes created by Alice, based on her interpretations of the landscape of the Outer Hebrides of Scotland.
- [Newsletter November](https://virtualyarns.com/newsletter-november/) - Dear Knitter, We have been very busy this November preparing for photoshoots and adding three new patterncard kits to the website. The Persian Tiles Wrap is a dramatic design suitable for all abilities. It can be made in your own choice from my Hebridean 2 Ply yarn range, so it is easy to personalise and
- [Persian Tiles](https://virtualyarns.com/persian-tiles/) - A look at the Persian Tiles hand knitting design by Jade Starmore, which is an ideal project for someone new to the stranded technique.
- [Newsletter October](https://virtualyarns.com/newsletter-october/) - Dear Knitter, We are ending October with a new patterncard design to bring some summer lochside colour to the shortening days. The Waterlily Cardigan is inspired by the exquisite waterlilies that grace the lochs of the Hebridean moorland in midsummer. This design is a classic straight shape with dropped shoulders, vertical panels of waterlily flowerheads,
- [Follow Us](https://virtualyarns.com/follow-us/) - Follow Virtual Yarns and Alice Starmore on Facebook, Instagram or Pintrest, or subscribe to our monthly newsletter.
- [Newsletter September](https://virtualyarns.com/newsletter-september/) - Dear Knitter, I wanted to begin this newsletter with a quick update for everyone. Our Greeta Cardigan and Hat Set (which sold out shortly after our last newsletter) are both back in stock. You can see the cardigan and gloves from the hat set worn here by Nataliia with a very autumnal look. You can
- [Video Class Kits](https://virtualyarns.com/video-class-kits/) - Video Class Kits Our video class kits come with a patterncard containing full instructions along with all of the yarn required for the design, plus access to online video tutorials for the relevant project. Each of these projects provides skill and technique development that will help you to enhance your knitting knowledge. The Briodag kit
- [Newsletter August](https://virtualyarns.com/newsletter-august/) - Dear Knitter, This month we have a new design in our patterncard kits collection. The Greeta Cardigan is a circular-yoked design in six sizes, with a beautiful autumnal colour palette. This patterncard kit design also comes with access to a focused video class taking you through the unique shaping of the upper body in preparation
- [Newsletter July](https://virtualyarns.com/newsletter-july/) - Dear Knitter, We are open to orders again after our summer break. During July Jade and I were busy photographing our new 3 Ply colour, working on weaving projects and welcoming our summer calves. You can see images of Emma here from our July photoshoot on the shoreline wearing the Faroe pullover, Hirta gloves, St
- [Newsletter June](https://virtualyarns.com/newsletter-june/) - Dear Knitter, This month our newsletter is a little early because we will be taking our summer holiday soon. Our website checkout will be closed between the 3rd and the 26th of July, so if you are looking for summer projects make sure you order before we close for the holiday. June has been all
- [Newsletter May](https://virtualyarns.com/newsletter-may/) - Dear Knitter, To celebrate the long, light days of summer which we are now enjoying in the Hebrides, we are bringing you a new patterncard kit design. The Queen Anne's Lace cardigan and beret is inspired by a plant more commonly known as cow parsley, which bedecks our machair, crofts and roadsides during the summer
- [Newsletter April](https://virtualyarns.com/newsletter-april/) - Dear Knitter, This month we have added the Glamourie Patterncard Collection to the website and we will be adding designs in to it over the next couple of months. We have started with the Lapwing Pullover, which is a delicate cropped and shaped design featuring a contrast peplum with a felted appliqué detail and bell sleeves. The
- [Design Stock](https://virtualyarns.com/design-stock/) - Current Design Stock In this section you can keep up with our current design stock, with both patterncard kits and yarn packs displayed according to garment type. This section will update whenever designs come in and out of stock. Cardigans Pullovers Hats, Gloves and Collars Wraps, Scarves & Blankets Waistcoats & Vests
- [Glamourie](https://virtualyarns.com/home-page/alice-starmore-glamourie/) - Glamourie is a Scots word meaning a charmed condition in which everything is invested with magical properties and possibilities. In this unique book of illustrative costumes and counterpart wearable, patterned designs with full instructions, Alice Starmore leads us into the realm of Glamourie.
- [Newsletter March](https://virtualyarns.com/newsletter-march/) - Dear Knitter, We have been very lucky with the weather this month which has allowed us to get out and about with our latest knitted pieces. I have made a Strathspey in our Solan Goose shade of 3 Ply which we were able to photograph on Rebecca on the East Coast of Scotland. The Strathspey
- [Yarn Colour Palettes](https://virtualyarns.com/yarn-colour-palettes/) - Yarn Colour Palettes Alice Starmore™ Hebridean Yarns are based on the land, seas, seasons and wildlife of the Outer Hebrides Innumerable effects can be achieved when shades are worked with each other in knitting, weaving, felting, embroidery, needlepoint and tapestry. A palette can be inspired by anything that appeals to the individual. The palettes on
- [Works in Progress](https://virtualyarns.com/works-in-progress/) - Works in Progress Whatever your skill level it is good to have a visual reference of the construction processes involved in hand knitted garments. We have a wide variety of free tutorials covering a range of knitting techniques which you can watch me demonstrate. This particular page is dedicated to showing some of our works
- [Why steek dot scot](https://virtualyarns.com/why-steek-dot-scot/) - Why steek dot scot ? Once upon a time there was an esoteric Scottish knitting technique that had no name. It didn’t need one as it was never mentioned and never written down – it was simply passed on by demonstration at the fireside ... ... but in 1985 I was invited to travel from
- [Weaving](https://virtualyarns.com/weaving/) - There is endless creative scope with colour patterns for weaving in either Hebridean 2 Ply or 3 Ply, which is also strong enough to warp with.
- [Video Tutorials](https://virtualyarns.com/video-tutorials/) - Alice Starmore demonstrates and talks about a variety of hand-knitting techniques
- [Tudor Roses](https://virtualyarns.com/alice-starmore-tudor-roses/) - The book Tudor Roses (Calla Editions, 2013) by Alice Starmore contains fourteen designs inspired by women of the Tudor Dynasty.
- [Thoughts In Stone](https://virtualyarns.com/thoughts-in-stone/) - Thoughts In Stone “Preserve the thought that went into the placement of every stone; it’s all we have left of the people” These words were spoken by The National Trust for Scotland's resident archaeologist Craig Stanford as he gave our work party a guided tour around St Kilda village. They resonated powerfully with me, for
- [The Witch Hare](https://virtualyarns.com/the-witch-hare/) - The Witch Hare The Witch Hare design began as one of Jade's creative exercises, where she took her fairy-tale inspiration from one of my mixed media artworks. It depicts the ancient Highland legend of a witch who can transform into a white hare and run about the mountaintops. I was captivated by Jade's portrayal of
- [The Selkie](https://virtualyarns.com/the-selkie/) - The Selkie costume by Alice Starmore from the book Glamourie.
- [The Sea Anemone Story](https://virtualyarns.com/the-sea-anemone-story/) - The Sea Anemone The Sea Anemone was written by Jade for our book Glamourie. Many world-renowned fairy stories have been sanitised over the years, their darker edges removed and happy endings added. This is not the case with the majority of Scottish stories, in which the themes of castles and princesses rarely appear. Instead there
- [The Sea Anemone](https://virtualyarns.com/the-sea-anemone/) - The Sea Anemone costume by Alice Starmore from the book Glamourie.
- [The Raven](https://virtualyarns.com/the-raven/) - The Raven costume by Alice Starmore from the book Glamourie.
- [The Queen of the Waves](https://virtualyarns.com/the-queen-of-the-waves/) - The Queen of the Waves It is evident from the extensive archaeology on Hiort that in spite of its remote and forbidding location, people travelled to and fro for many centuries, if not thousands of years. One has to be a good sailor to get there, unless a rare spell of calm weather quells the
- [The Otter](https://virtualyarns.com/the-otter/) - The Otter costume by Jade Starmore from the book Glamourie.
- [The Mountain Hare](https://virtualyarns.com/the-mountain-hare/) - The Mountain Hare costume by Alice Starmore from the book Glamourie.
- [The Lapwing](https://virtualyarns.com/the-lapwing/) - The Lapwing costume by Alice Starmore from the book Glamourie.
- [The Lady Of The Mist](https://virtualyarns.com/the-lady-of-the-mist/) - The Lady of the Mist Mist can appear in a matter of seconds, as if conjured by some silent spirit of the archipelago. That is why it would be foolish to venture around Hiort without a light. It is also wise to turn around frequently to memorize your position and keep an eye out in
- [The Kelpie's Tears Project](https://virtualyarns.com/the-kelpies-tears-project/) - The Kelpie's Tears Project & Tutorials For a introduction to openwork at beginner level The Kelpie's Tears is an ideal quick first project. Download the PDF instructions below, have a look at the images of the finished design and then watch the instructional videos to make your own shawl and learn the basics of openwork.
- [The Kelpie's Tears](https://virtualyarns.com/the-kelpies-tears/) - The Kelpie's Tears It amuses me to write stories sometimes, and on these occasions I don the persona of my alter-ego, Celia Matheson. Celia is an obvious anagram; Matheson is my maiden name. This psychological ploy allows me to keep fact and fancy under two separate hats, and literally keeps the kelpies from the k2togs.
- [The Kelpie](https://virtualyarns.com/the-kelpie/) - The Kelpie & the Accordionist It amuses me to write stories sometimes, and on these occasions I don the persona of my alter-ego, Celia Matheson. Celia is an obvious anagram; Matheson is my maiden name. This psychological ploy allows me to keep fact and fancy under two separate hats, and literally keeps the kelpies from
- [The House Of Feathers](https://virtualyarns.com/the-house-of-feathers/) - The House Of Feathers Nothing to my mind represents the beginning of life on this earth more perfectly than an egg. In early Spring every crevice and shelf on the stacs and cliffs of the archipelago contain the eggs of around one million seabirds. For the people of Hiort, eggs were a vital part of
- [The Herring Girls](https://virtualyarns.com/the-herring-girls/) - The Herring Girls Herring were, for millennia, essential to survival in the coastal regions and islands of the North Atlantic where the cultivation of crops was limited. Such was the bounty of this food source that a thriving industry developed over the centuries. Herring were cured and exported in huge quantities to Russia, Northern Europe
- [The Heroine](https://virtualyarns.com/the-heroine/) - The Heroine In Gaelic legend there was an era called An Aois Òg (The Young Age) when the Earth was far different from what it is today, and land bridges existed across oceans. The fact that this concept is close to geological reality is something that I find quite staggering. On Hiort, Taigh na Bana-Ghaisgich
- [The Hebridean Yarnscape](https://virtualyarns.com/the-hebridean-yarnscape/) - The landscape of the Outer Hebrides of Scotland inspires the Alice Starmore® Yarn range, which is made with pure new British fleece and blended to our unique recipes.
- [The Eagle](https://virtualyarns.com/the-eagle/) - The Eagle costume by Alice Starmore from the book Glamourie.
- [The Details](https://virtualyarns.com/the-details/) - With a major project like Glamourie by Alice Starmore it's easy for the details to get lost amongst the overall spectacle. These details are from some of the costumes, and provide a closer look at the Mermaid's Purse, the Sea Anemone's catch, the unravelling Damselfly, the Otter's spats or Mountain Hare's orb.
- [The Designs](https://virtualyarns.com/the-designs/) - The designs from Glamourie by Alice Starmore. The book contains instructions in a variety of sizes for all of these knitwear designs.
- [The Damselfly](https://virtualyarns.com/the-damselfly/) - The Damselfly costume by Alice Starmore from the book Glamourie.
- [The Costumes](https://virtualyarns.com/the-costumes/) - The fanciful, elaborate and extraordinary knitted costumes from Glamourie by Alice Starmore.
- [The Colours of the Moor](https://virtualyarns.com/colours-of-the-moor/) - An exploration of the colours of the Hebridean moorland, Alice talks about natural dyes and the process involved in producing her Hebridean yarn
- [The Cailleach](https://virtualyarns.com/the-cailleach/) - The Cailleach costume by Alice Starmore from the book Glamourie.
- [Texture Detail Gallery](https://virtualyarns.com/texture-detail-gallery/) - A close look at some of our cabled and textured hand-knitwear designs.
- [Tension Tutorials](https://virtualyarns.com/tension-tutorials/) - Tension Tutorials Knitting tension means the number of stitches and rows to a given measurement using the specified yarn and needle size and working in the designated stitch pattern. All designs, and the instructions produced for making them, are based on the given tension using the specified yarn. It is therefore of fundamental importance to
- [Swatch Process](https://virtualyarns.com/swatch-process/) - Swatch Process The first thing to decide when creating a swatch from inspiration imagery are the design parameters. What is the purpose of the exercise and what restrictions are you putting in place? You may be swatching with the intention of turning your ideas into a specific garment. Or you may simply be looking to
- [Stranded Hat Sets](https://virtualyarns.com/stranded-hat-sets/) - Read about the perfect way to develop your stranded knitting skills in one small project.
- [Stranded Knitting Tutorial](https://virtualyarns.com/stranded-knitting-tutorial/) - Stranded Knitting in the Round with Steeks Tutorial These stranded-colour technique videos give a step-by-step tutorial of the all processes involved in knitting and finishing a stranded garment made in the round with steeks at all openings. I have used the Oregon Autumn waistcoat as a demonstration piece. You will find overviews of the construction
- [Stranded Detail Gallery](https://virtualyarns.com/stranded-detail-gallery/) - Up close imagery of Alice Starmore stranded colourwork hand knitwear designs.
- [Storytelling](https://virtualyarns.com/storytelling/) - Storytelling In our Storytelling section I will be reading you a selection of stories rooted in the history and culture of the Outer Hebrides. Here you can find two very different Hebridean fairytales, one with a modern twist and one told in a more traditional style. You can also listen to an audio piece on
- [Stems, Leaves & Flowers](https://virtualyarns.com/stems-leaves-flowers/) - How to knit and felt the stems, leaves and flowers from the Lapwing costume using the book Glamourie by Alice Starmore
- [Staran in Motion](https://virtualyarns.com/staran-in-motion/) - Staran in Motion Here you can see the Staran in motion in the landscape that inspired the design. In the first video Alice talks about the inspiration for the project. In the second video Iona Davidson models the Staran in the Sea Anemone colour. The accompanying traditional Gaelic song - Tom an T-Searraich - is
- [St Kilda Maps](https://virtualyarns.com/st-kilda-maps/) - The Hiort Archipelago Location descriptions of Hiort through recorded ages reflect the other-worldly nature of the place and its remote and isolated position as an alluring outpost in the Atlantic ocean. Hector Boece first brought the islands to the attention of the wider world in 1527 with his description of Hiort as The Last and
- [Soay Sheep Overview](https://virtualyarns.com/soay-sheep-overview/) - Soay Sheep Soay sheep are an ancient breed. It is immediately obvious that they are quite different from modern domestic sheep – they are about one third of the size, with adult females weighing around 24kg and males weighing around 38kg. They resemble gazelles more than they do sheep, and one only has to look
- [Soay Sheep](https://virtualyarns.com/soay-sheep/) - Soay Sheep Of Hirta Anyone lucky enough to land on the main island of Hirta will not have to travel more than a few footsteps to see the ancient breed of Soay sheep; they roam free throughout the whole island, from Village Bay to the top of the hills and into the Gleann Mòr, and
- [Sketches In Wool Overview](https://virtualyarns.com/sketches-in-wool-overview/) - Sketches In Wool Hiort sets the imagination on fire; its spectacular natural landscape, its wildlife, ecology, history and cultural heritage are so extraordinary that it is all too easy to become overwhelmed. The aim of this project is to celebrate all these aspects of the archipelago through works made using the medium of wool. It
- [Research to Finished Fabric](https://virtualyarns.com/research-to-finished-fabric/) - Research, Process & Finished Fabric The styling for projects like Hiort and Glamourie is not just an accessory to the photoshoots; it is a key part our textile design process and an essential element of the final look. For the Hiort project each set of knitted, woven, embroidered or felted textile designs will have an
- [Raven Collar](https://virtualyarns.com/raven-collar/) - Raven Collar I made this collar exactly as I have given in the instructions in the book Glamourie for the Raven Poncho collar and neckband. The only instructional difference is that there is no joining round with the poncho body. Instead, the neckband is worked directly after the neckband edging is joined to the feathered
- [Queen of the Waves Story](https://virtualyarns.com/queen-of-the-waves-story/) - The Queen of the Waves Collection You can browse through the Queen of the Waves Collection and read about the idea behind it in the book below.
- [Polaris Colour Palettes](https://virtualyarns.com/polaris-colour-palettes/) - Polaris Colour Palettes The Polaris design gives a huge scope for colour choice. As you can see from the two examples of the Polaris in progress your colour choices will have a big impact on the final look. You can opt for a high or more subtle contrast between your Background and Pattern colours, and
- [Patterncard Kits](https://virtualyarns.com/alice-starmore-patterncard-kits/) - The Starmore name is the gold standard of knitting design – a guarantee of incomparable creativity and technical innovation. Virtual Yarns offers a dazzling range of Starmore expertise in the form of Patterncard Kits for hand knitwear designs.
- [Our Yarns](https://virtualyarns.com/yarn-quality/) - Alice Starmore Yarns are made from pure new British wool and come in four ranges, designed to be the perfect media with which to realise a broad spectrum of textile work.
- [Our Design Process](https://virtualyarns.com/our-design-process/) - Design Process The Hiort Project Diary began with the intention of taking you along on a journey while Jade and I create a collection of costumes and designs. Over the next few months we will begin showing the progress of a particular costume in development. You can see the very first experimental piece for this
- [Newsletter December](https://virtualyarns.com/newsletter-december/) - Dear Knitter, It's hard to believe that the year is drawing to an end already and so it is nearly time for our annual Xmas holiday. We will be closed to orders between 12pm GMT on Tuesday the 21st of December until 12pm on Wednesday 5th of January. Orders placed on or before the 21st
- [Needlepoint](https://virtualyarns.com/needlepoint-feature/) - Needlepoint The Celtic culture in which I was born and brought up has influenced and shaped me profoundly. Being bilingual has given me two windows on the world, each one rich in art, music, poetry and story, and these always affect me and shape my work both consciously and unconsciously. In modern times we often
- [Multiple Textile Mediums](https://virtualyarns.com/multiple-textile-mediums/) - Textile Experimentation One of the main parts of the creative costume development process is experimentation. You cannot achieve a truly satisfying result without trying out new things. For us this often means developing new techniques or working in different media. The Mountain Hare costume would not exist if I had not first decided to stuff
- [Movement](https://virtualyarns.com/movement/) - Healthy Knitting We are very lucky here at Virtual Yarns to have a fully qualified, in-house Personal Trainer to help with keeping healthy and taking breaks from knitting to stretch and exercise. The first video gives you a stretching routine. Thomas takes you through all the exercises, but when you are doing these yourself hold
- [Motion & Detail](https://virtualyarns.com/motion-detail/) - Lapwing Collar In Motion We wanted to show the Lapwing Collar in motion, so we took a trip to Rannoch Moor to capture the design in both stills and video. The two videos below show two very different colour versions and stylings of the collar. These show how beautifully it moves and how easy it
- [Mòinteach](https://virtualyarns.com/mointeach/) - The inspiration behind the Mòinteach cardigan hand knitwear design by Alice Starmore
- [Mamba Designer Palette](https://virtualyarns.com/mamba-designer-palette/) - Mamba Designer Palette From 2006 to 2008 I spent time creating artworks for an exhibition based on the Lewis moorland. I adopted Mamba as an acronym for the moor because it can be described as Miles and Miles of Beauty Astounding. Mamba has the sound of a dance - the rhythm of life itself. I
- [Made To Measure](https://virtualyarns.com/made-to-measure/) - Made To Measure Swatches are fundamental in the creation of any knitting design and are the only accurate way to ensure that the required measurements can be achieved. Once the swatches are finalised they need to be carefully measured and the tension mathematically translated into the template for knitting the design. For a garment, the
- [Life on the Croft](https://virtualyarns.com/life-on-the-croft/) - Life on the Croft I am fortunate to have the croft, garden and shoreline around me, which is a source of inspiration throughout the year. To share that experience take a look at the Changing Seasons page, My cattle are the main feature of the croft, and in Winter and Spring in particular I spend
- [Lapwing Collar Project Class](https://virtualyarns.com/lapwing-collar-project-class/) - Lapwing Collar Video Class I have chosen to launch steek dot scot with a comprehensive class on making the Lapwing Collar. My choice was determined by the huge response we received when we made the project available at Virtual Yarns. Many non-knitters contacted us to ask how they could have a collar; many others told
- [Lapwing Collar](https://virtualyarns.com/lapwing-collar/) - The Lapwing Collar The Lapwing Collar Video Class Kit comes with a full colour patterncard, online access to detailed video tutorials and all the yarn required to make a Lapwing Collar. The tutorials are suitable for beginner level onwards. I chose six shades of our 2 Ply Hebridean yarn for the collar, keeping shades of
- [Lambs Gallop](https://virtualyarns.com/lambs-gallop/) - You Only Run While Lambs Gallop Our May conservation work party was welcomed to Hirta by gangs of healthy young Soay lambs galloping around for no reason other than the joy of being alive. They ranged in age from just a few days to around four weeks old, and some were so tiny that you
- [Knitting Belt](https://virtualyarns.com/knitting-belt/) - Alice demonstrates how to use a knitting belt, talks about the history behind it and shows how to construct one of your own.
- [Knit & Purl](https://virtualyarns.com/knit-purl/) - Knit & Purl The knit stitch is the basis for all knitted fabric and so it is appropriate that it shares its title with the art itself. When a stitch is knit, it shows as a smooth V-shape on the side of the work facing the knitter and on the opposite, or far side, this
- [Jade's Collar](https://virtualyarns.com/jades-collar/) - Raven Capelet One of the best things about the Glamourie project for me was watching the incredible costumes come together. The intricacy, detail and sheer amount of thought and work that went into them was very inspiring. Though there was no time during the making of the book, I decided that once it was finished
- [Initial Ideas](https://virtualyarns.com/initial-ideas/) - Colour & Pattern Ideas Beyond the initial costume idea, the development of any design always begins with the translation of the inspiration and research into a form that can be worked as a fabric. For both myself and Jade this happens by looking at the research imagery and putting pencil to paper. The overarching elements
- [Infinite Cable Class](https://virtualyarns.com/infinite-cable-class/) - Infinite Cable Class In the Infinite Cable Class subscription you will learn how to read and understand charted cabled and textured patterns which include infinite lines of different weights. You will learn how to work a variety of textured patterns, make bobbles and simple openwork, all of which are combined to produce an elaborate design
- [Hiort Village](https://virtualyarns.com/hiort-village/) - Hiort Village Our new project is inspired by the unique and beautiful Hebridean archipelago of Hiort (St Kilda). Here we aim to take you on a visual tour of Am Baile (the village) on the main island of Hirta, and show some of the unique stonework which arcs around the Village Bay and covers the
- [Sulaire](https://virtualyarns.com/hiort-sulaire/sulaire/) - Sulaire Shawl The sulaire (solan goose or gannet) is an iconic bird of Hiort and to its people it was a vital food and economic resource. The young women of Hiort had a particularly close relationship with these birds. Each season they were rowed across the 3 miles of ocean from the main island of
- [Hiort Yarn](https://virtualyarns.com/hiort-sulaire/hiort-yarn/) - Hiort Yarn My special edition of Hiort yarn was a celebration of the stonework of the Outer Hebrides. For centuries the people of the Outer Hebridean Islands constructed their dwellings, byres, walls and enclosures from local stone. The dwellings, known as blackhouses, have long since served their original purpose but their remains can still be
- [Hiort & Sulaire](https://virtualyarns.com/hiort-sulaire/) - Hiort & Sulaire Our Hiort Project Diary is steadily progressing from research through to final pieces. I am currently working on a variety of ideas and costumes which will form the basis of the Hiort Collection. As part of this development and to celebrate the project, I decided to create the Hiort yarn – a
- [Hiort - Project Setting](https://virtualyarns.com/hiort-project-setting/) - Project Setting Hiort emerged from a huge volcano 54-65 million years ago; the rim of the volcano is defined above the ocean by the islands of Sòdhaigh (Soay), South and West Hiort, Dùn and Levenish. It then curves under the ocean and emerges again like a natural Gothic cathedral in the shape of Boigheariagh (Boreray)
- [House of Feathers Designs](https://virtualyarns.com/hiort-a-project-diary/house-of-feathers-designs/) - House of Feathers Designs Human life on St Kilda depended on seabirds, which were not only a vital food source but a valuable commodity to be bartered. Feathers were of huge economic importance and from the 18th Century onwards they were harvested and sorted for export, constituting a major part of the rent paid to
- [Hiort Research](https://virtualyarns.com/hiort-a-project-diary/hiort-research/) - Research All projects begin with research and thought, here you can learn about the project setting and see the imagery we compiled through visits to St Kilda. Project Setting The Hiort Archipelago Soay Sheep Hiort Village Thoughts in Stone
- [Development](https://virtualyarns.com/hiort-a-project-diary/development/) - Development The second stage of the project is development, which allows for experimentation which will lead to the final designs. This section shows the first sketches in wool, takes an overall look at my design process and focuses on the development of the Queen of the Waves costume. Sketches in Wool Design Process Costume in
- [Hiort - A Project Diary](https://virtualyarns.com/hiort-a-project-diary/) - St Kilda Project Jade and I have been delighted to hear from many knitters around the world who have appreciated our Glamourie concept, in which we presented our modus operandi through the medium of stories illustrated with knitted costumes which were then distilled into final designs for knitters. We would like to take that concept
- [St Kilda Designs](https://virtualyarns.com/hiort-a-project-diary/st-kilda-designs/) - Queen of the Waves Designs The Queen of the Waves represents the spirit of a young woman of St Kilda who grows up around the stone cleits and spends her teenage years climbing the huge, precipitous cliffs of Hiort and Boreray to harvest seabirds eggs. This tiny archipelago in the Atlantic Ocean is her whole
- [Highland Cattle](https://virtualyarns.com/highland-cattle/) - Highland Cattle Winter is a time of intense activity with the cattle. I feed them at dawn and dusk, and when the weather is severe I take them into the byre for shelter. The byre then gets a deep clean so that we are ready for calving. As the due dates approach, the cattle come
- [Hebridean Yarn Story](https://virtualyarns.com/hebridean-yarn-story/) - Alice Starmore Hebridean Yarns are made from quality pure, new British wool. It is dyed in the fleece and combined into unique blends inspired by the natural environment of the Hebrides. There are 36 different blends, and, because of the complexity of each shade the effects of combining them in a design are infinite.
- [Hebridean Yarn Stories](https://virtualyarns.com/hebridean-yarn-stories/) - Hebridean Yarn Stories Alice Starmore Hebridean is the ultimate in luxury pure wool yarns. We buy Premium Quality pure new British wool fleece which is then dyed in the fleece by experts. The dyed wool fibres are meticulously blended to unique recipes based on my personal interpretations of the Hebridean landscape. These unique blends are
- [Hebridean Colour Story](https://virtualyarns.com/hebridean-colour-story/) - Alice Starmore's Hebridean Yarns are inspired by the Outer Hebrides of Scotland, there are four ranges, Moor & Mountain, Summer Isle, Sea & Shoreline and Birds. All are blended to unique recipes that take their colour inspiration from aspects the landscape.
- [Glamourie Techniques & Experiments](https://virtualyarns.com/glamourie-techniques-experiments/) - The Glamourie Techniques & Experiments section will explore how to use the costume elements in Glamourie to make both subtle and wild creations.
- [Glamourie Styling](https://virtualyarns.com/glamourie-styling/) - Find out about the complex styling which was created to work alongside the intricate and magical costumes and designs from the book Glamourie by Alice Starmore
- [Glamourie Shape-Shifting](https://virtualyarns.com/glamourie-shape-shifting/) - Use felting to shape-shift elements from the Glamourie designs into parts of the costumes.
- [Glamourie Felting](https://virtualyarns.com/glamourie-felting/) - Exploring the use of hand knitting and felting in the costumes of Glamourie by Alice Starmore
- [Geometric Swatches](https://virtualyarns.com/geometric-swatches/) - Geometric Swatches I approached the bird inspiration exercise from a geometric point of view, looking at the regimentation within the patterns and gatherings that you find on the Hebridean shoreline. I decided to do a very light and airy swatch based around the Oystercatchers, which you can see on almost any shore walk. They often
- [Flights of Fancy](https://virtualyarns.com/flights-of-fancy/) - Glamourie was conceived as a platform for your creativity. Or, to put it more poetically, the book is a treasure chest of design ideas. This section details how to use feathers like building blocks that can be used to create any kind of structure, from the elegant and understated to the exotic and fantastic.
- [Fear a’ Bhata](https://virtualyarns.com/fear-a-bhata/) - Fear a' Bhata For centuries Hebrideans depended on the bounty of the ocean for survival, so it is not surprising that songs and poetry reflecting all aspects of the sea are well-represented in Gaelic culture.Fear a’ Bhata (The Boatman) is a much-loved traditional song to be performed by a young woman. The song is a
- [Fairytale Inspiration](https://virtualyarns.com/fairytale-inspiration/) - Fairytale Inspiration Design inspiration can be found in stories as well as imagery or places. The book Glamourie explores this in depth, with entire costumes developed for fairytale characters. For this creative exercise, I used one of Alice's mixed-media artworks as my first inspiration. This particular image is based around the old superstition that witches
- [Fair Isle Knitting Book](https://virtualyarns.com/fair-isle-knitting-book/) - To celebrate the 30th anniversary of Alice Starmore's Book of Fair Isle Knitting we have a new hand knitwear design and a feature on the book itself.
- [Dyed in the Fleece](https://virtualyarns.com/dyed-in-the-fleece/) - Dyed in the Fleece The medium I use is of fundamental importance in realising my textile design work, just as a painter's choice of watercolour or oils is fundamental. Designing a yarn range that could reflect the myriad wonders of my Hebridean island home was one of the most important, exciting and challenging projects of
- [Dunino](https://virtualyarns.com/dunino/) - We took our knitted and felted amulets and necklaces to a magical place in the woods
- [Design In Miniature](https://virtualyarns.com/design-in-miniature/) - A brief exporation of design process through swatching
- [Croft Wildlife](https://virtualyarns.com/croft-wildlife/) - Croft Wildlife My croft includes a stretch of shoreline, which means that I can bird-watch while still observing all the social distancing rules. On a clear day you can see all the way across The Minch to the mainland mountains. There is an abundance of colour and life to observe; the resident birds never fail
- [Croft Photoshoot](https://virtualyarns.com/croft-photoshoot/) - Garden Photoshoot Last summer we took Emma out into the croft and garden at the height of summer for a photoshoot. Jade styled the knitted garments and I picked flowers from the garden to accessorise with some of the looks.
- [Creative Exercise](https://virtualyarns.com/creative-exercise/) - Creative Exercise This creative inspiration section brings you imagery to inspire thoughts of colour and pattern. You might use the inspiration images to generate your own design ideas for knitting or drawing, or you might just enjoy the distraction of seeing some new places. These exercises explore different aspects of Scotland - its landscape, legend
- [Creative Course No 3](https://virtualyarns.com/creative-course-no-3/) - Creative Course 3 Alice Starmore's Creative Course 3 subscription is designed to develop your creativity and crafting skills by means of KNITTING, FELTING & EMBROIDERING a Sporran Bag and a Linne Belt. As you follow the course you will also learn to make beads and cords for decorative purposes. This course will show you -
- [Creating Colours](https://virtualyarns.com/creating-colours/) - A look at the process and inspiration behind Alice Starmore Hebridean hand-knitting yarn
- [Course & Class Yarn Packs](https://virtualyarns.com/course-class-yarn-packs/) - Creative Course & Class Yarn Packs Our Creative Course & Class yarn packs work alongside Creative Course 1, Creative Course 2, Creative Course 3 and the Infinite Cable Class. The Creative Course yarn packs give you a palette of colour for experimenting and making hats and cuffs, while the Infinite Cable Class yarn pack provides
- [Costume In Development](https://virtualyarns.com/costume-in-development/) - Costume In Development After an intensive year of research and preliminary sketches in wool, the first of the Hiort costumes is starting to take shape. We wanted to share some of the costume development process with you, so this section is a look at the beginnings of the first character we are working on. Each
- [Contact Us](https://virtualyarns.com/contact-us/) - Contact Virtual Yarns.
- [Complex Costume Swatches](https://virtualyarns.com/complex-costume-swatches/) - Swatching for the development of hand knitted costume.
- [Collar Guidelines](https://virtualyarns.com/collar-guidelines/) - Guidelines You can see from the four collars that there is scope for infinite variation using the feather instructions given in the book Glamourie. The easiest alteration can be made with the size of the pointed feathers: just add or subtract an even number of stitches to vary the length. The longest feathers in the
- [Suzanne Christie](https://virtualyarns.com/collaborations/suzanne-christie/) - Suzanne Christie - Makeup Artist Over the last three years we have travelled the length and breadth of Scotland for our fashion photoshoots. We wanted to showcase our designs in the landscape that inspired them, and makeup artist Suzanne Christie has been instrumental in helping us achieve that goal. You can see examples of her
- [Muriel Macleod](https://virtualyarns.com/collaborations/muriel-macleod/) - A biography of artist Muriel Macleod.
- [Adabrock Tweed](https://virtualyarns.com/collaborations/adabrock-tweed/) - Adabrock Weaving Company At the Adabrock Weaving Company, Weaver Margaret Rowan aims to Bring The Outer Hebrides in to her Harris Tweed in a new Contemporary way. Margaret uses the tweed she carefully weaves in a more painterly way, exploring the ever changing colours, the light and shade seen in the sky, the landscape and
- [Hebridean Baskets](https://virtualyarns.com/collaborations/hebridean-baskets/) - We took beautiful baskets made by Dawn Susan of Hebridean baskets out into the moor to showcase our yarns.
- [Achininver Hostel](https://virtualyarns.com/collaborations/achininver-hostel/) - On one of our Virtual Yarns photo shoots we had the pleaure of staying for a night at the Acheninver Hostel in the far North of Scotland.
- [Constance](https://virtualyarns.com/collaborations/constance/) - Constance Caddell We first noticed Constance on instagram when she tagged us in images of her completed projects. It is always wonderful to see our designs so beautifully made and so thoughtfully and elegantly styled. Constance creates entire outfits in her own inimitable style: her use of colour is striking and her choices of fabric
- [Otherscapes](https://virtualyarns.com/collaborations/otherscapes/) - A biography of artist Muriel Macleod.
- [Gearrannan Blackhouse Village](https://virtualyarns.com/collaborations/gearrannan-blackhouse-village/) - Gearrannan Blackhouse Village In summer 2023 we had a wonderful and atmospheric photoshoot at the Gearrannan Blackhouse Village on the Isle of Lewis. Until the beginning of the 1900s the majority of the population of Lewis lived in low, stone-built, thatched dwellings called blackhouses. During the 20th century the islanders began to build two-up, two-down
- [St Conan's Kirk](https://virtualyarns.com/collaborations/st-conans-kirk/) - St Conan's Kirk The stunning and unusual St Conan's Kirk is situated on the banks of Loch Awe in Argyll and Bute. We had a beautiful day out for a photoshoot in the grounds of this fairytale building, which is known for its wide variety of architectural styles. You can see some of the highlights
- [Fingask Castle](https://virtualyarns.com/collaborations/fingask-castle/) - Fingask Castle In April 2023 we had the pleasure of using the grounds of Fingask Castle as the backdrop to one of our photoshoots. This fairytale place is situated in beautiful Perthshire and the grounds are full of suprises and delights. We explored the castle courtyard, topiary, walled garden and the yew walk, but we
- [Collaborations](https://virtualyarns.com/collaborations/) - We love to take our yarns and designs out into the landscape of Scotland and make every shoot an exploration of a particular place. Along the way we also find talented people. The collaborations section of our website is where we can document some of the places and things that have caught our eye during our shoots.
- [Changing Seasons](https://virtualyarns.com/changing-seasons/) - Changing Seasons The croft is full of colour, texture and inspiration throughout the year. Here you can see some of the seasonal changes of my Hebridean croft and garden. Summer Spring is so slow to start in the Hebrides that it often feels as if Winter very reluctantly gives way to Summer in late May.
- [Challenging Suggestions](https://virtualyarns.com/challenging/) - Challenging Projects A challenging project can mean many things: it can be a project that stretches your skills in all directions, or it can mean a project that specifically pushes a certain technique to a higher level, or a project that has some interesting details which are out of the ordinary and make you pay
- [Celtic Needlepoint Book](https://virtualyarns.com/celtic-needlepoint-book/) - Celtic Needlepoint Book I chose a very conscious inspirational path for the designs I created for Celtic Needlepoint. That was to immerse myself in the vast historic range of Celtic art from the pagan to the Christian era. I then worked within the spirit of the art and used its visual language to produce new
- [Cast On Tutorials](https://virtualyarns.com/cast-on-tutorials/) - Cast-on Tutorials Casting on is as important an element of your knitting as any other. An uneven or badly tensioned cast-on will result in an obvious and permanent imperfection and so care and attention is paramount in the making. There are a variety of different types of cast-on and many knitters tend to use a
- [Cast Off Tutorials](https://virtualyarns.com/cast-off-tutorials/) - Cast Off Tutorials Casting off is a very simple action and since it is often hidden in a seam, the importance of getting it right is often overlooked. It is important to cast off evenly and with the appropriate tension as this greatly affects the finished result, whether it is is on display, as you
- [Cast & Crew](https://virtualyarns.com/cast-crew/) - Meet the talented crew from the Glamourie shoot.
- [Cables](https://virtualyarns.com/cables/) - Cables The visual effects of knitted cables are so powerful that many people imagine that only a knitter of great experience could work such wonders, and this is especially the case when a variety of cabled patterns are worked together to create elaborate designs. The truth is that cabling is the easiest of all knitting
- [Buttons & Beads](https://virtualyarns.com/buttons-beads/) - Felting your knitting is great fun and with the right material you can produce an endless variety of forms which have a wonderful sculptural and tactile quality. Alice Starmore Hebridean 2 Ply and 3 Ply yarns are perfect for working in the felting medium.
- [Briodag Colour Palettes](https://virtualyarns.com/briodag-colour-palettes/) - Briodag Colour Palettes Above, Heather in full bloom inspires a palette with a pattern colour of Driftwood and background of Wild Orchid and Erica. Below, the thistle pods are captured in Sea Ivory with background shades of Wild Orchid and Clover. The Hebridean moorland in Autumn inspires both bold and subtle palettes. Above, Golden Plover
- [Birdlife Inspiration](https://virtualyarns.com/birdlife-inspiration/) - Birdlife Inspiration The natural world is a constant source of design inspiration, and one particular theme we explore a great deal is the birdlife of the Outer Hebrides. From the construction of wings and feathers, to the patterns and colours, and the movement of the birds in flight, there is endless opportunity for observation and
- [Behind The Scenes](https://virtualyarns.com/behind-the-scenes/) - On the last of our Glamourie shoots photographer Rachel Keenan came along and documented the process that goes on behind the scenes.
- [Beginner Suggestions](https://virtualyarns.com/beginner-suggestions/) - Beginner Projects If you are new to knitting, or if you are nervous about trying a particular style of knitting for the first time, then we have a variety of designs to start you off, depending on what kind of project you would like to try. The majority of the projects suggested below are "choose
- [Amulets & Necklaces](https://virtualyarns.com/amulets-necklaces/) - Alice's knitted, embroidered and felted necklaces and amulets from Glamourie.
- [All Products](https://virtualyarns.com/all-products/)
- [Alice Starmore Booklist](https://virtualyarns.com/alice-starmore-booklist/) - List of the published works of author and hand-knitwear designer Alice Starmore.
- [Isle of Lewis](https://virtualyarns.com/about-us/isle-of-lewis/) - The Isle of Lewis is not only our ancestral home, but also the inspiration for the Hebridean yarn range.
- [Jade Starmore](https://virtualyarns.com/about-us/jade-starmore/) - Jade Starmore was born and brought up on the Hebridean island of Lewis and is a professional photographer and textile designer.
- [Alice Starmore](https://virtualyarns.com/about-us/alice-starmore/) - Alice Starmore is a Scottish artist, designer and author. She was born on the Hebridean island of Lewis and has established an international reputation as a leading expert on knitting design and technique.
- [About Us](https://virtualyarns.com/about-us/) - Find out more about Scottish designer Alice Starmore's Hebridean hand knitting yarns, books and knitwear designs.
- [About Our Yarns](https://virtualyarns.com/about-hebridean-yarns/) - About Our Yarns Read about the creation of the Alice Starmore Hebridean Yarn range here. Hebridean Colour Stories Hebridean Yarn Story Dyed in the Fleece Yarn Colour Palettes
- [Creative Course No 2](https://virtualyarns.com/creative-course-no-2/) - Creative Course 2 Alice Starmore's Creative Course 2 subscription covers innovative ways of manipulating knitted fabric during the making of a costume piece in miniature. For this project I have developed methods of working within knitting to produce pronounced and elaborate 3 dimensional shapes which I have turned into a highly creative decorative accessory. The Dùn
- [Creative Course No 1](https://virtualyarns.com/creative-course-no-1/) - Creative Course 1 Alice Starmore's Creative Course 1 subscription is designed to develop your creativity and crafting skills by means of KNITTING, FELTING & EMBROIDERING two types of hat - one with ear flaps and one with a round brim. As you follow the course you will also create numerous swatches that are miniature artworks
- [FAQs](https://virtualyarns.com/faqs/) - FAQs Is Alice Starmore Hebridean yarn a shetland type? Expand No. Alice Starmore Hebridean yarn contains no shetland wool. It is made from premium quality pure new British wool. It is of the very finest quality, strength and colour and is created specifically to be the best possible medium for Alice and Jade's designs. I
- [Technical Yarn Information](https://virtualyarns.com/technical-yarn-information/) - Technical yarn information for Alice Starmore® Yarns.
- [Virtual Yarns Inspiration](https://virtualyarns.com/virtual-yarns-inspiration/)
- [Copyright](https://virtualyarns.com/copyright/) - Copyright COPYRIGHT NOTICE Unauthorised reproduction of any part of this site, in any form, is strictly prohibited. Unless otherwise stated in situ, all content (including text, photographs, artworks and graphics) on this site are subject to international copyright control, and all rights to the said content are expressly reserved. Any queries should be addressed to
- [Design Inspiration](https://virtualyarns.com/design-inspiration/) - Creative Inspiration Our main source of inspiration is the landscape and culture of our island home - the Isle of Lewis in the Outer Hebrides - but to start off this section I wanted to show you some surprising detail from another Scottish island. The Isle of Bute is very small - roughly 15 miles
- [Laura Durrant](https://virtualyarns.com/collaborations/laura-durrant/) - We recently did a collaberative photoshoot with musician Laura Durrant, here are some of the results.
- [Needlepoint Gallery](https://virtualyarns.com/hebridean-needlepoint-gallery/) - Alice Starmore Hebridean 2 Ply is the perfect colour palette for needlepoint designs
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## Products

- [Eagle Collar Seven Layer](https://virtualyarns.com/product/eagle-collar-seven-layer/) - Description One size. This kit includes two colour-printed patterncards with full instructions and all the Alice Starmore™ Hebridean 2 Ply required to make the Seven-layer Eagle Collar in your own choice of colours. This version is worked exactly like the six-layer version except that it begins with a base layer of larger feathers.The Raven Costume from Glamourie serves its inspirational purpose once again for our House of Feathers Collection. I originally designed the bold ribbed feathers for the upper skirt layers of the Raven Costume. Although feathers by their very nature are light and airy, I wanted to design some to reflect the character and strength of the bigger birds that soar above the wild Hebridean sea and hillscapes. Working them into a collar brought to mind the beautiful neckline feathers of our spectacular Golden Eagles.This is another design for knitters who love a knitting challenge as well as the opportunity for some personal creative colour expression. The collar is worked in a main colour and each ribbed feather is edged with one of three contrasting colours, used at will throughout the four ribbed feather layers. These contrast colours are picked up again in the knots which decorate the neckband and enough contrast yarn is supplied to make a contrast rounded feather here and there, or contrast ridge in the neckband. You can create any number of dramatic effects through your choice of colour palette. The seven-layered version shown here is in a main colour of Red Rattle with subtle contrasts in Sea Anemone, Red Deer and Tormentil. Click here for a digital shadecard of all Hebridean 2 Ply colours. Skill and patience are required to become proficient in working The Channel Island Cast-on which is a prominent decorative feature of the ribbed feathers. I have enhanced the cast-on further by working it in both the main and a contrasting colour so that the contrast colour is very subtle at the feather tips. This cast-on requires practice. Every time I plan to use it I first practise, as no matter what your experience it always takes time to get into the rhythm required to make all of the stitches and the edge perfectly even. To learn how to work the Channel Islands Cast-on, see the video demonstration in the Cast-on Methods in our Video Tutorials section in the Online Courses & Classes menu at the top of the Home Page of the Virtual Yarns Website.The effort is rewarded with a garment that is truly spectacular, whether worn casually or for a formal occasion.
- [Persian Tiles](https://virtualyarns.com/product/persian-tiles/) - Description Knitted Measurements One Size - Width 63cm. Length (ex. fringes) 142cm. This kit includes a colour-printed pattern card with full instructions and all the Alice Starmore 2 Ply Hebridean™ yarn required to make the Persian Tiles in your chosen colours. This design is available in any two colours of Hebridean 2 Ply. It is shown here in a grey and blue version, in a gold version of a Main Colour of Golden Plover with Contrast of Spindrift and a red version. Currently the Gold version is available, as are other options with your own colour choices. Please click the link below for a digital shadecard showing all of our Hebridean 2 Ply colours: Click here for a digital shadecard of all Hebridean 2 Ply colours. The grey/blue Persian Tiles example is shown with a Briodag Hat Set and a Polaris Cardigan, and with a Faroe pullover, Hirta gloves and St Agnes Eve hat and the gold version is shown with a Hirta Hat Set, and also with an Oregon Autumn Vest, Mary Tudor beret and Oregon Autumn handwarmers, all from our Patterncard Kit section. Visit our Video Tutorials section for tutorials on a variety of knitting techniques to help you with your projects. Story My attention was caught by some star and cross tiles that were made in Kashan in the 13th century, probably for a saint’s tomb: the Imamzadeh Yahya, which is located at Veramin in what is now Iran. The tiles are now scattered in museums across the globe, while the tomb itself is left bare. Some of them are dated and the original religious use is confirmed by quotations from the Koran which are etched around their edges. The decorative technique used is fine lustre painting, which involved an initial glaze and a first firing, after which a design was painted on using a paint based on silver and copper oxides. Firing would reduce the oxides to a sheen of metal left behind on the glaze. I have used a delicate stylised pattern, the result is an elegant stole which captures the quiet serenity of the tiles. Jade
- [Shadecards](https://virtualyarns.com/product/shadecards/) - Description Our hand tied shade cards feature a generous sample of every shade of ALICE STARMORE HEBRIDEAN 2 PLY yarn. They are presented in a set of 2 cards for ease of comparison when choosing colours for your projects. Included in each set are two cards which feature 33 shades of ALICE STARMORE HEBRIDEAN 2 PLY. These are presented in the groups – SEA & SHORELINE, BIRDS, MOOR & MOUNTAIN and SUMMER ISLE – the visual aspects of the Hebrides upon which Alice based her unique colour palette. An example of one of our shades of Hebridean 3 Ply is also included on the card.
- [Mòinteach](https://virtualyarns.com/product/mointeach-cardigan/) - Description Knitted Measurements: Small - Underarm (buttoned) 89.5cm. Length 47cm. Medium - Underarm (buttoned) 96.5cm. Length 48.5cm. Large - Underarm (buttoned) 103.5cm. Length 50cm. X Large - Underarm (buttoned) 111cm. Length 51.5cm. XX Large - Underarm (buttoned) 118cm. Length 53cm. This kit includes a colour-printed pattern card with full instructions in all sizes and all the yarn required to make Mòinteach in your chosen size. Mòinteach is a standard fit cardigan with set in sleeves. The body is entirely worked in the round and the sleeves are knitted separately in the round to the armholes, with the sleeve caps knitted back and forth in rows. The Mòinteach is shown here worn with the Emperor Hat Set. Visit our Video Tutorials section for tutorials on a variety of knitting techniques to help you with your projects. Story The flowers of moorland plants are generally very small in scale and the juxtaposition of different plants, such as heathers and mosses, produce stunningly colourful carpet-like effects. I originally created this allover pattern to depict the very different carpets of colour formed by the machair and meadowsweet croftland in bloom, but the scale and delicacy of the pattern is also perfectly suited to depict the moorland carpet. For colour, I turned to one of my Mamba images of heathers and underwater lochan plants. Kelpie, Selkie and Lapwing hint at the dark loch background while Sundew, Mountain Hare, Clover and Tormentil express the colours of the blooming and fading heathers, and the bronze underwater vegetation. Alice
- [Mystic](https://virtualyarns.com/product/mystic-pullover/) - Description Knitted Measurements: Small – Underarm 103cm. Length 64.5cm. Medium – Underarm 110cm. Length 65cm. Large – Underarm 117cm. Length 65.5cm. X Large – Underarm 123cm. Length 67cm. X X Large – Underarm 130cm. Length 68cm. This kit includes a colour-printed pattern card with full instructions in all sizes and all the Alice Starmore™ Hebridean 3 Ply yarn required to make Mystic in your chosen size. Mystic can be ordered in any of our available Hebridean 3 Ply colours. Click here for a digital shadecard of all Hebridean 3 Ply colours. Visit our Video Tutorials section for tutorials on a variety of knitting techniques to help you with your projects. Story The idea for Mystic was born out of a desire to commemorate my aunt Annie Macleod. My knowledge of her came through my mother and now my only link to her is through a class photo and the numerous books she won as school prizes for her general proficiency and her exceptional skills in needlework. She left the Isle of Lewis on an emigrant ship to Canada in 1930, aged eighteen and full of excitement and optimism. She contracted meningitis on the voyage and died on arrival in Quebec. I often wonder what she might have achieved in the New World had she lived. Both she and I were born into the knitting tradition of fisher gansies and so I dedicated my book Fishermen’s Sweaters to her memory. It was important to me to include some original designs which I would name after seaports in the New World. Mystic is one of them and I chose to take the idea of an old gansey motif – the anchor – and portray it in an entirely new form. Rather than a small knit and purl symbol, I designed the anchor as a bold, sculpted form and placed it in vertical panels with chain and plaited rope cables which I framed at each side with a little knit and purl gansey pattern. The cabled neckband, knitted separately as a long strip and sewn on round the neckline, completed the new look for the New World. I like to think that Annie would have approved of my efforts. Alice
- [Briodag Video Class Kit](https://virtualyarns.com/product/briodag/) - Description Knitted Measurements: Scarf – Length along centre 140cm. Beret – Circumference 60[64.5]cm. Brim to crown 24.5[25.25]cm. Fingerless Gloves – Width around knuckles 19.3[20.7,22]cm. The Briodag kit includes online access to 3 hours and 5 mins of detailed video tutorials, a colour-printed patterncard with full instructions, and all the Alice Starmore Hebridean 2 Ply yarn required to make the Briodag Hat Set in your chosen colours. The beret instructions are for two sizes, and instructions for the gloves are provided in three sizes. Enough yarn is provided in the kit to make the largest size of gloves and beret. The video tutorials are split into easy-to-watch sections, so that you can find the correct place as you need it for each of the three project classes in the kit. The videos are suitable for all abilities from beginner onwards. As well as giving a comprehensive introduction to openwork and short row shaping in making the scarf, the classes give full technique instructions in stranded knitting in the round and all the intricacies of shaping the beret and gloves. The Briodag Video Class Kit is composed of a scarf, a beret, and one pair of fingerless gloves, worked in three shades of Alice Starmore Hebridean 2 Ply - a lighter or brighter pattern colour and two darker background colours. Your background colours should tone well together and provide a good contrast for your pattern colour. It is shown here in four colourways, a warm colourway with a pattern colour of Corncrake and background of Erica and Red Deer; and a high contrast colourway with a pattern colour of Pebble Beach with background colours of Kelpie and Selkie. The Pebble Beach Briodag is also shown alongside a Persian Tiles Wrap and a Polaris cardigan. The third colourway is pale, with a pattern colour of Solan Goose and a background of Mountain Hare and Driftwood. This version is shown with a Peigi cardigan and matching Dun Cuffs from Creative Course 2. The fourth colourway is a pattern colour of Golden Plover and background colours of Calluna and Lapwing, that version is shown with an Oiseabhal woven wrap. You can find some Briodag Colour Palette suggestions here. Click here for a digital shadecard of all Hebridean 2 Ply colours. Background colour 1 is the colour at the centre of the scarf and background 2 is the colour between the outer edge and the centre. Once your Briodag kit has been dispatched you will recieve an email with a username and password for our steek dot scot video tutorial website. You can use your personal login information to access a detailed Video Class showing how to make your Briodag Scarf, Hat and Gloves. If you are buying this as a gift please get in touch with us beforehand as classes are linked directly to your order details.
- [Firebirds Cardigan](https://virtualyarns.com/product/firebirds-cardigan/) - Description Knitted Measurements Small – Underarm 89.5cm. Length 47cm. Medium – Underarm 96.5cm. Length 49cm. Large – Underarm 103.5cm. Length 50cm. X Large – Underarm 111cm. Length 51.5cm. XX Large – Underarm 118cm. Length 53cm. This kit includes a colour-printed pattern card with full instructions in all sizes and all the Alice Starmore Hebridean 2 Ply yarn required to make the Firebirds Cardigan in your chosen size. The Firebirds Cardigan is a standard fit cardigan with set-in sleeves. The body is entirely worked in the round and the sleeves are knitted separately in the round to the armholes, with the sleeve caps knitted back and forth in rows. This design is for knitters with intermediate to advanced abilites in stranded knitting. The Firebirds design is also available as a hat set. Visit our Video Tutorials section for tutorials on a variety of knitting techniques to help you with your projects. Story The Firebirds design was inspired by the jewel like colours of an opulent summer garden set against a rich background of greens. The flamboyant firebirds dance first one way and then the other above a deep rib. This design is more challenging, and is intended for an intermediate or advanced knitter. The chart pattern requires occasional weaving in over long stretches, and setting the pattern for each new band takes a little concentration. It is the perfect design to hone your stranded knitting skills while making a garment that allows you to carry the lush colours of summer into the winter. Jade
- [Delta Cropped](https://virtualyarns.com/product/delta-cropped/) - Description Knitted Measurements: Small - Underarm (buttoned) 88.5cm. Length 46cm. Medium - Underarm (buttoned) 97cm. Length 48cm. Large - Underarm (buttoned) 105.5cm. Length 50.5cm. X Large - Underarm (buttoned) 114cm. Length 53cm. This kit includes a colour-printed pattern card with full instructions in all sizes and all the yarn required to make Delta Cropped in your chosen size and colourway. It is available in Sand colourway or Sea colourway (blue contrast). Delta is a standard fit cardigan with set in sleeves. The body is entirely worked in the round and the sleeves are knitted separately in the round to the armholes, with the sleeve caps knitted back and forth in rows. Delta is also available in a Classic length. The Delta is shown here worn with a Ruabhal Hat Set, Creative Course 2 cuff, Oiseabhal Woven Wrap, Sulaire Spencer and Infinite Cable Class blanket. Visit our Video Tutorials section for tutorials on a variety of knitting techniques to help you with your projects. Story The shoreline of the Isle of Lewis is a varied and constantly changing environment. From the Tràigh Mhòr at Tolsta, with its beautiful, long stretch of beach in colours that would not look out of place on a Mediterranean shore, to the shingle beaches at Brue which are constantly pounded by the Atlantic Ocean, there are myriad sources of inspiration. The Tràigh Mhòr (Big Beach) is one of the longest sandy beaches on Lewis. It is a dramatic sweep of sand with machair lands behind it. Through the middle of the machair winds a burn which emerges onto the middle of the beach. The patterns and colours created as the water flows over the sand and into the sea have inspired Delta. For the Sand colourway the diamonds which turn and twist thoughout the design are created in the soft tones of Driftwood, Spindrift and Fulmar, which change subtly to mimic the shades of the sand on the Tràigh, which are visible beneath the flowing water. The Sea colourway uses the rich blues which flow towards the horizon. The diamond shapes within the regular pattern are varied so this is something to keep your eye on while you knit: yet if you do knit one out of the order I created within the charted position then that will be perfectly in tune with what nature reveals time and again, so you can go with the flow and not be too exacting. Jade
- [Polaris](https://virtualyarns.com/product/polaris/) - Description Knitted Measurements: Small - Underarm (buttoned) 89.5cm. Length 47cm. Medium - Underarm (buttoned) 96.5cm. Length 48.5cm. Large - Underarm (buttoned) 103.5cm. Length 50cm. X Large - Underarm (buttoned) 111cm. Length 51.5cm. XX Large - Underarm (buttoned) 118cm. Length 53cm. This kit includes a colour-printed pattern card with full instructions in all sizes and all the Alice Starmore 2 Ply Hebridean yarn required to make the Polaris in your chosen size and colours. Polaris is a standard fit cardigan with set-in sleeves. The body is entirely worked in the round and the sleeves are knitted separately in the round to the armholes, with the sleeve caps knitted back and forth in rows. The Polaris is made in a Background, Pattern and Contrast colour. It is shown here in a Background of Shearwater, Pattern of Kittiwake and Contrast of Sea Anemone. It is also shown in a Background of Machair, Pattern of Spindrift and Contrast of Golden Plover. It is also shown worn with a Hirta Hat Set and with the Henry VIII Hat Set. You can choose your own selection from our available Hebridean 2 Ply colours below. You can also find some Polaris Colour Palette inpiration here. Click here for a digital shadecard of all Hebridean 2 Ply colours. Visit our Video Tutorials section for tutorials on a variety of knitting techniques to help you with your projects. Story Polaris is a defining constant in our northern sky and so high definition is the key for this cardigan design. The tesselated star pattern is framed with deep ribs which are emphasised in a bold knit 3, purl 3 format. The design is worked in two main colours and embellished with a third contrast colour. The tiny touches of contrast embroidery, which are optional, are worked at random at central points of the star pattern. This design is ideal for personalising with your own choice of background, pattern and contrast colours. You can find suggestions of colour palettes for this design here. Alice & Jade
- [Calluna - 50g Hebridean 2 Ply](https://virtualyarns.com/product/calluna-hebridean-2-ply/) - Description Alice Starmore Hebridean 2 Ply Yarn is made from premium quality pure new British wool, dyed in the fleece and skillfully blended into unique shades. It is hand-washed and dried in the Hebridean air, and supplied in hand-made skeins which may vary in weight. It is priced per 50g at standard conditions. All yarn is weighed to order on balances that are checked daily to ensure that you receive the correct total amount. Calluna is part of the Moor & Mountain range, which is inspired by the landscape of the Outer Hebrides. Story Calluna Vulgaris is the botanic name for the Common Heather that grows throughout the Hebrides and fires the moor with the purple of its flowers between August and September. Speaking of firing the moor, it is unfortunately legal for what is known as "muirburn" to take place in springtime, whereby the Calluna is burnt back to encourage the growth of grass. Muirburn is illegal after mid-April to protect ground-nesting birds, but that doesn't prevent certain irresponsible sheep barons from going out in May to fire vast swathes of tinder-dry moorland. I have seen the fires glowing out of control, far into the night. On a happier note, Calluna is a dye plant so honoured in Highland history that it is the badge of the Clan Macdonald, and their Gaelic war-cry was Fraoch Eilean – the heather isle. The dye colour is obtained from infusing the flowers and will range from yellow, through orange to brown, according to the mordants used and the state of the plant when the flowers were harvested. Dried flowers will give a different shade to fresh ones, and all the shades were used for tweed-making in days before chemical dyes. The thatched roofs of Hebridean blackhouses were held in place by ropes made by twisting Calluna plants together, and heather beds were also frequently used, albeit long ago. Even within my own memory, I can recall Calluna being used to clean chimneys from the top down, by attaching a thick clump to a rope, weighted at the bottom by a stone. In remote, shady glens that are sheltered from the wind, Calluna grows with such depth and vigour that it can resemble a dark green lake. I remember walking through it chest high as a child. We have sought to capture this effect by blending very dark and mid-tones of green with just a whisper of lake blue.
- [Eagle Collar Six Layer](https://virtualyarns.com/product/eagle-collar-six-layer/) - Description One size. This kit includes two colour-printed patterncards with full instructions and all the Alice Starmore™ Hebridean 2 Ply required to make the Six-layer Eagle Collar in your own choice of colours. The Raven Costume from Glamourie serves its inspirational purpose once again for our House of Feathers Collection. I originally designed the bold ribbed feathers for the upper skirt layers of the Raven Costume. Although feathers by their very nature are light and airy, I wanted to design some to reflect the character and strength of the bigger birds that soar above the wild Hebridean sea and hillscapes. Working them into a collar brought to mind the beautiful neckline feathers of our spectacular Golden Eagles.This is another design for knitters who love a knitting challenge as well as the opportunity for some personal creative colour expression. The collar is worked in a main colour and each ribbed feather is edged with one of three contrasting colours, used at will throughout the three ribbed feather layers. These contrast colours are picked up again in the knots which decorate the neckband and enough contrast yarn is supplied to make a contrast rounded feather here and there, or contrast ridge in the neckband. You can create any number of dramatic effects through your choice of colour palette. The first six-layered version shown here is in a main colour of Solan Goose with contrasts of Spindrift, Pebble Beach and Kittiwake and the second version is shown in a Main Colour of Whin with contrasts of Pebble Beach, Driftwood and Spindrift. Click here for a digital shadecard of all Hebridean 2 Ply colours. Skill and patience are required to become proficient in working The Channel Island Cast-on which is a prominent decorative feature of the ribbed feathers. I have enhanced the cast-on further by working it in both the main and a contrasting colour so that the contrast colour is very subtle at the feather tips. This cast-on requires practice. Every time I plan to use it I first practise, as no matter what your experience it always takes time to get into the rhythm required to make all of the stitches and the edge perfectly even. To learn how to work the Channel Islands Cast-on, see the video demonstration in the Cast-on Methods in our Video Tutorials section in the Online Courses & Classes menu at the top of the Home Page of the Virtual Yarns Website.The effort is rewarded with a garment that is truly spectacular, whether worn casually or for a formal occasion.
- [Raven Capelet](https://virtualyarns.com/product/raven-capelet/) - Description One size. This kit includes two colour-printed patterncards with full instructions and all the Alice Starmore™ Hebridean 2 Ply required to make the Raven Capelet in your own choice of nine colours.The Raven Costume from Glamourie continues to serve its inspirational purpose. All of the variants we have shown in Flights of Fancy have proved to be hugely popular and so we are delighted to offer the Raven Capelet as a patterncard kit. This is a design for knitters who love a knitting and finishing challenge as well as the opportunity for some wildly creative colour expression. Skill and patience are rewarded with a garment which is truly spectacular, whether worn casually or for a formal occasion. If you are a beginner, or you have not made a complex garment before, the Lapwing Collar Video Class Kit is an ideal project to begin with and build the skills required for this Raven Capelet, which is a complex design. The capelet features five layers of long feathers topped with three further layers of small rounded feathers which can be made in a choice of styles – either self-coloured as shown in the Bronze version, or multi-coloured as shown in the Blue version. The neckband is highly textured with ridges and knots which can be worked in a solid colour or in any combination of your choosing.This is the perfect design for playing with colour. Each feather is made individually and so experimentation is quick and easy. The kit has been designed to provide you with plenty of scope to arrange and use the colours freely within the framework of a main colour and a first and second contrast. These first three colour choices will equally determine the overall scheme (the main colour is so-called as it is also worked in the hidden rounds between each layer). Six highlight shades are provided in the kit and these can be added into the design at will, providing you with immense scope for creating a colour scheme all of your own. Click here for a digital shadecard of all Hebridean 2 Ply colours. Jade made both capelet versions shown here and they display her skill at creating colour palettes as well as illustrating how colour can be used to create very different effects. Both versions use a Main and 1st and 2nd Contrast which are similar in tone and depth, so that they work well together to create a background for the highlights.The Bronze version was inspired by the shingle on the croft shoreline which is toned in soft, subtle greys and fawns until the tide rises, making it transmute into shades of green, gold and soft red. So the three base layers of long feathers are worked in Spindrift, Fulmar and Pebble Beach, with Spindrift as the main colour used to join the feathers and work the rounds between each layer. As the garment grew she added highlights of Corncrake, Sea Ivory, Mountain Hare, Driftwood, Sundew and Whin to echo the more intense colours of the wet shingle.The Blue version was inspired by the ocean breaking round the sea stacs of St Kilda, with a main colour of Shearwater along with first and second contrasts of Mara and Summertide.These three blues are used throughout the layers and they dominate the shoulder feathers. Just four highlight shades are used in this version, with Pebble Beach and touches Driftwood concentrated at one centre and Corncrake with touches of Whin on the other. The centre front and back are the same and so the garment can be worn either way.
- [Oregon Autumn Cardigan](https://virtualyarns.com/product/oregon-cardigan/) - Description Knitted Measurements: Petite - Underarm (buttoned) 97.5cm. Length 56cm. Small - Underarm (buttoned) 106cm. Length 58cm. Medium - Underarm (buttoned) 114.5cm. Length 60cm. Large - Underarm (buttoned) 123.5cm. Length 62cm. X Large - Underarm (buttoned) 132cm. Length 64.5cm. XX Large - Underarm (buttoned) 140.5cm. Length 66.5cm. This kit includes a colour-printed pattern card with full instructions in all sizes and all the yarn required to make Oregon Autumn Cardigan in your chosen size. A classic style with lightly shaped armholes with the garment worked in the round in one piece. This design is also available in a Spring Colourway and as a hat set and as a vest. Visit our Video Tutorials section for tutorials on a variety of knitting techniques to help you with your projects. Story I come from a landscape that is virtually treeless, so the forests of Oregon left a lasting impression on me. The memories of a Spring road trip along the Mackenzie River are particularly vivid, and inspired this popular and enduring design. To recreate those memories I designed stylised firs for the main pattern; they evoke the dense, high backdrop of conifers that blocked out the sky. The border design is my take on the Mackenzie River, flowing at eye level by the road. I designed a pattern reminiscent of floating leaves, and filled it with the colours of light on water, and of dark undergrowth through which the first hints of Spring were starting to appear. I made similar trips in September and October but an Autumn version of the design was a long time coming because I lacked a suitable palette of colours. Getting it right involved designing my Hebridean yarn range with the shades and subtlety that I needed. The Oregon Cardigan is available in the Autumn colourway. Alice
- [Kimberley](https://virtualyarns.com/product/kimberley/) - Description Knitted Measurements: Petite – Underarm (buttoned) 98cm. Length 47cm. Small – Underarm (buttoned) 103cm. Length 49cm. Medium – Underarm (buttoned)107cm. Length 51cm. Large – Underarm (buttoned) 116cm. Length 53cm. X Large – Underarm (buttoned) 121.5cm. Length 55cm. This kit includes a colour-printed pattern card with full instructions in five sizes and all the Alice Starmore 2 Ply Hebridean™ yarn required to make the Kimberley in your chosen size and colours. This design is knitted in a main and contrast colour of Hebridean 2 Ply, with 4 embroidery colours for stitching to the inset panels, it can be ordered in a choice of our available Hebridean 2 Ply colours. It is shown here in a Main Colour of Limpet with Contrast Colour of Golden Plover and Embroidery colours of Driftwood, Clover, Erica and Wild Orchid. The Kimberley is shown photographed here in summer sunshine, indoors in studio lighting, and during a winter sunset in very directional light. Buttons are not included in this kit. The buttons we have used for this sample are knitted, felted and embroidered buttons from our Creative Courses 1 & 2. Click here for a digital shadecard of all Hebridean 2 Ply colours. Visit our Video Tutorials section for tutorials on a variety of knitting techniques to help you with your projects. Story A bed valance was made for Kimberley Hall circa 1532-35, in expectation of a visit from Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn. A white satin background is covered with floral patterns of appliqued black velvet It also contains the couple’s monogram and may have been used to furnish the royal bed during their stay in 1535. I have used the patterns together with the style of slashing which was popular in the 16th century, to create this sophisticated and striking jacket. Jade
- [Gleann Mòr](https://virtualyarns.com/product/gleann-mor/) - We have paused orders for the Gleann Mòr while we catch up with current orders. It will be back toward the end of this week. Description Small – Underarm 92cm. Length 47cm. Medium – Underarm 101cm. Length 48.25cm. Large – Underarm 110cm. Length 49.5 cm. X Large – Underarm 119cm. Length 51.5cm. XX Large – Underarm 128cm. Length 53cm. This kit includes two colour-printed pattern cards with full instructions in all sizes and all the Alice Starmore™ 2 Ply Hebridean yarn required to make the Gleann Mòr Cardigan in your chosen size and colours. The cardigan is designed with one main background colour and five graded, contrast pattern colours. The photographed Gleann Mòr is knitted with a Main Background colour of Calluna with Contrast Pattern colours of Golden Plover (1), Corncrake (2), Machair (3), Bogbean (4) and Lapwing (5), worked in that order from the cast-on edges of the body and sleeves. To choose the colours as shown in the sample pick the Original choice from the dropdown. You can also make this in design in your own choice of colours: Click here for a digital shadecard of all Hebridean 2 Ply colours. It is a stranded, two-colour design with the body worked in the round with steeks at the front, armholes and neck.The sleeves are worked separately, with cuffs worked back and forth in rows. The completed cuffs are joined into the round for working to the underarm, then the set-in sleeve caps are worked back and forth in rows. 37[37,38,38,39] 10-12mm diameter buttons are required for the deep ribbed cuffs and front opening. The buttons are not included in the kit. The Gleann Mòr is shown here worn with a pair of gloves from the Briodag Hat Set. Story Gleann Mòr, Hirta’s summer pasture throughout its human history, is enclosed by hills that form a steep-sided horseshoe shape, facing North to the ocean and the island of Soay. The remains of the Heroine’s house still stands here, close to the Well of Virtues, and when she wasn’t off on one of her legendary hunting escapades, she was in charge of the summer pasture. I have a strong sense of kinship with the women and girls who spent their summers on the àirigh pasture tending to the animals, as I belong to the last Hebridean generation to take part in that form of transhumance. In Lewis the practice died out in the mid- 60s just as I entered my teens, but all of my childhood summers were spent at our family àirigh out on the moor. We lived intimately with the natural world, being a living part of it ourselves and so the idea of the Heroine as the matriarchal character of the summer pasture has a special appeal for me, and it is the inspiration for this design. The colours reflect the vegetation of the gleann in its full summer glory, whilst the pattern is a nod to the birds who wheel around the skyline catching the updrafts above the steep ramparts. Like its sister, the Boreray Pullover, the deep two-colour ribs speak of the vertical nature of the landscape and they also provide an eminently practical fitted silhouette which I hope will appeal to strong, practical, patient and heroic women and girls of all ages. Alice
- [Lapwing Collar Video Class Kit](https://virtualyarns.com/product/lapwing-collar/) - Description One Size fits all. The Lapwing Collar Video Class Kit includes online access to 1 hour and 46 mins of video tutorials, a colour-printed patterncard with full instructions, and all the Alice Starmore Hebridean 2 Ply yarn required to make the Lapwing Collar in your chosen colours. In the video classes Alice takes you through the making of a Lapwing Collar, with comprehensive demonstrations of each step along the way. These tutorials are suitable for all abilities from beginner onwards. It is shown here in three colour variations. The first has a Main Colour of Bogbean and Contrast 1 of Machair for the top layer of feathers and the neckband. The longer centre front and back feathers use Calluna as Contrast 2; Lapwing as Contrast 3; Strabhann as Contrast 4; and Corncrake as Contrast 5. The second, pale variation, has a Main Colour of Kittiwake and Contrast 1 of Pebble Beach, Contrast 2 of Conrcrake, Contrast 3 of Spindrift, Contrast 4 of Solan Goose and Contrast 5 of Driftwood. The third dark variation uses Kelpie for both the main and first contrast, with Storm Petrel for Contrast 2, Erica for Contrast 3, Limpet for Contrast 4 and Shearwater for Contrast 5. You can order the Lapwing Collar in a choice of our available Hebridean 2 Ply colours. Click here for a digital shadecard of all Hebridean 2 Ply colours. The Lapwing Collar is available as a Standard or Beginner Kit. The Beginner Kit contains 2 extra 25g skeins of Hebridean 2 Ply, one in Main Colour and one in Contrast 1. These will be used for making additional swatches and practice pieces. The instructions for these extra pieces are given in the online video tutorials. Once your Lapwing Collar kit has been dispatched you will recieve an email with a username and password for our steek dot scot video tutorial website. You can use your personal login information to access the detailed Video Classes showing every part of the making and finishing of a Lapwing Collar. If you are buying this as a gift please get in touch with us beforehand as classes are linked directly to your order details.
- [Seaweed Scarf & Wrap](https://virtualyarns.com/product/seaweed-scarf-wrap/) - Description Scarf Size - Length (ex fringes) 208cm. Width 37cm. Wrap Size - Length (ex fringes) 208cm. Width 60cm. This kit includes a colour-printed pattern card with full instructions and all the yarn required to make Seaweed in your chosen size and colour. This design is available in either wrap or scarf size in Hebridean 2 Ply. It is shown here in Sea Ivory and Sundew and is available in a choice of 34 colours of Hebridean 2 Ply. Click here for a digital shadecard of all Hebridean 2 Ply colours. Visit our Video Tutorials section for tutorials on a variety of knitting techniques to help you with your projects. Story Just to the north of Gress beach the coastline is exposed and has been eroded into a classic example of a wave-cut platform. At the edges and in the deep channels, various types of seaweeds snake back and forth in sinuous fashion, in time to the ebb and flow. I designed the pattern to capture the effect. Alice
- [Antares](https://virtualyarns.com/product/antares/) - Description Knitted Measurements Petite– Underarm (buttoned) 88cm. Length 47.5cm. Small – Underarm (buttoned) 93cm. Length 49cm. Medium – Underarm (buttoned) 98cm. Length 50.25cm. Large – Underarm (buttoned) 103cm. Length 52cm. X Large – Underarm (buttoned) 108cm. Length 53cm. XX Large – Underarm (buttoned) 113cm. Length 55cm. The Antares Cardigan kit includes a colour-printed patterncard with full instructions in six sizes and all the Alice Starmore Hebridean™ 2 Ply yarn in the 8 shades required to make the cardigan in your chosen size. The model is shown in the first size. Antares is a standard fit cardigan with set-in sleeves. The body is entirely worked in the round and the sleeves are knitted separately in the round to the armholes, with the sleeve caps knitted back and forth in rows. Visit our Video Tutorials section for tutorials on a variety of knitting techniques to help you with your projects. Story In the Outer Hebrides the summer months bring us light almost twenty four hours a day, with only the wee hours descending into twilight. This means that outdoor work and pleasure can extend for as long as we care. The light during these nights is soft and clear over the sea and sky and by August the twilight is just deep enough to see the brightest stars once again. At this time Antares, the brightest star in the constellation of Scorpius, can be spotted flashing red against the soft blues of sea and sky above the south-eastern horizon. This ethereal sight was the theme for the Antares cardigan design. The strong geometric pattern lines reference the water patterns, the horizon and the imagined lines between the stars which allow us to identify and see the form of the constellations. The colours are those of the summer night sea and sky punctuated with flashes of red in honour of Antares. Jade
- [Maidenhair Pullover](https://virtualyarns.com/product/maidenhair-pullover/) - Description Knitted Measurements: Small – Underarm 94cm. Length 57.5cm. Medium – Underarm 101cm. Length 60cm. Large – Underarm 109cm. Length 62.5cm. X Large – Underarm 116cm. Length 64.5cm. X X Large – Underarm 124cm. Length 66.5cm. This kit includes a colour-printed pattern card with full instructions in all sizes and all the Alice Starmore™ 3Ply Hebridean yarn required to make the Maidenhair Pullover in your chosen size and colour. This design can be ordered in a choice of our available Hebridean 3 Ply colours, the Maidenhair Pullover is shown here in Driftwood and Glen. Click here for a digital shadecard of all Hebridean 3 Ply colours. Visit our Video Tutorials section for tutorials on a variety of knitting techniques to help you with your projects. Story I chose the name Maidenhair for this classic cable and openwork design as it reminded me of the beautiful and delicate maidenhair ferns which grow in rocky nooks and crannies on our western island moor and hills. It’s a decidedly feminine design with its light and airy openwork central panels and ruffled edgings. It’s also a quick and easy knit and makes for a very stylish pullover which can be dressed up or worn casually through any chilly day of the year. Alice
- [Sulaire Spencer Short Sleeved](https://virtualyarns.com/product/sulaire-spencer-short-sleeved/) - Description Knitted Measurements: Small – Underarm (buttoned) 88cm. Waist (buttoned) 73cm. Length (ex peplum) 39cm. Medium – Underarm (buttoned) 94cm. Waist (buttoned) 79cm. Length (ex peplum) 41cm. Large – Underarm (buttoned) 100cm. Waist (buttoned) 85cm. Length (ex peplum) 43cm. X Large – Underarm (buttoned) 106cm. Waist (buttoned) 91cm. Length (ex peplum) 45cm. This kit includes a colour-printed pattern card with full instructions in all sizes and all the Alice Starmore™ 2 Ply Hebridean yarn required to make the Short-Sleeved Sulaire Spencer in your chosen size and colour. The spencer is a lightly fitted style, buttoned at the back with set-in sleeves. The peplum is worked in two separate pieces which are joined after blocking, and the body is worked back and forth in rows in one piece. The short cap sleeves are knitted back and forth in rows in Stocking Stitch and decorated with the same picot edging as the waist and neckline. It is shown here in Whin and is available in a choice of any of our available Hebridean 2 Ply colours. The Sulaire Spencer is also available in a long-sleeved version. Click here for a digital shadecard of all Hebridean 2 Ply colours. Visit our Video Tutorials section for tutorials on a variety of knitting techniques to help you with your projects.
- [Lapwing Full Set](https://virtualyarns.com/product/lapwing-full-set/) - Description Knitted Measurements Lapwing Pullover: Small – Underarm 88cm. Waist 73cm. Length (centre back hem to neckline) 46cm. Medium – Underarm 95.5cm. Waist 80.5cm. Length (centre back hem to neckline) 48cm. Large – Underarm 104cm. Waist 88cm. Length (centre back hem to neckline) 50cm. Extra Large – Underarm 112cm. Waist 95.5cm. Length (centre back hem to neckline) 52cm. The Lapwing Pullover patterncard kit contains 2 colour-printed patterncards and all the Alice Starmore™ Hebridean 2 Ply yarn required to make the Lapwing Pullover in your chosen size and colours. The Lapwing Collar Video Class patterncard kit contains a colour-printed patterncard, online access to 1 hour and 46 mins of video tutorials and all the Alice Starmore™ Hebridean 2 Ply required to make the Lapwing Collar in your chosen colourway. The Lapwing Full Set is shown here in greens with the Greeta Hat Set, and in dark tones with the Mary Tudor gloves. It is shown here in two colour variations. The first collar has a Main Colour of Bogbean and Contrast 1 of Machair, Calluna as Contrast 2; Lapwing as Contrast 3; Strabhann as Contrast 4; and Corncrake as Contrast 5. This is worn over a Lapwing Pullover in a Main Colour of Lapwing, a Contrast Colour of Machair and a Detail Colour of Corncrake, with additions of Bogbean and Strabhann which come from the collar colour choices. The dark variation uses Kelpie for both the main and first contrast of the Collar, with Storm Petrel for Contrast 2, Erica for Contrast 3, Limpet for Contrast 4 and Shearwater for Contrast 5. This is worn over a Lapwing Pullover in Kelpie with a contrast of Shearwater. You can order the Lapwing Collar in a choice of our available Hebridean 2 Ply colours. Click here for a digital shadecard of all Hebridean 2 Ply colours.
- [Leo Scarf](https://virtualyarns.com/product/leo-scarf/) - Description One Size - Width (doubled) 28.5cm. Length (ex fringes) 197cm. This kit includes a colour-printed pattern card with full instructions and all the yarn required to make Leo Scarf. This is an ideal first project for a knitter who wants to make a garment in the round using the stranded technique. Visit our Video Tutorials section for tutorials on a variety of knitting techniques to help you with your projects. Story The majority of the Egyptian gods had the bodies of humans but the heads of animals, each one relating to the tasks and expertise of the god in question. One of the most important of these was Ra the sun god, who in one of his guises wears the head of a lion. Ra controlled the sun and all things related to it, such as harvests. He also had considerable influence in the realms of the dead, so his appearance with a lion’s head shows that the beast was held in high esteem. His daughter Sekhmet, also known as the powerful one and generally found on the battlefield controlling the outcome according to her wishes, shared this family characteristic and is shown with the head of a lioness. The image of the lion was also used in the Egyptian zodiac for the star sign Leo. For my Leo design I have used sandy golds set on a hot background of russets and reds to depict the lions. This background changes to increasingly intense blues as it passes through the band of scarab beetles who are industriously pushing the sun across the sky above the watchful lions. Jade
- [Lapwing Pullover](https://virtualyarns.com/product/lapwing/) - Description Knitted Measurements: Small – Underarm 88cm. Waist 73cm. Length (centre back hem to neckline) 46cm. Medium – Underarm 95.5cm. Waist 80.5cm. Length (centre back hem to neckline) 48cm. Large – Underarm 104cm. Waist 88cm. Length (centre back hem to neckline) 50cm. Extra Large – Underarm 112cm. Waist 95.5cm. Length (centre back hem to neckline) 52cm. This kit includes 2 colour-printed pattern cards with full instructions and all the Alice Starmore™ Hebridean 2 Ply required to make the Lapwing pullover in your chosen size and colours, with a single colour for the flower detail in the centre of the peplum. It is also shown with the feather detail worked on front and back instead of a contrast detail. The Lapwing version is shown alongside the Red Jacobite Rose Hat Set. The Kelpie version is shown alongside the Capillifolium Hat Set Patterncard Kit. The Lapwing Pullover patterncard kit can be ordered in a choice of our available Hebridean 2 Ply colours. Click here for a digital shadecard of all Hebridean 2 Ply colours. Visit our Video Tutorials section for tutorials on a variety of knitting techniques to help you with your projects. Story I took the colours, feathers and flowers from the costume and worked some curved shaping into this fine-knit pullover. The contrasting machair-coloured peplum and cuffs are shaped with short rows and then overlaid with a triple-feather pattern on the back and sleeves, whilst the front features an appliquéd flower arrangement. I designed the feather pattern with right and left slanting increases and decreases placed to mimic the structure of individual feathers. The body is shaped to the waist at the side seams and at each side of the central feather pattern on the back and front. The flower arrangement is made by knitting and felting the individual components, then stitching them together and finally stitching lightly on to the knitted peplum. If you prefer, you can work the peplum with overlaid feathers on the front as on the back, instead of the flower arrangement, you can see this option in the Kelpie version. The kit contains enough yarn for both options. Alice
- [Breton](https://virtualyarns.com/product/breton/) - Description Knitted Measurements: Small – Body Circumference 100cm. Underarm (inc gussets) 114cm. Length – 54cm. Medium – Body Circumference 106.5cm. Underarm (inc gussets) 120.5cm. Length – 56cm. Large – Body Circumference 115cm. Underarm (inc gussets) 129cm. Length – 58cm. X Large – Body Circumference 121.5cm. Underarm (inc gussets) 135.5cm. Length – 60cm. X X Large – Body Circumference 129.5cm. Underarm (inc gussets) 143.5cm. Length – 62cm. XXX Large – Body Circumference 136cm. Underarm (inc gussets) 150cm. Length – 64cm. This kit includes a pattern card with full instructions in all sizes and all the Alice Starmore™ Hebridean 2 Ply yarn required to make Breton in your chosen size and colours. Colour A is the main colour (shown in Solan Goose in the photographed model); colour B is the main contrast (shown in Mara), and colour C is the accent contrast which replaces colour B wherever you would like to feature it (shown here in Red Rattle on a few body and sleeve stripes and on the rib of one cuff). Click here for a digital shadecard of all Hebridean 2 Ply colours. Visit our Video Tutorials section for tutorials on a variety of knitting techniques to help you with your projects. The Breton is shown here photographed on Rebecca in foggy conditions (very soft light) with a pair of Wave Gloves, and on Eve in strong sunshine with a Marina Hat Set. Story Simple nautical stripes were the hallmark of fishing pullovers from the coast of Brittany and I originally designed Breton as a childs’ gansey and added the original feature of buttoned shoulders extending from a boat-shaped neckline. It is a fresh, lightweight and easy-to-wear design and this time I have worked it for adults in six sizes. I designed the garment in the gansey style with diamond-shaped underarm gussets. The body is knitted in the round to the armholes and the back and front yokes are knitted back and forth in rows. The sleeves are knitted up from the armholes and worked in the round to the cuffs, so the garment is entirely seamless. The simple Stocking Stitch stripes on the body and sleeves are easy to follow which allows for concentration on maintaining a perfect tension and mastering all the techniques involved in creating this unique design. The colours used here emphasise the nautical theme with colour C (Red Rattle) used here and there at will. You can personalise your Breton by choosing your own colour scheme and there are many lovely choices you can make. A generous amount of the accent contrast (colour C) is included in the kit so that you can work it in wherever you please. Whatever your choice, you can be sure that this design will add a flourish to your wardrobe.
- [Cassiopeia Cardigan](https://virtualyarns.com/product/cassiopeia-cardigan/) - Description Knitted Measurements: Small – Underarm 96.5cm. Length 54.5cm. Medium – Underarm 104cm. Length 56cm. Large – Underarm 110cm. Length 57cm. X Large – Underarm 116cm. Length 58.5cm. XX Large – Underarm 123cm. Length 60cm. XXX Large – Underarm 131cm. Length 61cm. This kit includes a colour-printed pattern card with full instructions in eight sizes and all the Alice Starmore 2 Ply Hebridean™ yarn required to make the Cassiopeia Cardigan in your chosen size and colours. There are three colours used: a Main Colour (MC); a Pattern Colour (PC) used for the larger pattern bands, and a Contrast Colour (CC) used for the cast-on and the little pattern bands worked between the larger bands. The photographed examples show the cardigan with a Main Colour of Selkie, a Pattern Colour of Clover and a Contrast Colour of Strabhann and a Main Colour of Red Rattle, a Pattern Colour of Mountain Hare and a Contrast Colour of Corncrake. For a look at other colourways, see those shown and described for the Cassiopeia Vest and Hat Set. These colourways illustrate just how much colour choice can affect the finished design. With just three colours in the scheme, you can choose any combination of Hebridean 2 Ply colours to make the cardigan co-ordinate perfectly with any outfit. The cardigan body rib is worked back and forth in rows with a subtle contrast colour worked in the Channel Islands Cast-on. The body is then joined into the round and the patterns are worked in the stranded knitting technique with steeks worked at the front opening, armholes and neck shaping. The set-in sleeves are knit in the round to the armholes and the sleeve caps are then worked back and forth in rows. The collar is knit back and forth in rows and features the same contrast edging as the body. It is then joined to the neckband using a neat and interesting technique. For a step-by-step video tutorial showing all the techniques involved in knitting and finishing stranded garments visit our Stranded Knitting in the Round with Steeks tutorial section. Click here for a digital shadecard of all Hebridean 2 Ply colours.
- [Rheingold Wrap](https://virtualyarns.com/product/rheingold-wrap/) - Description One Size - Width 60cm Length (ex. fringes) 142.5cm This kit includes a colour-printed pattern card and amendment with full instructions and all the yarn required to make Rheingold Wrap. This is an ideal first project for a knitter who wants to make a garment in the round using the stranded technique with one steek. Visit our Video Tutorials section for tutorials on a variety of knitting techniques to help you with your projects. Story One day beside the Rhine, three gorgeous water nymphs were teasing Alberich - a Dwarf King from the underworld - when he caught sight of their Rheingold beneath the flowing river. The Rhinemaidens told the dwarf that the gold could give him power to rule the world, but to get it he would have to renounce love forever. He had been pursuing them with such ardour that they never thought he would accept their offer, but he did and made off with the Rheingold before they could do anything about it. Thus begins Wagner’s Ring Cycle, and a whole saga of conflict and destruction. Only when the gold is returned to the Rhinemaidens is the natural balance restored, and a ray of hope falls upon the world. As I watched a televised production of Das Rheingold I had an idea that will bring a golden glow to any occasion. I created a vertically banded tunic with a wide neck, as this is a very adaptable shape. For the main pattern I sketched a sun with beaming rays looking over a graceful flower with curving leaves and stem. For the narrow contrast panel I invented some delicate motifs to complement the principal flower. Just the thing to put the light back into the life of a disconsolate Rhinemaiden. Jade
- [Marina Cardigan](https://virtualyarns.com/product/marina/) - Description Knitted Measurements: Small - Underarm (buttoned) 106.5cm. Length 71cm. Medium - Underarm (buttoned) 118cm. Length 73cm. Large - Underarm (buttoned) 129.5cm. Length 74cm. X Large - Underarm (buttoned) 141cm. Length 79.5cm. This kit includes a colour-printed pattern card with full instructions in all sizes and all the yarn required to make Marina in your chosen size. This is a classic style with lightly shaped armholes with the garment worked in the round in one piece. The Marina design is also available as a hat set, the gloves can be seen here with the cardigan. Click here to see the Marina Hat Set. Visit our Video Tutorials section for tutorials on a variety of knitting techniques to help you with your projects.
- [Greeta Cardigan](https://virtualyarns.com/product/greeta-cardigan/) - Description Knitted Measurements: Small – Underarm 89.5cm. Length 50cm. Medium – Underarm 98cm. Length 52cm. Large – Underarm 107cm. Length 54.5cm. X Large – Underarm 115.5cm. Length 56.5cm. XX Large – Underarm 124cm. Length 58.5cm. XXX Large – Underarm 132cm. Length 61cm. The Greeta Cardigan kit includes two colour-printed patterncards with full instructions in six sizes, access to an intermediate level online video class, and all the Alice Starmore Hebridean™ 2 Ply yarn in the 11 shades required to make the cardigan in your chosen size. The model is shown in the first size. All six sizes feature the same yoke pattern and so on the larger sizes the yoke rounds will sit higher up on the shoulders whilst the body and upper sleeve shaping is extended and designed to fit each subsequent size. The Greeta Cardigan is an intermediate project which assumes you already have the required skills for working stranded knitting in the round with a steek. A focused video class takes you through the unique shaping of the upper body in preparation for fitting the circular yoke. Also included in the class are how to assemble the garment pieces for working the yoke; how to set and follow the yoke pattern; how to decrease the yoke within the pattern; how to finish the neckband steek; how to finish the short armhole seams and graft the underarms. Needles and buttons are not included in this kit. You will require: 1 Set of double-pointed or circular 2.75mm needles. Set of double-pointed or circular 40cm, 60cm and 80cm (100cm -120cm for the 3 larger sizes) 3.25mm needles. 1 spare 60cm or 80cm circular needle. 1 Set of short 2.75mm & 3.25mm double-pointed needles (for lower sleeve). Stitch holders. Stitch markers. Tapestry needle. 9 Buttons. The Greeta Cardigan is shown here worn with the Greeta Hat Set, which is a separate project.
- [Marina Hat Set](https://virtualyarns.com/product/marina-hat-set/) - Description Knitted Measurements: Collar – Lower edge circumference (including front overlap and borders) 104cm. Collar Length (lower edge to top of neckband) 21cm. Beret – Circumference 63cm. Brim to crown 25cm. Fingerless Gloves– Width around knuckles 19.3[20.7,22]cm. Marina is an accessory set guaranteed to turn heads. I used seventeen shades of my Hebridean 2 Ply to create the rich patterned colour scheme, all worked in the stranded circular technique. If you are new to the technique then there is a graded progression you can follow, starting with the beret which introduces double-decrease shaping in the patterned crown. The double-breasted collar is made with a small steek at the front opening which is cut and then borders are knitted up, just like a cardigan. The fingerless gloves will teach you how to make thumb gussets and then how to work each digit in the round. You will be an expert by the time you have finished the set. This kit includes a colour-printed patterncard with full instructions and all the yarn required to make the Marina Hat Set. The collar and beret are made in one size and instructions for the gloves are provided in three sizes. Enough yarn is provided in the kit to make the largest size of gloves. The Marina design is also available as a cardigan, click here for the Marina Cardigan. Visit our Video Tutorials section for tutorials on a variety of knitting techniques to help you with your projects.
- [Maud Cardigan](https://virtualyarns.com/product/maud-cardigan/) - Description Knitted Measurements: Small - Underarm (buttoned) 89cm. Length 51cm. Medium - Underarm (buttoned) 97.5cm. Length 54cm. Large - Underarm (buttoned) 106cm. Length 57cm. X Large - Underarm (buttoned) 115cm. Length 61.5cm. XX Large - Underarm (buttoned) 123cm. Length 66cm. This kit includes a colour-printed pattern card with full instructions in all sizes and all the yarn required to make Maud Cardigan in your chosen size. Maud is a standard fit cardigan with set in sleeves. The body is entirely worked in the round and the sleeves are knitted separately in the round to the armholes, with the sleeve caps knitted back and forth in rows. It is shown here worn with the Maud handwarmers and beret from the Maud Hat Set. Visit our Video Tutorials section for tutorials on a variety of knitting techniques to help you with your projects. Story Tennyson’s poem Maud never fails to evoke the sight, scent and spirit of my late summer garden in full bloom. This was the inspiration for my Maud hat set design which I have now translated here as a classic cardigan with set-in sleeves. It is the perfect attire for an evening stroll in the rose garden or on any chilly day long after “the musk of the rose has blown”. Alice
- [Katherine Of Aragon](https://virtualyarns.com/product/katherine-of-aragon/) - Description Knitted Measurements: Small - Underarm (buttoned) 103.5cm. Length 78.5cm. Medium - Underarm (buttoned) 111 cm. Length 80.5cm. Large - Underarm (buttoned) 116.5cm. Length 82cm. Extra Large - Underarm (buttoned) 123cm. Length 84cm. This pack contains all the Alice Starmore Hebridean 2 Ply yarn required to make the Katherine Of Aragon design from Tudor Roses in your chosen size. You will require a copy of the book TUDOR ROSES (2013 or 2017 Edition) for the pattern instructions. The Katherine Of Aragon is shown worn with the Maud beret and gloves. Visit our Video Tutorials section for tutorials on a variety of knitting techniques to help you with your projects.
- [Catherine Parr](https://virtualyarns.com/product/catherine-parr/) - Description Knitted Measurements: Small - Underarm 96cm. Length 61cm. Medium - Underarm 102cm. Length 63cm. Large - Underarm 108cm. Length 64cm. Extra Large - Underarm 114cm. Length 65cm. XX Large - Underarm 120cm. Length 66cm. This pack contains all the yarn required to make the Catherine Parr design from Tudor Roses in your chosen size and colours of Alice Starmore Hebridean 3 Ply. You will require a copy of the book TUDOR ROSES (2013 or 2017 Edition) for the pattern instructions. Catherine Parr yarn pack can be ordered in a choice of our Hebridean 3 Ply colours. It is shown here in Storm Petrel and Golden Plover, Gillian wears it with the Henry VIII Hat Set and Emma wears it with the Greeta Hat Set in strong sunshine. Click here for a digital shadecard of all Hebridean 3 Ply colours. Visit our Video Tutorials section for tutorials on a variety of knitting techniques to help you with your projects.
- [Boreray Cardigan](https://virtualyarns.com/product/boreray-cardigan/) - Description Knitted Measurements: Small – Underarm 94cm. Waist 78cm. Length 40.5cm. Medium – Underarm 100cm. Waist 84cm. Length 42.5cm. Large – Underarm 106cm. Waist 90cm. Length 44.25cm. X Large – Underarm 112cm. Waist 95.75cm. Length 46cm. XX Large – Underarm 118cm. Waist 101.5cm. Length 48cm. This kit includes two colour-printed pattern cards with full instructions in all sizes and all the Alice Starmore 2 Ply Hebridean™ yarn required to make the Boreray Cardigan in your chosen size. The Boreray Cardigan is a cropped and fitted shape with set-in sleeves. It features knotted hemlines and edgings, and a front placket and facing which allows the garment to be fastened with hidden press studs. The stranded colour-patterned body is entirely worked in the round and the sleeves are knitted separately in the round to the armholes, with the sleeve caps knitted back and forth in rows. This design is a complex piece to knit, and uses some innovative pattern and finishing skills learned in Creative Course 2 to complete the hemline, neckline, front bands, placket and facing. The patterncards contain detailed photographs which show the inside construction and finishing of the front placket and facing. This is an ideal design with which to apply some of the skills you have learned and practised whilst making the Dùn cuffs in Creative Course 2. The Boreray Cardigan is shown worn alongside other items from the Queen of the Waves Collection. These are separate designs which you can find here. Visit our Video Tutorials section for tutorials on a variety of knitting techniques to help you with your projects, including a step-by-step video tutorial showing all the techniques involved in knitting and finishing stranded garments. Story The Boreray cardigan, featuring its geometric stranded pattern of flying and diving gannets, is a key piece in our Queen of the Waves wardrobe. It is designed to be worn by itself, or over a Sulaire Spencer, sitting neatly above the Spencer peplum, and when worn open, showing the openwork panel down the centre of the Spencer. It is also designed to work alongside the Hirta fingerless gloves and the Dùn Cuff, so you can layer it up to very dramatic effect. Alice
- [Meadowsweet](https://virtualyarns.com/product/meadowsweet/) - Description Knitted Measurements: Small - Underarm (buttoned) 89.5cm. Length 47cm. Medium - Underarm (buttoned) 96.5cm. Length 48.5cm. Large - Underarm (buttoned) 103.5cm. Length 50cm. X Large - Underarm (buttoned) 111cm. Length 51.5cm. XX Large - Underarm (buttoned) 118cm. Length 53cm. This kit includes a colour-printed pattern card with full instructions in all sizes and all the yarn required to make Meadowsweet in your chosen size. Meadowsweet is a standard fit cardigan with set in sleeves. The body is entirely worked in the round and the sleeves are knitted separately in the round to the armholes, with the sleeve caps knitted back and forth in rows. Visit our Video Tutorials section for tutorials on a variety of knitting techniques to help you with your projects. Story As an active crofter, breeding Highland cattle in the Hebrides, I am intensely aware of the seasons and the challenges and rewards they bring. One of the greatest rewards is seeing the glorious transformation wrought on the land by warmth and sunshine. This is all the more evident as I have the privilege of having an extra-ordinarily beautiful croft, bordered by the sea and composed of machair meadow, habitat mosaic, wetland and water margin. Each area contains its own specific species-rich flora, which spring up, blossom and seed in an ever-changing colourful march through the long summer days. When winter bites and makes life on the croft difficult for human and beast alike, it greatly helps to have a remembrance, and thus a hope of summer still to come. I designed Meadowsweet with exactly this idea in mind. Known to us in Gaelic as Cneas Chù Chulainn (The belt of Chù Chulainn – a legendary Celtic hero who was said to have been restored from a fever by being bathed in Meadowsweet), this large and graceful plant grows in abundance in the damp sheltered parts of my croft which edge the machair meadow. I associate its heady scent with midsummer. It was used in the past to strew floors and rooms and is still used today in pot pourri. Meadowsweet had a wide range of important uses for as well as its curative and aromatic powers, it was one of few plants which could yield a black dye. It was also used to flavour mead: hence its other name of Mead Wort. I created the repeating pattern to depict meadowsweet and machair flowers, and to evoke colourful memories of summer during dark winter days. Alice
- [Oregon Autumn Vest](https://virtualyarns.com/product/oregon-autumn-vest/) - Description Knitted Measurements: Petite - Underarm (buttoned) 97.5cm. Length 54.5cm. Small - Underarm (buttoned) 106cm. Length 56.5cm. Medium - Underarm (buttoned) 114.5cm. Length 58.5cm. Large - Underarm (buttoned) 123.5cm. Length 60.5cm. X Large - Underarm (buttoned) 132cm. Length 62cm. XX Large - Underarm (buttoned) 140.5cm. Length 64.5cm This kit includes a colour-printed pattern card with full instructions in all sizes and all the yarn required to make Oregon Autumn Vest in your chosen size. It is also available in the Spring colourway, and as a cardigan or hat set. Visit our Video Tutorials section for tutorials on a variety of knitting techniques to help you with your projects. Story I come from a landscape that is virtually treeless, so the forests of Oregon left a lasting impression on me. The memories of a Spring road trip along the Mackenzie River are particularly vivid, and inspired this popular and enduring design. To recreate those memories I designed stylised firs for the main pattern; they evoke the dense, high backdrop of conifers that blocked out the sky. The border design is my take on the Mackenzie River, flowing at eye level by the road. I designed a pattern reminiscent of floating leaves, and filled it with the colours of light on water, and of dark undergrowth through which the first hints of Spring were starting to appear. I made similar trips in September and October but an Autumn version of the design was a long time coming because I lacked a suitable palette of colours. Getting it right involved designing my Hebridean yarn range with the shades and subtlety that I needed. Alice
- [Ruabhal Hat Set](https://virtualyarns.com/product/ruabhal-hat-set/) - Description Measurements:Beret – Circumference 73cm. Brim to crown 27cm.Fingerless Gloves – Width around knuckles 19.75[20.75, 22.75]cm. The Ruabhal Hat Set is composed of a beret and one pair of fingerless gloves in Alice Starmore™ Hebridean 2 Ply in a Main colour and 3 contrast colours. Both beret and gloves feature finely knitted closed cables and stranded textured colour knitting on the beret brim and the glove feathers and cuffs. I designed the beret pattern to expand around the circumference and then change in form to fit perfectly into the decreasing crown. The gloves are meticulously tailored to fit the hand shape and so this set will appeal to patient knitters who welcome a challenge in fine cabled knitting and intricate shaping on a small scale. This kit includes two colour-printed patterncards with full instructions and all the yarn required to make the Ruabhal Hat Set in your own choice of colours. The colours I used in the pale set of beret and gloves set shown here are a Main colour of Pebble Beach with Contrast colours of Golden Plover, Spindrift and Driftwood. The blue set is made in a Main Colour of Summertide with Contrasts of Pebble Beach, Driftwood and Golden Plover. The beret is made in one size and instructions for the gloves are provided in three sizes. Enough yarn is provided in the kit to make the largest size of gloves. The Ruabhal Hat Set is shown here with two woven wraps and a Sporan bag made in Hebridean 2 Ply, and with the Peigi Cardigan. Click here for a digital shadecard of all Hebridean 2 Ply colours.
- [Ripple Wrap](https://virtualyarns.com/product/ripple-wrap/) - Description One Size – Width 63cm. Length (ex. fringes) 130.5cm. This kit includes a colour-printed pattern card with full instructions and all the yarn required to make the Ripple Wrap. This is an ideal first project for a knitter who wants to make a garment in the round using the stranded steek technique. Visit our Video Tutorials section for tutorials on a variety of knitting techniques to help you with your projects. Story I created the Ripple patterns to represent the shifting marks of the sea and the channels of fresh water carved out over the sand. I worked the sea and sand colours to enhance the idea of movement both in the geometric ripples and in the opposing pattern versus background colours of the vertical panels. Once the first round is set it is very easy to memorize and work, making this an ideal project for newcomers attempting the stranded technique. It has one long steek worked straight from cast-on to cast-off end. So whether you are a first-timer or an experienced stranded knitter, this is a project that sums up everything that is enjoyable and easy about the stranded, steek technique, and is guaranteed to produce a result you will be proud of. The wrap is not only highly wearable, but can also be displayed as a beautiful home furnishing. Alice
- [Zauberflöte](https://virtualyarns.com/product/zauberflote/) - Description Knitted Measurements: Small - Underarm (buttoned) 105.5cm. Length 71cm. Medium - Underarm (buttoned) 115cm. Length 75cm. Large - Underarm (buttoned) 124cm. Length 79cm. X Large - Underarm (buttoned) 133cm. Length 81cm. This kit includes a colour-printed pattern card with full instructions in all sizes and all the yarn required to make Zauberflote in your chosen size. It is a classic dropped shoulder style, worked entirely in the round in one piece. It is shown here with the Hirta Hat Set and Persian Tiles wrap. Visit our Video Tutorials section for tutorials on a variety of knitting techniques to help you with your projects. Story Zauberflote takes it's inspiration from the undulating floral patterns of the late 1700's. I have created a curving horizontal pattern which is free of geometric lines. The rich purple, plum and burgundy tones of Erica, Capercaille, Wild Orchid and Limpet provide a deep and intense background for the softly flowing flowers, which are picked out in subtle pale shades of Pebble Beach and Driftwood. The resulting long cardigan is both easy and flattering to wear. Jade
- [Rosemarkie Cardigan](https://virtualyarns.com/product/rosemarkie-cardigan/) - Description Knitted Measurements: Small – Underarm 90cm. Length 58cm. Medium – Underarm 98cm. Length 60cm. Large – Underarm 106m. Length 61.5cm. X Large – Underarm 113.5cm. Length 63cm. XX Large – Underarm 121.5cm. Length 64.75cm. XXX Large – Underarm 129.5cm. Length 66cm. This kit includes a colour-printed pattern card with full instructions in all sizes and all the Alice Starmore 2 Ply Hebridean yarn required to make the Rosemarkie Cardigan in your chosen size. This design is available in a choice of two colourways. The Sruthan (Gaelic, burn) colourway (blues) is inspired by the little dark blue burns which feed colourful mossy banks as they course through the moor. The Còinneach colourway (pinks), is based on the warm, rosy shades found in mounds of moorland moss (Gaelic, còinneach). The Rosemarkie design is also available as a waistcoat. Visit our Video Tutorials section for tutorials on a variety of knitting techniques to help you with your projects. Story As a Gaelic-speaking Hebridean, Celtic imagery was something I grew up with and so it seemed quite natural that I should experiment with its various themes and how I might apply them into knitting designs. Thirty years have passed since I began the project and the first results were published in my book The Celtic Collection in 1992. The book was hugely successful and though it is now out of print, I still receive requests for many of the designs. So here is a new cardigan version of the Rosemarkie. I named it after the Pictish stone of that name that features a little key pattern based on diagonal lines and triangles, which are ideally suited to the technique of stranded knitting. The cardigan, shown here in the Còinneach colourway, is a classic style with set-in sleeves. The body is worked entirely in the round and sleeves are worked in the round to the shaped caps, which are worked back and forth in rows. I designed a small-scale stranded border pattern reminiscent of the edgings of Celtic manuscript pages to give a contained feel to the whole design. Alice
- [Inishmore](https://virtualyarns.com/product/inishmore/) - Description Knitted Measurements: Small – Underarm 99cm. Cropped Length 44cm. Classic Length – 59cm. Medium – Underarm 106cm. Cropped Length 46cm. Classic Length – 61cm. Large – Underarm 113cm. Cropped Length 48cm. Classic Length – 63cm. X Large – Underarm 120cm. Cropped Length 50cm. Classic Length – 65cm. X X Large – Underarm 127cm. Cropped Length 52cm. Classic Length – 67cm. XXX Large – Underarm 135cm. Cropped Length 54cm. Classic Length – 69cm. This kit includes two colour-printed pattern cards with full instructions in all sizes and both cropped and classic styles and all the Alice Starmore™ Hebridean 3 Ply yarn required to make Inishmore in your chosen size and style. This design can be ordered in a choice of our available Hebridean 3 Ply colours, it is shown here in the cropped length with a roll collar. It can also be made in a classic length and with a crew neck. It is shown here with the Hirta and Marina Hat Sets. Click here for a digital shadecard of all Hebridean 3 Ply colours. Visit our Video Tutorials section for tutorials on a variety of knitting techniques to help you with your projects. Story I designed Inishmore over thirty years ago and I think it’s fair to say that it has stood the test of time; it is every bit as wearable now as it was in the twentieth century. I based the main patterns on strong geometric lines worked in crisp twisted stitches and set in contrasting textured backgrounds. The sharp vertical and diagonal lines are further enhanced by framing within curved and undulating cables. The patterns are set within a traditional dropped and saddle shoulder silhouette. This timeless design is guaranteed to make a statement, worn by men and women of any age and so I have expanded the size range to include six sizes. You can choose between a cropped or classic length and both styles include the choice of a roll collar as shown in the photographs, or a classic crew neck. Alice
- [Levenish Hat](https://virtualyarns.com/product/levenish-hat/) - Description Knitted Measurements: Circumference 50.75[53,55.5,58]cm. Brim to crown 20[20.5,21,21.5]cm. The Levenish Hat kit includes a colour-printed patterncard with full instructions for 4 sizes of the Levenish Hat, and all the yarn required to make two Levenish Hats in Alice Starmore ™ Hebridean 2 Ply in your own choice of colours. There is enough yarn in the kit to make two hats in the largest size, with one hat in a self colour (Colour 1) as shown in the Mara version, and another in a main colour (Colour 2) with contrast highlights. These are shown in the photographs worked in Pebble Beach with a Driftwood contrast and also in Red Rattle with Tormentil contrast. This is an interesting design, made in circular overlapping layers, which will intrigue knitters of intermediate to expert level. Click here for a digital shadecard of all Hebridean 2 Ply colours. The Levenish Hat is photographed here in soft autumn light worn by Eve in Pebble Beach with Driftwood contrast along with the Peigi Cardigan, Herald handwarmers and Mo Chridhe Blanket. Eve also wears a Red Rattle version with a contrast in Red Deer alongside the Henry VIII fingerless gloves, Persian Tiles Wrap and woven scarf from the Weaving collection. Iona is photographed wearing a Mara Levenish in strong midday sunshine along with a Sulaire Spencer. She is also photographed wearing the Pebble Beach Levenish in magic hour sunshine late on a summer evening.
- [Peigi Cardigan](https://virtualyarns.com/product/peigi/) - Description Knitted Measurements: Petite – Underarm (buttoned) 88cm. Length 47.5cm. Small – Underarm (buttoned) 93cm. Length 49cm. Medium – Underarm (buttoned) 98cm. Length 50.25cm. Large – Underarm (buttoned) 103cm. Length 52cm. X Large – Underarm (buttoned) 108cm. Length 53.5cm. XX Large - Underarm (buttoned) 113cm. Length 55cm. This kit includes a colour-printed pattern card with full instructions in all sizes and all the yarn required to make Peigi in your chosen size. Peigi is a standard fit cardigan with sett-in sleeves. The body is entirely worked in the round and the sleeves are knitted separately in the round to the armholes, with the sleeve caps knitted back and forth in rows. Directions for knitting the optional felted buttons are included. The Peigi is shown here with a Ruabhal Hat Set. Visit our Video Tutorials section for tutorials on a variety of knitting techniques to help you with your projects. Story I designed the Peigi cardigan as a celebration of the 30th Anniversary of first publication of my Fair Isle Knitting Book. I revisited the book and chose a swatch that I had based on the pebbles from Geodh’ a’ Cùibhrig (Patchwork Quilt Cove) in Lewis, a place which has featured in my work over the last thirty years. Small, geometric pattern bands worked in various colour combinations depict the pebbles, each one as unique as human faces. Between each “pebble band” I depicted waving strands of seaweed that wash in and out with the tide. I echoed the repeated waving seaweed bands of the pattern in the ribs by working them in the same colours and giving them a little cable twist to portray that sense of movement. To finish, I made a set of little knitted, embroidered and felted buttons, each one unique like the pebbles. We took Peigi to the Geodh for some still-life shots to commemorate her origins and also to photograph the buttons beside the pebbles before sewing them on to the garment. It never occurred to us that I had succeeded in making them so similar to actual pebbles that they might be difficult to find should they decide to roll off the chosen spot. Inevitably, this happened and we gave up hunting for the runaways after about twenty minutes of fruitless search. So several of the “pebble buttons” you see in the still-life photos ran off and joined their stony counterparts and are no doubt floating in and out with the tide somewhere on the Lewis coastline. I judged that it would be less time-consuming to go home and make some replacements. There was something very fitting about giving the Geodh and the sea a little organic gift in return for the immeasurable joy and inspiration this place has given me. Alice
- [Witch Hare](https://virtualyarns.com/product/witch-hare/) - Description Knitted Measurements: Beret – Circumference 67.5cm. Brim to crown 26cm. Mittens– Width around knuckles 19.3[20.7,22]cm. Length 31.5[32,32.5]cm. The Witch Hare kit is composed of a beret and mittens worked in nine shades of Alice Starmore Hebridean 2 Ply. The Witch Hare is photographed here in soft late autumn shade with the Rosemarkie Cardigan on Eve, and in very strong full summer sunshine on Emma with the Angels Cardigan. The set is worked in the stranded circular technique. If you are new to this technique then there is a graded progression that you can follow, starting with the beret which introduces double decrease shaping in the patterned crown. The mittens will teach you how to make thumb gussets, how to work staggered double decreases to shape and pattern the mitten tops, and how to work a shaped and patterned thumb in the round. This kit includes two colour-printed patterncards with full instructions, one for the beret and one for the mittens, and the nine shades of yarn required to make the Witch Hare set. The beret is made in one size and instructions for the mittens are provided in three sizes. Enough yarn is provided in the kit to make the largest size of mittens. The Witch Hare is shown here with the Rosemarkie Cardigan and the Angels Cardigan. Visit our Video Tutorials section for tutorials on a variety of knitting techniques to help you with your projects. Story The Witch Hare design began as one of Jade’s creative exercises for our Dùthchas agus Dualchas section, where she took her fairy-tale inspiration from one of my mixed media artworks. It depicts the ancient Highland legend of a witch who can transform into a white hare and run about the mountaintops. I was captivated by Jade’s portrayal of moorland-coloured Witch Hares sitting wise and watchful, looking east and west through falling stars. We both agreed that a beret and mittens would be the perfect items to express the whole design idea and so she passed her charted Witch Hares to me. I placed them under the starry skies of the beret crown and then echoed the crown design and shaping in the mitten tops; each mitten features a single hare, and these hares face each other when worn on the hands. The beret and mittens were a joy to knit, made all the more so by the collaborative nature of the design. Jade’s choice of moorland colours chimed with my memories of the supernatural Witch Hare legends I heard as a child on my ancestral moorland pasture, and made the choice of location for the photographs easy. Cregean Iseabal Mhartainn – Isabella Martin’s Crag – was a much-loved feature for the generations of families who spent their summers there. It overlooks Loch Beag a’ Coilich ( Little Cockerel Loch) in the centre of which sits a crannag – an artificial island built at least a thousand years ago. The rocks at the centre of the crannag have been covered in deep heather since I can remember, but these rocks would have formed a stone dwelling very likely used for centuries, and the marks of other ancient dwellings are evident on the creagan and on the surrounding hills. Iseabal Mhartainn had passed out of living memory even in my grandparents’ time, and today I can count only five people, myself included, who could name the place and guide you there. It is a place filled with atmosphere and it felt like a pilgrimage when I hiked there last week with the completed design and my camera equipment. Sitting out there alone, with just the sounds of nature for company, made it easy for me to imagine the sound of voices from long ago conjuring tales of Witch Hares through the ages. Alice
- [Strathspey](https://virtualyarns.com/product/strathspey/) - Description Knitted Measurements: Small — Underarm 90cm. Waist 82cm. Length 60cm. Medium — Underarm 98cm. Waist 88cm. Length 61.5cm. Large — Underarm 104cm. Waist 94cm. Length 62.5cm. XL — Underarm 112cm. Waist 101cm. Length 63.5cm. XXL — Underarm 120cm. Waist 108cm. Length 64cm. XXXL — Underarm 126cm. Waist 115.5cm. Length 66.5cm. This kit includes a colour-printed pattern card with full instructions in all sizes and all the yarn required to make Strathspey in your chosen size. The Strathspey is shown here alongside the Hirta Hat Set gloves, and with the White Jacobite Rose Hat Set. This design can be ordered in a choice of our available Hebridean 3 Ply colours. Click here for a digital shadecard of all Hebridean 3 Ply colours. Visit our Video Tutorials section for tutorials on a variety of knitting techniques to help you with your projects. Story A Strathspey is a Scottish country dance tune named after the Moray, Badenoch & Strathspey area of the Highlands. The pace of the dance is stately and the steps are easy, making it a popular choice at all good Highland ceilidh's. I designed Strathspey with a relaxing pace and light, easy steps in mind. I have focused on a gently shaped outline which I have accentuated by devising some understated pattern stitches. The result is a flattering design which can be easily dressed up or down. It is also very quick easy to knit, but with enough interest in shaping and patterning to make it an ideal project for both beginners and experienced knitters. Alice
- [Hirta Hat Set](https://virtualyarns.com/product/hirta-hat-set/) - Description Knitted Measurements: Beret – Circumference 64.5cm. Brim to crown 26cm. Fingerless Gloves – Width around knuckles 19.3[20.7, 22]cm. The Hirta Hat Set is composed of a beret and one pair of fingerless gloves in Alice Starmore™ Hebridean 2 Ply. The set is worked in the stranded circular technique. If you are new to this technique then there is a graded progression you can follow, starting with the beret which introduces double decrease shaping in the patterned crown. The fingerless gloves will teach you how to make thumb gussets and how to work each digit in the round. The Hirta Hat Set is shown here with the Boreray Pullover and Dun Cuff, the gold verison is shown with the Persian Tiles wrap and Maidenhair Pullover and the blue version is shown with the Polaris cardgian. This kit includes a colour-printed patterncard with full instructions and all the yarn required to make the Hirta Hat Set in your own choice of colours. The colours I used in the two examples of the set are shown in the photos here. The first darker set has a background colour is Storm Petrel with a pattern colour of Driftwood. These two colours are complimented with smaller amounts of Pebble Beach as Contrast 1, and little dashes of bright Summertide as Contrast 2 and Sea Anemone as Contrast 3. The second paler set has a background colour of Pebble Beach with a pattern colour of Golden Plover complimented with Contrast 1 of Driftwood, Contrast 2 of Spindrift and Contrast 3 of Corncrake. The third set is made in a Background Colour of Selkie with a pattern colour of Solan Goose with Kittiwake as Contrast 1, Shearwater as Contrast 2 and Mara as Contrast 3. The beret is made in one size and instructions for the gloves are provided in three sizes. Enough yarn is provided in the kit to make the largest size of gloves. Click here for a digital shadecard of all Hebridean 2 Ply colours.
- [Sheshader](https://virtualyarns.com/product/sheshader/) - Description Knitted Measurements: Small - Underarm (buttoned) 88.5cm. Length 46cm. Medium - Underarm (buttoned) 97cm. Length 48.25cm. Large - Underarm (buttoned) 105.5cm. Length 51cm. X Large - Underarm (buttoned) 114cm. Length 53.75cm. This kit includes a colour-printed pattern card with full instructions in all sizes and all the yarn required to make Sheshader in your chosen size. It is shown here in a Main Colour of Solan Goose with a Lower Body Contrast of Pebble Beach. This design can be ordered in a choice of our available colours of Hebridean 2 Ply, please select your colour choices below. It is shown here worn with the Ruabhal Hat Set, Cuffs from Creative Course 2 and the Eagle Collar. Click here for a digital shadecard of all Hebridean 2 Ply colours. Visit our Video Tutorials section for tutorials on a variety of knitting techniques to help you with your projects. Story The shoreline of the Isle of Lewis is a varied and constantly changing environment. From the Tràigh Mhòr at Tolsta, with its beautiful, long stretch of beach in colours that would not look out of place on a Mediterranean shore, to the shingle beaches at Brue which are constantly pounded by the Atlantic Ocean, there are myriad sources of inspiration. In contrast to the rounded shingle beaches are the ragged and sharp cliffs which form the shoreline at different points around the island. These cliffs give way slowly to the sea, leaving jagged rocks at their feet. Sheshader, named after a village by a rocky eastern shore, takes inspiration from these harsh areas of shoreline with a textured pattern. This pattern echoes the lines of the rocks, and is strengthened and picked out by a second colour at the base of the body. These geometric lines are then softened as the pattern becomes texture only, just as the sea softens and covers the ragged shoreline. This design is a tribute to Annie Macaulay who was born in Sheshader in 1875; she was my great-grandmother and a great knitter. Sheshader is a design of heirloom quality which requires patience and perfectly even knitting to show off the subtle elegance of the stitches. This makes it a special project for expert knitters. Jade
- [Tràigh](https://virtualyarns.com/product/traigh/) - Description Knitted Measurements: Small - Underarm (buttoned) 90.5cm. Length 46cm. Medium - Underarm (buttoned) 99cm. Length 48cm. Large - Underarm (buttoned) 107.5cm. Length 50.5cm. X Large - Underarm (buttoned) 116cm. Length 53cm. XX Large - Underarm (buttoned) 125cm. Length 55cm. This kit includes a colour-printed pattern card with full instructions in all sizes and all the yarn required to make Tràigh in your chosen size and colours. The back, front and sleeves of Tràigh are made in separate pieces, worked back and forth in rows. The two-colour stranded areas are composed of simple diagonal lines so it is very easy to see and follow the pattern on the wrong side rows. This is a simple, straight style with set in sleeves. Tràigh is shown here in two colour variations. One in pales has a main colour of Solan Goose, lower contrast of Whin, middle contrast of Spindrift and upper contrast of Pebble Beach, and one in blues has a main colour of Kelpie with lower contrast of Strabhann, middle contrast of Witchflower and upper contrast of Mara. Choose your own main and contrast colours below. Click here for a digital shadecard of all Hebridean 2 Ply colours. Visit our Video Tutorials section for tutorials on a variety of knitting techniques to help you with your projects. Story The shoreline of the Isle of Lewis is a varied and constantly changing environment. From the Tràigh Mhòr at Tolsta, with its beautiful, long stretch of beach in colours that would not look out of place on a Mediterranean shore, to the shingle beaches at Brue which are constantly pounded by the Atlantic Ocean, there are myriad sources of inspiration. One of the most fascinating features of the beaches on the east coast of the island are the intricate sand patterns which appear and disappear with the turning of the tide. The most common and pleasing of them are sand ripples; these smooth undulations collect water between them and merge into and out of the beach like an impression of the waves themselves. Tràigh (the Gaelic for the sandy beach exposed at low tide) takes inspiration from these regular sand patterns. The diagonal lines begin in a textured border and strong colour, and then gradually fade away in ever softer shades before disappearing completely. Tràigh is a quick and easy project for any knitter familiar with working stranded two-colour knitting. Jade
- [Infinite Cable Class Yarn Pack](https://virtualyarns.com/product/infinite-cable-class-yarn-pack/) - Description Finished Width – 90cm. Finished Length – 130cm. This Infinite Cable Class Yarn Pack is a yarn only product. You will need to buy the Infinite Cable Class for the pattern instructions and course access. You can buy the Infinite Cable Class on our steek dot scot tutorial website here. The Mo Chridhe Infinite Cable Class Yarn Pack can be ordered in a choice of our available Hebridean 3 Ply colours. This pack includes 800g of 3 Ply and a matching 25g skein of 2 Ply for sewing the seams of the throw. The Mo Chridhe is shown here in Alice Starmore™ Hebridean 3 Ply in Driftwood colour. The yarn pack contains the yarn required to make a Mo Chridhe throw in the Hebridean 3 Ply colour of your choice. Click here for a digital shadecard of all Hebridean 3 Ply colours.
- [Waterlily](https://virtualyarns.com/product/waterlily/) - Description Knitted Measurements: Small – Underarm (buttoned) 99cm. Length 54cm. Medium – Underarm (buttoned) 106cm. Length 55.5cm. Large – Underarm (buttoned) 112.5cm. Length 57cm. X Large – Underarm (buttoned) 120.5cm. Length 58.5cm This kit includes two colour-printed pattern cards with full instructions in four sizes and all the Alice Starmore™ Hebridean 2 Ply yarn required to make the Water Lily cardigan in your chosen size. The cardigan is a standard fit with dropped shoulders. It is worked in the round with steeks at front, neck and armholes. The Waterlily is shown here worn with a Hirta Hat Set. For a step-by-step video tutorial showing all the techniques involved in knitting and finishing stranded garments visit our Stranded Knitting in the Round with Steeks tutorial in our Video Tutorials section. Story White Water Lilies are the largest wild flowers which grow in our moorland landscape. During the winter months they disappear completely with their roots buried deep in the rich boggy peat of their favoured moorland lochs. When spring comes their beautiful lily pads cover the water’s surface, and by midsummer their exquisite flowers grace the lochs and provide a gorgeous stage for the thousands of sparkling damsel and dragonflies which share their environment. I have studied both plants and insects all my life and they never fail to fill me with a sense of wonder. Almost forty years have passed since I designed the water lily patterns and so it was a very special experience to re-work them in my own Hebridean yarn. Alice
- [Peigi Waistcoat](https://virtualyarns.com/product/peigi-waistcoat/) - Description Knitted Measurements: Small – Underarm 91.5cm. Length 55.5cm. Medium – Underarm 96.5cm. Length 57.5cm. Large – Underarm 107m. Length 59.5cm. X Large – Underarm 117.5cm. Length 62cm. XX Large – Underarm 128.5cm. Length 63.5cm. XXX Large – Underarm 138cm. Length 65.5cm. This kit includes a colour-printed pattern card with full instructions in all sizes and all the Alice Starmore™ 2 Ply Hebridean yarn required to make the Peigi Waistcoat in your chosen size. It is also available as a cardigan. Visit our Video Tutorials section for tutorials on a variety of knitting techniques to help you with your projects. Story The patterns and colours of the Peigi waiscoat are inspired by the pebbles from Geodh’ a’ Cùibhrig (Patchwork Quilt Cove) in Lewis, a place which has featured in my work over the last thirty years. Small, geometric pattern bands worked in various colour combinations depict the pebbles, each one as unique as human faces. Between each “pebble band” I depicted waving strands of seaweed that wash in and out with the tide. I echoed the repeated waving seaweed bands of the pattern in the ribs by working them in the same colours and giving them a little cable twist to portray that sense of movement. Alice
- [Faroe](https://virtualyarns.com/product/faroe/) - Description Knitted Measurements: Small – Body Circumference 95cm. Underarm (inc gussets) 109cm. Length – 55cm. Medium – Body Circumference 102cm. Underarm (inc gussets) 116cm. Length – 57cm. Large – Body Circumference 110.5cm. Underarm (inc gussets) 124.5cm. Length – 59cm. X Large – Body Circumference 118cm. Underarm (inc gussets) 132cm. Length – 61.5cm. X X Large – Body Circumference 125cm. Underarm (inc gussets) 139cm. Length – 63.5cm. XXX Large – Body Circumference 132cm. Underarm (inc gussets) 146cm. Length – 65.5cm. This kit includes two colour-printed pattern cards with full instructions in all sizes and all the Alice Starmore™ Hebridean 2 Ply yarn required to make Faroe in your chosen size and colours. Colour A is the Main colour (shown in Selkie in the photographed model) and colour B is the Contrast (shown in Solan Goose). Click here for a digital shadecard of all Hebridean 2 Ply colours. The Faroe is shown here on Emma photographed in very overcast conditions on the West Coast of Scotland with a Hirta Hat Set, on Yasmin in soft evening light in the Hebrides with a Oiseabhal Wrap, Hat Trick Hat and Hirta Gloves and on Rebecca in light cloud on the Fife Coast with a Ripple Wrap and Hirta Gloves. Visit our Video Tutorials section for tutorials on a variety of knitting techniques to help you with your projects. Story As its name suggests, I took my original inspiration for Faroe from the little patterns I saw on the garments worn by Faroese fishermen who occasionally came ashore in my home town of Stornoway. The garments they wore featured one small and simple repeated pattern, usually worked in a dark colour on pale background, and though the patterns were very basic they invariably made a bold impact. For my Faroe I created several simple patterns and arranged them in vertical panels; then I reversed the traditional two-colour scheme so that the main (background) is the darker shade and the contrast (pattern) is the pale shade. I designed the garment in the gansey style, knitted in the round with diamond-shaped underarm gussets which I also decorated with patterns. The sleeves are knitted up from the armholes and worked in the round to the cuffs, so the garment is entirely seamless. Since it is also a stranded-colour design, it features steeks at the armholes and neck and so there is a broad range of techniques to practice whilst knitting. It is over thirty years since I first created this design and so I’ve updated the proportions and expanded the size range to include six sizes. It’s a wonderfully versatile design – easy to wear both casually and dressed-up, and its small-scale patterns, which are easy to memorize, make this a relaxing pleasure to knit. You can also add a personal touch by choosing your own two colours; whatever your choice, you can be sure that this design will make a bold statement.
- [Cassiopeia Vest](https://virtualyarns.com/product/cassiopeia-vest/) - Description Knitted Measurements: Petite – Underam 86cm. Length 52cm. Small – Underarm 93.25cm. Length 53cm. Medium – Underarm 100.75cm. Length 54cm. Large – Underarm 106.5cm. Length 55cm. X Large – Underarm 112.5cm. Length 56cm. XX Large – Underarm 120cm. Length 57cm. XXX Large – Underarm 127.5cm. Length 58cm. XXXX Large – Underarm 135.5cm. Length 59cm. This kit includes a colour-printed pattern card with full instructions in eight sizes and all the Alice Starmore 2 Ply Hebridean™ yarn required to make the Cassiopeia Vest in your chosen size and colours. There are three colours used: a Main Colour (MC); a Pattern Colour (PC) used for the larger pattern bands, and a Contrast Colour (CC) used for the cast-on and the little pattern bands worked between the larger bands. There are two colourways shown in the photographed examples. Eve wears the vest with a Main Colour of Glen, a Pattern Colour of Golden Plover and a Contrast Colour of Driftwood and a matching Cassiopeia Hat Set. The pale vest is made with a Main Colour of Pebble Beach, a Pattern Colour of Solan Goose and a Contrast Colour of Whin and is worn by Natalia with a Hirta Hat Set. These two colourways illustrate just how much colour choice can affect the finished design. With just three colours in the scheme, you can choose any combination of Hebridean 2 Ply colours to make the vest co-ordinate perfectly with any outfit. The vest is entirely worked in the round with a subtle contrast colour worked in the Channel Islands Cast-on, (this cast on method is shown in our free video tutorials section). The body patterns are worked in the stranded knitting technique with steeks worked at the armholes and neck shaping. For a step-by-step video tutorial showing all the techniques involved in knitting and finishing stranded garments visit our Stranded Knitting in the Round with Steeks tutorial section. Click here for a digital shadecard of all Hebridean 2 Ply colours.
- [Queen Anne's Lace](https://virtualyarns.com/product/queen-annes-lace/) - Description Knitted Measurements Cardigan Small – Underarm 97.5cm. Length 51.5cm. Medium – Underarm 105cm. Length 53.5cm. Large – Underarm 111cm. Length 54.5cm. X Large – Underarm 116.5cm. Length 56.5cm. XX Large – Underarm 124cm. Length 58cm. XXX Large – Underarm 131.5cm. Length 60cm. Beret Circumference 67.5cm. Brim to crown 26cm. This kit includes two colour-printed pattern cards with full instructions in six sizes and all the Alice Starmore™ Hebridean 2 Ply yarn required to make the Queen Anne’s Lace cardigan and beret in your chosen size. The cardigan is a standard fit with set-in sleeves. The body is entirely worked in the round and the sleeves are knitted separately in the round to the armholes, with the sleeve caps knitted back and forth in rows. The beret is knitted entirely in the round. Visit our Video Tutorials section for tutorials on a variety of knitting techniques to help you with your projects. Story Queen Anne’s Lace, more commonly known as cow parsley, bedecks our machair, crofts and roadsides. Although I have always associated it with the long, light days of our Hebridean high summers, it is a plant which can be found far and wide across the northern hemisphere. The queenly name refers to the story of Queen Anne, a passionate seamstress, who pricked her finger causing a drop of blood to spill on to the lace she was working. The delicate lacy flower caps are tinged with pink at the centre and so it is easy to see how a small blood stain on lace would bring to mind this beautiful flower. I first designed my Queen Anne’s Lace patterns over thirty years ago and since I enjoy their presence every summer I thought it was high time to honour this gorgeous flower once more. This time I have designed a cardigan with a matching beret and worked the patterns and the colours to fit the mood of my Hebridean summer croft. Alice
- [Mountain Hare - 50g Hebridean 2 Ply](https://virtualyarns.com/product/mountain-hare-hebridean-2-ply/) - Description Alice Starmore Hebridean 2 Ply Yarn is made from premium quality pure new British wool, dyed in the fleece and skillfully blended into unique shades. It is hand-washed and dried in the Hebridean air, and supplied in hand-made skeins which may vary in weight. It is priced per 50g at standard conditions. All yarn is weighed to order on balances that are checked daily to ensure that you receive the correct total amount. Mountain Hare is part of the Moor & Mountain range, which is inspired by the landscape of the Outer Hebrides. Story To see the elusive Mountain Hare you have to traverse the wilder parts of the Hebridean moors and mountains. This animal – also known as the Varying Hare – changes its coat from summer to winter to match and blend into its surroundings. On the mountain tops in winter it is pure white, but as the weather warms it gradually changes its colour. Highland legends are redolent with beautiful maidens who turn into Mountain Hares, particularly when pursued by handsome hunters, but I think we can put these tales down to wishful thinking on cold, lonely nights. The reality was good enough for me. My hare lolloped across a rocky outcrop, or I wouldn't have seen it at all, and then melded seamlessly into a patch of grass and heather. I think it should be called the Heather Hare, for like the plant, it seemed to be composed of hundreds of colours which shift according to light and wetness. We have taken the colours of the Mountain Hare as a base, and added a whole host of warm tones, from pale through to dark, which match the point between winter and spring on the Hebridean moorland.
- [Kittiwake - 50g Hebridean 2 Ply](https://virtualyarns.com/product/kittiwake-hebridean-2-ply/) - Description Alice Starmore Hebridean 2 Ply Yarn is made from premium quality pure new British wool, dyed in the fleece and skillfully blended into unique shades. It is hand-washed and dried in the Hebridean air, and supplied in hand-made skeins which may vary in weight. It is priced per 50g at standard conditions. All yarn is weighed to order on balances that are checked daily to ensure that you receive the correct total amount. Kittiwake is part of the Birds range, which is inspired by birds of the Outer Hebrides. Story Members of the gull family are generally regarded as scavengers and pests, but this is not the case with the Kittiwake. These birds are happiest perched on the narrow ledges of treacherous cliffs with the ocean at their feet, far away from all but the most adventurous humans. It is not surprising that they prefer to be safely away from human habitation after the severe depletion of their numbers due to a phase of shooting and nest plundering in the nineteenth century. Now this fashion has passed they have recovered their numbers all around the British coasts. The Hebridean cliffs are a favourite place for Kittiwakes. They are so successful in their chosen habitat that they have lost their hind toe from spending so little time on land, and they even use seaweed for their nests. Unfortunately for birdwatchers, it is increasingly difficult to catch a glimpse of these very pretty birds without plummeting seawards down a sheer rock face, so the greatest of caution has to be exercised. The Kittiwake – in keeping with its character – is the shyest and most delicate looking of the gull family, with its soft blue-grey back and white head and underbelly. Our Kittiwake shade uses a base colour of the clearest blues mixed with hints of creamy white and grey -and then a dash of gold for the bright bill which the adult bird develops.
- [Sea Ivory - 50g Hebridean 2 Ply](https://virtualyarns.com/product/sea-ivory-hebridean-2-ply/) - Description Alice Starmore Hebridean 2 Ply Yarn is made from premium quality pure new British wool, dyed in the fleece and skillfully blended into unique shades. It is hand-washed and dried in the Hebridean air, and supplied in hand-made skeins which may vary in weight. It is priced per 50g at standard conditions. All yarn is weighed to order on balances that are checked daily to ensure that you receive the correct total amount. Sea Ivory is part of the Sea & Shoreline range, which is inspired by the Hebridean coast. Story The botanical name for this seaweed is Ramalina Scopulorum, but I prefer its Gaelic name, Fiasag nan Creag, which translates as "beard of the rocks". It only grows on rocks which are regularly clear of the water, and takes its name from the sheen of its green strands. This silvery green is extremely subtle and well deserves its appellation, ivory of the sea. Sea Ivory can be used as a dye plant to give an orange-brown, but the weed must be harvested in late spring. Results at other times of the year are variable to non-existent. We have not been concerned with the dye results however. Our aim has been to capture the subtlety of the silver-green weed itself, together with its sheen.
- [Solan Goose - 50g Hebridean 2 Ply](https://virtualyarns.com/product/solan-goose-hebridean-2-ply/) - Description Alice Starmore Hebridean 2 Ply Yarn is made from premium quality pure new British wool, dyed in the fleece and skillfully blended into unique shades. It is hand-washed and dried in the Hebridean air, and supplied in hand-made skeins which may vary in weight. It is priced per 50g at standard conditions. All yarn is weighed to order on balances that are checked daily to ensure that you receive the correct total amount. Solan Goose is part of the Birds range, which is inspired by birds of the Outer Hebrides. Story One form of life which finds the more isolated rocks of the Hebrides a highly agreeable home is the Solan Goose, otherwise known as the Gannet. The female bird lays only one egg a year, and the chick then takes five years to reach breeding age. Despite this, some colonies have managed to grow to over 70,000 pairs which manage to consume about 100 tons of fish daily. One of their main predators in the past has been the human race. Hungry islanders, usually under the threat of imminent starvation, would make perilous raids on their cliffside roosts in order to take eggs and young gannets. Better times led to the decline of the practice, but one community has kept up the tradition. The villagers of Ness in north Lewis take boats once a year to the uninhabited islands of North Rona and Sula Sgeir, which are both major Gannet colonies. They return with both birds and eggs, which are then shared with friends and relatives. The cooked bird is know in Gaelic as a guga, and is regarded as a delicacy. Fortunately, this yearly visitation does not seem to do any lasting damage to the colony as a whole, as can be seen by the numbers visible from the Butt of Lewis. To watch these birds feeding is a spectacular sight, as they can dive from more than 100 feet straight into the water. At the very last second they fold their wings and strike the surface like an arrowhead, before streaking great distances underwater in a trail of white and gold, followed by silver bubbles. By the time the Solan Goose reaches adulthood it sports a pale gold head with a startlingly blue eye, atop a creamy body. Our Solan Goose combines these different shades to create an unusual and delicate colour. The base is a rich cream streaked and speckled with honey, gold and clear blue.
- [Spindrift - 50g Hebridean 2 Ply](https://virtualyarns.com/product/spindrift/) - Description Alice Starmore Hebridean 2 Ply Yarn is made from premium quality pure new British wool, dyed in the fleece and skillfully blended into unique shades. It is hand-washed and dried in the Hebridean air, and supplied in hand-made skeins which may vary in weight. It is priced per 50g at standard conditions. All yarn is weighed to order on balances that are checked daily to ensure that you receive the correct total amount. Spindrift is part of the Sea & Shoreline range, which is inspired by the Hebridean coast. Story The spindrift as the waves comb across the beach is an enduring symbol of the shoreline. My favourite spindrift occurs in bad weather. I live on an angle in a bay where a broad beach meets the cliffs. The beach faces east; the cliffs face south. When a really powerful, surging tide is on the rise and there is also a fierce west wind, then the two forces meet head on to give an effect that is truly Wagnerian: you can almost see the Valkyrie riding the white horses, set against a background of deep storm blue. You may not in real life see the flecks of sand and seaweed that flies in with the spray, but I know they are there, so we have blended them in with our version of the colour.
- [Damselfly Cardigan](https://virtualyarns.com/product/damsel-fly/) - Description Knitted Measurements: Petite – Underarm (buttoned) 80cm. Waist 74cm. Length 53.75cm. Small – Underarm (buttoned) 86cm. Waist 80cm. Length 57.25cm. Medium – Underarm (buttoned) 92cm. Waist 86cm. Length 59.5cm. Large – Underarm (buttoned) 98cm. Waist 92cm. Length 61.5cm. Extra Large – Underarm (buttoned) 103.5cm. Waist 98cm. Length 63.75cm. This kit includes 2 colour-printed pattern cards with full instructions and all the Alice Starmore™ Hebridean 2 Ply yarn required to make the Damselfly Cardigan in your chosen size and colourway. The Damselfly Cardigan patterncard kit comes in 3 colourways, Red (shown 1st) worn with a Briodag Hat and Gloves, Northern Blue (shown 2nd) and Emerald (shown 3rd). Visit our Video Tutorials section for tutorials on a variety of knitting techniques to help you with your projects. Story Damselflies and their larger dragonfly cousins have been a source of fascination to me from my earliest days of living on the Lewis moor. They come in many colours, which have inspired these three variations. The first colourway shown is based on the Red Damselfly, the second is based on the Northern Blue Damselfly, and the third on the Emerald Damselfly (which is a rare Scottish Highland species I saw often as a child, but which is no longer on Lewis). This is an interesting project for an adventurous knitter. The body and sleeves are worked as flat pieces; the patterning is quite straightforward, based closely on the centre back panel of the costume. For the yoke, I stylised the abstract wing pattern that I created for the costume front panels so that it could be repeated for a number of sizes and reflected at the centre back and front. Once the body is knitted and blocked, the yoke border is worked and then the body and border are knitted together so that the border is overlaid. The yoke is then worked in the round with steeks at the front, armholes and neck so that the yoke pattern is worked on the right side throughout. Alice
- [Mary Tudor Hat Set](https://virtualyarns.com/product/mary-tudor-hat-set/) - Description Knitted Measurements: Neckwarmer - Lower edge circumference 80cm. Beret - Circumference 67.5cm. Brim to crown 26cm. Fingerless Gloves - Width around at knuckles 19.3[20.7,22]cm. This kit includes a colour-printed pattern card with full instructions and all the yarn required to make the Mary Tudor Hat Set. Enough yarn is included to make an extra glove should you lose one. The neckwarmer and beret come in one size and instructions for the gloves are provided in three sizes. Enough yarn is provided in the kit to make the largest size of gloves. If you are fairly new to the stranded technique then there is a graded progression you can follow, starting with the easy neckwarmer. Then make the beret which introduces double decrease shaping for the crown, which I designed in two reflecting sections. Follow with the fingerless gloves and you will learn how to make thumb gussets and finger "rings". You will be an expert by the time you have finished the set. Visit our Video Tutorials section for tutorials on a variety of knitting techniques to help you with your projects. Story I originally designed the rose, Fleur de Lys and crown pattern for my design Mary Tudor: sister of Henry VIII and the quintessential Tudor Rose. I tied all these symbols together in a pattern for a jacket featured in Tudor Roses. You can find Tudor Roses in our book section. I greatly enjoyed creating the jacket design in a fittingly rich and regal colourway of Hebridean 2 Ply, and so I was enthused to re-visit and play with the symbols again and work them into the different shapes and scales required for a beret, neckwarmer and gloves. The beret is a generous, slouchy size where I worked the pattern on a "grander" scale. The neckwarmer concentrates on the Fleur de Lys while the gloves feature a version of the rose with a little Fleur de Lys decorating the thumb gusset. The patterns are elaborate, but if you have worked stranded knitting patterns before then the Mary Tudor Hat Set will be well within your reach. Alice
- [St Agnes Eve](https://virtualyarns.com/product/st-agnes-eve/) - Description Knitted Measurements: Beret - Circumference 60cm. Brim to crown - 22.5cm. Scarf - Length (ex bobbles) - 176cm Width - 9cm. This hat and scarf set is an interesting and quick project to knit using seven shades of Alice Starmore Hebridean 2Ply. The beret is made entirely in the round, in the stranded technique, with the addition of a textured edging and little knots within the pattern. The beret pattern and textures are echoed in the scarf pockets, which are also knitted in the round, including the bobbles at each end. The main length of the scarf is knitted in colour blocks of a simple rib worked back and forth in rows. This kit includes a colour-printed patterncard with full instructions and all the yarn required to make St Agnes Eve. The St Agnes Eve is shown here with the Loch Lomond cardigan and Ruabhal gloves. Visit our Video Tutorials section for tutorials on a variety of knitting techniques to help you with your projects. Story Jewels from the attic The Eve of St. Agnes is a lengthy narrative poem written by John Keats and published in 1820. It was one of a number of narrative poems selected for study by my English teacher for our class of fourteen-year-olds. St Agnes was the patron saint of virgins and the story was based on the old superstition that a girl could see her future husband in her dreams if she performed certain ceremonies on St Agnes' Eve, which fell on the 20th of January. The tale which Keats weaves around his words is that of Madeline who pines for the love of young Porphyro, a sworn enemy of her family. It is a tale that many young teenage girls may have found bewitching, but it was not the story that captivated me. I was instantly entranced by the first verse of the poem. For me it was, and still is, a sublime combination of visual imagery and the pure sibilance of the words Keats put together. Ever since I first read it, I have recited it to myself as a perfect consolation when winter draws in and the nights are long and dark. I find it brings to life the magical essence of a still and sparkling winter's night. I could use this verse to conjure up a host of designs, but to begin with, I felt that I should make something which offers respite from the pain of numb fingers when you are out enjoying the beauty of frosty days and nights. Here is the verse that inspired my St Agnes' Eve design – St Agnes' Eve—Ah, bitter chill it was! The owl, for all his feathers was a-cold; The hare limped trembling through the frozen grass, And silent was the flock in woolly fold: Numb were the Beadsman's fingers, while he told His rosary, and while his frosted breath, Like pious incense from a censer old, Seemed taking flight for Heaven, without a death, Past the sweet Virgin's picture, while his prayer he saith. Alice
- [Boreray Pullover](https://virtualyarns.com/product/boreray-pullover/) - Description Knitted Measurements: Small – Underarm 88.75cm. Length 47cm. Medium – Underarm 97.75cm. Length 48cm. Large – Underarm 106.5cm. Length 49.5cm. X Large – Underarm 115.5cm. Length 51.5cm. XX Large – Underarm 124.5cm. Length 53cm. This kit includes a colour-printed pattern card with full instructions in all sizes and all the Alice Starmore™ 2 Ply Hebridean yarn required to make the Boreray Pullover in your chosen size and colours. It is a stranded, two-colour design with the body worked in the round with steeks at the armholes and neck. The sleeves are worked separately, with cuffs worked back and forth in rows. The completed cuffs are joined into the round for working to the underarm, then the set-in sleeve caps are worked back and forth in rows. Twenty two buttons are required for the deep ribbed cuffs and these are not included in the kit. The Boreray Pullover is shown here is a Background Colour of Sea Anemone and a Contrast Colour of Driftwood. This design can be made in a choice of any two of our available shades of Hebridean 2 Ply. The Boreray Pullover is shown here with the Hirta Hat Set and the Dun Cuff. It is also shown with the Marina Hat Set and Am Baile Woven Wrap. Click here for a digital shadecard of all Hebridean 2 Ply colours. Visit our Video Tutorials section for tutorials on a variety of knitting techniques to help you with your projects. The Boreray Pullover is the ideal project for the intermediate or advance knitter. The 1/1 rib and detailing of the sleeve cuff require patience and care and are an excellent way of developing construction and finishing skills.
- [Henry VIII](https://virtualyarns.com/product/henry-viii/) - Description Knitted Measurements: Small - Underarm 100cm. Length 66cm. Medium - Underarm 113cm. Length 70cm. Large - Underarm 124cm. Length 72cm. X Large - Underarm 133cm. Length 74cm. This kit includes a colour-printed pattern card with full instructions in all sizes and all the yarn required to make Henry VIII in your chosen size. The Henry VIII is shown here worn with the hat and handwarmers from the Oregon Autumn Hat Set patterncard kit. Visit our Video Tutorials section for tutorials on a variety of knitting techniques to help you with your projects. Story This classic silhouette - emphasised by patterned borders - is the perfect canvas for dazzling opulence. I devised these patterns and put the colours together to create a garment that would suit a larger than life monarch, long dead but very much alive in memory and popular imagination. The Hebridean 2 Ply colours provide a depth and lustre worthy of a royal legend. Alice
- [Sea Anemone Pullover](https://virtualyarns.com/product/sea-anemone-pullover/) - Description Knitted Measurements: Small – Underarm (buttoned) 88cm. Waist 76cm. Length 57cm. Medium – Underarm (buttoned) 94cm. Waist 82cm. Length 59cm. Large – Underarm (buttoned) 100cm. Waist 88cm. Length 61cm. Extra Large – Underarm (buttoned) 106cm. Waist 94cm. Length 63cm. The Sea Anemone kit contains two colour patterncards with full instructions in four sizes and all the Alice Starmore™ Hebridean 2 Ply yarn required to make the Sea Anemone in your chosen size and colour. It is shown here in Red Deer. Click here for a digital shadecard of all Hebridean 2 Ply colours. The design is made in separate flat pieces and is lightly shaped with set-in sleeves. It is shown here worn with the Greeta Hat Set. Visit our Video Tutorials section for tutorials on a variety of knitting techniques to help you with your projects. Story Subtle knitted textures form the main pattern of the Sea Anemone design. Once knitted and finished I embroidered self-coloured little “beadlets” and centred them within the textured waving pattern lines. The instructions for the embroidery are included in the patterncard, though the embroidery is optional as the pattern stands well undecorated. The neck and cuff surfles are also optional. I made the cuff surfles especially fulsome as I liked them covering the backs of the hands. This may not be too practical for everyday wear, in which case it is easy to use the shorter neckline surfle instructions to make short surfles for the cuffs instead. Alice
- [Henry VIII Hat Set Video Class](https://virtualyarns.com/product/henry-viii-hat-set-video-class/) - Description Knitted Measurements: Beret – Circumference 64.5cm. Brim to crown 26cm. Fingerless Gloves – Width around knuckles 19.3[20.7,22]cm. The Henry VIII Hat Set kit includes online access to 58 mins of detailed video tutorials showing how to make the glove cuff, a colour-printed patterncard with full instructions for the beret and gloves, and all the Alice Starmore Hebridean 2 Ply yarn required to make the Henry VIII Hat Set. The instructions for the gloves are provided in two sizes. Enough yarn is provided in the kit to make the largest size of gloves. Needles are not included in this kit. You will require: Beret: 1 Set of double-pointed or 40cm-long circular 2.75mm & 3.5mm needles. Note that if using a circular 3.5mm needle you will require a set of double-pointed needles of the same size to complete the beret crown. Gloves: 1 Pair of 2.75mm needles. 1 Set of double-pointed 2.5mm sock needles. The Henry VIII Hat Set is an intermediate project, which is designed to follow on from the beginner level Briodag Hat Set. The Briodag video classes give full technique instructions in stranded knitting in the round and all the intricacies of shaping the beret and gloves. The Henry VIII class assumes you already have the required stranded beret and glove skills, and moves on from these techniques with a focused video class looking solely at the complex cuff of the glove. Written instructions are provided for all parts of the hat and gloves. The Henry VIII Hat Set Video Class Kit is composed of a beret, and one pair of fingerless gloves, worked in twelve shades of Alice Starmore Hebridean 2 Ply. It is shown here with a Seaweed Scarf made in Sea Ivory. Once your Henry VIII Hat Set kit has been dispatched you will recieve an email with a username and password for our steek dot scot video tutorial website. You can use your personal login information to access a detailed Video Class showing how to make your Henry VIII Glove Cuff. If you are buying this as a gift please get in touch with us beforehand as classes are linked directly to your order details.
- [Sulaire Spencer Long Sleeved](https://virtualyarns.com/product/sulaire-spencer-long-sleeve/) - Description Knitted Measurements: Small – Underarm (buttoned) 88cm. Waist (buttoned) 73cm. Length (ex peplum) 39cm. Medium – Underarm (buttoned) 94cm. Waist (buttoned) 79cm. Length (ex peplum) 41cm. Large – Underarm (buttoned) 100cm. Waist (buttoned) 85cm. Length (ex peplum) 43cm. X Large – Underarm (buttoned) 106cm. Waist (buttoned) 91cm. Length (ex peplum) 45cm. This kit includes a colour-printed pattern card with full instructions in all sizes and all the Alice Starmore™ 2 Ply Hebridean yarn required to make the Long-Sleeved Sulaire Spencer in your chosen size and colour. The spencer is a lightly fitted style, buttoned at the back with set-in sleeves. The peplum is worked in two separate pieces which are joined after blocking, and the body is worked back and forth in rows in one piece. The long sleeves are feature a vertical openwork panel at the centre, and the cuffs are decorated with the same picot edging as the waist and neckline. It is shown here in Mara and Solan Goose and is available in a choice of any of our available Hebridean 2 Ply colours. The Sulaire Spencer is also available in a short sleeved version. Click here for a digital shadecard of all Hebridean 2 Ply colours. Visit our Video Tutorials section for tutorials on a variety of knitting techniques to help you with your projects.
- [Eagle Wrap Shorter Length](https://virtualyarns.com/product/eagle-wrap-small/) - Description One Size fits all. This kit includes two colour-printed pattern cards with full instructions and all the Alice Starmore™ Hebridean 3 Ply and 2 Ply yarn required to make the Small Eagle Wrap in your chosen colours. The Eagle Wrap is shown here worn over an Eagle Collar with a hat from Creative Course 1. It is also shown worn over the Mountain Hare Jacket & Hat. Click here for a digital shadecard of all Hebridean 3 Ply colours. Click here for a digital shadecard of all Hebridean 2 Ply colours. Visit our Video Tutorials section for tutorials on a variety of knitting techniques to help you with your projects. Story This small version of the Eagle wrap is made with the same instructions as for the large and medium wrap but simply working fewer sections in each piece and working fewer repeats of the curved cable band. I added some optional decorations for the small wrap in the form of a 2 Ply knitted edging which is sewn in between the top edge of the wrap and the cabled band. Also featured are cords suspended from the top edge and French Knots worked along the purl ridges. The kit includes your choice of 4 colours of 2 Ply for the optional decorations.
- [Raven Poncho Double Layer](https://virtualyarns.com/product/raven-poncho-double-layer/) - Description Knitted Measurements: Small-medium – Width (around widest point) 220cm. Length (back neck to centre hem) 58cm. Large – Width (around widest point) 231cm. Length (back neck to centre hem) 60.5cm. XL-XXL – Width (around widest point) 242cm. Length (back neck to centre hem) 62cm. XXXL – Width (around widest point) 253cm. Length (back neck to centre hem) 64cm. This kit includes two colour-printed pattern cards with full instructions in four sizes and all the Alice Starmore™ Hebridean 3 Ply and 2 Ply yarn required to make the Raven Poncho with the double-layered feather collar in your chosen size and colour. This design can be ordered in a choice of our available Hebridean 3 Ply colours, it is shown here in Driftwood. Click here for a digital shadecard of all Hebridean 3 Ply colours. Visit our Video Tutorials section for tutorials on a variety of knitting techniques to help you with your projects. Story Ravens are masters of the air. In stormy weather I can watch them from my studio as they suddenly rocket into view using the upcurrents around the clifftops to soar and plummet, forming kite-like shapes. I wanted to create a garment that would have the swagger and swing of the birds in flight and so I designed the poncho with its flattering curved and flaring shape to do just that. The poncho is worked in four pieces and the curved shaping is achieved by working short rows. I wanted the poncho to have a dramatic shape: wide at the base but fitting snugly around the chest and neck. In order to effect this shape I worked decreases both at each side and also on either side of a straight centre panel on each piece. This involves decreasing at the sides on every fourth row and at each side of the centre panel on every sixth row. This means that the pairs of side decreases and the pairs of inner decreases are worked over a repeating 12-row sequence. Three out of four decrease pairs are worked on separate rows and one out of four decrease pairs are worked on the same row. This is a recipe for confusion and makes keeping track rather difficult. To eliminate this problem entirely, I devised a tabulated method to keep track of both side and inner pairs of decreases as you work. This makes knitting the poncho fast and easy. The poncho is worked in Hebridean 3 Ply with the collar feathers worked in matching 2 Ply. The kit includes enough Hebridean 3 Ply yarn to make the poncho and enough Hebridean 2 Ply yarn to make a double-layered feathered collar as shown in the photographs. Alice
- [Raven Poncho Triple Layer](https://virtualyarns.com/product/raven-poncho-triple-layer/) - Description Knitted Measurements: Small-medium – Width (around widest point) 220cm. Length (back neck to centre hem) 58cm. Large – Width (around widest point) 231cm. Length (back neck to centre hem) 60.5cm. XL-XXL – Width (around widest point) 242cm. Length (back neck to centre hem) 62cm. XXXL – Width (around widest point) 253cm. Length (back neck to centre hem) 64cm. This kit includes two colour-printed pattern cards with full instructions in four sizes and all the Alice Starmore™ Hebridean 3 Ply and 2 Ply yarn required to make the Raven Poncho with the triple-layered feather collar in your chosen size and colour. This design can be ordered in a choice of our available Hebridean 3 Ply colours, it is shown here in Storm Petrel. Click here for a digital shadecard of all Hebridean 3 Ply colours. Visit our Video Tutorials section for tutorials on a variety of knitting techniques to help you with your projects. Story Ravens are masters of the air. In stormy weather I can watch them from my studio as they suddenly rocket into view using the upcurrents around the clifftops to soar and plummet, forming kite-like shapes. I wanted to create a garment that would have the swagger and swing of the birds in flight and so I designed the poncho with its flattering curved and flaring shape to do just that. The poncho is worked in four pieces and the curved shaping is achieved by working short rows. I wanted the poncho to have a dramatic shape: wide at the base but fitting snugly around the chest and neck. In order to effect this shape I worked decreases both at each side and also on either side of a straight centre panel on each piece. This involves decreasing at the sides on every fourth row and at each side of the centre panel on every sixth row. This means that the pairs of side decreases and the pairs of inner decreases are worked over a repeating 12-row sequence. Three out of four decrease pairs are worked on separate rows and one out of four decrease pairs are worked on the same row. This is a recipe for confusion and makes keeping track rather difficult. To eliminate this problem entirely, I devised a tabulated method to keep track of both side and inner pairs of decreases as you work. This makes knitting the poncho fast and easy. The poncho is worked in Hebridean 3 Ply with the collar feathers worked in matching 2 Ply. The kit includes enough Hebridean 3 Ply yarn to make the poncho and enough Hebridean 2 Ply yarn to make a triple-layered feathered collar as shown in the photographs. Alice
- [Eagle Wrap Longer Lengths](https://virtualyarns.com/product/eagle-wrap-longer-lengths/) - Description Knitted Measurements: LARGE SIZE Length at centre 78cm. Width along top edge 144cm. MEDIUM SIZE Length at centre 54cm. Width along top edge 97cm. This kit includes two colour-printed pattern cards with full instructions and all the Alice Starmore™ Hebridean 3 Ply yarn required to make the Large Eagle Wrap in your chosen size and colour. It is shown here in the longer length in warm tones worn with the Sandpiper Collar and Henry VIII Hat Set, and in the medium length in Red with the Faroe pullover, Hat Trick Hat and Hirta Gloves. The Eagle Wrap in medium or large lengths can be ordered in a choice of our available Hebridean 3 Ply colours. Click here for a digital shadecard of all Hebridean 3 Ply colours. Story I based the Eagle Wrap on the tail pieces for the Eagle costume but made them wing-shaped. This is a very versatile design which can be worn in lots of ways. It is also easy to knit: made from side-to-side in two separate, reflecting pieces starting at the short end and then worked by gradually increasing sts and rows, section, by section, to the longest length at the centre back. Every section within each piece is worked in stocking stitch with short rows, and finished with two rows of reverse stocking stitch. Every section is essentially a repeat of the second section worked for each piece, but with more stitches and rows added. The two pieces are grafted together after blocking. To finish, I designed a lightly curved cabled band which is sewn on along the top edge of the wrap. The medium wrap is made from the same instructions as the large wrap but with fewer sections. Every section is essentially a repeat of the second section worked for each piece, but with more stitches and rows added. The two pieces are grafted together after blocking. To finish, I designed a lightly curved cabled band which is sewn on along the top edge of the wrap.
- [Mountain Hare Jacket & Hat](https://virtualyarns.com/product/mountain-hare-jacket-and-hat/) - Description Jacket Knitted Measurements Small – Underarm (buttoned) 91cm. Waist 79cm. Length 57cm. Medium – Underarm (buttoned) 97cm. Waist 85cm. Length 59cm. Large – Underarm (buttoned) 103cm. Waist 91cm. Length 61cm. Extra Large – Underarm (buttoned) 109cm. Waist 97cm. Length 63cm. Hat Knitted Measurements Circumference 51.4cm. Brim to Crown 20.5cm. This kit includes 2 colour-printed pattern cards with full instructions and all the Alice Starmore™ Hebridean 2 Ply yarn required to make the Mountain Hare Jacket and Hat in your chosen size and colourway. The Mountain Hare Jacket and Hat can be ordered in a choice of our available Hebridean 2 Ply colours, it is shown here in a Main Colour of Pebble Beach, with Contrast 1 in Corncrake; Contrast 2 in Mountain Hare; Contrast 3 in Sundew and Contrast 4 in Driftwood.. Click here for a digital shadecard of all Hebridean 2 Ply colours. Visit our Video Tutorials section for tutorials on a variety of knitting techniques to help you with your projects. Story I wanted this design to showcase the fine workmanship which can be achieved with my Hebridean 2 Ply yarn. It features a simple textured pattern for the sides and sleeves of the jacket, and panels of textured zig-zag lines that climb upward, with a single ladder pattern above the vent at the centre back. Instead of the free-form embroidery of the costume, I lightly embroidered the regular zig-zag panels with stars and French knots, some self-coloured and some in contrast colours. The jacket is lightly shaped to the waist with all the shaping taking place within the side panels. There is a lot of scope for variation in the embroidery as it is entirely optional, being worked after the pieces are knitted. The collar of the jacket is worked in a textured stranded colour pattern, and the finishing touch are the buttons which are knitted, embroidered and then felted into little orbs. The matching hat is entirely worked in the round. I created a textured stranded colour pattern for the brim of the hat and worked the crown in a textured geometric pattern in the main colour. Once knitted, the hat is then strategically embroidered around and within the geometric patterning of both brim and crown patterns. The decorative orb on the top is knitted, embroidered and then felted. The hat is an ideal small project with which to practise textured stranded knitting, embroidery and felting. The kit includes enough contrast yarns for embroidery and adding colour to the felted buttons Alice
- [Oregon Spring Cardigan](https://virtualyarns.com/product/oregon-spring-cardigan/) - Description Knitted Measurements: Petite - Underarm (buttoned) 97.5cm. Length 56cm. Small - Underarm (buttoned) 106cm. Length 58cm. Medium - Underarm (buttoned) 114.5cm. Length 60cm. Large - Underarm (buttoned) 123.5cm. Length 62cm. X Large - Underarm (buttoned) 132cm. Length 64.5cm. XX Large - Underarm (buttoned) 140.5cm. Length 66.5cm. This kit includes a colour-printed pattern card with full instructions in all sizes and all the yarn required to make Oregon Spring Cardigan in your chosen size. A classic style with lightly shaped armholes with the garment worked in the round in one piece. This design is also available in an Autumn colourway and as a hat set. Visit our Video Tutorials section for tutorials on a variety of knitting techniques to help you with your projects. Story I come from a landscape that is virtually treeless, so the forests of Oregon left a lasting impression on me. The memories of a Spring road trip along the Mackenzie River are particularly vivid, and inspired this popular and enduring design. To recreate those memories I designed stylised firs for the main pattern; they evoke the dense, high backdrop of conifers that blocked out the sky. The border design is my take on the Mackenzie River, flowing at eye level by the road. I designed a pattern reminiscent of floating leaves, and filled it with the colours of light on water, and of dark undergrowth through which the first hints of Spring were starting to appear. Alice
- [Emperor Hat Set](https://virtualyarns.com/product/emperor-hat-set/) - Description Knitted Measurements: Beret: Circumference 64.5cm. Brim to Crown 26cm. Gloves: Width around at knuckles 19.3[20.7,22]cm. The Emperor Hat Set kit includes a colour-printed patterncard with full instructions for the beret and gloves, and all the Alice Starmore Hebridean™ 2 Ply yarn in the 9 shades required to make the set. The instructions for the gloves are provided in three sizes. Enough yarn is provided in the kit to make the largest size of gloves. The beret and the patterned area of the gloves are worked in the stranded circular knitting technique. If you are new to this technique then there is a graded progression you can follow, starting with the beret which introduces double decrease shaping in the patterned crown. The fingerless gloves will teach you how to make thumb gussets and how to work each digit in the round. Needles are not included in this kit. You will require: Beret: 1 Set of double-pointed or 40cm-long circular 2.75mm & 3.5mm needles. Note: If using a circular 3.25mm needle, a set of double-pointed 3.5mm needles will be required to complete the crown. Gloves: 1 set of double-pointed 2.5mm sock needles. 1 Tapestry needle. 1 Stitch marker. Story Moths are often imagined to be the drab relatives of butterflies. There are a few who fit that bill not least the dreaded clothes moth, but there are also thousands of species of beautiful moths who do us no harm and who grace the world with their presence. I find them all the more alluring because they are often hard to find: most are night-fliers and many are confined to specific habitats. One of the most delightful experiences is to walk the Hebridean moorland in April and May and marvel at the sight of beautiful male Emperor Moths in daytime flight. Their wingspan reaches over 3cm, with both under and outer wings decorated in bold patterns and rich colours. In flight they can be imagined as little pieces of the spring moorland flying rapidly up into the sky. This was the happy memory I held in mind whilst designing the Emperor Hat Set. Alice
- [Merveille du Jour](https://virtualyarns.com/product/merveille-du-jour/) - Description Knitted Measurements: Poncho Small - Circumference straight around lower body 198cm. Length at centre 66.5cm. Medium - Circumference straight around lower body 207cm. Length at centre 67cm. Large - Circumference straight around lower body 216cm. Length at centre 68.5cm. XL-XXL - Circumference straight around lower body 225cm. Length at centre 69cm. XXXL - Circumference straight around lower body 234cm. Length at centre 70cm. Beret Circumference 64.5cm. Brim to crown 25.5cm. This kit includes a colour-printed pattern card with full instructions in all sizes and all the 2 Ply and 3 Ply Alice Starmore Hebridean yarn required to make the Merveille du Jour poncho and matching beret in your chosen size. The Merveille du Jour is shown here worn with gloves from the Ruabhal Hat Set. Visit our Video Tutorials section for tutorials on a variety of knitting techniques to help you with your projects. Story The aptly named Merveille du Jour enticed me once again into the wonderful world of moths. This beautiful little insect is indeed a marvel to behold. Its curving wings are uniquely patterned in subtle shades of green, contrasting with white and deep hues of purple-black. You may be very lucky to see it feeding on opening flower buds when it first emerges. It quickly becomes a secret beauty, feeding only at night and hiding, usually in a tree bark crevice, during the day. The colours, patterns and shape of the moth were the starting point for this design for a poncho and matching beret. I shaped the curving hemline of the back, front and side panels of the poncho to echo the curve of the wings, and emphasised this with a two-colour stranded border. These panels are gradually shaped to create a beautifully draped and flattering silhouette. The circular yoke is worked in the round once the panels are made and sewn together. There is much of interest in the construction and it is a great project for an intermediate to expert skill level. Step out in the poncho and matching slouchy beret and you are sure to be regarded as a Wonder of the Day. Alice
- [Grant Avenue](https://virtualyarns.com/product/grant-avenue/) - Description Knitted Measurements: Petite - Underarm (buttoned) 106cm. Length 57.5cm. Small - Underarm (buttoned) 112cm. Length 59.5cm. Medium - Underarm (buttoned) 117.5cm. Length 61cm. Large - Underarm (buttoned) 123cm. Length 64.5cm. Extra Large - Underarm (buttoned) 129cm. Length 67cm. This kit includes a colour-printed pattern card with full instructions in all sizes and all the yarn required to make Grant Avenue in your chosen size. Visit our Video Tutorials section for tutorials on a variety of knitting techniques to help you with your projects. Story I have always enjoyed walking through San Francisco’s Chinatown district. Among the many delights that caught my eye in the shop windows were lovely lacquer-work pieces. I took home many memories of glowing colours and eastern pattern styles, and played around with these to create the patterns. Worked in Hebridean 2 Ply, Grant Avenue glows with the intensity of the Chinese lacquer work that inspired it. Alice
- [Red Jacobite Rose Hat Set](https://virtualyarns.com/product/jacobite-rose-hat-set/) - Description Knitted Measurements: Beret - Circumference 64.5cm. Brim to crown 26cm. Fingerless Gloves - Width around knuckles 19.3[20.7, 22]cm. The Jacobite Rose Hat Set is composed of a beret and one pair of fingerless gloves in 9 shades of Alice Starmore Hebridean 2 Ply. The set is worked in the stranded circular technique. If you are new to this technique then there is a graded progression you can follow, starting with the beret which introduces double decrease shaping in the patterned crown. The fingerless gloves will teach you how to make thumb gussets and how to work each digit in the round. This kit includes a colour-printed patterncard with full instructions and all the yarn required to make the Jacobite Rose Hat Set. The beret is made in one size and instructions for the gloves are provided in three sizes. Enough yarn is provided in the kit to make the largest size of gloves. It is also shown here with a woven wrap made in Hebridean 2 Ply, and a Staran pullover in Sea Anemone. Visit our Video Tutorials section for tutorials on a variety of knitting techniques to help you with your projects.
- [Staran Video Class Kit](https://virtualyarns.com/product/staran/) - Description Knitted Measurements: Small — Underarm 91.5cm. Waist 86cm. Length 52cm. Medium — Underarm 97cm. Waist 92cm. Length 54cm. Large — Underarm 102cm. Waist 97cm. Length 56cm. XL — Underarm 107.5cm. Waist 102cm. Length 58cm. XXL — Underarm 113cm. Waist 108cm. Length 60cm. The Staran Video Class Kit includes online access to 1 hour and 34 mins of detailed video tutorials, a colour-printed patterncard with full instructions in all five sizes, and all the Alice Starmore Hebridean 3 Ply yarn required to make Staran in your chosen size and colour. In the step-by-step online video tutorials Alice demonstrates how Staran is knitted and finished. These tutorials are suitable for a knitter who has the ability to make a basic garment. This design is available in a choice of our Hebridean 3 Ply colours, please look at our digital shade card for colour options. Click here for a digital shadecard of all Hebridean 3 Ply colours. Once your Staran kit has been dispatched you will recieve an email with a username and password for our steek dot scot video tutorial website. You can use your personal login information to access a detailed Video Class showing key points in the making and finishing of a Staran pullover. If you are buying this as a gift please get in touch with us beforehand as classes are linked directly to your order details.
- [Flora Vest](https://virtualyarns.com/product/flora-waistcoat/) - Description Knitted Measurements: Small - Underarm (buttoned) 107.5cm. Length 56.5cm. Medium - Underarm (buttoned) 118.5cm. Length 59cm. Large - Underarm (buttoned) 130cm. Length 61cm. X Large - Underarm (buttoned) 141.5cm. Length 66cm. This kit includes a colour-printed pattern card with full instructions in all sizes and all the yarn required to make Flora Vest in your chosen size. Visit our Video Tutorials section for tutorials on a variety of knitting techniques to help you with your projects. Story The Flora vest depicts the lively autumn show of heather, wild thyme, moss and asphodel as seen on the moorland mountains. Alice
- [Sandpiper Collar](https://virtualyarns.com/product/sandpiper/) - Description One Size fits all. This kit includes a colour-printed pattern card with full instructions and all the Alice Starmore™ Hebridean 2 Ply and 3 Ply yarn to make the Sandpiper Collar in your chosen colours. The Sandpiper Collar can be made in your own choice of colours from our Hebridean 2 and 3 Ply ranges. It is shown here in a warm colour palette. The first layer is worked in Mountain Hare for the main body of the feathers, which is colour 1. The feather edgings of the first layer and the main body of the second layer feathers are worked in Sundew, which is colour 2. The feather edgings of the second layer and the main body of the third layer feathers are worked in Corncrake, which is colour 3. The feather edgings of the third layer are worked in Whin, which is colour 4. The neckband is made using Alice Stamore Hebridean 3 Ply in Golden Plover. Click here for a digital shadecard of all Hebridean 3 Ply colours. Click here for a digital shadecard of all Hebridean 2 Ply colours. Visit our Video Tutorials section for tutorials on a variety of knitting techniques to help you with your projects.
- [Red Jacobite Rose Jacket](https://virtualyarns.com/product/jacobite-rose-cardigan/) - Description Knitted Measurements Small – Underarm (buttoned) 94cm. Length 51cm. Medium – Underarm (buttoned) 100cm. Length 53cm. Large – Underarm (buttoned) 106cm. Length 55cm. X Large – Underarm (buttoned) 112cm. Length 56.5cm. XX Large – Underarm (buttoned) 118cm. Length 58.5cm This kit includes a colour-printed pattern card with full instructions in all sizes and all the Alice Starmore Hebridean 2 Ply yarn required to make the Jacobite Rose Jacket in your chosen size. The Jacobite Rose is a standard fit cardigan with set-in sleeves. The body is entirely worked in the round and the sleeves are knitted separately in the round to the armholes, with the sleeve caps knitted back and forth in rows. The Jacobite Rose design is also available as a hat set, which can be found here. Visit our Video Tutorials section for tutorials on a variety of knitting techniques to help you with your projects.
- [Roscalie](https://virtualyarns.com/product/roscalie/) - Description Knitted Measurements: Petite - Underarm 102.75cm. Length 53cm. Small - Underarm 108.5cm. Length 54.5cm. Medium - Underarm 114.25cm. Length 57.75cm. Large - Underarm 120cm. Length 60.75cm. X Large - Underarm 125.75cm. Length 63cm. This kit includes a colour-printed pattern card with full instructions in all sizes and all the yarn required to make Roscalie in your chosen size. This is an ideal first project for a knitter who wants to make a garment in the round using the stranded technique with steeks. Visit our Video Tutorials section for tutorials on a variety of knitting techniques to help you with your projects. Story These are the rich, burnished tones of Scotland’s unique Highland landscape. The patterns are based on an old Fair Isle museum piece, and they are brought to life in Hebridean 2 Ply. Alice
- [Sulaire Video Class Kit](https://virtualyarns.com/product/sulaire-shawl/) - Description Knitted Measurements: Small (ex. picot edging) – Length at centre point 60 cm. Width across top 115cm. Medium (ex. picot edging) – Length at centre point 78 cm. Width across top 125cm. Large (ex. picot edging) – Length at centre point 91cm. Width across top 152cm. The Sulaire Video Class Kit includes online access to 43 mins of detailed video tutorials, a colour-printed patterncard with full instructions, and all the Alice Starmore Hebridean 2 Ply yarn required to make the Sulaire Shawl in your chosen colour and size. The online video tutorials cover all the key points of the design. This project requires a basic knowledge of knit and purl stitches. The Sulaire Shawl is shown here in Pebble Beach and in Solan Goose. The Sulaire can be made in any of our available Hebridean 2 Ply colours. Needles are not included in this kit, you will require 1 pair of 40cm-long 4mm needles. Click here for a digital shadecard of all Hebridean 2 Ply colours. Once your Sulaire kit has been dispatched you will recieve an email with a username and password for our steek dot scot video tutorial website. You can use your personal login information to access a detailed Video Class showing key points in the making and finishing of a Sulaire Shawl. If you are buying this as a gift please get in touch with us beforehand as classes are linked directly to your order details.
- [Mara](https://virtualyarns.com/product/mara/) - Description Knitted Measurements: Petite - Underarm (buttoned) 100cm. Length 53.5cm. Small - Underarm (buttoned) 106cm. Length 55.5cm. Medium - Underarm (buttoned) 113cm. Length 57.5cm. Large - Underarm (buttoned) 119.5cm. Length 59cm. X Large - Underarm (buttoned) 126cm. Length 60cm. XX Large - Underarm (buttoned) 132.5cm. Length 63cm. This kit includes a colour-printed pattern card with full instructions in all sizes and all the yarn required to make Mara in your chosen size. This is an ideal first project for a knitter who wants to make a garment in the round using the stranded technique with steeks. Visit our Video Tutorials section for tutorials on a variety of knitting techniques to help you with your projects. Story If you have never knitted a stranded garment in the round before, but feel you are ready, then this is the one for you. It has all the classic techniques, with steeks etc, yet the pattern motifs are symmetrical and easy to follow. The design was inspired by a Hebridean seascape but came to life on the other side of the Atlantic, in the US state of Connecticut. The story of how this happened is included in my book, ROAD MOVIES Volume 1. Alice
- [Raven Cardigan Triple Collar](https://virtualyarns.com/product/raven-cardigan-triple-collar/) - Description With Triple-layered Feather Collar Knitted Measurements: Small – Underarm (buttoned) 91cm. Waist 81cm. Length 48cm. Medium – Underarm (buttoned) 98cm. Waist 87.5cm. Length 50cm. Large – Underarm (buttoned) 104.5cm. Waist 94.25cm. Length 52.5cm. Extra Large – Underarm (buttoned) 111cm. Waist 101cm. Length 54.5cm. This kit includes 2 colour-printed pattern cards with full instructions and all the Alice Starmore™ Hebridean 2 Ply yarn required to make the Raven Cardigan Triple Layer in your chosen size and colourway. The Raven Cardigan can be ordered in a choice of our available Hebridean 2 Ply colours, it is shown here in Solan Goose. Click here for a digital shadecard of all Hebridean 2 Ply colours. Visit our Video Tutorials section for tutorials on a variety of knitting techniques to help you with your projects. Story A pair of ravens nest on the cliffs at the foot of my croft and so I am privileged to observe them at work and play on a daily basis without even having to leave my studio. They habitually sit on fence posts and preen themselves, or each other when they are feeling amorous. They use their massive bills to smooth their feathers into a sleek profile which contrasts with their bristling throat feathers. These are the features that I focused on to create the Raven Cardigan. I based the rounded-feather lower border on the feathers I created for the chest of the costume. Once these feathers are joined up, the cardigan body is made in one piece, working back and forth in rows of Stocking Stitch. The body is lightly shaped with strategic decreases to the waist and increases to the bustline. The sleeve cuffs are steeply shaped with short rows and decreases echoing the distinctive curving wedge shape of the raven’s tail. The pointed collar feathers are a take on their bearded throat feathers. The feathered collar leaves lots of room for improvisation: for the pale Raven, shown here in Solan Goose, I made a dramatic triple-layered feather collar. Alice
- [Oregon Autumn Hat Set](https://virtualyarns.com/product/oregon-hat-set/) - Description Knitted Measurements: Cowl - Lower edge circumference 80cm Length 19cm. Hat - Circumference 51.4cm Brim to crown 20.5cm. Handwarmers & Gloves - Width around at knuckles 19.3[20.7,22]cm. This kit includes a colour-printed patterncard with full instructions and all the yarn required to make the Oregon Autumn Hat Set. Enough yarn is included to make an extra glove and hand warmer should you lose one. The cowl and hat comes in one size and instructions for the hand warmers and gloves are provided in three sizes. Enough yarn is provided in the kit to make the largest size of hand warmers and gloves. The Oregon Hat Set is also available in a Spring colourway which you can see by clicking here. If you are a beginner in the technique then there is a graded progression you can follow, starting with the very easy cowl. Then make the hat which introduces double decrease shaping. Follow with the hand warmers and you will learn how to make thumb gussets. Finally you will graduate to the intricacies of the gloves where each digit is worked in a patterned circular fashion. You will be an expert by the time you have finished the set. Visit our Video Tutorials section for tutorials on a variety of knitting techniques to help you with your projects. Story I had long wanted to design an Autumn version of my Oregon but there were no yarns available to bring my scheme to fruition until I designed my Hebridean colour palette. It was one of the first stranded designs I made with Hebridean 2 Ply in 2001, and since then it has proved to be a great favourite with knitters the world over. The hat set is a perfect foil for my patterns and colours, and it has the great advantage of being very quick to make. It is a joy to wear and will make the perfect gift as a kit for a knitter, or as a finished set for someone very special. Alice
- [Hawk & Hound](https://virtualyarns.com/product/hawk-hound/) - Description Knitted Measurements: Cowl - Lower edge circumference 93cm. Length (inc. rib and collar) 30cm. Hat - Circumference 51.4cm. Brim to crown 21cm. Handwarmers - Width around at knuckles 19.3[20.7,22]cm. The cowl, hat and hand warmers are all made in the round in the stranded colour technique. If you are a beginner in the technique then there is a graded progression you can follow, starting with the cowl which is finished in a simple rib collar in 3 Ply. Then make the hat which introduces double decrease shaping. Follow with the hand warmers and you will learn how to make thumb gussets. This kit includes a colour-printed patterncard with full instructions and all the yarn required to make Hawk and Hound. Enough yarn is included to make an extra hand warmer should you lose one. The cowl and hat come in one size and instructions for the hand warmers are provided in three sizes. Enough yarn is provided in the kit to make the largest size of hand warmers. Visit our Video Tutorials section for tutorials on a variety of knitting techniques to help you with your projects. Story Those knitters familiar with my 1998 Anne Boleyn design will recognize the hawks holding a royal sceptre on the hat and the crowned hounds on the cowl and handwarmers. Alice and I agreed that Anne Boleyn's character was such that she could inspire many designs. She was a thoroughly modern woman and a true reformist and in that spirit I have reformed the emblematic patterns I designed for her all these years ago into this very striking accessory set. Jade
- [Damselfly Hat Set](https://virtualyarns.com/product/damselfly-hat-set/) - Description Knitted Measurements: Beret – Circumference 62cm. Brim to crown 25cm. Cap – Circumference 53.3cm. Brim to crown 21cm. Fingerless Gloves & Handwarmers– Width around knuckles 19.3[20.7,22]cm. The Damselfly Hat Set is composed of a cap, a beret, one pair of handwarmers and one pair of fingerless gloves. There is a choice of three different colourways: the Northern Blue, the Emerald and the Red. Each colourway is worked in six shades of Alice Starmore Hebridean 2 Ply. I have designed the sets and provided instructions so that you can work one of the hats and one pair of the gloves or handwarmers with the background and pattern colors worked in reverse. You can see this effect in the photograph of all four items of the Northern Blue colourway. The Hat Set is shown here with the Damselfly Cardigan from the book Glamourie by Alice Starmore. Click here for the Damselfy Cardigan. The set is worked in the stranded circular technique. If you are new to this technique then there is a graded progression that you can follow, starting with the cap and beret which introduces double decrease shaping in the patterned crown. The handwarmers will teach you how to make thumb gussets and the fingerless gloves are an exercise in how to work each digit in the round. This kit includes a colour-printed patterncard with full instructions and all the yarn required to make the Damselfly Hat Set in your chosen colourway. The cap and beret are made in one size and instructions for the gloves and handwarmers are provided in three sizes. Enough yarn is provided in the kit to make the largest size of gloves. Visit our Video Tutorials section for tutorials on a variety of knitting techniques to help you with your projects. Story The stylised wing pattern I created for the yoke of the Damselfly Cardigan allows for very pleasing variations and so I used it to design this beret, cap, fingerless gloves and handwarmers. The backs of the gloves and the hats feature the pattern that I based on the cellular patterns formed by the veined wings of the damsels. The deep cuffs of the gloves and handwarmers feature multiple little horizontal bands of textured colour just like the little banded patterns on the cardigan. As a further nod to the original inspiration, I designed a little damselfly motif for the triangular thumb gusset. The set adds an extra dazzle when worn with a matching cardigan and also looks eye-catching worn with a coat or jacket. Alice
- [Cluaran Video Class Kit](https://virtualyarns.com/product/cluaran-video-class-kit/) - Description Knitted Measurements: Small (ex. picot edging) – Length at centre point 58 cm. Width across top 112cm. Large (ex. picot edging) – Length at centre point 87cm. Width across top 148cm. The Cluaran Video Class Kit includes online access to 1hr and 24 mins of detailed video tutorials, a colour-printed patterncard with full instructions, and all the Alice Starmore Hebridean 2 Ply yarn required to make the Cluaran Shawl in your chosen colour and size. The online video tutorials cover all the key points of the design. This project assumes previous experience with an openwork project, and is an ideal progression on in skill level from the Sulaire Video Class Kit. The Cluaran can be made in any of our available Hebridean 2 Ply colours and is shown here in the large size in Wild Orchid, and in the small size in Glen. Needles are not included in this kit, you will require 1 pair 40cm-long 3.25mm needles. Click here for a digital shadecard of all Hebridean 2 Ply colours. Once your Cluaran kit has been dispatched you will recieve an email with a username and password for our steek dot scot video tutorial website. You can use your personal login information to access a detailed Video Class showing key points in the making and finishing of a Cluaran Shawl. If you are buying this as a gift please get in touch with us beforehand as classes are linked directly to your order details.
- [Cassiopeia Hat Set](https://virtualyarns.com/product/cassiopeia-hat-set/) - Description Knitted Measurements: Beret – Circumference 66.5cm. Brim to crown 26.25cm. Fingerless Gloves – Width around knuckles 19.3[20.7,22]cm. The Cassiopeia Hat Set is composed of a beret and one pair of fingerless gloves in Alice Starmore™ Hebridean 2 Ply in your own choice of 3 shades. The patterned areas of the beret and the gloves are worked in the stranded circular knitting technique. If you are new to this technique then there is a graded progression you can follow, starting with the beret which introduces double decrease shaping in the patterned crown. The fingerless gloves will teach you how to make thumb gussets and how to work each digit in the round. This kit includes a colour-printed patterncard with full instructions and all the yarn required to make the Cassiopeia Hat Set. The beret is made in one size and instructions for the gloves are provided in three sizes. Enough yarn is provided in the kit to make the largest size of gloves and to use the Pattern Colour (used on the larger pattern band on the beret and gloves of the Red Deer Colourway) and Contrast Colour in reverse on the hat or gloves as shown in the Glen Colourway. The Glen Colourway is shown worn by Eve along with the Cassiopeia Vest and Persian Tiles wrap, and worn by Rebecca along with the Thoroughbred Vest. The Glen version is made with a Main Colour of Glen, a Pattern Colour of Golden Plover and Contrast Colour of Driftwood (with Pattern and Contrast reversed in the gloves). The Red Deer version is made with a Main Colour of Red Deer, Pattern of Driftwood and Contrast of Mountain Hare. A beret is also shown with a Main Colour of Selkie, Pattern of Clover and Contrast of Strabhann (this beret is worn with gloves from the Marina Hat Set) Click here for a digital shadecard of all Hebridean 2 Ply colours.
- [Cailleach Cardigan](https://virtualyarns.com/product/cailleach-cardigan/) - Description Knitted Measurements Small – Underarm (buttoned) 90.5cm. Length 62cm. Medium – Underarm (buttoned) 99cm. Length 64cm. Large – Underarm (buttoned) 107.5cm. Length 66cm. Extra Large – Underarm (buttoned) 116cm. Length 67.75cm. The Cailleach Cardigan kit includes a colour-printed patterncard with full instructions in four sizes and all the Alice Starmore Hebridean™ 2 Ply yarn in the 9 shades required to make the cardigan in your chosen size. The model is shown in the first size. The Cailleach is a standard fit cardigan with set-in sleeves. The body is entirely worked in the round with steeks bridging the front, neck and armhole openings. The sleeves are knitted separately in the round to the armholes, with the sleeve caps knitted back and forth in rows. It is shown here worn with the Henry VIII Hat Set. For a step-by-step video tutorial showing all the techniques involved in knitting and finishing stranded garments visit our Video Tutorials section. Needles and buttons are not included in this kit. You will require: 1 Set of double-pointed or circular 3mm & 3.25mm needles. 1 Set of short 3mm & 3.25mm 11[11,11,12] Buttons. Story The Cailleach design was an exercise in creating a pattern that would speak of the moorland landscape but at the same time be small in scale and therefore easy to memorise and knit. I felt my Cailleach character would appreciate this, as it would enable her to walk the moor and easily work her knitting at the same time. The style is a classic long-line cardigan and the end result aims to be beautiful, practical and flattering for all ages and shapes. Alice
- [Altnaharra](https://virtualyarns.com/product/altnaharra/) - Description Knitted Measurements: Small – Underarm (buttoned) 103cm. Length 80cm. Medium – Underarm (buttoned) 113cm. Length 80cm. Large – Underarm (buttoned) 119cm. Length 86cm. X Large Underarm (buttoned) 126cm. Length 86cm. This kit includes a colour-printed pattern card with full instructions in all sizes and all the yarn required to make Altnaharra in your chosen size. It is a classic dropped style with a lightly shaped armhole and worked entirely in the round in one piece. Visit our Video Tutorials section for tutorials on a variety of knitting techniques to help you with your projects. Story Once winter sets in on the Lewis moor, the autumn heather bells and moorland grasses fade to pale shades which overlay the rich ground tones with misty hues. This was my colour inspiration for Altnaharra, a flattering three-quarter length jacket in fourteen colours of Alice Starmore Hebridean 2 Ply. Like the winter moor, it is both striking and subtle at the same time. Concentration is required to set out the vertical panels of the main pattern, but it becomes familiar quite quickly and is therefore an intermediate project for any knitters practised in stranded knitting techniques. Alice
- [Firebirds Hat Set](https://virtualyarns.com/product/firebirds-hat-set/) - Description Knitted Measurements: Beret - Circumference 64.5cm. Brim to crown 26cm. Fingerless Gloves - Width around knuckles 19.3[20.7, 22]cm. The Firebirds Hat Set is composed of a beret and one pair of fingerless gloves in Alice Starmore Hebridean 2 Ply. The set is worked in the stranded circular technique. If you are new to this technique then there is a graded progression you can follow, starting with the beret which introduces double decrease shaping in the patterned crown. The fingerless gloves will teach you how to make thumb gussets and how to work each digit in the round. This kit includes a colour-printed patterncard with full instructions and all the yarn required to make the Firebirds Hat Set. The beret is made in one size and instructions for the gloves are provided in three sizes. Enough yarn is provided in the kit to make the largest size of gloves. The Firebirds design is also available as a cardigan. Visit our Video Tutorials section for tutorials on a variety of knitting techniques to help you with your projects. Story The Firebirds design was inspired by the jewel like colours of an opulent summer garden set against a rich background of greens. The flamboyant firebirds dance first one way and then the other above a deep rib. This design is more challenging, and is intended for an intermediate knitter as the chart pattern requires occasional weaving in over long stretches. Jade
- [Otter Classic](https://virtualyarns.com/product/otter-classic/) - Description Knitted Measurements: Small – Underarm 89.5cm. Waist 79cm. Classic Length 57cm. Medium – Underarm 97cm. Waist 86.5cm. Classic Length 59cm. Large – Underarm 102.5cm. Waist 92.5cm. Classic Length 61cm. Extra Large – Underarm 108.5cm. Waist 98.5cm. Classic Length 63cm. This kit includes a colour-printed pattern card with full instructions and all the Alice Starmore™ Hebridean 2 Ply yarn required to make the Otter Classic in your chosen size and colourway. The Otter Classic is shown here in Moss colourway (green) with a Firebirds Hat Set. The Heath colourway is shown in the cropped version, which is also available in both colourways. You can find the cropped version here. Visit our Video Tutorials section for tutorials on a variety of knitting techniques to help you with your projects. Story The otter costume’s studded ridges become a striking feature at the neck, cuffs and hem of the design. The lightly shaped body and sleeves are worked in Stocking Stitch which serves as a counterpoint to the decorative ridges both visually and in terms of time and ease of knitting. The Heath colourway, shown in the cropped version, is taken directly from the costume and represents the beauty of the vast sweeps of heather and cotton grass that grace the Lewis moor in summer; the Moss colourway, shown in the longer classic version, is based on the rich green grasses and golden mosses that grow beside the waters of the bogs and lochs. Jade
- [Alba Jacket](https://virtualyarns.com/product/alba-jacket/) - Description Knitted Measurements: Petite/Small – Underarm (buttoned) 106.5cm. Length 70cm. Medium – Underarm (buttoned) 118cm. Length 72cm. Large – Underarm (buttoned) 129.5m. Length 74cm. X Large – Underarm (buttoned) 141cm. Length 76cm. This kit includes a colour-printed pattern card with full instructions in all sizes and all the yarn required to make the Alba Jacket in your chosen size and colourway. It is available in a choice of two colourways: Ruby as shown in the jacket or Sapphire as shown in the swatch. This is a classic style with lightly shaped armholes. The garment worked in the round in one piece with steeks at front, armholes and neck openings. The sleeves are worked in the round from the armholes to the cuffs. Visit our Video Tutorials section for tutorials on a variety of knitting techniques to help you with your projects. Story As a Gaelic-speaking Hebridean, Celtic imagery was something I grew up with and so it seemed quite natural that I should experiment with its various themes and how I might apply them into knitting designs. Alba is the Gaelic for Scotland, and as a native Gaelic speaker I wanted to pay tribute to the Gàidhealtachd – the region where the language is spoken. Key patterns were a favourite of Pictish stonemasons. I saw this one on the Nigg Stone in NE Scotland and transcribed it into a charted knitting pattern in 1990. The regular geometry of the key pattern makes this an easy stranded project, while the tones and shades of Hebridean 2 Ply give it a vibrancy worthy of its name. This is a garment to be worn with pride. Alice
- [Ruffled Raven Collar](https://virtualyarns.com/product/ruffled-raven-collar/) - Description One Size fits all. This kit includes a colour-printed patterncard with full instructions and all the Alice Starmore™ Hebridean 2 Ply required to make the Ruffled Raven Collar in your own choice of colours. The Raven Costume from Glamourie continues to serve its inspirational purpose. All of the collar variants we have shown in Flights of Fancy have proved to be hugely popular and so we are delighted to offer the Ruffled Raven Collar as a patterncard kit. The design is made using four colours, comprising one main colour and three contrast colours. You can see two examples here, the red version uses Sea Anemone as a main colour with Sundew, Mountain Hare and Red Deer as contrasts. The green version uses Lapwing as a main colour with Erica, Clover and Selkie as contrasts. Click here for a digital shadecard of all Hebridean 2 Ply colours. You can create any number of dramatic effects through your choice of colour palette. The main colour dominates the feathers as a whole and is also used alone to create the collar and neckband base. The three contrast colours are intended to be used at will within the feathers and the neckband ruffles. For example, I used the contrast colours in the feathers at random for the Red Ruffled Collar shown here, but you can also plan where you place your contrast colours, so there is much scope for creativity. For example, here is how I created the red collar – Fire was my theme so I chose Sea Anemone the main colour. Then I added warm shades of Sundew, Mountain Hare, and Red Deer to the palette. Other than having Sea Anemone dominate, I determined to use the colours in a truly random fashion, as if I were capturing the flickering of a flaming fire. This was an interesting exercise as I believe humans have a hard time being random. As someone who creates patterns all the time, the urge to organize and make sense is very powerful and happens even at a subconscious level. So in order to be truly random within the scope of my palette, I placed two wound-up balls of Sea Anemone and one of the other three colours in a container and whichever ball my hand found first got used. I changed the colours within the feathers to different degrees, the only consideration being that as I worked each layer of feathers, I made sure I left enough of the contrast colours to include in the following layers and in the neckband ruffles. Once I had blocked out the feathers of each layer I stacked them ready for joining up without examining them for colour content. I knew that if I was being truly random I should at least get two feathers the same or very similar side by side and I would have to resist the urge to change them.
- [Glenesk Pullover](https://virtualyarns.com/product/glenesk-pullover/) - Description Knitted Measurements: Small – Underarm 107cm. Hemline 97cm. Length 61cm. Medium – Underarm 118.5cm. Hemline 108.5cm Length 63cm. Large – Underarm 128.5cm. Hemline 118.5cm. Length 65cm. This kit includes a colour-printed pattern card with full instructions in all sizes and all the yarn required to make the Glenesk Pullover in your chosen size. It is a classic dropped shoulder style, shaped for the male physique, tapering gently from the narrower hemline to accommodate the chest and shoulder width. It is worked entirely in the round in one piece with steeks at the armholes and neckine. The Glenesk design is also availble as a cardigan. Visit our Video Tutorials section for tutorials on a variety of knitting techniques to help you with your projects. Story On Gress Beach there is an intriguing remnant of a small ship that shows the unusual beauty of something man-made being claimed by nature over a long period of time. All that remains of the good ship Glenesk are the boiler and the ribs of the hull, which protrude through the sand to a greater or lesser extent, according to wind and tide. The boiler is obviously made of stern stuff, and is now home to limpets and barnacles, while the sand worms like to make their homes in its shade. The wood of the ribs is surprisingly well preserved, and on certain days it is possible to obtain an impression of the shape and size of the vessel. The Glenesk is such an old friend that I felt it deserved a design. I created a pattern which incorporates the man-made curves of the boiler together with the gentle waves of seaweed wrapped about it. I used the intense shades of Kelpie, Calluna, Lapwing and Mara to make a stormy background. For the foreground I used the gentler shades of Tormentil, Crotal and Mountain Hare... plus a touch of Golden Plover to give a hint of the sand on which the Glenesk has stood for so long. Jade
- [Maud Hat Set](https://virtualyarns.com/product/maud-hat-set/) - Description Knitted Measurements: Cowl - Lower edge circumference 80cm. length 18.5cm. Beret - Circumference 60cm. Brim to crown 25cm. Hand warmers & Gloves - Width around knuckles 19.3[20.7,22]cm. Maud is an accessory set guaranteed to turn heads. I used nine shades of my Hebridean 2 Ply to create the rich patterned colour scheme, all worked in the stranded circular technique. If you are a beginner in the technique then there is a graded progression you can follow, starting with the very easy cowl. Then make the beret which introduces double decrease shaping. Follow with the hand warmers and you will learn how to make thumb gussets. Finally you will graduate to the intricacies of the gloves where each digit is worked in a patterned circular fashion. You will be an expert by the time you have finished the set. This kit includes a colour-printed patterncard with full instructions and all the yarn required to make Maud. Enough yarn is included to make an extra glove and hand warmer should you lose one. The cowl and beret comes in one size and instructions for the hand warmers and gloves are provided in three sizes. Enough yarn is provided in the kit to make the largest size of hand warmers and gloves. Visit our Video Tutorials section for tutorials on a variety of knitting techniques to help you with your projects. Story Some design ideas demand rapid expression while others may float around for months or years, before they finally see the light of day. As a designer I am used to this, but it came as a surprise to realise that some of my ideas have been waiting in the wings for half a century. Here is how they came about. The year is 1967 and in the middle of double-English my teacher is droning on and on. Mr Macaskill is a nice man, but his voice is a featureless monotone and he has an unfortunate obsession with iambic quadrameters – di-dah, di-dah, di-dah, di-dah – that can drive even the most studious class into a state of narcolepsy. I am on the back row, fifteen years of age, and bored witless. Outside the classroom the sun is shining and the times they are a’changin’. The Beatles are in the studio recording Sergeant Pepper and the pop charts and air waves are buzzing with excitement. There is a whole brand-new world unfolding out there, but I am stuck in a classroom with di-dah, di-dah, di-dah, di-dah ... But then something quietly wonderful happens. I am listlessly flicking through my crusty, fusty poetry textbook and suddenly something sparkles out at me: a stanza from Tennyson’s Maud. She is coming, my own, my sweet; Were it ever so airy a tread, My heart would hear her and beat, Were it earth in an earthy bed; My dust would hear her and beat, Had I lain for a century dead; Would start and tremble under her feet, And blossom in purple and red. A pleasant tingle of surprise dispels my boredom. I feel as if I have been rummaging through the attic of a dusty old house and have suddenly spied a precious jewel amidst the junk and jumble. Tennyson’s words cause colours to flow in my mind, and an idea is born. Being of a curious disposition, I wonder if there are any more jewels hidden in the attic, and over the subsequent months I discover that, yes, there are many such gems, each with the power to inspire moods and ideas. So maybe the monotone Mr Macaskill was more canny than I thought, and his tedious di-dah-di-dahs were all part of a ploy to make moiling adolescents self-dose on classic verse. Whether by accident or design, I left school with a love of poetry that has never faded since. As for those ideas engendered on the back row of the classroom – well, they were just not part of my teenage agenda back in the late 1960s and they were jostled aside by far more pressing concerns. But good ideas have a habit of coming back, albeit decades later, so here is Maud – a jewel from the attic of my tattered, old school poetry book. And watch this space; there may be more jewels to follow. Alice
- [Oiseabhal Woven Wrap](https://virtualyarns.com/product/oiseabhal-woven-wrap/) - The Oiseabhal woven wrap kit is a design for a rigid heddle loom of minimum heddle width of 60cm (24in). This design is not hand knitted and a rigid heddle loom of appropriate width is essential to make this weaving design.Finished (fulled) MeasurementsWidth 46cm (18in).Length 150cm (59in).Length of tassels finished and trimmed 28cm (11in).Total finished length inc. tassels 206cm (81in). This kit includes a colour-printed pattern card with instructions for weaving and finishing the Oiseabhal Wrap along with the seven colours of Alice Starmore 2 Ply Hebridean yarn required. The instructions in the pattern card assume that you know how to set up a warp and work a plain weave on a rigid heddle loom. For beginners, a step-by-step video online access tutorial showing all the techniques in setting up, warping, weaving and making tassels on a rigid heddle loom can be purchased along with this patterncard kit. The design is created with seven colours divided in to two distinct groups – one related group of three colours; and another related group of four colours. This is an exciting design which focuses on the interplay of colour and tone. You can get very creative with your own colours choices, and I have listed the colours in their groups of three and four that I used for the wraps in the photographs so that you can either choose one of these or study the groups and the story below for guidance in formulating your own choice. The group of 3 is titled as A and the group of 4 is titled as B. Click here for a digital shadecard of all Hebridean 2 Ply colours. The four examples shown here are created using the following palettes: The Gabbro (Blue) Oiseabhal WrapA1– Mara; A2 – Shearwater; A3 – Summertide.B1 – Golden Plover; B2 – Corncrake; B3 – Driftwood; B4 – Pebble Beach.The Dolerite (Dark) Oiseabhal WrapA1–Kelpie; A2 – Limpet; A3 – Selkie.B1 – Red Deer B2 – Mountain Hare; B3 –Corncrake; B4 – Sea Ivory.The Feldspar (Red) Oiseabhal WrapA1– Kelpie; A2 – Limpet; A3 – Selkie.B1 – Tormentil; B2 – Red Deer; B3 – Red Rattle; B4 – Sea Anemone.The Granite (Grey) Oiseabhal WrapA1–Machair; A2 – Sea Ivory; A3 – Pebble Beach.B1 – Sundew; B2 – Mountain Hare; B3 – Corncrake; B4 – Spindrift. The Summer Sky (Blue & White) Oiseabhal WrapA1–Mara; A2 – Summertide; A3 – Strabhann.B1 – Sea Ivory; B2 – Pebble Beach; B3 – Kittiwake; B4 – Solan Goose. The Autumn Heath (Green & Gold) Oiseabhal WrapA1–Sundew; A2 – Golden Plover; A3 – Corncrake.B1 – Calluna; B2 – Lapwing; B3 – Bogbean; B4 – Machair.
- [Greeta Full Set](https://virtualyarns.com/product/greeta-full-set/) - Description Knitted Measurements Cardigan Small – Underarm 89.5cm. Length 50cm. Medium – Underarm 98cm. Length 52cm. Large – Underarm 107cm. Length 54.5cm. X Large – Underarm 115.5cm. Length 56.5cm. XX Large – Underarm 124cm. Length 58.5cm. XXX Large – Underarm 132cm. Length 61cm. Knitted Measurements Hat Set Beret – Circumference 67.5cm. Brim to crown 26cm. Fingerless Gloves – Width around knuckles 19.3[20.7,22]cm. This Greeta Full Set includes colour-printed pattern cards with full instructions in all sizes and all the Alice Starmore Hebridean™ 2 Ply yarn required to make the Greeta Hat Set and the Greeta Cardigan in your chosen size. The Greeta cardigan features the same yoke pattern on all sizes so on the larger sizes the yoke rounds will sit higher up on the shoulders whilst the body and upper sleeve shaping is extended and designed to fit each subsequent size. The Greeta Cardigan is an intermediate project which assumes you already have the required skills for working stranded knitting in the round with a steek. A focused video class for the cardigan takes you through the unique shaping of the upper body in preparation for fitting the circular yoke. The Greeta Hat Set kit includes two colour-printed patterncards with full instructions for the beret and gloves, and all the Alice Starmore Hebridean™ 2 Ply yarn required to make the set. Needles and buttons are not included in this kit. You will require: 1 Set of double-pointed or circular 2.75mm needles. Set of double-pointed or circular 40cm, 60cm and 80cm (100cm -120cm for the 3 larger sizes) 3.25mm needles. 1 spare 60cm or 80cm circular needle. 1 Set of short 2.75mm & 3.25mm double-pointed needles (for lower sleeve). Stitch holders. Stitch markers. Tapestry needle. 9 Buttons. Visit our Video Tutorials section for tutorials on a variety of knitting techniques to help you with your projects.
- [Oregon Spring Vest](https://virtualyarns.com/product/oregon-vest/) - Description Knitted Measurements: Petite - Underarm (buttoned) 97.5cm. Length 54.5cm. Small - Underarm (buttoned) 106cm. Length 56.5cm. Medium - Underarm (buttoned) 114.5cm. Length 58.5cm. Large - Underarm (buttoned) 123.5cm. Length 60.5cm. X Large - Underarm (buttoned) 132cm. Length 62cm. XX Large - Underarm (buttoned) 140.5cm. Length 64.5cm. This kit includes a colour-printed pattern card with full instructions in all sizes and all the yarn required to make Oregon Spring Vest in your chosen size. It is also available in the Autumn colourway, and as a cardigan or hat set. Visit our Video Tutorials section for tutorials on a variety of knitting techniques to help you with your projects. Story I come from a landscape that is virtually treeless, so the forests of Oregon left a lasting impression on me. The memories of a Spring road trip along the Mackenzie River are particularly vivid, and inspired this popular and enduring design. To recreate those memories I designed stylised firs for the main pattern; they evoke the dense, high backdrop of conifers that blocked out the sky. The border design is my take on the Mackenzie River, flowing at eye level by the road. I designed a pattern reminiscent of floating leaves, and filled it with the colours of light on water, and of dark undergrowth through which the first hints of Spring were starting to appear. I made similar trips in September and October but an Autumn version of the design was a long time coming because I lacked a suitable palette of colours. Getting it right involved designing my Hebridean yarn range with the shades and subtlety that I needed. Alice
- [Otter Cropped](https://virtualyarns.com/product/otter/) - Description Knitted Measurements: Small – Underarm 89.5cm. Waist 79cm. Cropped Length 40.5cm. Medium – Underarm 97cm. Waist 86.5cm. Cropped Length 42cm. Large – Underarm 102.5cm. Waist 92.5cm. Cropped Length 43.5cm. Extra Large – Underarm 108.5cm. Waist 98.5cm. Cropped Length 45cm. This kit includes a colour-printed pattern card with full instructions and all the Alice Starmore™ Hebridean 2 Ply yarn required to make the Otter Cropped in your chosen size and colourway. The Otter Cropped is shown here in Heath colourway (fawns) with a Hirta Hat Set. The Moss colourway is shown in the longer classic version, which is also available in both colourways. You can find the classic version here. Visit our Video Tutorials section for tutorials on a variety of knitting techniques to help you with your projects. Story The otter costume’s studded ridges become a striking feature at the neck, cuffs and hem of the design. The lightly shaped body and sleeves are worked in Stocking Stitch which serves as a counterpoint to the decorative ridges both visually and in terms of time and ease of knitting. The Heath colourway, shown in the cropped version, is taken directly from the costume and represents the beauty of the vast sweeps of heather and cotton grass that grace the Lewis moor in summer; the Moss colourway, shown in the classic version, is based on the rich green grasses and golden mosses that grow beside the waters of the bogs and lochs. Jade
- [Scarborough](https://virtualyarns.com/product/scarborough/) - Description Knitted Measurements: Small – Body Circumference 104.5cm. Underarm (inc gussets) 121cm. Length 56cm. Medium – Body Circumference 111.5cm. Underarm (inc gussets) 128cm. Length 57cm. Large – Body Circumference 118.5cm. Underarm (inc gussets) 135cm. Length 58cm. X Large – Body Circumference 125cm. Underarm (inc gussets) 141.5cm. Length 59cm. X X Large – Body Circumference 132cm. Underarm (inc gussets) 148.5cm. Length 60cm. XXX Large – Body Circumference 139cm. Underarm (inc gussets) 155.5cm. Length 61cm. This kit includes a colour-printed pattern card with full instructions in all sizes and all the Alice Starmore™ Hebridean 3 Ply yarn required to make Scarborough in your chosen size and colours. The photographs show Scarborough in Solan Goose. The Scarborough is worn with a Briodag Hat Set, Dun Cuffs and a woven wrap. It is also shown with the Hirta Hat Set and Oiseabhal wrap. This design can be ordered in a choice of our available Hebridean 3 Ply colours. Click here for a digital shadecard of all Hebridean 3 Ply colours. Visit our Video Tutorials section for tutorials on a variety of knitting techniques to help you with your projects. Story My Scarborough gansey design is based on the idea of the basic working fisher gansies that were produced in the late nineteenth and early twentieth century. These gansies featured small, simple patterns that could be more quickly knitted in a wide variety of sizes, which was important as they were mainly made for sale. There is charm and versatility in the simplicity of both silhouette and patterning, so this is a garment which will look stylish and comfortable on any figure, worn either casually or dressed up. I’ve designed it in six adult sizes, worked in my Hebridean 3 Ply yarn which displays the textured patterning to perfection. The Hebridean 3 Ply also has the great benefit of producing a soft and lightweight garment that is highly suited to life in the 21st century. I’ve knitted it here in Solan Goose and it is sure to look equally beautiful in any of our Hebridean 3 Ply shades. This is also an ideal design to discover and practise all the classic elements of knitting a gansey in the round with underam gussets, without the strain and time involved in knitting with the dense and heavy original 5 ply gansey yarn. If you are an experienced gansey knitter then you will also enjoy knitting a lightweight classic gansey with ease and speed. The knitting is straightforward, so whether you are a beginner or an expert, this is a project that will allow you to concentrate on achieving and perfecting an even tension throughout the whole fascinating gansey process. Alice
- [Loch Lomond Luss](https://virtualyarns.com/product/loch-lomond/) - Description Knitted Measurements: Small - Underarm (buttoned) 93cm. Length 47.5cm. Medium - Underarm (buttoned) 103cm. Length 49.5cm. Large - Underarm (buttoned) 113cm. Length 51.5cm. X Large - Underarm (buttoned) 123cm. Length 53.5cm. This kit includes a colour-printed pattern card with full instructions in all sizes and all the yarn required to make Loch Lomond in your chosen size. Loch Lomond is a standard fit cardigan with set in sleeves. The body is entirely worked in the round and the sleeves are knitted separately in the round to the armholes, with the sleeve caps knitted back and forth in rows. The Loch Lomond is shown here worn with a Levenish Hat and Hirta Gloves, and with a St Agnes Eve beret and scarf and Ruabhal gloves. The Loch Lomond design is available in two colourways, this is the Luss colourway. You can find the Rowardenen colourway here. Visit our Video Tutorials section for tutorials on a variety of knitting techniques to help you with your projects. Story It is not surprising that the beauty of Loch Lomond has long been celebrated in song. It is within easy reach of Glasgow, and provides the city folk with majestic views of loch and mountains. I designed this stranded colourwork cardigan with both loch and song as inspiration. I based the colours on the loch and landscape on a moody, breezy day. The rippling motion of the water, and the doomed lover of the song, were the themes for the pattern. I composed curving, broken heart shapes and added little knots within the broken hearts to evoke the texture of the waves. Jade
- [Loch Lomond Rowardennan](https://virtualyarns.com/product/loch-lomond-rowardennan/) - Description Knitted Measurements: Small - Underarm (buttoned) 93cm. Length 47.5cm. Medium - Underarm (buttoned) 103cm. Length 49.5cm. Large - Underarm (buttoned) 113cm. Length 51.5cm. X Large - Underarm (buttoned) 123cm. Length 53.5cm. This kit includes a colour-printed pattern card with full instructions in all sizes and all the yarn required to make Loch Lomond in the Rowardennan in your chosen size. Loch Lomond is a standard fit cardigan with set in sleeves. The body is entirely worked in the round and the sleeves are knitted separately in the round to the armholes, with the sleeve caps knitted back and forth in rows. The Loch Lomond is shown here worn with a Briodag Hat Set. The Loch Lomond design is available in two colourways, this is the Rowardennan colourway. You can find the Luss colourway here. Visit our Video Tutorials section for tutorials on a variety of knitting techniques to help you with your projects. Story It is not surprising that the beauty of Loch Lomond has long been celebrated in song. It is within easy reach of Glasgow, and provides the city folk with majestic views of loch and mountains. I designed this stranded colourwork cardigan with both loch and song as inspiration. I based the colours on the loch and landscape on a moody, breezy day. The rippling motion of the water, and the doomed lover of the song, were the themes for the pattern. I composed curving, broken heart shapes and added little knots within the broken hearts to evoke the texture of the waves. Jade
- [Machair - 50g Hebridean 2 Ply](https://virtualyarns.com/product/machair-hebridean-2-ply/) - Description Alice Starmore Hebridean 2 Ply Yarn is made from premium quality pure new British wool, dyed in the fleece and skillfully blended into unique shades. It is hand-washed and dried in the Hebridean air, and supplied in hand-made skeins which may vary in weight. It is priced per 50g at standard conditions. All yarn is weighed to order on balances that are checked daily to ensure that you receive the correct total amount. Machair is part of the Summer Isle range, which is inspired by the tiny Summer Islands in the mouth of Loch Broom. Story What is machair? Every Gael knows the answer to that although there is some dispute amongt biologists and ecologists, so I quote the definition given by the British conservation body, the Joint Nature Conservation Committee, in 1995. Gently sloping coastal plains formed by wind-blown calcareous shell-sand, which incorporates a mosaic of species-rich grassland, fens and lochs, with dunes towards the sea and blackland (a mixture of peat and sand) further inland. All these individual elements are crucial parts of the machair system. The grassland has traditionally been maintained by low intensity agriculture. In Europe this habitat occurs only in Scotland and Ireland. From this definition it can be seen that while machair is a coastal grassland, not all coastal grassland is machair. A degree of shell sand is a pre-requisite; then a rare balance of enough wind to blow the sand when dry, but enough moisture to allow blown sand to be deposited. Then there must be exactly the right amount of light, managed grazing at the right times of year. In fact, it is a geo and bio-miracle that we have any at all, and between the depredations of overgrazing and 4x4 traffic, we may not have it for very long. Those wishing to know the full details of how machair systems are formed should seek out The Outer Hebrides: the shaping of the islands by Stewart Angus, The White Horse Press, 1997, ISBN 1-874267-33-2. This is an academic text, but well-written and highly readable. Those who simply want to know what they look like, should know that in high summer the machair explodes into banks of colour: Monet-by-the-sea? The explosion of floral life is rampant but delicate. Bird's Foot Trefoil, Clover, Daisy, Eyebright, Lady's Bedstraw, Red Fescue, Ribwort Plantain, Yarrow. This poetic litany names some of the machair flowers that bloom in summer – a delicate profusion set against a unique, tranquil green. We have tried to capture this effect in our yarn, and I am confident that we have succeeded.
- [Golden Plover - 50g Hebridean 2 Ply](https://virtualyarns.com/product/golden-plover-hebridean-2-ply/) - Description Alice Starmore Hebridean 2 Ply Yarn is made from premium quality pure new British wool, dyed in the fleece and skillfully blended into unique shades. It is hand-washed and dried in the Hebridean air, and supplied in hand-made skeins which may vary in weight. It is priced per 50g at standard conditions. All yarn is weighed to order on balances that are checked daily to ensure that you receive the correct total amount. Golden Plover is part of the Birds range, which is inspired by birds of the Outer Hebrides. Story Every spring flocks of Golden Plovers leave France and the South of England and travel northwards in search of a summer home. As the Hebridean landscape is so perfectly suited to them there are always Golden Plovers to be seen in the summer. The crofts and shoreline hold plenty of beetles, slugs and molluscs for them to feast on, and in the height of summer – when night consists of one or two hours of dusk – they can feed all night. Once they are sufficiently plump they retire to the moorlands where they make nests among the lichen and heather. They will remain on the islands all through the summer until their young have grown strong enough to travel. Our shade emulates the distinctive summer plumage which they wear while on the islands. Their normally grey and white feathers develop a deep gold wash over their backs and wings, giving the impression that they have been dipped in liquid gold. Not only are they beautiful but they are also very tuneful to the ear and their mellifluous, unusual piping song has earned them the nickname of Whistling Plover. Old legend gives them a rather darker purpose than merely singing. It was said that there are only six Golden Plovers but they are constantly moving, searching for their brother – who was separated from them in an unspecified incident – and when they finally find him they will herald the end of the world. Judging from the amount to be seen on the Lewis moors every summer, it would seem that they have changed their minds. For our shade we have blended many deep, earthy golds, which marl together to give a lustrous glow.
- [Red Deer - 50g Hebridean 2 Ply](https://virtualyarns.com/product/red-deer-hebridean-2-ply/) - Description Alice Starmore Hebridean 2 Ply Yarn is made from premium quality pure new British wool, dyed in the fleece and skillfully blended into unique shades. It is hand-washed and dried in the Hebridean air, and supplied in hand-made skeins which may vary in weight. It is priced per 50g at standard conditions. All yarn is weighed to order on balances that are checked daily to ensure that you receive the correct total amount. Red Deer is part of the Moor & Mountain range, which is inspired by the landscape of the Outer Hebrides. Colour Story Some of my fellow islanders have ambivalent feelings towards deer. They are beautiful creatures but they are inextricably associated with the Highland landed gentry and with the iniquities of the Highland Clearances in the 19th century. I can understand their point of view: my own ancestors were "chased out" of the Uig district of Lewis in order to clear the way for a sporting deer park. The way I see it, it was hardly the fault of the deer. Plenty of Highlanders were chased out to make way for sheep, but we still wear wool and eat mutton. My favourite place to see red deer is a mountainside in Harris known as Stulaval. The sight of sixty-odd deer coming through the rocks is one that cannot fail to impress. You have to be down-wind and very still, for one false move and they are away. My best sighting ever was just a single deer – a young stag that had strayed off on its own. It was a winter day on a very wet, very flat moor, with a low sun slanting across the landscape. There was nowhere to hide and I could hardly drop into the bogs at my feet. I froze, and the slanting sun must have blinded it, for it came closer and closer towards me, cropping the heather as it came. There was no wind whatsoever, and it came close enough for me to hear it breathing. Then of course it scented me, and was off like a bullet, its hind legs kicking up a shower of water drops and rainbows. I watched until it disappeared into the blue haze. For this shade we used the summer coats of the red deer, which are coloured a subtle tawny, tinged with rich reds that blend perfectly with the moorland, making them almost impossible to see. We have slightly intensified the flashes of red, but the effect is still one that will look perfectly at home in any landscape.
- [Machair - 50g Hebridean 3 Ply](https://virtualyarns.com/product/machair-50g-hebridean-3-ply/) - Description Alice Starmore Hebridean 3 Ply Yarn is made from premium quality pure new British wool, dyed in the fleece and skillfully blended into unique shades. It is hand-washed and dried in the Hebridean air, and supplied in hand-made skeins which may vary in weight. It is priced per 50g at standard conditions. All yarn is weighed to order on balances that are checked daily to ensure that you receive the correct total amount. Machair is part of the Summer Isle range, which is inspired by the tiny Summer Islands in the mouth of Loch Broom. Story What is machair? Every Gael knows the answer to that although there is some dispute amongt biologists and ecologists, so I quote the definition given by the British conservation body, the Joint Nature Conservation Committee, in 1995. Gently sloping coastal plains formed by wind-blown calcareous shell-sand, which incorporates a mosaic of species-rich grassland, fens and lochs, with dunes towards the sea and blackland (a mixture of peat and sand) further inland. All these individual elements are crucial parts of the machair system. The grassland has traditionally been maintained by low intensity agriculture. In Europe this habitat occurs only in Scotland and Ireland. From this definition it can be seen that while machair is a coastal grassland, not all coastal grassland is machair. A degree of shell sand is a pre-requisite; then a rare balance of enough wind to blow the sand when dry, but enough moisture to allow blown sand to be deposited. Then there must be exactly the right amount of light, managed grazing at the right times of year. In fact, it is a geo and bio-miracle that we have any at all, and between the depredations of overgrazing and 4x4 traffic, we may not have it for very long. Those wishing to know the full details of how machair systems are formed should seek out The Outer Hebrides: the shaping of the islands by Stewart Angus, The White Horse Press, 1997, ISBN 1-874267-33-2. This is an academic text, but well-written and highly readable. Those who simply want to know what they look like, should know that in high summer the machair explodes into banks of colour: Monet-by-the-sea? The explosion of floral life is rampant but delicate. Bird's Foot Trefoil, Clover, Daisy, Eyebright, Lady's Bedstraw, Red Fescue, Ribwort Plantain, Yarrow. This poetic litany names some of the machair flowers that bloom in summer – a delicate profusion set against a unique, tranquil green. We have tried to capture this effect in our yarn, and I am confident that we have succeeded.
- [Golden Plover - 50g Hebridean 3 Ply](https://virtualyarns.com/product/golden-plover-hebridean-3-ply/) - Description Alice Starmore Hebridean 3 Ply Yarn is made from premium quality pure new British wool, dyed in the fleece and skillfully blended into unique shades. It is hand-washed and dried in the Hebridean air, and supplied in hand-made skeins which may vary in weight. It is priced per 50g at standard conditions. All yarn is weighed to order on balances that are checked daily to ensure that you receive the correct total amount. Golden Plover is part of the Birds range, which is inspired by birds of the Outer Hebrides. It is shown here in the Eightsome Reel design, which is available as a patterncard kit. Story Every spring flocks of Golden Plovers leave France and the South of England and travel northwards in search of a summer home. As the Hebridean landscape is so perfectly suited to them there are always Golden Plovers to be seen in the summer. The crofts and shoreline hold plenty of beetles, slugs and molluscs for them to feast on, and in the height of summer – when night consists of one or two hours of dusk – they can feed all night. Once they are sufficiently plump they retire to the moorlands where they make nests among the lichen and heather. They will remain on the islands all through the summer until their young have grown strong enough to travel. Our shade emulates the distinctive summer plumage which they wear while on the islands. Their normally grey and white feathers develop a deep gold wash over their backs and wings, giving the impression that they have been dipped in liquid gold. Not only are they beautiful but they are also very tuneful to the ear and their mellifluous, unusual piping song has earned them the nickname of Whistling Plover. Old legend gives them a rather darker purpose than merely singing. It was said that there are only six Golden Plovers but they are constantly moving, searching for their brother – who was separated from them in an unspecified incident – and when they finally find him they will herald the end of the world. Judging from the amount to be seen on the Lewis moors every summer, it would seem that they have changed their minds. For our shade we have blended many deep, earthy golds, which marl together to give a lustrous glow.
- [Mary Queen Of Scots](https://virtualyarns.com/product/mary-queen-of-scots/) - Description Knitted Measurements: Small - Underarm (buttoned) 92cm. Waist 76.5cm. Length 48cm. Medium - Underarm (buttoned) 98.5cm. Waist 82.75cm. Length 50cm. Large - Underarm (buttoned) 105.5cm. Waist 90cm. Length 52cm. Extra Large - Underarm (buttoned) 112cm. Waist 96.5cm. Length 54cm. This pack contains all the yarn required to make the Mary, Queen of Scots design from Tudor Roses in your chosen size and colours of Alice Starmore Hebridean 2 and 3 Ply. You will require a copy of the book TUDOR ROSES (2013 or 2017 Edition) for the pattern instructions. This design is available in a main colour choice of Hebridean 3 Ply and a contrast choice of Hebridean 2 Ply. It is shown here with the Cassiopeia Hat Set, and also with a Briodag Scarf and a hat from Creative Course 1. Click here for a digital shadecard of all Hebridean 3 Ply colours. Click here for a digital shadecard of all Hebridean 2 Ply colours. Visit our Video Tutorials section for tutorials on a variety of knitting techniques to help you with your projects.
- [Margaret Beaufort](https://virtualyarns.com/product/margaret-beaufort/) - Description Knitted Measurements: Small - Underarm (buttoned) 94cm. Waist 88cm. Length 59cm. Medium - Underarm (buttoned) 103cm. Waist 97cm. Length 61cm. Large - Underarm (buttoned) 112cm. Waist 106cm. Length 63cm. Extra Large - Underarm (buttoned) 121cm. Waist 115cm. Length 65cm. This pack contains all the yarn required to make the Margaret Beaufort design from Tudor Roses in your chosen size and colour of Alice Starmore Hebridean 3 Ply. You will require a copy of the book TUDOR ROSES (2013 or 2017 Edition) for the pattern instructions. This design can be ordered in any of our available Hebridean 3 Ply colours, and is shown here in Selkie and Pebble Beach. Click here for a digital shadecard of all Hebridean 3 Ply colours. Visit our Video Tutorials section for tutorials on a variety of knitting techniques to help you with your projects.
- [Oregon Spring Hat Set](https://virtualyarns.com/product/oregon-spring-hat-set/) - Description Knitted Measurements: Cowl - Lower edge circumference 80cm Length 19cm. Hat - Circumference 51.4cm Brim to crown 20.5cm. Handwarmers & Gloves - Width around at knuckles 19.3[20.7,22]cm. This kit includes a colour-printed patterncard with full instructions and all the yarn required to make the Oregon Spring Hat Set. Enough yarn is included to make an extra glove and hand warmer should you lose one. The cowl and hat comes in one size and instructions for the hand warmers and gloves are provided in three sizes. Enough yarn is provided in the kit to make the largest size of hand warmers and gloves. The Oregon Hat Set is also available in an Autumn colourway which you can see by clicking here. If you are a beginner in the technique then there is a graded progression you can follow, starting with the very easy cowl. Then make the hat which introduces double decrease shaping. Follow with the hand warmers and you will learn how to make thumb gussets. Finally you will graduate to the intricacies of the gloves where each digit is worked in a patterned circular fashion. You will be an expert by the time you have finished the set. Visit our Video Tutorials section for tutorials on a variety of knitting techniques to help you with your projects. Story The patterns and colours for the Spring version were inspired by a road trip along the Mackenzie River and through the Oregon forests early one April over twenty years ago. Alice
- [Capillifolium](https://virtualyarns.com/product/capillifolium/) - Description Knitted Measurements: Neckwarmer – lower edge circumference 74cm. Hat – circumference 51.4cm. Brim to crown 20.5cm. Fingerless Gloves – Width around knuckles 19[20.7,22]cm. This kit includes a colour-printed pattern card with full instructions and all the yarn required to make the Capillifolium Hat Set. Enough yarn is included to make an extra fingerless glove should you lose one. It is shown here with the Lapwing Pullover from the book Glamourie. Visit our Video Tutorials section for tutorials on a variety of knitting techniques to help you with your projects. Story I based the design for this hat set on capillifolium, one of the radiant sphagnum mosses that grows profusely on our famous Lewis Blanket Bog. S. Capillifolium has always been a favourite of mine: it grows especially beautifully by lochs and pools and ranges in colour from pale yellow, through golds, orange to vibrant reds. These are the shades of 2 Ply Hebridean I chose to depict the plant growing by the blue water in the summer. On cold grey days it is lovely to be reminded of these intense summer colours whilst also keeping warm. The set is a quick and satisfying knit which also provides a lot of interest: it includes not only colourwork but a range of shaping, including short-rows worked on the earflaps as well as the shaping on the hat crown and on the snug neckwarmer. It is an ideal little project for any knitter with experience in the stranded technique. It also makes a lovely gift for an appreciative recipient. Alice
- [Henrietta](https://virtualyarns.com/product/henrietta/) - Description Knitted Measurements: Small - Underarm (buttoned) 95.5cm. Length 61cm. Medium - Underarm (buttoned) 102.5cm. Length 62cm. Large - Underarm (buttoned) 110cm. Length 64cm. XL - Underarm (buttoned) 117cm. Length 65cm. XXL - Underarm (buttoned) 124cm. Length 67cm. The Henrietta is shown here in a main colour of Tormentil 3 Ply, which is no longer in stock. You can choose an alternative main colour below. If you wish to have a similar look we recommend Red Deer. If you want to choose a colour from the stranded collar pattern then you can choose Lapwing, Storm Petrel or Golden Plover. The Henrietta is shown here worn with the Henry VIII Hat and Gloves. Click here for a digital shadecard of all Hebridean 3 Ply colours. This kit includes a colour-printed pattern card with full instructions in all sizes and all the 2 Ply and 3 Ply Hebridean yarn required to make Henrietta in your chosen size. Visit our Video Tutorials section for tutorials on a variety of knitting techniques to help you with your projects. Story When I originally created my Henry VIII design I imagined that it would appeal almost exclusively to men, since I based the patterns and colours on what I thought would suit the man himself. I am very happy to admit that I was wrong and that the design has been hugely popular with women. To celebrate this, I decided to think about the same pattern and colour idea but in a very feminine design. I composed a textured pattern, knitted in 3 Ply Hebridean which incorporates shaping into a flattering A-line jacket. The collar is the focus and reveals how just a small piece of an iconic design can be instantly recognizable. The main body of the garment is a fairly straightforward knit whilst the collar requires a few tricky manoeuvres which I hope experienced knitters will find interesting to work. Alice
- [Jane Seymour](https://virtualyarns.com/product/jane-seymour/) - Description Knitted Measurements: Small: Underarm (buttoned) 91cm. Waist 73.5cm. Length (ex leaves) 40cm. Medium: Underarm (buttoned) 100cm. Waist 80cm. Length (ex leaves) 42.5cm. Large: Underarm (buttoned) 108.5cm. Waist 85.5cm. Length (ex leaves) 44.75cm. Extra Large: Underarm (buttoned) 117cm. Waist 91.5cm. Length (ex leaves) 46cm. This pack contains all the yarn required to make the Jane Seymour design from Tudor Roses in your chosen size and colours of Alice Starmore Hebridean 2 Ply. You will require a copy of the book TUDOR ROSES (2013 or 2017 Edition) for the pattern instructions. Jane Seymour is shown in the original colourway of main colour Red Rattle with a contrast colour Corncrake and embroidery colours Driftwood, Golden Plover, Mountain Hare and Sundew. It is also shown in an alternative colourway of Whin with a Golden Plover contrast and embroidery colours Driftwood, Spindrift, Mountain Hare and Sundew. This yarn pack can be ordered in a choice of any of our available Hebridean 2 Ply, for your personally chosen colours please select below. Click here for a digital shadecard of all Hebridean 2 Ply colours. Visit our Video Tutorials section for tutorials on a variety of knitting techniques to help you with your projects.
- [Selkie Pullover](https://virtualyarns.com/product/selkie-pullover/) - Description Knitted Measurements: Small – Underarm 98.5cm. Length 64cm. Medium – Underarm 104cm. Length 66cm. Large – Underarm 110cm. Length 68cm. X Large – Underarm 115.5cm. Length 69cm. XX Large – Underarm 121.5cm. Length 71cm. XXX Large – Underarm 127cm. Length 72cm. This kit includes a colour-printed pattern card with full instructions in all sizes and all the Alice Starmore 2 Ply Hebridean yarn required to make the Selkie Pullover in your chosen size. This design is available in a choice of two colourways. The Sea colourway is an evocation of the shifting shades of blue on the water. The Shore colourway is based on the shades of bronze, purple, green and gold of kelp and rock on the shoreline sands. It is shown here in the Shore colourway, with a swatch in the Sea colourway. This design is also available as a cardigan. Visit our Video Tutorials section for tutorials on a variety of knitting techniques to help you with your projects. Story I created the patterns for the original Selkie Cardigan in Glamourie directly from watching the perpetual, sinuous motion of kelp waving below the surface of the sea at the foot of my croft. This is the playground for a colony of both grey and common seals who live in the caves along the shore and who bask in raucous harmony on Sgeir Leathann (Broad Tidal Rock) a few hundred yards beyond the shoreline. I designed the vertical panels of ripples and kelp so that they could be fitted together to alternate in background and pattern colour, thus subtly enhancing the sense of motion produced by the patterns and changing colours. The vertical kelp panels for the original fitted cardigan change in size throughout the knitting which makes for a more complicated project. The patterns are versatile in effect and so I wanted to work them again in a pullover with a different layout. I decided on a simple, slouchy, dropped shoulder shape and used the kelp, rock and sand shades of the shoreline for the colour scheme. I placed a kelp panel at the centre; at each side the ripple and kelp panels change subtly in background and pattern, whilst the ripple panels meet under the arm to form the shapes and highlights that feature at the centre back of the cardigan. Though it may appear complex, the pullover is an easy stranded project. It is made in one piece with steeks at the armholes and neck, and the sleeves worked from the armholes to the cuffs. Care does need to be taken whilst setting out the vertical panels, but once done it knits up quickly and it is great fun to watch it grow. Alice
- [Rona](https://virtualyarns.com/product/rona/) - Description Knitted Measurements: Small - Underarm (buttoned) 106.25cm. Length 70.5cm. Medium - Underarm (buttoned) 117.5cm. Length 72.5cm. Large - Underarm (buttoned) 129cm. Length 75.5cm. X Large - Underarm (buttoned) 140.5cm. Length 79cm. This kit includes a colour-printed pattern card with full instructions in all sizes and all the yarn required to make Rona in your chosen size. It is a classic dropped shoulder shape, worked entirely in the round in one piece. Visit our Video Tutorials section for tutorials on a variety of knitting techniques to help you with your projects. Story Take a bearing 004 degrees from the Butt of Lewis and another 308 degrees from the tip of Cape Wrath. There in the wild Atlantic is a little island named after a saint. People tried to live there but failed. Signs of where they dwelt and worshipped still remain, but Rona is the province of Storm Petrels, Gannets and other seabirds. It is a fitting name for this collection of shoreline colours, patterns and textures: the seaweeds and the pebbles, every one a different gem. Alice
- [Erin](https://virtualyarns.com/product/erin/) - Description Knitted Measurements: Small – Underarm 95cm. Length 50.5cm. Medium – Underarm 102cm. Length 53cm. Large – Underarm 108cm. Length 56.5cm. X Large – Underarm 114cm. Length 56.5cm. XX Large – Underarm 120cm. Length 58.5cm. This kit includes two colour-printed pattern cards with full instructions in all sizes and all the Alice Starmore 2 Ply Hebridean™ yarn required to make the Erin in your chosen size. . Erin is a standard fit cardigan with set-in sleeves and an edge-to-edge opening at the front. The body is entirely worked in the round and the sleeves are knitted separately in the round to the armholes, with the sleeve caps knitted back and forth in rows. Visit our Video Tutorials section for tutorials on a variety of knitting techniques to help you with your projects. Story I am delighted to include an exciting new version of Erin in our Virtual Yarns catalogue. It is here thanks to Jade’s patience and dedication in knitting this very complex design of abstract interlaced celtic hounds. It requires a high degree of concentration and perfect stranding skills, so if you are up for a challenge then you will be well rewarded with a garment of timeless sophistication. Alice
- [Lady Mary](https://virtualyarns.com/product/lady-mary/) - Description One Size - Width 65cm. Length 146cm. This pack contains all the Alice Starmore Hebridean 2 Ply yarn required to make the Lady Mary design from Tudor Roses. You will require a copy of the book TUDOR ROSES (2013 or 2017 Edition) for the pattern instructions. Visit our Video Tutorials section for tutorials on a variety of knitting techniques to help you with your projects.
- [Selkie Cardigan](https://virtualyarns.com/product/selkie-cardigan/) - Description Knitted Measurements: Small – Underarm (buttoned) 90cm. Waist 81.5cm. Length 58cm. Medium – Underarm (buttoned) 96cm. Waist 87.5cm. Length 60cm. Large – Underarm (buttoned) 101.5cm. Waist 93cm. Length 62cm. Extra Large – Underarm (buttoned) 107.5cm. Waist 99cm. Length 64cm. This kit contains 2 full-colour patterncards with full instructions in all sizes and all the Alice Starmore™ Hebridean 2 Ply yarn required to make the Selkie cardigan in your chosen size. The Selkie cardigan is shown here worn with the Mountain Hare Hat and Ruabhal gloves. For a step-by-step video tutorial showing all the techniques involved in knitting and finishing stranded garments visit our Video Tutorials section. Story Sea colours, ripples and the perpetual motion of kelp forests were my themes for creating the Selkie cardigan. I explored the element in which the Selkie excels and how it changes from its limited movements on shore to a creature of balletic grace in water as it becomes at one with the underwater world. I translated this graceful transformation into an elegant, lightly-fitted body shaping for the cardigan. The design is worked in the round with steeks at all openings. The sleeves are worked separately in the round to the armholes and then the caps are worked back and forth in rows. The body has subtle shaping within the vertical “seaweed” panels and so these patterns shrink in size to the waist and are then turned upside-down and expanded again to complete the body. So this is a design that requires a degree of expertise and concentration. Alice
- [Mary Tudor](https://virtualyarns.com/product/mary-tudor/) - Description Knitted Measurements: Small/Medium - Underarm (buttoned) 101cm. Length 58.25cm. Large/Extra Large - Underarm (buttoned) 125.5cm. Length 64cm. This pack contains all the Alice Starmore Hebridean 2 Ply yarn required to make the Mary Tudor design from Tudor Roses in your chosen size. You will require a copy of the book TUDOR ROSES (2013 or 2017 Edition) for the pattern instructions. It is shown here with the Henry VIII Hat Set. Visit our Video Tutorials section for tutorials on a variety of knitting techniques to help you with your projects.
- [Postal Charge](https://virtualyarns.com/product/postal-charge/) - Postal Charge
- [Boudicca's Braid](https://virtualyarns.com/product/boudiccas-braid/) - Description Knitted Measurements: Small - Underarm (buttoned) 110cm. Length 64cm. Medium/Large - Underarm (buttoned) 128cm. Length 67cm. This pack contains all the yarn required to make the Boudicca's Braid design from Aran Knitting in your chosen size and colour. You will require a copy of the book Aran Knitting (2010 Edition) by Alice Starmore for the pattern instructions. Boudicca's Braid is shown here in a Main Background of Sea Ivory, Main Cable Contrast of Calluna, Second Cable Contrast of Lapwing, Knots 1 of Crotal, Knots 2 of Capercaille and Knots 3 of Shearwater. This yarn pack can be ordered in a choice of our available Hebridean 2 Ply, for your personally chosen colours please select from the colour choices below. Click here for a digital shadecard of all Hebridean 2 Ply colours. Visit our Video Tutorials section for tutorials on a variety of knitting techniques to help you with your projects. Story Celtic art – in metal or manuscript – is redolent with examples of outstanding intricacy and workmanship. I have always been fascinated by this, and I designed these knotwork patterns to be knitted in fine yarn, using elegantly contrasting colours. Like the Celtic masterpieces, the work requires dexterity, patience and skill. This is a challenging project for advanced knitters. Alice
- [Katherine Howard](https://virtualyarns.com/product/katherine-howard/) - Description Knitted Measurements: Small - Underarm (buttoned) 91cm. Waist 71cm. Length 57cm. Medium - Underarm (buttoned) 99cm. Waist 79.5cm. Length 59.5cm. Large - Underarm (buttoned) 106cm. Waist 86.75cm. Length 62cm. Extra Large - Underarm (buttoned) 114.5cm. Waist 95cm. Length 64.5cm. This pack contains all the yarn required to make the Katherine Howard design from Tudor Roses in your chosen size and colours of Alice Starmore Hebridean 2 Ply. You will require a copy of the book TUDOR ROSES (2013 or 2017 Edition) for the pattern instructions. Katherine Howard is shown knitted in main colour Kelpie with contrast 1 in Mara, contrast 2 in Shearwater and contrast 3 in Summertide. This yarn pack is availabel in a choice of our available Hebridean 2 Ply colours, for your personally chosen colours select below, or if you would like colours as in the book select Original for each colour choice. Click here for a digital shadecard of all Hebridean 2 Ply colours. Visit our Video Tutorials section for tutorials on a variety of knitting techniques to help you with your projects.
- [Anne Boleyn](https://virtualyarns.com/product/anne-boleyn/) - Description Knitted Measurements: Small - Underarm (buttoned) 91cm. Waist 71cm. Length 57cm. Medium - Underarm (buttoned) 97cm. Waist 77cm. Length 59cm. Large - Underarm (buttoned) 103cm. Waist 83cm. Length 61cm. Extra Large - Underarm (buttoned) 109cm. Waist 88cm. Length 63cm. This pack contains all the yarn required to make the Anne Boleyn design from Tudor Roses in your chosen size and colours of Alice Starmore Hebridean 2 Ply. You will require a copy of the book TUDOR ROSES (2013 or 2017 Edition) for the pattern instructions. This design is available in a choice of our currently in stock colours of Hebridean 2 Ply, please make your own selection from the colour choices below, or select Original for each choice for colours as in the garment shown here. It is also shown here worn with the Greeta Gloves and also with the Henry VIII Hat Set. Click here for a digital shadecard of all Hebridean 2 Ply colours. Visit our Video Tutorials section for tutorials on a variety of knitting techniques to help you with your projects.
- [Elizabeth Of York](https://virtualyarns.com/product/elizabeth-of-york/) - Description Knitted Measurements: Small - Underarm (buttoned) 88cm. Waist 67.75cm. Length 41cm. Medium - Underarm (buttoned) 95cm. Waist 73.5cm. Length 43.5cm. Large - Underarm (buttoned) 102cm. Waist 79cm. Length 45.75cm. Extra Large - Underarm (buttoned) 107.5cm. Waist 85cm. Length 47.25cm. This pack contains all the yarn required to make the Elizabeth Of York design from Tudor Roses in your chosen size and colours of Alice Starmore Hebridean 2 Ply. You will require a copy of the book TUDOR ROSES (2013 or 2017 Edition) for the pattern instructions. Elizabeth of York is shown in a main background colour of Red Deer with a pattern contrast colour of Mountain Hare. Please select your main background colour and contrast pattern colour below. This yarn pack can be ordered in a choice of any of our available Hebridean 2 Ply colours. Click here for a digital shadecard of all Hebridean 2 Ply colours. Visit our Video Tutorials section for tutorials on a variety of knitting techniques to help you with your projects.
- [Elizabeth Woodville](https://virtualyarns.com/product/elizabeth-woodville/) - Description Knitted Measurements: Small - Underarm (buttoned) 93cm. Waist 72.5cm. Length 49.5cm. Medium - Underarm (buttoned) 97.5cm. Waist 76.5cm. Length 51.5cm. Large - Underarm (buttoned) 104.5cm. Waist 83.5cm. Length 54cm. Extra Large - Underarm (buttoned) 109cm. Waist 88.25cm. Length 56.75cm. This pack contains all the yarn required to make the Elizabeth Woodville design from Tudor Roses in your chosen size and colours of Alice Starmore Hebridean 2 Ply. You will require a copy of the book TUDOR ROSES (2013 or 2017 Edition) for the pattern instructions. Elizabeth Woodville is shown in main colour of Spindrift with contrast edging colour Selkie, and in main colour Fulmar and contrast edging colour Clover. This yarn pack can be ordered in a choice of our available Hebridean 2 Ply colours. please select your colour choices below. Click here for a digital shadecard of all Hebridean 2 Ply colours. Visit our Video Tutorials section for tutorials on a variety of knitting techniques to help you with your projects.
- [Raven Cardigan Single Collar](https://virtualyarns.com/product/raven-cardigan/) - Description With Single-layered Feather Collar. Knitted Measurements: Small – Underarm (buttoned) 91cm. Waist 81cm. Length 48cm. Medium – Underarm (buttoned) 98cm. Waist 87.5cm. Length 50cm. Large – Underarm (buttoned) 104.5cm. Waist 94.25cm. Length 52.5cm. Extra Large – Underarm (buttoned) 111cm. Waist 101cm. Length 54.5cm. This kit includes 2 colour-printed pattern cards with full instructions and all the Alice Starmore™ Hebridean 2 Ply yarn required to make the Raven Cardigan Single Layer in your chosen size and colourway. The Raven Cardigan can be ordered in a choice of our available Hebridean 2 Ply colours, it is shown here in Mara and Strabhann. Click here for a digital shadecard of all Hebridean 2 Ply colours. Visit our Video Tutorials section for tutorials on a variety of knitting techniques to help you with your projects. Story A pair of ravens nest on the cliffs at the foot of my croft and so I am privileged to observe them at work and play on a daily basis without even having to leave my studio. They habitually sit on fence posts and preen themselves, or each other when they are feeling amorous. They use their massive bills to smooth their feathers into a sleek profile which contrasts with their bristling throat feathers. These are the features that I focused on to create the Raven Cardigan. I based the rounded-feather lower border on the feathers I created for the chest of the costume. Once these feathers are joined up, the cardigan body is made in one piece, working back and forth in rows of Stocking Stitch. The body is lightly shaped with strategic decreases to the waist and increases to the bustline. The sleeve cuffs are steeply shaped with short rows and decreases echoing the distinctive curving wedge shape of the raven’s tail. The pointed collar feathers are a take on their bearded throat feathers. Alice
- [Rosarie](https://virtualyarns.com/product/rosarie/) - Description Knitted Measurements: Petite – Underarm (buttoned) 96.5cm. Length 47cm. Small – Underarm (buttoned) 106cm. Length 52cm. Medium – Underarm (buttoned) 115cm. Length 53.75cm. Large – Underarm (buttoned) 124.5cm. Length 58cm. X Large – Underarm (buttoned) 133.5cm. Length 59cm. This kit includes a colour-printed pattern card with full instructions in all sizes and all the Alice Starmore 2 Ply Hebridean yarn required to make the Rosarie Waistcoat in your chosen size and colours. This design is available in a choice of our available Hebridean 2 Ply colours. It is shown here in Background 1 of Erica and Background 2 of Red Deer, and Pattern 1 of Driftwood, Pattern 2 of Fulmar and Pattern 3 of Corncrake. Please note, it is important to use your colour choices in the correct position as each colour uses a different yarn amount. You can also see the Rosarie shown here with a matching Briodag Hat Set. Click here for a digital shadecard of all Hebridean 2 Ply colours. Visit our Video Tutorials section for tutorials on a variety of knitting techniques to help you with your projects. Story The Rosarie design is an intricate, large-scale pattern of geometric roses which are tessellated across a cropped waistcoat. The garment's shape highlights the tiled pattern effect, which is further emphasised by a neat square neckline. It is the perfect waistcoat to personalise with your own colour choice, tying it in to one of your favourite outfits or colour schemes. This version has a warm palette of Driftwood, Fulmar and Corncrake on a background of Red Deer and Erica, but the design lends itself to a myriad of different choices, making it endlessly versatile. Jade
- [Pebble Beach - 50g Hebridean 2 Ply](https://virtualyarns.com/product/pebble-beach-hebridean-2-ply/) - Description Alice Starmore Hebridean 2 Ply Yarn is made from premium quality pure new British wool, dyed in the fleece and skillfully blended into unique shades. It is hand-washed and dried in the Hebridean air, and supplied in hand-made skeins which may vary in weight. It is priced per 50g at standard conditions. All yarn is weighed to order on balances that are checked daily to ensure that you receive the correct total amount. Pebble Beach is part of the Sea & Shoreline range, which is inspired by the Hebridean coast. Story The rocks of the Outer Hebrides mainly consist of gneiss, granite and schist of Precambrian origin. Lewisian is the term that geologists bestow on them. Our outwardly simple local geology has many complexities that I try to come to grips with, but I am a long way from becoming even a competent amateur. The designer in me takes over and I tend to admire the colours and textures of the different rocks. Apart from a few small areas of shale in the uninhabited Shiant Isles, there is only one formation of sedimentary rock in the whole of the Outer Hebrides, and it is right beneath my house. It is a conglomerate known as the Stornoway Formation, covering only forty square miles or so, and consisting of smooth, round pebbles of gneiss in a sandstone matrix. These Stornoway beds are in the form of a series of alluvial fans that were laid down in the Permian and Triassic eras, and my imagination tends to overload when considering the rivers that must have deposited them. They must have been mighty. Where my croft meets the sea there are low cliffs of this conglomerate, about twenty to forty feet high, so it is possible to view the beds in cross section. I prefer the term puddingstone to conglomerate, for a pudding is exactly what it resembles. The sandstone erodes faster than the gneiss pebbles, which stand out like currents in a pudding. At the very far end of my croft, at a point of land known as Gob Tanga, there is a cave with two mouths to it and a spectacular pebble beach. From a distance this beach is a uniform blue-grey, but scramble down the cliff and there are more colours than you may care to count. Look closer still and there are even more colours – in the form of countless pebbles, each one different. My favourites are what I call the Irish Queen pebbles. Red and green should never be seen, except on an Irish Queen. The green is actually called epidote and the red streaks are haematite. There are many other colours however, including "eggs" of pure white quartz; flecks of different seaweeds, and the occasional bright piece of sea-smoothed glass. Our Pebble Beach shade is a blend of over thirty colours, warranted different every time you blink.
- [Hat Trick](https://virtualyarns.com/product/hat-trick/) - Description One Size This kit includes a colour-printed pattern card with full instructions and all the yarn required to make the 3 hats from Hat Trick. These designs are quick to knit and make ideal gifts. Visit our Video Tutorials section for tutorials on a variety of knitting techniques to help you with your projects. Story This trio of hats are quick to knit and are an ideal introduction to the stranded technique of knitting in the round. Dahlia, Snowdrop and Hebe are inspired by plants growing in my garden. Instructions and yarns for all three hats are included in the pack. Alice
- [Delta Classic](https://virtualyarns.com/product/delta-classic/) - Description Knitted Measurements: Small - Underarm (buttoned) 88.5cm. Length 61cm. Medium - Underarm (buttoned) 97cm. Length 63cm. Large - Underarm (buttoned) 105.5cm. Length 65.5cm. X Large - Underarm (buttoned) 114cm. Length 68cm. This kit includes a colour-printed pattern card with full instructions in all sizes and all the yarn required to make Delta Classic in your chosen size and colourway. It is available in Sand colourway (pale contrast) and Sea colourway (blue contrast). Delta is a standard fit cardigan with set in sleeves. The body is entirely worked in the round and the sleeves are knitted separately in the round to the armholes, with the sleeve caps knitted back and forth in rows. Delta is also available in a cropped length. Visit our Video Tutorials section for tutorials on a variety of knitting techniques to help you with your projects. Story The shoreline of the Isle of Lewis is a varied and constantly changing environment. From the Tràigh Mhòr at Tolsta, with its beautiful, long stretch of beach in colours that would not look out of place on a Mediterranean shore, to the shingle beaches at Brue which are constantly pounded by the Atlantic Ocean, there are myriad sources of inspiration. The Tràigh Mhòr (Big Beach) is one of the longest sandy beaches on Lewis. It is a dramatic sweep of sand with machair lands behind it. Through the middle of the machair winds a burn which emerges onto the middle of the beach. The patterns and colours created as the water flows over the sand and into the sea have inspired Delta. For the Sand colourway the diamonds which turn and twist thoughout the design are created in the soft tones of Driftwood, Spindrift and Fulmar, which change subtly to mimic the shades of the sand on the Tràigh, which are visible beneath the flowing water. The Sea colourway uses the rich blues which flow towards the horizon. The diamond shapes within the regular pattern are varied so this is something to keep your eye on while you knit: yet if you do knit one out of the order I created within the charted position then that will be perfectly in tune with what nature reveals time and again, so you can go with the flow and not be too exacting. Jade
- [Driftnet Scarf & Wrap](https://virtualyarns.com/product/driftnet-scarf-wrap/) - Description Scarf Size - Length (ex. edges) 216cm. Width 36cm. Wrap Size - Length (ex. edges) 216cm. Width 71cm. This kit includes a colour-printed pattern card with full instructions and all the yarn required to make Driftnet in your chosen size and colour. This design is available in both wrap and scarf sizes in Hebridean 2 Ply. It is shown here as a scarf in Tormentil. This design is available in a choice of 34 colours of Hebridean 2 Ply. Click here for a digital shadecard of all Hebridean 2 Ply colours. Visit our Video Tutorials section for tutorials on a variety of knitting techniques to help you with your projects. Scarf The simple and elegant pattern on this scarf is dedicated to my mother’s father, fisherman Alexander Macleod. I have clear childhood memories of him sitting mending nets at the end of his byre, perfectly relaxed but with fingers working quickly. The nets were hung either inside on the beams of the byre, or outside on the gable end. I made the first one in Tormentil, as that was the plant once used to dye the nets a russet colour. However, it will suit any of our other shades. Alice
- [White Jacobite Rose Hat Set](https://virtualyarns.com/product/white-jacobite-rose-hat-set/) - Description Knitted Measurements: Beret - Circumference 64.5cm. Brim to crown 26cm. Fingerless Gloves - Width around knuckles 19.3[20.7, 22]cm. The White Jacobite Rose Hat Set is composed of a beret and one pair of fingerless gloves in 9 shades of Alice Starmore Hebridean 2 Ply. The set is worked in the stranded circular technique. If you are new to this technique then there is a graded progression you can follow, starting with the beret which introduces double decrease shaping in the patterned crown. The fingerless gloves will teach you how to make thumb gussets and how to work each digit in the round. This kit includes a colour-printed patterncard with full instructions and all the yarn required to make the White Jacobite Rose Hat Set. The beret is made in one size and instructions for the gloves are provided in three sizes. Enough yarn is provided in the kit to make the largest size of gloves. The Jacobite Rose Hat Set is also available in Red colourway. Visit our Video Tutorials section for tutorials on a variety of knitting techniques to help you with your projects.
- [Herald Sweater](https://virtualyarns.com/product/herald-sweater/) - Description Knitted Measurements: Small - Underarm 91cm. Waist 82cm. Length at centre ex edging 54.5cm. Medium - Underarm 100cm. Waist 91cm. Length at centre ex edging 56.5cm. Large - Underarm 109cm. Waist 100cm. Length at centre ex edging 58.5cm. X Large - Underarm 1117.5cm. Waist 109cm. Length at centre ex edging 60cm. XX Large - Underarm 126.5cm. Waist 117.5cm. Length at centre ex edging 62cm. This kit includes a colour-printed pattern card with full instructions in all sizes and all the yarn required to make Herald Sweater in your chosen size. Visit our Video Tutorials section for tutorials on a variety of knitting techniques to help you with your projects. Story Moths are often imagined to be the drab relatives of butterflies. There are a few who fit that bill, not least the dreaded clothes moth, but there are also thousands of species of beautiful moths who do us no harm and who grace the world with their presence. I find them all the more alluring because they are often hard to find: most are night-fliers and many are confined to specific habitats. I am lucky enough to have a large garden as well as a croft by the sea and miles of moorland around. This means that with patience I can find a wide variety of species, each one a source of wonder and delight. I thought it was time to create designs in wool based on some of these exquisite creatures. With so many gorgeous and varied moths around, it was hard to choose which one to begin with and so I decided to start with the first one I found when I walked out of the door: it was a Herald, dormant under a strawberry plant in the garden. Its colours are warm and harmonious and its patterns subtle and delicate; but the features that makes it unmistakable are its indented and scalloped wingtips which are perfectly accentuated in a deep, rich purple shade. I translated the essence of the Herald Moth into various items which can be worn separately or together. The sweater shown here is lightly shaped with attention drawn to the curved and scalloped hemline layers. The cuffs are likewise scalloped and feature one of several abstract colour-patterns I created especially for it. This is an intriguing project for knitters of intermediate to expert skills. Alice
- [Henry VIII Full Set](https://virtualyarns.com/product/henry-viii-full-set/) - Description Knitted Measurements Pullover Small - Underarm 100cm. Length 66cm. Medium - Underarm 113cm. Length 70cm. Large - Underarm 124cm. Length 72cm. X Large - Underarm 133cm. Length 74cm. Knitted Measurements Hat Set Beret – Circumference 64.5cm. Brim to crown 26cm. Fingerless Gloves – Width around knuckles 19.3[20.7,22]cm. The Henry VIII pullover kit includes a colour-printed pattern card with full instructions in all sizes and all the yarn required to make the Henry VIII pullover in your chosen size. The Henry VIII Hat Set kit includes online access to 58 mins of detailed video tutorials showing how to make the glove cuff, a colour-printed patterncard with full instructions for the beret and gloves, and all the Alice Starmore Hebridean 2 Ply yarn required to make the Henry VIII Hat Set which comprises a beret and a pair of fingerless gloves. The instructions for the gloves are provided in two sizes. Enough yarn is provided in the kit to make the largest size of gloves. The video class is an intermediate project which assumes you already have the required stranded beret and glove skills. The focused video class looks solely at the complex cuff of the glove. Written instructions are provided for all parts of the hat and gloves. The Henry VIII pullover and Hat Set are shown here on Emma with the cuffs turned down along with a Dùn Cuff from Creative Course 2 which is not included in this set. Ellie wears the Henry VIII Hat Set with the cuffs fully buttoned along with a Seaweed Scarf in Sea Ivory, which is also not included in this set.
- [Greeta Hat Set](https://virtualyarns.com/product/greeta-hat-set/) - Description Knitted Measurements: Beret – Circumference 67.5cm. Brim to crown 26cm. Fingerless Gloves – Width around knuckles 19.3[20.7,22]cm. The Greeta Hat Set kit includes two colour-printed patterncards with full instructions for the beret and gloves, and all the Alice Starmore Hebridean™ 2 Ply yarn in the 12 shades required to make the set. The instructions for the gloves are provided in three sizes. Enough yarn is provided in the kit to make the largest size of gloves. Needles and buttons are not included in this kit. You will require: Beret: 1 Set of double-pointed or 40cm-long circular 2.75mm & 3.25mm needles. Note: If using a circular 3.25mm needle, a set of double-pointed 3.25mm needles will be required to complete the crown. Gloves: 1 pair of 2.75mm needles. 1 set of double-pointed 2.5mm sock needles. 1 Tapestry needle. 1 Stitch marker. 8 Buttons. The Greeta Hat Set is an intermediate project. If you have not made a stranded hat set before we recommend the beginner level Briodag Hat Set which gives full video technique instructions in stranded knitting in the round and all the intricacies of shaping the beret and gloves, and the Henry VIII Hat Set which is an intermediate level video class focusing on gloves with a cuff. The Greeta Hat Set assumes you have intermediate level stranded beret and glove skills. Written instructions are provided for all parts of the hat and gloves.
- [Herald Accessory Set](https://virtualyarns.com/product/herald-accessory-set/) - Description Knitted Measurements: Neckwarmer - circumference above edgings 68.5cm. Gloves & Fingerless Gloves - Width around at knuckles 19.3[20.7,22]cm. The Herald Accessory Set kit includes a colour-printed patterncard with full instructions and all the yarn required to make the neckwarmer, gloves and fingerless gloves. Enough yarn is included to make an extra glove and fingerless glove should you lose one. The neckwarmer comes in one size and instructions for all gloves are provided in three sizes. Enough yarn is provided in the kit to make the largest size of both types of gloves. Visit our Video Tutorials section for tutorials on a variety of knitting techniques to help you with your projects. Story Moths are often imagined to be the drab relatives of butterflies. There are a few who fit that bill, not least the dreaded clothes moth, but there are also thousands of species of beautiful moths who do us no harm and who grace the world with their presence. I find them all the more alluring because they are often hard to find: most are night-fliers and many are confined to specific habitats. I am lucky enough to have a large garden as well as a croft by the sea and miles of moorland around. This means that with patience I can find a wide variety of species, each one a source of wonder and delight. I thought it was time to create designs in wool based on some of these exquisite creatures. With so many gorgeous and varied moths around, it was hard to choose which one to begin with and so I decided to start with the first one I found when I walked out of the door: it was a Herald, dormant under a strawberry plant in the garden. Its colours are warm and harmonious and its patterns subtle and delicate; but the features that makes it unmistakable are its indented and scalloped wingtips which are perfectly accentuated in a deep, rich purple shade. I created abstract colour patterns for the neckwarmer and gloves which are based on the moth as I see it fleetingly in motion. I also translated the essence of the Herald Moth into various items which can be worn separately or together. The neckwarmer and fingerless gloves can be worn together with the Herald sweater for a stunningly elaborate effect. This is an intriguing project for knitters of intermediate to expert skills. Alice
- [Dunadd](https://virtualyarns.com/product/dunadd/) - Description One size - Width 71cm. Length 160cm. This kit includes a colour-printed pattern card with full instructions and all the yarn required to make Dunadd in your chosen size and colour. This design can be ordered in a choice of our available Hebridean 3 Ply colours. Click here for a digital shadecard of all Hebridean 3 Ply colours. Visit our Video Tutorials section for tutorials on a variety of knitting techniques to help you with your projects. Story Dunadd has become a defining symbol of my work as a Scottish textile artist. As with many of my designs it began with a notion of place, history and culture which I translated into doodles on a blank sheet of paper. From there I polished them into finished motifs and then further translated them into textile media. The strength and power of the emblems turn a simple knitted wrap into a noteworthy piece of textile art, and, by the same token, the simple knitted wrap allows the art to be displayed, worn and used in any number of ways. This is a truly versatile piece to embellish your home or keep you stylishly warm. Alice
- [Birdsfoot Scarf & Wrap](https://virtualyarns.com/product/birdsfoot-scarf-wrap/) - Description Scarf Size - Length 191cm. Width 30cm. Wrap Size - Length 191cm. Width 60cm. This kit includes a colour-printed pattern card with full instructions and all the yarn required to make Birdsfoot in your chosen size and colour. This design is available in both wrap and scarf sizes in Hebridean 2 Ply. It is shown here in Spindrift and is available in a choice of 34 colours of Hebridean 2 Ply. Click here for a digital shadecard of all Hebridean 2 Ply colours. Visit our Video Tutorials section for tutorials on a variety of knitting techniques to help you with your projects. Story One of the delights of a walk along a Hebridean beach is to guess which birds have visited by the innummerable trails of footprints left behind in the wind-waved sand. I created the impressionistic pattern for Birdsfoot as a homage to the myriad winged visitors that grace the shoreline at the foot of my croft, both those that are resident all year and those that visit from all points north and south, such as the indefatigable Arctic Terns who travel up to twenty thousand miles each year on their journeys to and from the Antarctic in their quest for eternal daylight. I chose to make the scarf in the Spindrift shade, with its evocation of the tiny fragments of colourful shells that make up our sandy Hebridean beaches, but of course, it will look every bit as beautiful in any of the 2 Ply shades. The pattern repeat is small in scale and so it very easy to memorize and knit. Alice
- [Rosemarkie Waistcoat](https://virtualyarns.com/product/rosemarkie-waistcoat/) - Description Knitted Measurements: Small – Underarm 90cm. Length 55cm. Medium – Underarm 98cm. Length 57.5cm. Large – Underarm 106m. Length 59.5cm. X Large – Underarm 113.5cm. Length 61.5cm. XX Large – Underarm 121.5cm. Length 63.5cm. XXX Large – Underarm 129.5cm. Length 65.5cm. This kit includes a colour-printed pattern card with full instructions in all sizes and all the Alice Starmore 2 Ply Hebridean yarn required to make the Rosemarkie Waistcoat in your chosen size. This design is available in a choice of two colourways. The Sruthan (Gaelic, burn) colourway (blues) is inspired by the little dark blue burns which feed colourful mossy banks as they course through the moor. The Còinneach colourway (pinks), is based on the warm, rosy shades found in mounds of moorland moss (Gaelic, còinneach). The Rosemarkie design is also available as a cardigan. Visit our Video Tutorials section for tutorials on a variety of knitting techniques to help you with your projects. Story As a Gaelic-speaking Hebridean, Celtic imagery was something I grew up with and so it seemed quite natural that I should experiment with its various themes and how I might apply them into knitting designs. Thirty years have passed since I began the project and the first results were published in my book The Celtic Collection in 1992. The book was hugely successful and though it is now out of print, I still receive requests for many of the designs. Here is the classic Rosemarkie waistcoat, which I named after the Pictish stone that features a little key pattern based on diagonal lines and triangles – ideally suited to the technique of stranded knitting. The waistcoat, shown here in the Sruthan colourway, is suitable for both men and women and I have provided instructions for buttoning on the left or right, as preferred.The body is worked entirely in the round with steeks at all openings. The armhole bands are also worked in the round, whilst the front/neckband is worked back and forth in rows. This is a great project for a knitter who wants to experience working in the round with steeks at shaped openings. Alice
- [Graceknot Jacket](https://virtualyarns.com/product/graceknot-jacket/) - Description Knitted Measurements: Small – Underarm (buttoned) 94cm. Length 70cm. Medium – Underarm (buttoned) 100cm. Length 71cm. Large – Underarm (buttoned) 106cm. Length 72cm. X Large – Underarm (buttoned) 112cm. Length 72.75cm. XX Large – Underarm (buttoned) 118cm. Length 74cm. XXX Large – Underarm (buttoned) 124cm. Length 74.5cm. This kit includes a colour-printed pattern card with full instructions in all sizes and all the yarn required to make Graceknot Jacket in your chosen size. This design can be ordered in any of our available Hebridean 3 Ply colours. Click here for a digital shadecard of all Hebridean 3 Ply colours. Visit our Video Tutorials section for tutorials on a variety of knitting techniques to help you with your projects. Story I can still recall many of the inside covers of my school jotters: by the time the last term of the year ended I had covered every millimetre of space with drawings and doodles surreptitiously done whilst listening to a lecture I considered, in my youthful folly, to be tedious and boring. In my teenage years, I would invariably grace the empty page with a depiction of whichever musician or actor was my heart-throb of the moment, and then I would gradually fill all the spaces with doodle designs, each one creating a different space for the next in a similar fashion to Celtic manuscripts. My Graceknot design is typical of such a doodle and it was the first knitted knot I designed which started and ended with a single stitch. It is a simple knot to knit and, unlike my heavily-worked jotter pages, I have tesselated them in a very orderly fashion and worked them carefully to fit the slightly A-line shape of the body and to fit elegantly into the set-in sleeves. I made the collar using the same knots but turning them and closing them off to fit the collar shape. This is a design which is easy to knit but does require attention to ensure that the knots are placed exactly as given in the instructions. Alice
- [Abalone](https://virtualyarns.com/product/abalone/) - Description Knitted Measurements: Small - Underarm (buttoned) 106.25cm. Length 70cm. Medium - Underarm (buttoned) 117.5cm. Length 73.75cm. Large - Underarm (buttoned) 129cm. Length 77.5cm. X Large - Underarm (buttoned) 140.5cm. Length 79cm. This kit includes a colour-printed pattern card with full instructions in all sizes and all the yarn required to make Abalone in your chosen size. This is a classic style with lightly shaped armholes with the garment worked in the round in one piece. It is shown here worn with the Hirta Gloves, Hat Trick Beret and a matching woven wrap. Visit our Video Tutorials section for tutorials on a variety of knitting techniques to help you with your projects. Story Moving from the Atlantic Ocean to the Californian Pacific shore, you find that the light and colours are completely different in look and atmosphere. This cardigan captures the shimmering, shifting blend of beautiful colours found inside an Abalone shell. Alice
- [Painted Lady](https://virtualyarns.com/product/painted-lady/) - Description Knitted Measurements: Small - Underarm (buttoned) 90cm. Length 61.75cm. Medium - Underarm (buttoned) 98.5cm. Length 63.75cm. Large - Underarm (buttoned) 107cm. Length 65.5cm. X Large - Underarm (buttoned) 115.5cm. Length 67.5cm. This kit includes a colour-printed pattern card with full instructions in all sizes and all the yarn required to make Painted Lady in your chosen size. Painted Lady is a standard fit cardigan with set in sleeves. The body is entirely worked in the round and the sleeves are knitted separately in the round to the armholes, with the sleeve caps knitted back and forth in rows. It is shown here worn with the Henry VIII Hat Set. Visit our Video Tutorials section for tutorials on a variety of knitting techniques to help you with your projects. Story The machair flowers on the croft are at their showiest in July and they are sure to attract even more splashes of colour in the form of butterflies. Small Tortoiseshells, Red Admirals, Common Blues and Meadow Browns make an appearance every summer along with the occasional Painted Lady. Some years are known as Painted Lady Years – when many thousands of these beautiful creatures fly across the Minch from mainland Scotland (having already made an astonishing journey from continental Europe) to delight us as they flutter in huge numbers over the croft creating warm, glowing, patterned clouds. I wanted to convey the essence of numerous Painted Ladies in motion and so I created abstract repeating patterns for both the main body and the edgings of the garment and worked them in warm shades of Hebridean 2 Ply. The style is classic with set-in sleeves. The method is stranded two-colour knitting in the round with steeks at the front, neck and armholes. The sleeves are worked separately in the round to the sleeve caps, which are worked back and forth in rows. Jade
- [White Jacobite Rose Jacket](https://virtualyarns.com/product/white-jacobite-rose-jacket/) - Description Knitted Measurements Small – Underarm (buttoned) 94cm. Cropped Length 51cm. Classic Length 58.5cm. Medium – Underarm (buttoned) 100cm. CroppedLength 53cm. Classic Length 60.5cm. Large – Underarm (buttoned) 106cm. Cropped Length 55cm. Classic Length 62.5cm. X Large – Underarm (buttoned) 112cm. Cropped Length 56.5cm. Classic Length 64.5cm. XX Large – Underarm (buttoned) 118cm. Cropped Length 58.5cm. Classic Length 66cm. This kit includes a colour-printed pattern card with full instructions in all sizes and all the Alice Starmore Hebridean 2 Ply yarn required to make the White Jacobite Rose Jacket in your chosen size annd length. It is shown here in the Classic length but is also available in a cropped length (see measurements above). The White Jacobite Rose is a standard fit cardigan with set-in sleeves. The body is entirely worked in the round and the sleeves are knitted separately in the round to the armholes, with the sleeve caps knitted back and forth in rows. The White Jacobite Rose design is also available as a hat set, which can be found here. Visit our Video Tutorials section for tutorials on a variety of knitting techniques to help you with your projects.
- [Thoroughbred](https://virtualyarns.com/product/thoroughbred/) - Description Knitted Measurements: Petite - Underarm 96.5. Length 59cm. Small - Underarm 101.5cm. Length 61cm. Medium - Underarm 107cm. Length 62cm. Large - Underarm 112cm. Length 64cm. X Large - Underarm 118cm. Length 65cm. XX Large - Underarm 123cm. Length 66cm. This kit includes a colour-printed pattern card with full instructions in all sizes and all the yarn required to make Thoroughbred in your chosen size. Visit our Video Tutorials section for tutorials on a variety of knitting techniques to help you with your projects. Story I was asked to design a garment for the Autumn 1989 issue of Vogue Knitting for inclusion in a theme titled The Thoroughbreds – Sweaters with Enduring Appeal. I immediately imagined racehorses, stables and the classic country styles that are associated with that lifestyle. This was the first design of mine to be published in Vogue Knitting and it was the first time that the magazine published a design worked in the round with knitted steeks. It has certainly proved that it has an enduring appeal, as it is as wearable today as it was 22 years ago. I have remastered the original in 15 shades of my Hebridean 2 Ply, and it is now available in six sizes. Alice
- [Mol Eire](https://virtualyarns.com/product/mol-eire/) - Description Knitted Measurements: Small - Underarm (buttoned) 90cm. Waist 75cm. Length 46cm. Medium - Underarm (buttoned) 97cm. Waist 84cm. Length 48cm. Large - Underarm (buttoned) 106cm. Waist 92.5cm. Length 50cm. This kit includes a colour-printed pattern card with full instructions in all sizes and all the Alice Starmore Hebridean 2 Ply and 3 Ply yarn required to make Mol Eire in your chosen size and colours. It is shown here in a Main Colour of Lapwing, Contrast 1 of Pebble Beach, Contrast 2 of Sea Ivory, Contrast 3 of Golden Plover and Contrast 4 of Corncrake, and in a Main Colour of Driftwood, Contrast 1 of Pebble Beach, Contrast 2 of Spindrift, Contrast 3 of Solan Goose and Contrast 4 of Kittiwake. Click here for a digital shadecard of all Hebridean 3 Ply colours. Click here for a digital shadecard of all Hebridean 2 Ply colours. Visit our Video Tutorials section for tutorials on a variety of knitting techniques to help you with your projects. Story The shoreline of the Isle of Lewis is a varied and constantly changing environment. From the Tràigh Mhòr at Tolsta, with its beautiful, long stretch of beach in colours that would not look out of place on a Mediterranean shore, to the shingle beaches at Brue which are constantly pounded by the Atlantic Ocean, there are myriad sources of inspiration. The constant motion of the waves on stones of the west coast of Lewis has created tombolas and beaches of overlapping, rounded shingles sorted into size as if by some invisible giant hand. They are covered and uncovered by the waves and sea foam, revealing and hiding the striped patterns of the shingle. Mol Eire (Gaelic - High Shingle Beach) is designed to echo the layers of pleasingly rounded stones with a border of two rows of overlapping shingles. They are edged in different colours of Hebridean 2 Ply, and followed by a striped border which then gives way to a stocking stitch body in Hebridean 3 Ply. The highly original design and construction elements of Mol Eire, make for a very enjoyable project which is well within the scope all knitters who have mastered the basic techniques. Jade
- [Gift Voucher](https://virtualyarns.com/product/gift-voucher/) - Our digital Gift Vouchers are available in a variety of amounts and will be sent via email to your chosen recipient. Vouchers remain valid for 2 years from purchase and can be used on any of our physical products available on the Virtual Yarns website. Vouchers cannot be used towards postage, the voucher amount applies to items in the basket. Vouchers do not have to be used in one single order and can be spread over multiple orders. Our digital only classes and courses (Creative Course 1, 2 and 3, the Weaving Plans and Class and the Infinite Cable Class) are not covered by this voucher as they are purchased through our tutorial website steek dot scot. If you do wish to purchase a digital class as a gift let us know via our contact form and we can help set that up for you. Each Gift Voucher is tied to a specific email address, which you will specify at checkout. If you have any questions about our vouchers, or would like guidence on using a voucher get in touch and we will guide you through the process. When buying a gift voucher make sure you choose the Digital Gift Voucher shipping option at checkout unless you are also buying a physical product at the same time. We do recommend that you buy your Gift Voucher in a separate order to any other physical products.
- [Firebirds Full Set](https://virtualyarns.com/product/firebirds-full-set/) - Description Knitted Measurements Cardigan Small – Underarm 89.5cm. Length 47cm. Medium – Underarm 96.5cm. Length 49cm. Large – Underarm 103.5cm. Length 50cm. X Large – Underarm 111cm. Length 51.5cm. XX Large – Underarm 118cm. Length 53cm. Knitted Measurements Hat Set Beret - Circumference 64.5cm. Brim to crown 26cm. Fingerless Gloves - Width around knuckles 19.3[20.7, 22]cm. This Firebirds Set includes a colour-printed pattern card with full instructions in all sizes and all the Alice Starmore Hebridean 2Ply yarn required to make the Firebirds Hat Set and the Firebirds Cardigan in your chosen size. The Firebirds cardigan is a standard fit cardigan with set-in sleeves. The body is entirely worked in the round and the sleeves are knitted separately in the round to the armholes, with the sleeve caps knitted back and forth in rows. The Firebirds cardigan is an intermediate to advanced design. The Firebirds Hat Set is composed of a beret and one pair of fingerless gloves in Alice Starmore Hebridean 2 Ply. The set is worked in the stranded circular technique. If you are new to this technique then there is a graded progression you can follow, starting with the beret which introduces double decrease shaping in the patterned crown. The fingerless gloves will teach you how to make thumb gussets and how to work each digit in the round. Visit our Video Tutorials section for tutorials on a variety of knitting techniques to help you with your projects.
- [Herald Combined Set](https://virtualyarns.com/product/herald-combined-set/) - Description Sweater Knitted Measurements Small - Underarm 91cm. Waist 82cm. Length at centre ex edging 54.5cm. Medium - Underarm 100cm. Waist 91cm. Length at centre ex edging 56.5cm. Large - Underarm 109cm. Waist 100cm. Length at centre ex edging 58.5cm. X Large - Underarm 1117.5cm. Waist 109cm. Length at centre ex edging 60cm. XX Large - Underarm 126.5cm. Waist 117.5cm. Length at centre ex edging 62cm. Accessory Set Knitted Measurements Neckwarmer - circumference above edgings 68.5cm. Gloves & Fingerless Gloves - Width around at knuckles 19.3[20.7,22]cm. This kit includes the yarn and patterncards for both the Herald sweater and the accessory set. There is a £10 saving on the price of the combined set, which is reflected in the price shown below. The kit comprises a colour-printed patterncard with full instructions in all sizes for the sweater and a colour-printed patterncard with full instructions for the neckwarmer, gloves and fingerless gloves. The kit includes all the Alice Starmore Hebridean 2 Ply yarn required to make the sweater in your chosen size together with the neckwarmer, gloves and fingerless gloves. Enough yarn is included to make an extra glove and fingerless glove should you lose one. The neckwarmer comes in one size and instructions for the gloves and fingerless gloves are provided in three sizes. Enough yarn is provided in the kit to make the largest size of both types of gloves. Visit our Video Tutorials section for tutorials on a variety of knitting techniques to help you with your projects. Story Moths are often imagined to be the drab relatives of butterflies. There are a few who fit that bill, not least the dreaded clothes moth, but there are also thousands of species of beautiful moths who do us no harm and who grace the world with their presence. I find them all the more alluring because they are often hard to find: most are night-fliers and many are confined to specific habitats. I am lucky enough to have a large garden as well as a croft by the sea and miles of moorland around. This means that with patience I can find a wide variety of species, each one a source of wonder and delight. I thought it was time to create designs in wool based on some of these exquisite creatures. With so many gorgeous and varied moths around, it was hard to choose which one to begin with and so I decided to start with the first one I found when I walked out of the door: it was a Herald, dormant under a strawberry plant in the garden. Its colours are warm and harmonious and its patterns subtle and delicate; but the features that makes it unmistakable are its indented and scalloped wingtips which are perfectly accentuated in a deep, rich purple shade. I translated the essence of the Herald Moth into various items which can be worn separately or together. The sweater shown here is lightly shaped with attention drawn to the curved and scalloped hemline layers. The cuffs are likewise scalloped and feature one of several abstract colour-patterns I created especially for it. This is an intriguing project for knitters of intermediate to expert skills. Alice
- [Creative Course 1 Hat Yarn Pack](https://virtualyarns.com/product/creative-course-yarn-pack/) - This Creative Course 1 Yarn Pack is a yarn only product. You will need to buy Creative Course 1 for the pattern instructions and course access. You can buy Creative Course 1 here. The felted hat designs in Creative Course 1 have been made with Alice Starmore™ Hebridean 2 Ply pure new wool yarn. It is a unique artisan yarn which has been designed and made to ensure that it can be felted to perfection so that the correct sizes, shapes and effects can be achieved using the processes demonstrated in the video course. The yarn has also been designed to produce high definition and glowing results in embroidery stitches, as shown in the sample hats. You will The Creative Course 1 yarn pack has been designed to give you a base from which to begin your creative journey. It contains the following – 100g of Alice Starmore™ Hebridean 2 Ply yarn in a main colour for making 1 hat and a swatch. 25g each of 6 colours of your choice of Alice Starmore™ Hebridean 2 Ply yarn. These colours can be used for a contrast brim (10g), embroidery and hat decorations such as buttons, beads, spirals, twirls and hanging cords. Click here for a digital shadecard of all Hebridean 2 Ply colours. All embroidery and hat decorations have been made using small amounts of Alice Starmore™ Hebridean 2 Ply. The following is a guide for planning your yarn pack colour choices – For the very colourful hats such as the Croft Hat, which is embroidered with 11 colours, and the Moorland Hat, embroidered with 13 colours, use very small amounts of each shade – as little as 1 or 2 grams of each colour – so colour can be added to your yarn pack choices using leftover yarns from other projects. Other hats use fewer colours to great effect – for example the Fern Hat uses 4 shades and the Sunburst Hat uses just 3 shades. The amount of yarn you will require will depend on how much embroidery and what type of stitches you use. As a guide, extensive embroidery in high relief stitches such as the Whin Sunburst Hat uses a total of 25g for the embroidery and bead and cord decorations, whereas the Moorland Hat which is extensively embroidered in lighter stitches uses a total embroidery amount of 11g. Small scraps and leftovers from other projects are ideal if you are planning to work embroidery using many colours. Aim to build a collection of colours to practise stitches and to work out images and colour combinations on swatches.
- [Creative Course 2 Cuff Yarn Pack](https://virtualyarns.com/product/creative-course-cuff-yarn-pack/) - This Creative Course 2 Yarn Pack is a yarn only product. You will need to buy Creative Course 2 for the pattern instructions and course access. You can buy Creative Course 2 on our steek dot scot website here. The Dùn Cuff designs in Creative Course 2 have been made with Alice Starmore™ Hebridean 2 Ply pure new wool yarn. It is a unique artisan yarn which has been designed and made to ensure that it can be felted to perfection so that the correct sizes, shapes and effects shown in the cuff ruffles can be achieved using the processes demonstrated in the video course. The Creative Course 2 yarn pack has been designed to give you a base from which to begin your creative journey. It contains the following – 25g each of 6 colours of your choice of Alice Starmore™ Hebridean 2 Ply yarn. These colours can be used to experiment and make cuffs. You must choose 6 different colours for your yarn pack. If you wish to buy larger amounts of a single colour please buy our loose skeins. Each of the example cuffs shown here are made using 6 colours: Pale Cuffs: Solan Goose, Mountain Hare, Spindrift, Driftwood, Fulmar and Pebble Beach. Firebirds Cuff: Lapwing, Sundew, Calluna, Wild Orchid, Clover and Bogbean. Blue Cuffs: Strabhann, Kelpie, Mara, Solan Goose, Golden Plover and Whin. Soft Green Cuff: Glen, Driftwood, Sundew, Fulmar, Mountain Hare and Corncrake. Gold Cuff: Whin, Spindrift, Machair, Fulmar, Sundew and Mountain Hare Red Cuff: Sea Anemone, Storm Petrel, Driftwood, Spindrift, Summertide and Strabhann Click here for a digital shadecard of all Hebridean 2 Ply colours.
- [Sea Anemone - 50g Hebridean 2 Ply](https://virtualyarns.com/product/sea-anemone-hebridean-2-ply/) - Description Alice Starmore Hebridean 2 Ply Yarn is made from premium quality pure new British wool, dyed in the fleece and skillfully blended into unique shades. It is hand-washed and dried in the Hebridean air, and supplied in hand-made skeins which may vary in weight. It is priced per 50g at standard conditions. All yarn is weighed to order on balances that are checked daily to ensure that you receive the correct total amount. Sea Anemone is part of the Sea & Shoreline range, which is inspired by the Hebridean coast. Story A ritual of my Hebridean childhood when on the rocky shore was to find a comfortable spot to lie on my tummy and gaze into innumerable pool-gardens of fabulously strange life, colour and texture. The showy underwater beauty of red beadlet sea anemones (actinia equina) were always a highlight: exposed on rocks above the water they appeared as dark red-brown jellylike blobs, half plant, half animal, but in the tidal pools they opened up to reveal an astonishingly glamorous yet subtle blend of rich red shades. They made compelling viewing and I always wondered if it was their warm, inviting colour that seduced their prey, or if entrapment was purely a matter of chancing to be within reach of their paralyzing stings. They certainly produce a compulsion to stick a finger in the pool and give a gentle prod, just to watch them instantly close up and then quickly open up again to reveal their gorgeously-coloured tentacles. I have long wanted to create a shade in wool yarn that would capture the intense beauty of an open red sea anemone. The premium-quality wool fleece I use to make my yarn is full of life: the careful dyeing and exact blending of the fleece to create the desired shade is a highly-skilled process that takes time and effort. I think this is a fitting way to produce Sea Anemone – a colour worthy of an organism that has survived for 600 million years.
- [St Brigid](https://virtualyarns.com/product/st-brigid/) - Description Knitted Measurements: Small - Underarm 108cm. Length 69cm. Medium - Underarm 114cm. Length 71cm. Large - Underarm 122cm. Length 71cm. This pack contains all the yarn required to make the St Brigid design from Aran Knitting in your chosen size. You will require a copy of the book Aran Knitting (2010 Edition) by Alice Starmore for the pattern instructions. This yarn pack can be ordered in a choice of our available Hebridean 3 Ply colours, it is shown here in Lapwing worn with a Henry VIII Hat Set. Click here for a digital shadecard of all Hebridean 3 Ply colours. Visit our Video Tutorials section for tutorials on a variety of knitting techniques to help you with your projects. Story I designed these knotwork panels for maximum dramatic effect. The simple tunic shape is the perfect canvas for the strong vertical panels, while the plaited collar band echoes Celtic torcs and bracelets. St Brigid is one of my most popular designs of all time and I have provided instructions for three sizes worked in our Hebridean 3 Ply yarn. Alice
- [Irish Moss](https://virtualyarns.com/product/irish-moss/) - Description Knitted Measurements: Small - Underarm 100cm. Length 65cm. Medium - Underarm 108cm. Length 67cm. Large - Underarm 117cm. Length 69cm. X Large - Underarm 125cm. Length 71cm. This pack contains all the yarn required to make the Irish Moss design from Aran Knitting in your chosen size. You will require a copy of the book Aran Knitting (2010 Edition) by Alice Starmore for the pattern instructions. This yarn pack can be ordered in a choice of our available colours of Hebridean 3 Ply. Click here for a digital shadecard of all Hebridean 3 Ply colours. Visit our Video Tutorials section for tutorials on a variety of knitting techniques to help you with your projects. Story I focused on twisted stitches and quite delicate curving lines to create this intricate and elegant design in four sizes. It is classic in style, but with the addition of one of my signature design elements where I have extended some of the main cable patterns through the ribs. Alice
- [Eala Bhan](https://virtualyarns.com/product/eala-bhan/) - Description Knitted Measurements: Petite - Underarm (buttoned) 90cm. Length 53cm. Small - Underarm (buttoned) 95cm. Length 56cm. Medium - Underarm (buttoned) 100cm. Length 59.5cm. Large - Underarm (buttoned) 104cm. Length 62cm. This pack contains all the yarn required to make the Eala Bhan design from Aran Knitting in your chosen size. You will require a copy of the book Aran Knitting (2010 Edition) by Alice Starmore for the pattern instructions. This yarn pack can be ordered in our available colours of Hebridean 2 Ply, it is shown here in Driftwood. Click here for a digital shadecard of all Hebridean 2 Ply colours. Visit our Video Tutorials section for tutorials on a variety of knitting techniques to help you with your projects. Story This is a fine example of how knotwork motifs can be specifically designed to incorporate precise body shaping. The instructions are consequently long and detailed. It is not difficult to knit, but it does require a high degree of concentration and an exact tension throughout. Alice
- [Na Craga](https://virtualyarns.com/product/na-craga/) - Description Knitted Measurements: Petite - Underarm 97cm. Length 63cm. Small - Underarm 105cm. Length 65cm. Medium - Underarm 112cm. Length 67cm. Large - Underarm 121cm. Length 69cm. X Large - Underarm 130cm. Length 72cm. This pack contains all the yarn required to make the Na Craga design from Aran Knitting in your chosen size. You will require a copy of the book Aran Knitting (2010 Edition) by Alice Starmore for the pattern instructions. Na Craga is an ideal introduction to cables for the beginner Aran knitter. This yarn pack can be ordered in a choice of our available colours of Hebridean 3 Ply, it is shown here in Selkie. Click here for a digital shadecard of all Hebridean 3 Ply colours. Visit our Video Tutorials section for tutorials on a variety of knitting techniques to help you with your projects. Story Na Craga is the Aran name for its limestone rockscape. I have portrayed it in knitting, using my Hebridean 3 Ply yarn and patterns based on double cables. The effect is stunning, but this an ideal project for a beginner at cable knitting. Alice
- [Kittiwake Hat](https://virtualyarns.com/product/kittiwake-hat/) - Description Knitted Measurements: Circmference 56cm. Brim (unturned) to Crown 27cm. This pack contains all the Alice Starmore™ Hebridean 2 Ply yarn required to make the Kittiwake Hat design from Aran Knitting in your chosen colour. You will require a copy of the book Aran Knitting (2010 Edition) by Alice Starmore for the pattern instructions. This yarn pack can be ordered in our available colours of Hebridean 2 Ply. It is shown here in Shearwater. Click here for a digital shadecard of all Hebridean 2 Ply colours. Visit our Video Tutorials section for tutorials on a variety of knitting techniques to help you with your projects. Story I created the cabled and knotted pattern for the Kittiwake hat with sailors’ knots in mind. The simple ribbed brim is turned up to produce a very cosy and practical item. Worked in my Hebridean 2 Ply yarn means that the hat is soft and easy to wear and yet allows the sculpted patterns to show up to perfection.
- [Elephants Waistcoat](https://virtualyarns.com/product/elephants-waistcoat/) - Description Knitted Measurements: Age 2-3yrs - Underarm (buttoned) 70.5cm. Length 34cm. Age 4-5yrs - Underarm (buttoned) 75.5cm. Length 38cm. Age 6-7yrs - Underarm (buttoned) 80cm. Length 42cm. Age 8-9yrs - Underarm (buttoned) 85cm. Length 46cm. This pack contains all the Alice Starmore Hebridean 2 Ply yarn required to make the Elephants Waistcoat design from The Children's Collection in your chosen size and colourway. You will require a copy of THE CHILDREN'S COLLECTION for the pattern instructions, the book The Children's Collection is available for purchase here. Elephants is available in both blue (as shown in swatch) and red (as shown in waistcoat) colourways. This design is also available as a baby blanket. Visit our Video Tutorials section for tutorials on a variety of knitting techniques to help you with your projects. Story This is easily the most popular of my designs for children; I designed it at the request of my (then) two-year-old grandson who boldly stated that he wanted to wear elephants. For knitters, this is a joyful little stranded design to work, with its classic steeks, shaping, and colour changes. There are two colour versions, both vibrant with jewel tones. Alice
- [Isobel of Mar](https://virtualyarns.com/product/isobel-of-mar/) - Description Knitted Measurements: Petite - Underarm (buttoned) 91cm. Length 79cm. Small - Underarm (buttoned) 98.25cm. Length 79.75cm. Medium - Underarm (buttoned) 107.5cm. Length 83.5cm. Large - Underarm (buttoned) 112.75cm. Length 84cm. X Large - Underarm (buttoned) 120cm. Length 84.75cm. This is an adult version of the Secret Garden child's design in The Children's Collection. The pack contains all the Alice Starmore Hebridean 3 Ply yarn required to make the Isobel of Mar in your chosen size, plus a size-specific amendment to be used in conjunction with the instructions in the book. You will require a copy of THE CHILDREN'S COLLECTION for the pattern instructions, the book The Children's Collection is available for purchase here. This yarn pack can be ordered in a choice of our available colours of Hebridean 3 Ply. Click here for a digital shadecard of all Hebridean 3 Ply colours. Visit our Video Tutorials section for tutorials on a variety of knitting techniques to help you with your projects. Story Here, following many requests, is Secret Garden in five adult sizes. It is scaled-up from the original version, and so has the same subtle, flattering shaping. I felt this version deserved its own name, and so I chose that of a woman who died tragically young, but whose descendants ruled Scotland - and later England - for centuries. Isobel of Mar (circa 1274-1300) was the first wife of Robert the Bruce. She died before the Bruce was actually crowned Robert I of Scotland, so she was never technically a queen. However, her grandson Robert II became the first monarch of the Stewart dynasty, which reigned – despite a few Cromwellian hiccups – for over 400 years, so I think she is perfectly entitled to be remembered as Queen Isobel. Alice
- [Secret Garden](https://virtualyarns.com/product/secret-garden/) - Description Knitted Measurements: Age 2-3 yrs - Underarm (buttoned) 66cm. Length 42.5cm. Age 4-5 yrs - Underarm (buttoned) 72cm. Length 48.5cm. Age 6-7 yrs - Underarm (buttoned) 76cm. Length 57cm. This pack contains all the Alice Starmore Hebridean 3 Ply yarn required to make the Secret Garden design from The Children's Collection in your chosen size. You will require a copy of THE CHILDREN'S COLLECTION for the pattern instructions, the book The Children's Collection is available for purchase here. This yarn pack can be ordered in a choice of our available colours of Hebridean 3 Ply, it is shown here in Wild Orchid. Click here for a digital shadecard of all Hebridean 3 Ply colours. The Secret Garden design is also available in adult sizes. Click here for the adult version. Visit our Video Tutorials section for tutorials on a variety of knitting techniques to help you with your projects. Story This feminine, lightweight coat for girls is worked in one piece to the armholes, then subtly decreased to produce its A-line shaping. The yoke and sleeves are worked in a simple Moss Stitch. Alice
- [Fish & Anchors](https://virtualyarns.com/product/fish-anchors/) - Description Knitted Measurements: Age 2-3yrs - Underarm 68.25cm. Length 31.5cm. Age 4-5yrs- Underarm 74.5cm. Length 34.5cm. Age 6-7yrs - Underarm 80.5cm. Length 40cm. Age 8-9yrs - Underarm 87cm. Length 44cm. This pack contains all the Alice Starmore Hebridean 2 Ply yarn required to make the Fish & Anchors design from The Children's Collection in your chosen size. You will require a copy of THE CHILDREN'S COLLECTION for the pattern instructions, the book The Children's Collection is available for purchase here. Visit our Video Tutorials section for tutorials on a variety of knitting techniques to help you with your projects. Story A traditionally-styled pullover knitted entirely in the round, with steeks worked at the armholes and neck. A complete newcomer to the “steek technique” may wish to start out with a sleeveless garment like Elephants, this is an ideal exercise for any knitter wishing to become familiar with the traditional dropped-shoulder style of Fair Isle pullover. Jade
- [Elizabeth I](https://virtualyarns.com/product/elizabeth-i/) - Description Knitted Measurements: Small - Underarm 90cm. Waist 66cm. Length 50cm. Medium - Underarm 96cm. Waist 72cm. Length 53cm. Large - Underarm 102cm. Waist 78cm. Length 56cm. Extra Large - Underarm 108cm. Waist 84cm. Length 58cm. This pack contains all the yarn required to make the Elizabeth I design from Tudor Roses in your chosen size and colour of Alice Starmore Hebridean 2 Ply. You will require a copy of the book TUDOR ROSES (2013 or 2017 Edition) for the pattern instructions. This design is available in a choice of 34 colours of Hebridean 2 Ply, and is shown here in Golden Plover and Kittiwake. Click here for a digital shadecard of all Hebridean 2 Ply colours. Visit our Video Tutorials section for tutorials on a variety of knitting techniques to help you with your projects.
- [Wave Hat Set](https://virtualyarns.com/product/wave-hat-set/) - Description Knitted Measurements: Collar – Lower edge circumference 80cm. Collar Length (lower edge to top of neck before folding) 27cm. Beret – Circumference 64.25cm. Brim to crown 25cm. Fingerless Gloves– Width around knuckles 19.3[20.7,22]cm. I used eleven shades of my Hebridean 2 Ply to work my classic Wave colour scheme into a hat set. The hat, gloves and the lower edge of the collar are worked in the stranded circular technique and I created an openwork tiered pattern, also worked in the round in a single shade, for the upper collar. This kit includes a colour-printed patterncard with full instructions and all the yarn required to make the Wave Hat Set. The collar and beret are made in one size and instructions for the gloves are provided in three sizes. Enough yarn is provided in the kit to make the largest size of gloves. The Wave design is also available as a cardigan, click here for the Wave Cardigan. Visit our Video Tutorials section for tutorials on a variety of knitting techniques to help you with your projects. Story I was born quite literally a stone’s throw from Stornoway Harbour in the Isle of Lewis and so the sight of brightly coloured fishing boats bobbing on the waves is probably the earliest imprint of a colour scheme in my mind. The colours of the boats and the changing light and movement of the sea are always with me and I first interpreted this in the Wave pattern cardigan I designed for my Fair Isle Knitting book in 1987. It became one of my most popular designs of that era and I updated it with the perfect colours from my Hebridean 2 Ply range for the Wave Cardigan kit. This in turn has inspired this hat set. It is fun to knit and a bright and cheerful way to keep the breezy Spring chills at bay. Alice
- [Eightsome Reel](https://virtualyarns.com/product/eightsome-reel/) - Description Knitted Measurements: Small — Underarm 92cm. Waist 86cm. Length 53cm. Medium — Underarm 97cm. Waist 92cm. Length 55cm. Large — Underarm 102.5cm. Waist 97cm. Length 56cm. XL — Underarm 108cm. Waist 102.5cm. Length 57cm. XXL — Underarm 113.5cm. Waist 108cm. Length 59cm. XXXL — Underarm 119cm. Waist 113.5cm. Length 61cm. This kit includes a colour-printed pattern card with full instructions in all sizes and all the yarn required to make Eightsome Reel in your chosen size. This design can be ordered in any of our available colours of Hebridean 3 Ply. Click here for a digital shadecard of all Hebridean 3 Ply colours. Visit our Video Tutorials section for tutorials on a variety of knitting techniques to help you with your projects. Story The Eightsome Reel has a special place in the memory of all fun-loving teens and twenties of the sixties in the Isle of Lewis. A typical weekend programme of entertainment would begin with dressing up in style – girls in miniskirts and Mary Quant make-up, boys in sharp suits and cuban heels – then off to the disco to pose and groove to all the new rock and pop sounds of the day. Once the disco ended we would pile into cars and head off out of town to the village halls where the dances were altogether more traditional, with live dance bands playing jigs and reels. Though we considered ourselves the acme of sophistication, there is no doubt that the country dances were much more sociable and consequently, a lot more fun. The Eightsome Reel involved four boys and girls getting together, with each one taking a star role in the centre of the group to dance with every other of the oppostite sex. This was interspersed with all eight joining hands and whirling around in a circle, first clockwise, then anticlockwise. This began decorously but quickly became wild and often dangerous, so that hanging on for dear life was all that mattered. Broken limbs were generally avoided only because the floor was well packed with dancers, but it was not unusual to find yourself flying across the hall and crash landing on the wallflowers. The lesson being that it was as well to join in as stay out of the reel. I designed Eightsome Reel with very happy memories of these times in mind. My first objective was to design a Celtic symbol with with four double elements all linked together, echoing the formation of the dance. I then designed a cabled and ruffled edging which is offset by the simple reverse stocking stitch of the main body. The style is easy and comfortable with a lightly shaped waist. For those familiar with cabling and knitting up stitches along edges, this is a quick design to knit. For beginners who are competent with the basics and are ready to tackle a few new techniques, it is ideal. Alice
- [Glenesk Cardigan](https://virtualyarns.com/product/glenesk/) - Description Knitted Measurements: Petite - Underarm (buttoned) 106cm. Length 58.5cm. Small - Underarm (buttoned) 111cm. Length 60cm. Medium - Underarm (buttoned) 117cm. Length 62cm. Large - Underarm (buttoned) 122cm. Length 64cm. X Large - Underarm (buttoned) 127.5cm. Length 66cm. This kit includes a colour-printed pattern card with full instructions in all sizes and all the yarn required to make Glenesk Cardigan in your chosen size. It is a classic dropped shoulder shape, worked entirely in the round in one piece. The Glenesk design is also available as a pullover. Visit our Video Tutorials section for tutorials on a variety of knitting techniques to help you with your projects. Story On Gress Beach there is an intriguing remnant of a small ship that shows the unusual beauty of something man-made being claimed by nature over a long period of time. All that remains of the good ship Glenesk are the boiler and the ribs of the hull, which protrude through the sand to a greater or lesser extent, according to wind and tide. The boiler is obviously made of stern stuff, and is now home to limpets and barnacles, while the sand worms like to make their homes in its shade. The wood of the ribs is surprisingly well preserved, and on certain days it is possible to obtain an impression of the shape and size of the vessel. The Glenesk is such an old friend that I felt it deserved a design. I created a pattern which incorporates the man-made curves of the boiler together with the gentle waves of seaweed wrapped about it. I used the intense shades of Kelpie, Calluna, Lapwing and Mara to make a stormy background. For the foreground I used the gentler shades of Tormentil, Crotal and Mountain Hare... plus a touch of Golden Plover to give a hint of the sand on which the Glenesk has stood for so long. Jade
- [Angels](https://virtualyarns.com/product/angels/) - Description Knitted Measurements: Small - Underarm (buttoned) 100cm. Length 61.5cm. Medium - Underarm (buttoned) 112cm. Length 64cm. Large - Underarm (buttoned) 122cm. Length 66.5cm. X Large - Underarm (buttoned) 132cm. Length 69cm. This kit includes a colour-printed pattern card with full instructions in all sizes and all the yarn required to make Angels in your chosen size. It is a classic shape, worked entirely in the round in one piece with dropped shoulders and a square neckline. It is shown here with the Witch Hare Hat Set. Visit our Video Tutorials section for tutorials on a variety of knitting techniques to help you with your projects. Story For this design I took an elegant and simple shape, and added a dramatic repeating pattern of pale dancing angels which curve their way around the cardigan. The pattern is picked out in Solan Goose, Kittiwake, Pebble Beach and Spindrift, which contrast beautifully with the rich, warm background of Crotal, Erica and Limpet. Jade
- [Canyonville](https://virtualyarns.com/product/canyonville/) - Description Knitted Measurements: Small/Medium – Underarm 107cm. Length 65cm. Large – Underarm 122cm. Length 68cm. X Large – Underarm 137cm. Length 71cm. This kit includes a colour-printed pattern card with full instructions in all sizes and all the yarn required to make Canyonville in your chosen size. Canyonville can be ordered in any of our available Hebridean 3 Ply colours. Click here for a digital shadecard of all Hebridean 3 Ply colours. Visit our Video Tutorials section for tutorials on a variety of knitting techniques to help you with your projects. Story The small town of Canyonville, Oregon is situated beside US Interstate 5 about midway between Grant’s Pass and Roseburg. On the road map, this section of freeway has a dotted line alongside it, which indictes a route of scenic beauty. Grandeur is the word I would use, as the area is deeply forested – massive trees with enormous trunks. They dwarf the town which I visited many years ago, and yet I still recall the feeling of awe when I took a walk to look and touch these giants at close quarters. It was the deeply textured bark that really impressed me and set patterns flowing in my mind. The effect was so immediate that I took pencil and paper and charted out ideas there and then. One of these is here in this cosy and roomy pullover which I named after the town. The shape is a classic dropped shoulder and looks good on both men and women. The pattern speaks for itself. It is composed mainly of twisted travelling stitches and it does require concentration to knit. The results however, are well worthwhile. Alice
- [Wave Cardigan](https://virtualyarns.com/product/wave/) - Description Knitted Measurements: Small - Underarm (buttoned) 89.5cm. Length 56cm. Medium - Underarm (buttoned) 96.5cm. Length 58.5cm. Large - Underarm (buttoned) 104cm. Length 61cm. X Large - Underarm (buttoned) 111cm. Length 63cm. XX Large - Underarm (buttoned) 118cm. Length 65cm. This kit includes a colour-printed pattern card with full instructions in all sizes and all the yarn required to make Wave in your chosen size. Wave is a standard fit cardigan with set in sleeves. The body is entirely worked in the round and the sleeves are knitted separately in the round to the armholes, with the sleeve caps knitted back and forth in rows. For a step-by-step video tutorial showing all the techniques involved in knitting and finishing stranded garments visit our Stranded Knitting in the Round with Steeks tutorial section. The Wave design is also available as a hat set, click here for the Wave Hat Set. Story I originally designed Wave cardigan for my Fair Isle Knitting book. Here I have re-worked and updated the design in Hebridean 2 Ply, the patterns and colours vividly reflect bright light on breezy summer seas. This is an excellent project for a knitter experienced in the stranded technique. Alice
- [Wave Full Set](https://virtualyarns.com/product/wave-full-set/) - Description Cardigan Knitted Measurements: Small – Underarm (buttoned) 89.5cm. Length 56cm. Medium – Underarm (buttoned) 96.5cm. Length 58.5cm. Large – Underarm (buttoned) 104cm. Length 61cm. X Large – Underarm (buttoned) 111cm. Length 63cm. XX Large – Underarm (buttoned) 118cm. Length 65cm. Hat Set Knitted Measurements: Collar – Lower edge circumference 80cm. Collar Length (lower edge to top of neck before folding) 27cm. Beret – Circumference 64.25cm. Brim to crown 25cm. Fingerless Gloves– Width around knuckles 19.3[20.7,22]cm. This set includes colour-printed pattern cards with full instructions in all sizes and all the yarn required to make the Wave Hat Set and Wave Cardigan in your chosen size. Wave is a standard fit cardigan with set in sleeves. The body is entirely worked in the round and the sleeves are knitted separately in the round to the armholes, with the sleeve caps knitted back and forth in rows. The collar and beret are made in one size and instructions for the gloves are provided in three sizes. Enough yarn is provided in the kit to make the largest size of gloves. Visit our Video Tutorials section for tutorials on a variety of knitting techniques to help you with your projects.
- [Damselfly Full Set](https://virtualyarns.com/product/damselfly-cardigan-hat-set/) - Description Knitted Measurements Cardigan: Petite – Underarm (buttoned) 80cm. Waist 74cm. Length 53.75cm. Small – Underarm (buttoned) 86cm. Waist 80cm. Length 57.25cm. Medium – Underarm (buttoned) 92cm. Waist 86cm. Length 59.5cm. Large – Underarm (buttoned) 98cm. Waist 92cm. Length 61.5cm. Extra Large – Underarm (buttoned) 103.5cm. Waist 98cm. Length 63.75cm. Knitted Measurements Hat Set: Beret – Circumference 62cm. Brim to crown 25cm. Cap – Circumference 53.3cm. Brim to crown 21cm. Fingerless Gloves & Handwarmers– Width around knuckles 19.3[20.7,22]cm. The Damselfly Cardigan patterncard kit contains 2 colour printed patterncards and all the Alice Starmore Hebridean 2 Ply yarn required to make the Damselfly cardigan in your chosen size and colourway. The Damselfly Hat Set patterncard kit contains a colour printed patterncard and all the Alice Starmore Hebridean 2 Ply required to make the Damselfly Hat Set in your chosen colourway. The Hat Set is composed of a cap, a beret, one pair of handwarmers and one pair of fingerless gloves. There is a choice of three different colourways: the Northern Blue, the Emerald and the Red. Each colourway is worked in six shades of Alice Starmore Hebridean 2 Ply. I have designed the sets and provided instructions so that you can work one of the hats and one pair of the gloves or handwarmers with the background and pattern colors worked in reverse.
- [Openwork Skill Developer Class](https://virtualyarns.com/product/openwork-skill-developer-class/) - Description The Openwork Skill Developer Class gives you a complete introduction to the openwork technique, taking your skill level through from beginner to intermediate while making two beautiful shawls. If you are a complete beginner to knitting add the optional Beginners Yarn Pack to your order below. This will provide the extra yarn required for practising your basic techniques. Use our free Video Tutorials section for step-by-step guidance on cast-on methods, and how to knit, purl, and cast off. When you are comfortable with these basic techniques you will be ready to start your Sulaire Shawl, which will introduce you to openwork. By the time you have completed the Sulaire you will be ready to move on to the more complex motifs and edging of the Cluaran, and you will be confident in your openwork ability. This class does not include needles, you will require 1 pair of 40cm-long 4mm needles and 1 pair of 40cm-long 3.25mm needles Sulaire Knitted Measurements: Small (ex. picot edging) – Length at centre point 60 cm. Width across top 115cm. Medium (ex. picot edging) – Length at centre point 78 cm. Width across top 125cm. Large (ex. picot edging) – Length at centre point 91cm. Width across top 152cm. The Sulaire Video Class Kit includes online access to 43 mins of detailed video tutorials, a colour-printed patterncard with full instructions, and all the Alice Starmore Hebridean 2 Ply yarn required to make the Sulaire Shawl in your chosen colour and size. The online video tutorials cover all the key points of the design. This project requires a basic knowledge of knit and purl stitches. Cluaran Knitted Measurements: Small (ex. picot edging) – Length at centre point 58 cm. Width across top 112cm. Large (ex. picot edging) – Length at centre point 87cm. Width across top 148cm. The Cluaran Video Class Kit includes online access to 1hr and 24 mins of detailed video tutorials, a colour-printed patterncard with full instructions, and all the Alice Starmore Hebridean 2 Ply yarn required to make the Cluaran Shawl in your chosen colour and size. The online video tutorials cover all the key points of the design. This project assumes previous experience with an openwork project, and is an ideal progression on in skill level from the Sulaire Video Class Kit. The Sulaire and Cluaran can be made in any of our available Hebridean 2 Ply colours. Click here for a digital shadecard.
- [Stranded Skill Developer Class](https://virtualyarns.com/product/stranded-skill-developer-class/) - Description The Stranded Skill Developer Class gives you a full introduction to the stranded technique, taking your skill level through from beginner to intermediate while making two berets and two sets of fingerless gloves. The Briodag also introduces openwork and short-row shaping in the form of a scarf. If you are a complete beginner to knitting you can add the optional Beginners Yarn Pack to your order below. This will provide the extra yarn required for practising your basic techniques. Use our free Video Tutorials section for step-by-step guidance on cast-on methods, and how to knit, purl, and cast off. When you are comfortable with these basic techniques you will be ready to start your Briodag Hat Set, which will introduce you to openwork, stranded- colour knitting and shaping in the round. When you have completed the Briodag you will be ready to move on to the more complex colour changes and the buttoned glove cuff of the Henry VIII set. By the time you are finished you will be ready to tackle larger projects. This kit does not include needles. please see the accordian menu below for a list of the needles required. Briodag Knitted Measurements: Scarf – Length along centre 140cm. Beret – Circumference 60[64.5]cm. Brim to crown 24.5[25.25]cm. Fingerless Gloves – Width around knuckles 19.3[20.7,22]cm. The Briodag kit includes online access to 3 hours and 5 mins of detailed video tutorials, a colour-printed patterncard with full instructions, and all the Alice Starmore Hebridean 2 Ply yarn required to make the Briodag Hat Set in your chosen colours. The beret instructions are for two sizes, and instructions for the gloves are provided in three sizes. Enough yarn is provided in the kit to make the largest size of gloves and beret. The Briodag can be made in any of our available Hebridean 2 Ply colours and should have a lighter or brighter pattern colour and two darker background colours which tone well together. Click here for a digital shadecard. Henry VIII Hat Set Knitted Measurements: Beret – Circumference 64.5cm. Brim to crown 26cm. Fingerless Gloves – Width around knuckles 19.3[20.7,22]cm. The Henry VIII Hat Set kit includes online access to 58 mins of detailed video tutorials showing how to make the glove cuff, a colour-printed patterncard with full instructions for the beret and gloves, and all the Alice Starmore Hebridean 2 Ply yarn required to make the Henry VIII Hat Set. The instructions for the gloves are provided in two sizes. Enough yarn is provided in the kit to make the largest size of gloves.
- [Driftwood - 50g Hebridean 2 Ply](https://virtualyarns.com/product/driftwood-hebridean-2-ply/) - Description Alice Starmore Hebridean 2 Ply Yarn is made from premium quality pure new British wool, dyed in the fleece and skillfully blended into unique shades. It is hand-washed and dried in the Hebridean air, and supplied in hand-made skeins which may vary in weight. It is priced per 50g at standard conditions. All yarn is weighed to order on balances that are checked daily to ensure that you receive the correct total amount. Driftwood is part of the Sea & Shoreline range, which is inspired by the Hebridean coast. Story If you spend a lot of time stravaigin the shoreline, you will naturally encounter a lot of driftwood. This simple term encompasses quite a range of ocean timber, from small planks to enormous tree trunks which must have crossed the Atlantic from America. By the time they land they have become studded with pebbles and bored by the aquatic equivalent of woodworm. There is hardly any native timber in the Outer Hebrides, and so the larger pieces of driftwood were of vital importance when the people of the islands had precious little. Their blackhouses were roofed with turf and thatch, laid upon whatever spars of wood that they could gather together. Even now times are immeasurably better, the old gathering instinct lives on in some Hebrideans. In fact, some of us are quite obsessive about it. The standard convention is that if a piece of driftwood is in the tidal zone then it is yours if you want it. If it is up beyond the obvious high tide mark, then someone has dragged it there and has claimed it, so leave it alone. I know of one quaint character on the west side who scans the beach daily and hauls up any large logs with his tractor before anyone else can claim them. Over the years he has accumulated enough to build a forthright stockade, which I am hoping he will one day, but as yet it still lies there forlornly, like a lot of giant knitting needles all scattered about. I shouldn't mock, for I understand the motivation. When I come across a really good log of unclaimed driftwood, I really do think that the ghosts of my ancestors start to whisper in my ear, for I start to think things like … now that is really useful. You can't just leave a good piece of wood like that lying there. Take it home and do something with it. Sanity intervenes when I realise that it must weigh half a ton, so I give it a pat and walk on. What I really love about driftwood is the way that the sea has bleached away most of the colour but a certain luminosity remains. That is what I have tried to capture with this shade. The tiny touches of orange and rosy mauve are the lichens that grow when the driftwood has been beached for a while.
- [Creative Course 3 Yarn Pack](https://virtualyarns.com/product/creative-course-3-sporran-linne-pack/) - This Creative Course 3 Yarn Pack is a yarn only product. You will need to buy Creative Course 3 for the pattern instructions and course access. You can buy Creative Course 3 here. The Linne Belt and Sporran Bag in Creative Course 3 have been made with Alice Starmore™ Hebridean 2 Ply pure new wool yarn. It is a unique artisan yarn which has been designed and made to ensure that it can be felted to perfection so that the correct sizes, shapes and effects can be achieved using the processes demonstrated in the video course. The yarn has also been designed to produce high definition and glowing results in embroidery stitches, as shown in the sample Sporran Bags and Linne Belts. The Creative Course 3 yarn pack has been designed to give you a base from which to begin your creative journey. It contains the following – 200g of Alice Starmore™ Hebridean 2 Ply yarn in a main colour for making 1 Sporran Bag, Handle and matching Linne Belt, plus 2 swatches. 25g each of 10 colours of your choice of Alice Starmore™ Hebridean 2 Ply yarn. These colours can be used for embroidery, beads and decorative cords. Click here for a digital shadecard of all Hebridean 2 Ply colours. All embroidery, beads and cords have been made using small amounts of Alice Starmore™ Hebridean 2 Ply. The amount of yarn you will require will depend on how much embroidery you add to each piece and what type of stitches you use. Small scraps and leftovers from other projects are ideal if you are planning to work embroidery using many colours. Aim to build a collection of colours to practise stitches. This pack gives a good palette of colours for starting out with a Linne Belt and Sporran Bag. If you are planing on making a 3 colour belt make 2 of your 10 Embroidery choices colours which tone well with your main colour choice. For example if you are choosing Limpet as your main colour make Selkie and Kelpie two of your embroidery choices. That will give you enough yarn to use those colours to shade your 3 colour Linne belt.
- [Maidenhair Shawl](https://virtualyarns.com/product/maidenhair-shawl/) - Description One size - Width 72cm. Length (ex. fringes) 180cm. This pack contains all the yarn required for the Maidenhair design from Aran Knitting in the colour of your choice. You will require a copy of the book Aran Knitting (2010 Edition) by Alice Starmore for the pattern instructions. This yarn pack can be ordered in a choice of our available Hebridean 3 Ply colours, it is shown here in Pebble Beach. Click here for a digital shadecard of all Hebridean 3 Ply colours. Visit our Video Tutorials section for tutorials on a variety of knitting techniques to help you with your projects. Story This shawl illustrates the impact of yarn and colour choice upon pattern. These patterns are the same as in the cardigan, but Hebridean 3 Ply in Pebble Beach creates an effect that is subtle and complex. Alice
- [St Ciaran](https://virtualyarns.com/product/st-ciaran/) - Description One size - Width 76cm. Length (ex. fringes) 120cm. This pack contains all the yarn required for the St Ciaran design in the colour of your choice. You will require a copy of the book Aran Knitting (2010 Edition) by Alice Starmore for the pattern instructions. This yarn pack can be ordered in a choice of our available colours of Hebridean 3 Ply. Click here for a digital shadecard of all Hebridean 3 Ply colours. Visit our Video Tutorials section for tutorials on a variety of knitting techniques to help you with your projects. Story Some of my knotwork ideas are too large to incorporate into sweaters, so this shawl is the ideal way to express them. Our Hebridean yarn accentuates the sculpted forms of the patterns and makes sure that the shawl drapes perfectly. Alice
- [Driftwood - 50g Hebridean 3 Ply](https://virtualyarns.com/product/driftwood-hebridean-3-ply/) - Description Alice Starmore Hebridean 3 Ply Yarn is made from premium quality pure new British wool, dyed in the fleece and skillfully blended into unique shades. It is hand-washed and dried in the Hebridean air, and supplied in hand-made skeins which may vary in weight. It is priced per 50g at standard conditions. All yarn is weighed to order on balances that are checked daily to ensure that you receive the correct total amount. Driftwood is part of the Sea & Shoreline range, which is inspired by the Hebridean coast. It is shown here knitted in the Maidenhair Pullover design, which is available as a patterncard kit. Story If you spend a lot of time stravaigin the shoreline, you will naturally encounter a lot of driftwood. This simple term encompasses quite a range of ocean timber, from small planks to enormous tree trunks which must have crossed the Atlantic from America. By the time they land they have become studded with pebbles and bored by the aquatic equivalent of woodworm. There is hardly any native timber in the Outer Hebrides, and so the larger pieces of driftwood were of vital importance when the people of the islands had precious little. Their blackhouses were roofed with turf and thatch, laid upon whatever spars of wood that they could gather together. Even now times are immeasurably better, the old gathering instinct lives on in some Hebrideans. In fact, some of us are quite obsessive about it. The standard convention is that if a piece of driftwood is in the tidal zone then it is yours if you want it. If it is up beyond the obvious high tide mark, then someone has dragged it there and has claimed it, so leave it alone. I know of one quaint character on the west side who scans the beach daily and hauls up any large logs with his tractor before anyone else can claim them. Over the years he has accumulated enough to build a forthright stockade, which I am hoping he will one day, but as yet it still lies there forlornly, like a lot of giant knitting needles all scattered about. I shouldn't mock, for I understand the motivation. When I come across a really good log of unclaimed driftwood I really do think that the ghosts of my ancestors start to whisper in my ear, for I start to think things like … now that is really useful. You can't just leave a good piece of wood like that lying there. Take it home and do something with it. Sanity intervenes when I realise that it must weigh half a ton, so I give it a pat and walk on. What I really love about driftwood is the way that the sea has bleached away most of the colour but a certain luminosity remains. That is what I have tried to capture with this shade. The tiny touches of orange and rosy mauve are the lichens that grow when the driftwood has been beached for a while.
- [Storm Petrel - 50g Hebridean 3 Ply](https://virtualyarns.com/product/storm-petrel-hebridean-3-ply/) - Description Alice Starmore Hebridean 3 Ply Yarn is made from premium quality pure new British wool, dyed in the fleece and skillfully blended into unique shades. It is hand-washed and dried in the Hebridean air, and supplied in hand-made skeins which may vary in weight. It is priced per 50g at standard conditions. All yarn is weighed to order on balances that are checked daily to ensure that you receive the correct total amount. Storm Petrel is part of the Birds range, which is inspired by birds of the Outer Hebrides. It is shown here knitted up in the Raven Poncho from the Glamourie Collection. Story The Storm Petrel is regarded as a mysterious bird and many legends have sprung up around it, probably due to its rather unusual habits. They do not have a great many colonies and they are all in remote areas, such as the Flannan Isles which are just off the west coast of the Isle of Lewis. They spend most of their time at sea and are only seen while crossing the Minch, although dead or exhausted birds can be found on the coasts after gales. In desperation they sometimes land on fishing boats and it is perhaps for this reason that one particular story grew up around them. If a mariner died at sea or someone was drowned and their body not recovered for burial (not an unusual occurrence when the fishing trade was at its height), then their soul would rise out of the water and turn into a Storm Petrel, or Waterwitch as they are known in the Hebrides. They are also known as Little Peter as they drop their legs down whilst flying low over water, like Peter trying to walk on the Sea of Galilee. Whatever the truth about these mysterious birds, it cannot be denied that they are very at home in the waters of the Minch. We have used a myriad of smoky blues, which we then combined with hints of purples, reds and turquoise to create a daring and mysterious colour that echoes stormy western seas.
- [Lapwing - 50g Hebridean 3 Ply](https://virtualyarns.com/product/lapwing-hebridean-3-ply/) - Description Alice Starmore Hebridean 3 Ply Yarn is made from premium quality pure new British wool, dyed in the fleece and skillfully blended into unique shades. It is hand-washed and dried in the Hebridean air, and supplied in hand-made skeins which may vary in weight. It is priced per 50g at standard conditions. All yarn is weighed to order on balances that are checked daily to ensure that you receive the correct total amount. Lapwing is part of the Birds range, which is inspired by birds of the Outer Hebrides. It is shown here knitted in the St Brigid design from the book Aran Knitting (2010 edition) by Alice Starmore. Story The Lapwing is obviously one of the braver types of bird as it remains in the Hebridean Isles throughout the winter instead of migrating to warmer climes. This very attractive bird, with its green wings and long, dark, distinctive crest, is not slow to make its presence felt. Anyone venturing near a Lapwing nest will be greeted with loud cries and a slew of furiously circling birds, which has led to their alias of Peesie-Weep in imitation of their cry. This has also given them the name of Peewit, and they are sometimes called the Green Plover. When not breeding they are quite friendly, and will watch you walk by as if they knew you personally. They seem adapted to living life dangerously, and their offspring can run from an attacked nest almost immediately after birth. They are also impressed by risky flying and the male has an acrobatic display flight which it uses to attract a mate rather than the more conventional nest-building technique favoured by many birds. Feeding during the winter months is difficult and some do not survive. Those who do can be seen celebrating at the beginning of every spring. The cry of the Lapwing resonates through Scottish literature. Those familiar with the novels of Lewis Grassic Gibbon will know of its east coast name of "Peesie" and will also know how its mournful call echoes through Sunset Song and Cloud Howe. The daring green plumage of the Lapwing – brightest in the centre, darkening towards the wings – is captured in this mix of emerald greens with hints of blue.
- [Mara - 50g Hebridean 2 Ply](https://virtualyarns.com/product/mara-hebridean-2-ply/) - Description Alice Starmore Hebridean 2 Ply Yarn is made from premium quality pure new British wool, dyed in the fleece and skillfully blended into unique shades. It is hand-washed and dried in the Hebridean air, and supplied in hand-made skeins which may vary in weight. It is priced per 50g at standard conditions. All yarn is weighed to order on balances that are checked daily to ensure that you receive the correct total amount. Mara is part of the Sea & Shoreline range, which is inspired by the Hebridean coast.
- [Widdicombe Fair Blue](https://virtualyarns.com/product/widdicombe-fair/) - Description One Size - Width 69cm. Length 88cm. This kit includes a colour-printed pattern card with full instructions and all the yarn required to make Widdicombe Fair baby blanket. It is available in either Blue or Red, click here to see the Red Widdicombe Fair. Visit our Video Tutorials section for tutorials on a variety of knitting techniques to help you with your projects.
- [Reef](https://virtualyarns.com/product/reef/) - Description One size – Width 78cm. Length 102cm. This kit includes a colour-printed pattern card with full instructions and all the Alice Starmore 2 Ply Hebridean yarn required to make the Reef baby blanket. Visit our Video Tutorials section for tutorials on a variety of knitting techniques to help you with your projects. Story The bright, luminous colours of sunlight on the ocean shallows and the phenomenal kaleidoscope of life underwater are all the more intensified by the contrasting grey rock hills and moorland colours of the Hebrides. I designed the Reef pattern with these sunlit ocean colours in mind and the resulting blanket is cosy reminder of warm summer days by the sea. Alice
- [Red Jacobite Rose Full Set](https://virtualyarns.com/product/jacobite-rose-full-set/) - Description Knitted Measurements Cardigan Small – Underarm (buttoned) 94cm. Length 51cm. Medium – Underarm (buttoned) 100cm. Length 53cm. Large – Underarm (buttoned) 106cm. Length 55cm. X Large – Underarm (buttoned) 112cm. Length 56.5cm. XX Large – Underarm (buttoned) 118cm. Length 58.5cm Knitted Measurements Hat Set Beret – Circumference 64.5cm. Brim to crown 26cm. Fingerless Gloves – Width around knuckles 19.3[20.7, 22]cm. This Jacobite Rose Set includes a colour-printed pattern card with full instructions in all sizes and all the Alice Starmore Hebridean 2Ply yarn required to make the Jabobite Rose Hat Set and the Jacobite Rose cardigan in your chosen size. The Jacobite Rose cardigan is a standard fit cardigan with set-in sleeves. The body is entirely worked in the round and the sleeves are knitted separately in the round to the armholes, with the sleeve caps knitted back and forth in rows. The Jacobite Rose Hat Set is composed of a beret and one pair of fingerless gloves in 9 shades of Alice Starmore Hebridean 2 Ply. The set is worked in the stranded circular technique. If you are new to this technique then there is a graded progression you can follow, starting with the beret which introduces double decrease shaping in the patterned crown. The fingerless gloves will teach you how to make thumb gussets and how to work each digit in the round. Visit our Video Tutorials section for tutorials on a variety of knitting techniques to help you with your projects.
- [Widdicombe Fair Red](https://virtualyarns.com/product/widdicombe-fair-red/) - Description One Size - Width 69cm. Length 88cm. This kit includes a colour-printed pattern card with full instructions and all the yarn required to make Widdicombe Fair baby blanket. It is available in either Blue or Red, click here to see the Blue Widdicombe Fair. Visit our Video Tutorials section for tutorials on a variety of knitting techniques to help you with your projects.
- [Lapwing - 50g Hebridean 2 Ply](https://virtualyarns.com/product/lapwing-hebridean-2-ply/) - Description Alice Starmore Hebridean 2 Ply Yarn is made from premium quality pure new British wool, dyed in the fleece and skillfully blended into unique shades. It is hand-washed and dried in the Hebridean air, and supplied in hand-made skeins which may vary in weight. It is priced per 50g at standard conditions. All yarn is weighed to order on balances that are checked daily to ensure that you receive the correct total amount. Lapwing is part of the Birds range, which is inspired by birds of the Outer Hebrides. Story The Lapwing is obviously one of the braver types of bird as it remains in the Hebridean Isles throughout the winter instead of migrating to warmer climes. This very attractive bird, with its green wings and long, dark, distinctive crest, is not slow to make its presence felt. Anyone venturing near a Lapwing nest will be greeted with loud cries and a slew of furiously circling birds, which has led to their alias of Peesie-Weep in imitation of their cry. This has also given them the name of Peewit, and they are sometimes called the Green Plover. When not breeding they are quite friendly, and will watch you walk by as if they knew you personally. They seem adapted to living life dangerously, and their offspring can run from an attacked nest almost immediately after birth. They are also impressed by risky flying and the male has an acrobatic display flight which it uses to attract a mate rather than the more conventional nest-building technique favoured by many birds. Feeding during the winter months is difficult and some do not survive. Those who do can be seen celebrating at the beginning of every spring. The cry of the Lapwing resonates through Scottish literature. Those familiar with the novels of Lewis Grassic Gibbon will know of its east coast name of "Peesie" and will also know how its mournful call echoes through Sunset Song and Cloud Howe. The daring green plumage of the Lapwing – brightest in the centre, darkening towards the wings – is captured in this mix of emerald greens with hints of blue.
- [Storm Petrel - 50g Hebridean 2 Ply](https://virtualyarns.com/product/storm-petrel-hebridean-2-ply/) - Description Alice Starmore Hebridean 2 Ply Yarn is made from premium quality pure new British wool, dyed in the fleece and skillfully blended into unique shades. It is hand-washed and dried in the Hebridean air, and supplied in hand-made skeins which may vary in weight. It is priced per 50g at standard conditions. All yarn is weighed to order on balances that are checked daily to ensure that you receive the correct total amount. Storm Petrel is part of the Birds range, which is inspired by birds of the Outer Hebrides. Story The Storm Petrel is regarded as a mysterious bird and many legends have sprung up around it, probably due to its rather unusual habits. They do not have a great many colonies and they are all in remote areas, such as the Flannan Isles which are just off the west coast of the Isle of Lewis. They spend most of their time at sea and are only seen while crossing the Minch, although dead or exhausted birds can be found on the coasts after gales. In desperation they sometimes land on fishing boats and it is perhaps for this reason that one particular story grew up around them. If a mariner died at sea or someone was drowned and their body not recovered for burial (not an unusual occurrence when the fishing trade was at its height), then their soul would rise out of the water and turn into a Storm Petrel, or Waterwitch as they are known in the Hebrides. They are also known as Little Peter as they drop their legs down whilst flying low over water, like Peter trying to walk on the Sea of Galilee. Whatever the truth about these mysterious birds, it cannot be denied that they are very at home in the waters of the Minch. We have used a myriad of smoky blues, which we then combined with hints of purples, reds and turquoise to create a daring and mysterious colour that echoes stormy western seas.
- [Selkie - 50g Hebridean 2 Ply](https://virtualyarns.com/product/selkie-hebridean-2-ply/) - Description Alice Starmore Hebridean 2 Ply Yarn is made from premium quality pure new British wool, dyed in the fleece and skillfully blended into unique shades. It is hand-washed and dried in the Hebridean air, and supplied in hand-made skeins which may vary in weight. It is priced per 50g at standard conditions. All yarn is weighed to order on balances that are checked daily to ensure that you receive the correct total amount. Selkie is part of the Sea & Shoreline range, which is inspired by the Hebridean coast. Story Selkie is a common Scottish word for a seal of any kind. I am very fond of the animals, from the fat harbour seals of Stornoway to the sleeker variety that spend summer on the rocks at the end of my croft. They are the best of neighbours – interested but not too pushy. My croft runs down to low cliffs and, when I take a walk along them, two or three seals will usually put their heads up and follow me. If I call to them, then several more will come. In season the males will let out long, drifting cries which sound eerie – or worse – if you do not know what is making the noise. The most common Scottish seal legend – of which different variations exist – is that the Selkie can turn into women and come on shore to dance. The Hebridean version relates that a famous bard and harpist from South Uist was the son of such a sand-dancing Selkie. The bard's father was a fisherman who had been captivated by the beauty of the seal-woman, and hid her sealskin so she could not return to the waves. The fisherman forced her to be his wife and she gave birth to the bard, to whom she taught songs and strange music. The young bard found his mother's sealskin hidden in his father's barn and gave it back to his beloved mother. She returned to the sea, and the bard was often seen talking to seals thereafter, and his music and tales were ever the finest heard. I wanted a blend that was dark like wet sealskin, but with the glints of colour that come through when the sun strikes their backs. In short, I wanted something that would suit a beautiful seal-woman, hence Selkie.
- [Corncrake - 50g Hebridean 2 Ply](https://virtualyarns.com/product/corncrake-hebridean-2-ply/) - Description Alice Starmore Hebridean 2 Ply Yarn is made from premium quality pure new British wool, dyed in the fleece and skillfully blended into unique shades. It is hand-washed and dried in the Hebridean air, and supplied in hand-made skeins which may vary in weight. It is priced per 50g at standard conditions. All yarn is weighed to order on balances that are checked daily to ensure that you receive the correct total amount. Corncrake is part of the Birds range, which is inspired by birds of the Outer Hebrides. Story Not so very long ago, as late as the 1960s, the summer nights on the Isle of Lewis were often hard to sleep through. It is possible to adjust to the almost twenty-four hours of daylight, but the loud rasping calls of hundreds of Corncrakes kept awake all but the heaviest sleepers. These birds once made their summer homes across all of Britain, taking part of their name from their favourite nesting place of the corn fields. The "crake" refers to their rather strangulated cry which was familiar to anyone who lived in the countryside. Sadly this is no longer the case, for modern farming methods do not provide the Corncrake with a nesting place, and over the years the birds have become an endangered species. The Corncrake population is now confined to the Outer Hebrides, and even here the decline of traditional crofting methods has seen the planting of corn and oats drastically reduced, thus depriving the bird of its preferred habitat. Ironically, bad agricultural practice has made up for it in a small way. Overgrazing by sheep can give rise to the spectacular growth of a weed known as the soft rush – disastrous for pasture, but a reasonable habitat for the occasional Corncrake. Although they can crake the entire night away, they are seen rarely. I have heard many over the years but have only ever seen about a dozen. They skulk away through the rushes, and you have to almost tread on one before it takes to the air and flaps off with its legs trailing. The birds also face other man-made dangers - they are weak and clumsy at flying and have an unfortunate tendency to fly at the same altitude as overhead power lines. This often results in fatalities, especially at night. Their main talent lies in their ability to vanish even in the lightest of cover. Their amazing plumage combines creams, golds, russets, greens, and browns which blend perfectly with rough grassland. The chicks start their lives jet black, their colour changing as they grow towards adulthood. Our Corncrake colour is a mix of light golden browns and bronze, flecked with greens and reds, and with occasional hints of darker tones. This creates an effect as unusual as the birds themselves. Unlike the birds however, this is not a colour for those who want camouflage. In a human environment it is an instant attention grabber.
- [Capercaillie - 50g Hebridean 2 Ply](https://virtualyarns.com/product/capercaillie-hebridean-2-ply/) - Description Alice Starmore Hebridean 2 Ply Yarn is made from premium quality pure new British wool, dyed in the fleece and skillfully blended into unique shades. It is hand-washed and dried in the Hebridean air, and supplied in hand-made skeins which may vary in weight. It is priced per 50g at standard conditions. All yarn is weighed to order on balances that are checked daily to ensure that you receive the correct total amount. Capercaille is part of the Birds range, which is inspired by birds of the Outer Hebrides. Story The female Capercaille is designed to blend perfectly with her favoured habitat of the forest floor. The male on the other hand cuts a striking figure that is hard to ignore. When excited the male swells out his body, fans his peacock-like tail and makes clopping, popping and wheezing noises. As if that were not enough, they stop for brief intervals in order to leap three feet into the air. When irate, the male Capercaillie is best avoided, for they will attack any intruder regardless of size, including – much to their own detriment – moving vehicles. The Hebridean Capercaille lives in the few wooded areas of the islands and is hunted quite regularly. This habit had serious repercussions for the Capercaille in the past when the Scottish bird became extinct in the eighteenth century. The birds now resident are the descendants of the Swedish Capercaille which were introduced in 1837, and care is taken to make sure their numbers do not fall again. The arresting plumage of the male seems to employ a whole rainbow of colour to great effect. For this shade we have used the soft dusky carmine of the wing tips as a base. We then threaded it through with hints of gold, blue, orange and green to make a colour not only reminiscent of the Capercaille but also of its wooded Highland habitat.
- [Bogbean - 50g Hebridean 2 Ply](https://virtualyarns.com/product/bogbean-hebridean-2-ply/) - Description Alice Starmore Hebridean 2 Ply Yarn is made from premium quality pure new British wool, dyed in the fleece and skillfully blended into unique shades. It is hand-washed and dried in the Hebridean air, and supplied in hand-made skeins which may vary in weight. It is priced per 50g at standard conditions. All yarn is weighed to order on balances that are checked daily to ensure that you receive the correct total amount. Bogbean is part of the Moor & Mountain range, which is inspired by the landscape of the Outer Hebrides.
- [Red Deer - 50g Hebridean 3 Ply](https://virtualyarns.com/product/red-deer-50g-hebridean-3-ply/) - Description Alice Starmore Hebridean 3 Ply Yarn is made from premium quality pure new British wool, dyed in the fleece and skillfully blended into unique shades. It is hand-washed and dried in the Hebridean air, and supplied in hand-made skeins which may vary in weight. It is priced per 50g at standard conditions. All yarn is weighed to order on balances that are checked daily to ensure that you receive the correct total amount. Red Deer is part of the Moor & Mountain range, which is inspired by the landscape of the Outer Hebrides. Story Some of my fellow islanders have ambivalent feelings towards deer. They are beautiful creatures but they are inextricably associated with the Highland landed gentry and with the iniquities of the Highland Clearances in the 19th century. I can understand their point of view: my own ancestors were “chased out” of the Uig district of Lewis in order to clear the way for a sporting deer park. The way I see it, it was hardly the fault of the deer. Plenty of Highlanders were chased out to make way for sheep, but we still wear wool and eat mutton. My favourite place to see red deer is a mountainside in Harris known as Stulaval. The sight of sixty-odd deer coming through the rocks is one that cannot fail to impress. You have to be down-wind and very still, for one false move and they are away. My best sighting ever was just a single deer – a young stag that had strayed off on its own. It was a winter day on a very wet, very flat moor, with a low sun slanting across the landscape. There was nowhere to hide and I could hardly drop into the bogs at my feet. I froze, and the slanting sun must have blinded it, for it came closer and closer towards me, cropping the heather as it came. There was no wind whatsoever, and it came close enough for me to hear it breathing. Then of course it scented me, and was off like a bullet, its hind legs kicking up a shower of water drops and rainbows. I watched until it disappeared into the blue haze. For this shade we used the summer coats of the red deer, which are coloured a subtle tawny, tinged with rich reds that blend perfectly with the moorland, making them almost impossible to see. We have slightly intensified the flashes of red, but the effect is still one that will look perfectly at home in any landscape.
- [Erica - 50g Hebridean 3 Ply](https://virtualyarns.com/product/erica-50g-hebridean-3-ply/) - Description Alice Starmore Hebridean 3 Ply Yarn is made from premium quality pure new British wool, dyed in the fleece and skillfully blended into unique shades. It is hand-washed and dried in the Hebridean air, and supplied in hand-made skeins which may vary in weight. It is priced per 50g at standard conditions. All yarn is weighed to order on balances that are checked daily to ensure that you receive the correct total amount. Erica is part of the Moor & Mountain range, which is inspired by the landscape of the Outer Hebrides. Story There are various varieties of Erica, but the one most commonly found in the Hebrides is Erica Cinerea or Bell Heather. As its non-botanic name suggests, the flowers are longer and more bell shaped than Calluna, and the plant tends to grow on hummocks and banks that are slightly clear of the moorland floor, and hence dryer. It is a beautiful sight to see a favourite view framed by Erica in late summer or early autumn: it tends to flower a couple of weeks earlier than Calluna. Garden shops and nurseries stock many cousins of Erica, and this is a slight sore point with me as all my attempts to grow them have met with complete failure. My garden is at the edge of a moor that is rife with wild Erica and Calluna; my soil is well tended and has the right acidity, but any tame heathers that I plant seem to gradually dwindle. This seems to be the case in gardens throughout rural Lewis, yet I see them thriving in Stornoway. I will solve the mystery one day. Meanwhile, as if to mock me, a lovely clump of Erica has come up in the gravel around my cattle pens, where I don’t want anything to grow. Erica is also a valuable dye plant, for its roots can provide a spectacular purple given patience and the right mordant. Our blend is of dark red-violet with deepest purple, tinged with slivers of creamy silver to evoke Erica at its most spectacular – glistening after an early autumn shower.
- [Erica - 50g Hebridean 2 Ply](https://virtualyarns.com/product/erica-hebridean-2-ply/) - Description Alice Starmore Hebridean 2 Ply Yarn is made from premium quality pure new British wool, dyed in the fleece and skillfully blended into unique shades. It is hand-washed and dried in the Hebridean air, and supplied in hand-made skeins which may vary in weight. It is priced per 50g at standard conditions. All yarn is weighed to order on balances that are checked daily to ensure that you receive the correct total amount. Erica is part of the Moor & Mountain range, which is inspired by the landscape of the Outer Hebrides. Story There are various varieties of Erica, but the one most commonly found in the Hebrides is Erica Cinerea or Bell Heather. As its non-botanic name suggests, the flowers are longer and more bell shaped than Calluna, and the plant tends to grow on hummocks and banks that are slightly clear of the moorland floor, and hence dryer. It is a beautiful sight to see a favourite view framed by Erica in late summer or early autumn: it tends to flower a couple of weeks earlier than Calluna. Garden shops and nurseries stock many cousins of Erica, and this is a slight sore point with me as all my attempts to grow them have met with complete failure. My garden is at the edge of a moor that is rife with wild Erica and Calluna; my soil is well tended and has the right acidity, but any tame heathers that I plant seem to gradually dwindle. This seems to be the case in gardens throughout rural Lewis, yet I see them thriving in Stornoway. I will solve the mystery one day. Meanwhile, as if to mock me, a lovely clump of Erica has come up in the gravel around my cattle pens, where I don't want anything to grow. Erica is also a valuable dye plant, for its roots can provide a spectacular purple given patience and the right mordant. Our blend is of dark red-violet with deepest purple, tinged with slivers of creamy silver to evoke Erica at its most spectacular - glistening after an early autumn shower.
- [Cats & Mice Blanket](https://virtualyarns.com/product/cats-mice-blanket/) - Description One Size - Width 70.5cm. Length 93cm. This pack contains all the Alice Starmore Hebridean 2 Ply yarn required for Cats & Mice blanket, plus an amendment with instructions to be worked in conjunction with those given in The Children's Collection. You will require a copy of THE CHILDREN'S COLLECTION to make this design, the book The Children's Collection is available for purchase here. Visit our Video Tutorials section for tutorials on a variety of knitting techniques to help you with your projects. Story The Cats & Mice design in the book is for a vest, but I wanted to use the whimsical pattern in a baby blanket using warm colours of our Hebridean yarn. The blanket is perfect for a baby but it would also look lovely on a chair by any fireside. Jade
- [Elephants Baby Blanket](https://virtualyarns.com/product/elephants-baby-blanket/) - Description One Size - Width 76.3cm. Length 98.5cm. This pack contains all the Alice Starmore Hebridean 2 Ply yarn required for Elephants Baby Blanket, plus an amendment with instructions to be worked in conjunction with those given in The Children's Collection. You will require a copy of THE CHILDREN'S COLLECTION to make this design, the book The Children's Collection is available for purchase here. This design is available in blue (shown in blanket) and red (shown in waistcoat) colourways. It is also available as a children's waistcoat. Visit our Video Tutorials section for tutorials on a variety of knitting techniques to help you with your projects. Story After The Children's Collection was published, the Elephants theme proved hugely popular with children and adults alike, so I decided to write the blanket amendment as a further option for knitters. This blanket will make a beautiful gift for a new addition to the family, or it can adorn any well-loved room. Alice
- [Red Rattle - 50g Hebridean 3 Ply](https://virtualyarns.com/product/red-rattle-50g-hebridean-3-ply/) - Description Alice Starmore Hebridean 3 Ply Yarn is made from premium quality pure new British wool, dyed in the fleece and skillfully blended into unique shades. It is hand-washed and dried in the Hebridean air, and supplied in hand-made skeins which may vary in weight. It is priced per 50g at standard conditions. All yarn is weighed to order on balances that are checked daily to ensure that you receive the correct total amount. Red Rattle is part of the Summer Isle range, which is inspired by the landscape of the Outer Hebrides.
- [Wild Orchid - 50g Hebridean 3 Ply](https://virtualyarns.com/product/wild-orchid-hebridean-3-ply/) - Description Alice Starmore Hebridean 3 Ply Yarn is made from premium quality pure new British wool, dyed in the fleece and skillfully blended into unique shades. It is hand-washed and dried in the Hebridean air, and supplied in hand-made skeins which may vary in weight. It is priced per 50g at standard conditions. All yarn is weighed to order on balances that are checked daily to ensure that you receive the correct total amount. Wild Orchid is part of the Summer Isle range, which is inspired by the tiny Summer Islands in the mouth of Loch Broom. It is shown here in knitted in the Secret Garden design from the book The Children's Collection. Story Orchids tend to be associated with a hot, steamy environment, so it surprises most people to discover there are varieties that grow on our northern peat moors. They are quite small, but get down to their level and you will see they are as exotic in appearance as anything from a jungle. There are various species and sub-species, making them quite difficult to positively identify. I am (almost) positive that the one that grows on my croft is Dactylorhiza Ericetorum. It is not common in Britain as a whole but grows quite profusely in the Outer Hebrides. It flowers in May to July, and we have used its lilacs, violets and mauves as the model for our blend.
- [Fulmar - 50g Hebridean 2 Ply](https://virtualyarns.com/product/fulmar-hebridean-2-ply/) - Description Alice Starmore Hebridean 2 Ply Yarn is made from premium quality pure new British wool, dyed in the fleece and skillfully blended into unique shades. It is hand-washed and dried in the Hebridean air, and supplied in hand-made skeins which may vary in weight. It is priced per 50g at standard conditions. All yarn is weighed to order on balances that are checked daily to ensure that you receive the correct total amount. Fulmar is part of the Birds range, which is inspired by birds of the Outer Hebrides. Story The inhabitants of St Kilda – the most Westerly of the Hebridean Isles – have long since abandoned their island in search of more fertile shores. It is now the home of a variety of different birds out of which the Fulmar has the strongest claim on the land. Up until 1878 there was only one colony of Fulmars in the British Isles, and they made their year-round home on St Kilda. Like the Solan Goose, Fulmars lay only one egg each year and chicks cannot breed until they are about seven or eight, but this is balanced by a lifespan of twenty-five years. Their numbers have risen very successfully over the last century and they have spread around the coast of Britain. The St Kilda colony is also still going strong. This expansion in numbers is probably due to island communities becoming more prosperous, with a consequent falling off in the need to harvest Fulmars for flesh, oil and feathers. Also waste offal from commercial fishing provides the Fulmar with a plentiful diet. Although they are ungainly on land, once in the air these plump birds become powerful and impressive fliers, almost equalling the Albatross in their manoeuvres. They are the ideal shape for aerobatics, and the Fulmar inspired the classic lines of the legendary British fighter plane, the Spitfire. Like the Spitfire, the Fulmar is not defenceless. They may have awkward land legs, but nestlings have the ability to spray a foul smelling jet of fishy oil at anyone who is bold enough to approach. The subtle beige, browns and greys of the Fulmars' wings and back have provided the base for our colour, which is then mixed with the dusky pink and orange tones of their legs to create a soft and flattering shade.
- [Shearwater - 50g Hebridean 2 Ply](https://virtualyarns.com/product/shearwater-hebridean-2-ply/) - Description Alice Starmore Hebridean 2 Ply Yarn is made from premium quality pure new British wool, dyed in the fleece and skillfully blended into unique shades. It is hand-washed and dried in the Hebridean air, and supplied in hand-made skeins which may vary in weight. It is priced per 50g at standard conditions. All yarn is weighed to order on balances that are checked daily to ensure that you receive the correct total amount. Shearwater is part of the Birds range, which is inspired by birds of the Outer Hebrides. Story The Manx Shearwater is a very well travelled bird which will visit many parts of the globe throughout the year. They are also capable of great speed. One colony transported from Wales to Boston, USA were all back in their colony thirteen days later. Although they enjoy visiting many different climes, they choose remote coastal parts of Britain for their breeding grounds, and the Hebridean Isles have a healthy population of these birds. They are highly vocal during their courtship: strange screams and cackles emanate from the cliffs at odd hours of the night. The moon seems to have a calming effect on the courtship proceedings and the birds cease their weird cries whilst the moon is full. The Shearwater is very graceful when in flight and flips its body from side to side as it flashes past the cliffs, but on land they are an odd sight. In order to get airborne they have to scramble up rocks until they have enough height to hurl themselves into the air – a practice which can be a little undignified but well worth it for the effect they achieve once airborne. My favourite place to see Shearwaters is from the deck of the ferry, Hebridean Isles, which plies between Tarbert in Harris and Uig on the Isle of Skye. The birds put on a spectacular aerobatic display over the waters of the Sound of Harris, sometimes clipping the waves with their wings. Our Shearwater colour is based upon these calmer coastal waters. Misty blues and greys blend perfectly with turquoise and lilacs to create a beautiful shade that mirrors the cliffside waters which are so much a feature of the Hebrides.
- [Limpet - 50g Hebridean 2 Ply](https://virtualyarns.com/product/limpet-hebridean-2-ply/) - Description Alice Starmore Hebridean 2 Ply Yarn is made from premium quality pure new British wool, dyed in the fleece and skillfully blended into unique shades. It is hand-washed and dried in the Hebridean air, and supplied in hand-made skeins which may vary in weight. It is priced per 50g at standard conditions. All yarn is weighed to order on balances that are checked daily to ensure that you receive the correct total amount. Limpet is part of the Sea & Shoreline range, which is inspired by the Hebridean coast. Story The first mesolithic food gatherers stumbled from their dug-out canoes onto Hebridean shores while Britain was still linked by land to continental Europe. The sea level was in the process of rising following the last great ice age. I struggle to imagine these people of ten thousand years ago. Few of them made it to thirty years of age, but did they look like old men and women by that time? I certainly have no idea. Some of their tools have been found: fish hooks made of bone; digging tools made of antler; primitive stone hammers. Their rubbish has remained also, in special dumps or middens. What does it consist of? Limpet shells mainly – thousands of them, along with other crustacea. They must have spent a lot of time eating them, for it takes about seventy limpets to equal the food value of the average helping of meat. It was to be another 2000 years before the first farmers arrived with their animals and seeds. That is a long time for shellfish to be the main item on the menu. When we went to the mill to discuss this shade, we took along a limpet shell, a mussel shell and a crab's leg, all from Gress Beach, which I can see from my window as I write this. We were aiming for a rich, lustrous shade with a deep pearly sheen, and that is what I think we have captured in this blend.
- [Summertide - 50g Hebridean 2 Ply](https://virtualyarns.com/product/summer-tide-hebridean-2-ply/) - Description Alice Starmore Hebridean 2 Ply Yarn is made from premium quality pure new British wool, dyed in the fleece and skillfully blended into unique shades. It is hand-washed and dried in the Hebridean air, and supplied in hand-made skeins which may vary in weight. It is priced per 50g at standard conditions. All yarn is weighed to order on balances that are checked daily to ensure that you receive the correct total amount. Summertide is part of the Summer Isle range, which is inspired by the tiny Summer Islands in the mouth of Loch Broom.
- [Strabhann - 50g Hebridean 2 Ply](https://virtualyarns.com/product/strabhann-hebridean-2-ply/) - Description Alice Starmore Hebridean 2 Ply Yarn is made from premium quality pure new British wool, dyed in the fleece and skillfully blended into unique shades. It is hand-washed and dried in the Hebridean air, and supplied in hand-made skeins which may vary in weight. It is priced per 50g at standard conditions. All yarn is weighed to order on balances that are checked daily to ensure that you receive the correct total amount. Strabhann is part of the Summer Isle range, which is inspired by the tiny Summer Islands in the mouth of Loch Broom.
- [Wild Orchid - 50g Hebridean 2 Ply](https://virtualyarns.com/product/wild-orchid-hebridean-2-ply/) - Description Alice Starmore Hebridean 2 Ply Yarn is made from premium quality pure new British wool, dyed in the fleece and skillfully blended into unique shades. It is hand-washed and dried in the Hebridean air, and supplied in hand-made skeins which may vary in weight. It is priced per 50g at standard conditions. All yarn is weighed to order on balances that are checked daily to ensure that you receive the correct total amount. Wild Orchid is part of the Summer Isle range, which is inspired by the tiny Summer Islands in the mouth of Loch Broom. Story Orchids tend to be associated with a hot, steamy environment, so it surprises most people to discover there are varieties that grow on our northern peat moors. They are quite small, but get down to their level and you will see they are as exotic in appearance as anything from a jungle. There are various species and sub-species, making them quite difficult to positively identify. I am (almost) positive that the one that grows on my croft is Dactylorhiza Ericetorum. It is not common in Britain as a whole but grows quite profusely in the Outer Hebrides. It flowers in May to July, and we have used its lilacs, violets and mauves as the model for our blend.
- [Clover - 50g Hebridean 2 Ply](https://virtualyarns.com/product/clover-hebridean-2-ply/) - Description Alice Starmore Hebridean 2 Ply Yarn is made from premium quality pure new British wool, dyed in the fleece and skillfully blended into unique shades. It is hand-washed and dried in the Hebridean air, and supplied in hand-made skeins which may vary in weight. It is priced per 50g at standard conditions. All yarn is weighed to order on balances that are checked daily to ensure that you receive the correct total amount. Clover is part of the Summer Isle range, which is inspired by the tiny Summer Islands in the mouth of Loch Broom. Story When roads are upgraded in the Outer Hebrides, it is usually a case of replacing a single-track road with a two-lane version. Sometimes the old road is simply widened, but more often than not the line of the road is changed and the new one charges straight through the landscape instead of meandering as in quieter times. This leaves sections of the old road stranded off in the moor, rather like ox-bow lakes in a river system. They lie unused and forgotten, dreaming their own dreams and keeping their own counsel. It is then that the grass and wildflowers display their lust for life and the transitory nature of tarmac, for they start to reclaim the land back for nature. Clover is usually well to the fore. I like seeing its red and white clumps on little stretches of lost Hebridean highway. The other spectacular place for clover is on the machair where it bursts out in a summer profusion of coloured clouds and drifts. We have chosen the red variety of clover for our Summer Isle colour. Its vitality reflects that of the plant itself.
- [Red Rattle - 50g Hebridean 2 Ply](https://virtualyarns.com/product/red-rattle-hebridean-2-ply/) - Description Alice Starmore Hebridean 2 Ply Yarn is made from premium quality pure new British wool, dyed in the fleece and skillfully blended into unique shades. It is hand-washed and dried in the Hebridean air, and supplied in hand-made skeins which may vary in weight. It is priced per 50g at standard conditions. All yarn is weighed to order on balances that are checked daily to ensure that you receive the correct total amount. Red Rattle is part of the Summer Isle range, which is inspired by summer in the Outer Hebrides. Story Pedicularis Palustris, otherwise known as Red Rattle, is my "someday" plant. Someday I will see if it has any virtue for dyeing purposes. None are mentioned in any of the old sources, but it has a russet tinge to its leaves and stem, and flowers of such a beautiful red that I am certain there must be dye in there somewhere. I suppose that one reason I have been rather lax over Red Rattle is the fact that it is so common. It is ever the case that you ignore what is right before your eyes. For the present, I have used it as a model for this blend of warm reds that definitely belongs on Summer Isle.
- [Whin - 50g Hebridean 2 Ply](https://virtualyarns.com/product/whin-hebridean-2-ply/) - Description Alice Starmore Hebridean 2 Ply Yarn is made from premium quality pure new British wool, dyed in the fleece and skillfully blended into unique shades. It is hand-washed and dried in the Hebridean air, and supplied in hand-made skeins which may vary in weight. It is priced per 50g at standard conditions. All yarn is weighed to order on balances that are checked daily to ensure that you receive the correct total amount. Whin is part of the Summer Isle range, which is inspired by summer in the Outer Hebrides. Story The shrub called Gorse or Whin is not the most attractive of botanic specimens but it is very tough and spiny. When large enough it makes a hedge that no beast can penetrate, let alone human. Its toughness is so legendary that it has been adopted as a badge by no less than three Highland clans – the Logans, Maclennans and Sinclairs. Its cousins, the Genistas or Brooms have also had a long emblematic history, for they gave their name to the Plantagenet (Planta Genista) dynasty of English kings. Whin stands mainly by roadsides in the Hebrides, and no-one really pays much attention to it – until May, for that is when it blooms and becomes spectacular, being covered in a profusion of flowers of a rich, golden yellow. If you collect these flowers in season you can obtain a beautiful yellow or gold colour, according to how you mordant the yarn. If you care to risk the spines, then the leaves and chopped bark can also be used to obtain an interesting green, but the process is quite long. The leaves of Whin are said to have antiseptic qualities as a wound dressing, but you will probably be in need of it after harvesting them – those spines again. I have used Whin's gorgeous spring colour as the model for our shade – a particularly rich blend of yellows and golds.
- [Sundew - 50g Hebridean 2 Ply](https://virtualyarns.com/product/sundew-hebridean-2-ply/) - Description Alice Starmore Hebridean 2 Ply Yarn is made from premium quality pure new British wool, dyed in the fleece and skillfully blended into unique shades. It is hand-washed and dried in the Hebridean air, and supplied in hand-made skeins which may vary in weight. It is priced per 50g at standard conditions. All yarn is weighed to order on balances that are checked daily to ensure that you receive the correct total amount. Sundew is part of the Moor & Mountain range, which is inspired by the landscape of the Outer Hebrides. Story Every rose has its thorn; all that glitters is not gold. Drosera Rotundifolia manages to combine these proverbs in a rather sinister way. Sundew is a plant of bog and wet moorland and so is very common in the Hebrides. It is beautiful, with glistening jewel-like beads along its red-tinged leaves. These are drops of sweet nectar, and their purpose is to lure insects to their death, for that is how Sundew makes its living. Sinister? Possibly, but when you are out on the moor in summer, and you have just run out of midge repellant which didn't seem to work anyway, and your neck is throbbing from yet another clegg bite, then your sympathies tend to be on the side of the Sundew. When used as a dye plant, Sundew leaves can give a pleasing rusty red, which can turn to purple with the addition of ammonia. However, we have based our Sundew shade on the plant itself, along with that of its cousin and neighbour Great Sundew, or Drosera Anglica. In our Sundew blend, wisps and specks of greens, purple and gold are spun through a base of bright bronze and magenta. The resulting colour glows with life, just like a rose of light itself.
- [Tormentil - 50g Hebridean 2 Ply](https://virtualyarns.com/product/tormentil-hebridean-2-ply/) - Description Alice Starmore Hebridean 2 Ply Yarn is made from premium quality pure new British wool, dyed in the fleece and skillfully blended into unique shades. It is hand-washed and dried in the Hebridean air, and supplied in hand-made skeins which may vary in weight. It is priced per 50g at standard conditions. All yarn is weighed to order on balances that are checked daily to ensure that you receive the correct total amount. Tormentil is part of the Moor & Mountain range, which is inspired by the landscape of the Outer Hebrides.
- [Glen - 50g Hebridean 2 Ply](https://virtualyarns.com/product/glen-50g-hebridean-2-ply/) - Description Alice Starmore Hebridean 2 Ply Yarn is made from premium quality pure new British wool, dyed in the fleece and skillfully blended into unique shades. It is hand-washed and dried in the Hebridean air, and supplied in hand-made skeins which may vary in weight. It is priced per 50g at standard conditions. All yarn is weighed to order on balances that are checked daily to ensure that you receive the correct total amount. Glen is part of the Moor & Mountain range, which is inspired by the landscape of the Outer Hebrides.
- [Kelpie - 50g Hebridean 2 Ply](https://virtualyarns.com/product/kelpie-hebridean-2-ply/) - Description Alice Starmore Hebridean 2 Ply Yarn is made from premium quality pure new British wool, dyed in the fleece and skillfully blended into unique shades. It is hand-washed and dried in the Hebridean air, and supplied in hand-made skeins which may vary in weight. It is priced per 50g at standard conditions. All yarn is weighed to order on balances that are checked daily to ensure that you receive the correct total amount. Kelpie is part of the Moor & Mountain range, which is inspired by the landscape of the Outer Hebrides.
- [The Children's Collection](https://virtualyarns.com/product/the-childrens-collection/) - Description THE CHILDREN'S COLLECTION by Alice & Jade Starmore A collection of 10 designs for children between the ages of 2 and 9. Published by Interweave Press, Colorado USA, 2000 This book contains the designs – Fish & Anchors, Mendocino, Oriental Flower, Western Seas, Cats & Mice, Magic Carpet, Sand Dollar, Elephants, Classic Aran and Secret Garden. Since this book was published, 5 of these designs have been re-worked in Alice Starmore Hebridean yarns and are available as yarn packs. These packs include pattern amendments to be used in conjunction with the original book. Also available are bonus variations, including an adult version of Secret Garden, titled Isobel Of Mar, and baby blanket versions of the Elephants and Cats & Mice designs. These are not included in the book, but are available from Virtual Yarns as yarn packs with amendments to be worked alongside the original edition. Story Pick up your needles and enter the world of childhood. From their island studio on the north western edge of Scotland, Alice and Jade Starmore bring you this collection of ten knitwear designs for children. The designs are timeless handknit classics for which the Starmore name has become famous throughout the world. Clear and concise instructions guide you through every detail of the knitting process, from cast-on to final finishing. The full ability spectrum is covered, from simple but spectacular sweaters suitable for novice knitters, through to a family heirloom piece that will be enjoyed by an expert. Each design is shown in detail, photographed on the Hebridean islands of Lewis and Harris.
- [White Jacobite Rose Full Set](https://virtualyarns.com/product/white-jacobite-rose-full-set/) - Description Knitted Measurements Cardigan Small – Underarm (buttoned) 94cm. Cropped Length 51cm. Classic Length 58.5cm. Medium – Underarm (buttoned) 100cm. Cropped Length 53cm. Classic Length 60.5cm. Large – Underarm (buttoned) 106cm. Cropped Length 55cm. Classic Length 62.5cm. X Large – Underarm (buttoned) 112cm. Cropped Length 56.5cm. Classic Length 64.5. XX Large – Underarm (buttoned) 118cm. Cropped Length 58.5cm. Classic Length 66cm. Knitted Measurements Hat Set Beret – Circumference 64.5cm. Brim to crown 26cm. Fingerless Gloves – Width around knuckles 19.3[20.7, 22]cm. This White Jacobite Rose Set includes a colour-printed pattern card with full instructions in all sizes and all the Alice Starmore Hebridean 2Ply yarn required to make the White Jabobite Rose Hat Set and the White Jacobite Rose Jacket in your chosen size and length. The jacket is shown here in the Classic length, but is also available in a Cropped length (see above for measurements) . The White Jacobite Rose cardigan is a standard fit cardigan with set-in sleeves. The body is entirely worked in the round and the sleeves are knitted separately in the round to the armholes, with the sleeve caps knitted back and forth in rows. The White Jacobite Rose Hat Set is composed of a beret and one pair of fingerless gloves in 9 shades of Alice Starmore Hebridean 2 Ply. The set is worked in the stranded circular technique. If you are new to this technique then there is a graded progression you can follow, starting with the beret which introduces double decrease shaping in the patterned crown. The fingerless gloves will teach you how to make thumb gussets and how to work each digit in the round. This set is also available in a Red colourway. The Jacobite Rose Set is also shown here with a Seaweed Scarf in Sea Ivory. Visit our Video Tutorials section for tutorials on a variety of knitting techniques to help you with your projects.
- [Road Movies](https://virtualyarns.com/product/road-movies/) - Description ROAD MOVIES Volume 1 by Alice Starmore One woman's adventures on the highways and byways of America. Published by Windfall Press, Isle of Lewis, Scotland, 2008. Alice Starmore is a Scottish artist, designer and author who spent twelve years travelling the USA on the lecture and book promotion circuit. She crossed the continent many times; lived a gypsy life out on the great American highway and took with her a keen eye for an image and a sharp ear for dialogue. ROAD MOVIES Volume 1 is a witty and fast-moving account of some of her journeys into the heart of America. Story From the Thunderbird I took a box that had been stowed there since Alabama, and which had made it's way over from Scotland in a corner of my suitcase. It was a plain cardboard box containing a tiny part of the Hebrides - a piece of Lewissian gneiss, silvery grey with flecks of white quartz and a vein of delicate pink. I selected it from the summit of a hill called Roineval, which is not the highest point of my island home, but which for me is its spiritual centre. I removed the stone from the box and took it down to the Atlantic shore where little waves flopped onto the rocky beach beside the New Haven Harbor Light. I walked down to greet them and dabbled my stone in the surf. I intended to take it with me across the entire width of the continent and dip it in the Pacific on the other side: it would be my own small ceremony to celebrate my safe passage. Turning the stone over in my hand, I bade farewell to the Atlantic and walked back towards the White Bird. With those steps, my overland coast-to-coast journey had begun.
- [Aran Knitting](https://virtualyarns.com/product/aran-knitting/) - Description ARAN KNITTING by Alice Starmore Paperback 27.5 X 21cm New and Expanded Edition, published by Dover Inc (2010). ISBN - 13: 978 - 0 - 486 - 47842 - 5 ISBN - 10: 0 - 486 - 47842 - 4 The definitive guide to designing and knitting in the Irish Aran tradition, this highly sought after book returns to print after a decade's absence in a revised and expanded version. Alice Starmore is internationally renowned as a knitwear designer and an expert on knitting technique. In this guide she presents a fascinating history of Aran Knitting and an analysis of the traditional style, in addition to a complete workshop on technique, pattern and design. Also included are nine of her original classic Aran designs, and six of her unique Celtic knotwork designs. Yarn packs are available from Virtual Yarns for all 15 of the designs in Aran Knitting. Click here to see all yarn packs available for working with the Aran Knitting book.
- [Charts For Colour Knitting](https://virtualyarns.com/product/charts-for-colour-knitting/) - Description CHARTS FOR COLOR KNITTING by Alice Starmore Paperback 27.5 X 21cm New and Expanded Edition, published by Dover Inc (2011). ISBN - 13: 978 - 0 - 486 - 48463 - 1 ISBN - 10: 0 - 486 - 48463 - 7 Story In the course of her career as an internationally recognized authority on knitting design and instruction, Alice Starmore has collected and created a remarkable compilation of charted designs for colour knitting.This treasury features a choice selection of her source material, arranged into four parts: • Traditional patterns from Europe, Russia, and South America • Adaptations from textiles and other art, including Japanese porcelain and Celtic metalwork • Alice Starmore's own geometric and nature-inspired originals • Practical instructions that explain how to incorporate these motifs into unique designs Suitable for beginning as well as advanced colour knitters, these charted designs can also be adapted to other crafts including weaving and embroidery. This expanded version explains how to incorporate colour into your work and features colour photographs of knitted swatches created expressly for this Dover edition.
- [Alice Starmore's Book Of Fair Isle Knitting](https://virtualyarns.com/product/alice-starmores-book-of-fair-isle-knitting/) - Description ALICE STARMORE'S BOOK OF FAIR ISLE KNITTING Paperback 27.5 X 21cm Published by Dover Inc (2009) unabridged republication of the edition published by Taunton Press Inc 1988. ISBN - 13: 978 - 0 - 486 - 47218 - 8 ISBN - 10: 0 486 - 47218 - 3 Story Scotland's Fair Isle is celebrated the world over for its distinctive, stranded-colour knitting, and Alice Starmore is famous for her expertise in designing and instructing knitters in this appealing regional tradition. Her richly illustrated guide offers both beginning and advanced knitters a complete workshop in the Fair Isle style. It not only explores the art's history, patterns and traditional techniques but also encourages knitters to develop their own creativity. More than 250 photographs, drawings, and easy-to-follow charts illustrate sources of inspiration, simple instructions and spectacular results. Knitting devotees agree: If you have only one book on Fair Isle Knitting, this is the one to have.
- [Tudor Roses](https://virtualyarns.com/product/tudor-roses/) - Description TUDOR ROSES by Alice Starmore With Photography, Illustrations & Designs by Jade Starmore Paperback edition - 21.1cm x 27.4cm Published by Dover Publications Inc. ISBN - 13: 978-0486817187 ISBN - 10: 0486817180 Tudor Roses is a collection of original hand knitwear designs inspired by fourteen women connected with the Tudor dynasty. Through the medium of knitting, photography, styling, illustration and writing, Alice and Jade have blended history and imagination into a unique book for knitters, and also for aficionados of art photography, of history, of fabric and costume, and lovers of beautiful books. Click here to see all yarn packs available for working with the Tudor Roses book.

## Real3D Flipbook

- [Staran Prospectus](https://virtualyarns.com/flipbook/staran-prospectus/)
- [Infinite Cable Class](https://virtualyarns.com/flipbook/infinite-cable-class/)
- [Cluaran (copy)](https://virtualyarns.com/flipbook/cluaran-copy/)
- [Cluaran](https://virtualyarns.com/flipbook/cluaran-prospectus/)
- [Sulaire](https://virtualyarns.com/flipbook/sulaire-prospectus/)
- [Lapwing Collar Prospectus](https://virtualyarns.com/flipbook/lapwing-collar-prospectus/)
- [Weaving Prospectus](https://virtualyarns.com/flipbook/weaving-prospectus/)
- [Henry VIII Hat Set](https://virtualyarns.com/flipbook/henry-viii-hat-set/)
- [Briodag](https://virtualyarns.com/flipbook/briodag/)
- [Queen of the Waves](https://virtualyarns.com/flipbook/queen-of-the-waves/)
- [Creative Course 1 Prospectus](https://virtualyarns.com/flipbook/creative-course-1-prospectus/)
- [Virtual Yarns Inspiration](https://virtualyarns.com/flipbook/virtual-yarns-inspiration/)

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