Donna Smith
Donna Smith is a textile designer and maker living in Shetland. Following her degree in Marine Biology, she decided to set up her own business, which was sparked by an interest in making felt from fleeces from her family’s flock of sheep. Donna uses a variety of textiles and techniques and is currently focusing on her interest in knitting patterns and teaching knitting. And of course Donna was the patron of Shetland Wool Week 2015 and she is responsible for the iconic Baa-ble hat.
Wilma Malcolmson
Wilma has been interested in Fair Isle patterns and colours since she was a child, watching and learning from her mother who was a perfectionist, Wilma began by hand knitting clothes for her dolls, progressing into fair isle with a special interest in the use of colour. She has based her business, Shetland Designer, on the use of colour for both hand and machine knit garments and accessories. With thanks to knitters all over Shetland, her designs are recognisable and have attracted customers from all over the world.
Dr Carol Christiansen
Carol is Curator and Community Museums Officer at Shetland Museum and Archives. She is in charge of the museum’s Textiles Collection, a Recognised Collection of National Significance in Scotland. She recently published Taatit Rugs: the pile bedcovers of Shetland and researches historical and archaeological textiles from Scotland and the Nordic countries. She also loves knitting, natural dyeing and spinning.