In 1841 Shetland Lace Knitting was described as a curiosity, a term which at that time was defined as “a. Made with care or art; skilfully, elaborately or beautifully wrought” and b. (of clothing) exquisitely prepared, dainty, delicate, recherché”. Yet despite its fine and delicate appearance, the Shetland Lace narrative is  one of survival, tenacity and dedication.

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The Shetland Islands are notoriously cold and windswept. For many centuries endemic Shetland Sheep, exposed to these harsh conditions and surviving on a restricted diet of heather and seaweed, produced the very finest of fleeces. Shetland women supplemented meagre household incomes by trading knitted hosiery with passing fishing fleets.  It is in this context of a harsh physical environment and the economic decline in the hoisery trade that Shetland lace knitting emerged in the mid 1800s, becoming a female dominated textile industry that reached global recognition. To this day, the hand spun yarn shawls of intricate lace designs remain unmatched by commercial production.

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Curiosities of Lace celebrates this remarkable legacy of Shetland Lace Knitting.  Each brooch features a traditional pattern of the Shetland Isles framed by Australian Lacewood (red silky oak). It is hoped that the viewer experiences these wearable objects as a modern curiosity, whilst acknowledging the adaptation of a community of women.