12-Day ~ Fjords and Highlands Knitting Cruise (May 2016)

2016 Fjords & Highlands Knitting Cruise Highlights

Dramatic Norwegian Fjords, Scottish Highlands and the British Islands conjure up images of harsh terrains and cultures where knitting has always been a part of everyday life.  If you have an interest in knitting and textiles this enriching voyage to the best ports in Norway, Scotland and the British Islands is for you. Enjoy exploring fascinating places along the way coupled with an enriching onboard educational program with Hazel Tindall. Having a knitting expert onboard from the region will bring a unique and interesting twist to your cruise vacation.

Join us on a cruise full of breathtaking wild scenery and lots of wooly sheep. Meet local spinners, weavers and knitters along the way as well as many talented craftspeople specializing in everything from basket making and jewelry artistry to numerous other textiles. Experience regions known for abundant sheep farms producing high quality wool as well as spectacular coastal scenery. From your floating resort, discover beautiful destinations while being pampered in luxury.

Hazel Tindall will be teaching a range of knitting techniques onboard.  Hazel has mastered the fine art of Fair Isle knitting and is the world’s fastest knitter.  Hazel designs unique Shetland and Fair Isle knitting patterns and is very involved in the festivals and organizations in Shetland.  Growing up here Hazel was surrounded by knitters who needed to knit quickly and to a high standard in order to gain an income. Hazel, like so many from this region, has been knitting for longer than she's been reading and writing, and has no memory of learning to knit.  Hazel has knit thousands of pieces of knitting and loves knitting Fair Isle. With so many colors and patterns Hazel feels this technique enables the knitter to never run out of ideas.

2016 Fjords & Highlands Knitting Cruise Highlights

• Copenhagen yarn shopping & trunk show at Sommerfuglen, Denmark's largest yarn shop


• Meet designer Tove Fevang in Oslo for a trunk show of traditional Norwegian knitting at Tjorven Garn, Oslo's oldest yarn shop in the center of Old Town


• Shop for sweaters at the Dale of Norway sweater shop or Oleana sweaters at Husfliden, Norway's handcraft guild shop where you'll also find traditional Norwegian costumes


• Yarn shopping in every port with detailed maps and shop specials


• Enjoy a trunk show with Norwegian Designer Tove Fevang in Oslo


• In Stavanger visit Sandnes Garn factory and outlet store for a private tour


• Spend a day in Kristiansand, where Norwegians go for their holidays to relax in a spectacular setting and to spend time on unspoiled beaches


• In Stavanger visit a a viewpoint towering 1,980 feet over the sea, making it the most spectacular viewpoint in all of Norway


• Visit the Shetland Wool Brokers, Jamieson and Smith, to shop for yarn and learn about the 700 knitters, farmers and designers who transform Shetland's wool into high quality yarn, knitwear and blankets


• Take in the Shetland Museum for a private textile tour and demonstrations of traditional spinning and knitting by the Shetland Guild of Spinners, Weavers, Knitters and Dyers


• See the Böd of Gremista and Shetland Textile Working Museum with hands-on exhibits representing many local textiles


• Visit the Scottish Wool Centre in Aberfoyle while docked in Greenock where you will learn about sheep farming in Scotland


• Enjoy the Skye Shilasdair Shop in Waternish and meet local color artist, Judy Hodgkin, who will tell you all about her natural hand-dyeing techniques


• Learn about Scottish Sanquhar knitting at K1 Yarns Ltd. in Edinburgh


• Shop for yarn and meet local knitters at The Knit Studio in Newcastle Upon Tyne in the historic Blackfriar's building dating back to 1239


• Savor a 3-Course medieval style meal at the Blackfriar's Restaurant consisting of traditional British farm-fresh ingredients prepared in the oldest operating kitchen in the United Kingdom



 
•