Heirloom Knitting's
Shetland Hap Shawls: Then & Now
Sharon Miller
(Heirloom Knitting)
ISBN 095542310-4
£14.50
Author Sharon Miller is well-known for Heirloom Knitting, a classic overview of the fine Shetland lace shawl. This book is devoted entirely to the otherwise overlooked workaday shawl called the hap—the one the Shetland knitters themselves would have worn.
Because haps were so common, little has been written about them. They were simply used and worn out, while Shetland lace shawls have left a legacy of carefully preserved family heirlooms and museum displays.
But this book is like having a private museum tour with an expert guide. It addresses the garment from sheep to shawl, and every page, including the inside back cover, is pressed into service. This does make for some busy layouts but it's all so interesting that the curious knitter shouldn't mind.
A wide range of illustrations and photographs depicts everything from the Shetland region's historical dress to shawls in all stages of completion. The written material is equally illuminating, describing the hard life of a Shetland knitter, the serious business of making and selling shawls, and even the etymology of the word hap. And all this is still just the edging, so to speak.
At the centre of the book are patterns and plenty of technical information to encourage the making of haps or, at the least, an appreciation of them. From the hap shawl's basic edged-square construction come many variations and, Miller proposes, even the more famous Shetland lace shawl itself. Charts and detailed patterns give plenty of ideas not just for lace-patterned edges but also colours used. Colours? Yep. Haps often featured borders that were generously striped in many shades of natural as well as dyed wools.
I haven't knitted a hap myself—yet. With this reference to get me started, I'm not only inspired but I'll have plenty to think about while I knit.
—Barbara Coddington