I was very excited to get to Papa Stour. A small island off the west coast of Shetland, it punches way above its weight in terms of historical significance. The oldest document from Shetland originates from here in 1299 and is about a land rent payment dispute between Ragnhild Simunsdatter and the royal representative, Thorvald Thoresson. in 2008 a replica stofa or farmhouse was partly built to show the construction of such a building. In the same way that centuries later, Swedish kit houses were shipped to Shetland and built quickly to accommodate the influx of oil workers, so were prepared logs shipped from Norway all those centuries ago. You can read more at www.papastourhcg.org. 

With a population of less than 10, the school has been 'mothballed' but is available for community use. We began in the main hall but soon shifted to the smaller office part as it was just so so cold! 

I love how the honeycomb lace of the lampshade mirrors the slip stitch design of my cowl. Incidentally my cowl was knit from gorgeous yarn from fair isle spun by Alice Sinclair Best, I paired it with Suilven 4ply from Ripples Craft. It's like wearing a cloud. 

I enjoyed a tour of the island including to the church, its badly in need of renovation but even in its poor state provides welcome respite to weary travellers! Although small in number the Papa residents and friends are mighty and have since secured funding and have reovated this church to become a multi purpose community building. I've promised to return and run a workshop there soon. These following images show the church prior to improvements. 

Papa Stour is an island that has limited transport links - it would not be possible for me to travel to and from the island in the same day for 2 consecutive days so the only solution was an overnight stay. I was very grateful for the fabulous and generous hospitality of Hilde and family. 

I love this image of the lamp sitting among the 'proil' outside.

It takes special people to live on such an island with little or no amenities. Self sufficiency and resilience are crucial. I know that from a distance its easy to criticise spending money on an island with such a low population but when there, it seems the huge local effort is keeping the island alive for a bit longer, maybe til another population surge comes along. 

I'll leave the final words to the islanders:-

Papa Stour Feedback

I have just spent two enjoyable creative days, knitting with wire. A new and flexible medium with many possibilities . Knitting has always been a part of Shetland culture , I have found difficult to engage with, so have valued this opportunity to try a new expression. The social benefits are also very positive of interacting with others on this sparsely populated isle.

Helen Robertson our mentor and inspiration was a pleasure to meet and shared her creative vision with clarity.

Sabina Holt-Brook

'Gloril' what a wonderful concept! Helen's inspiration was a revelation, and an encouragement to our small island community. It was a very special weekend, in part, of course because of the opportunity to learn a new skill, so very well thought out and taught, but also importantly, because we were able to come together in a unique way, strengthening bonds of friendship and community. Papa Stour often feels isolated from the rest of Shetland, and for this weekend we felt affirmed and included. Thank you, Helen, you brought us joy! (And I've ordered wire for my next project!)

Bless you

Hilde