Scottish folk accessories

[sofiya]

Shetland mitts and purse discovered on a man's body found at Gunnister in Northmavine in Shetland in the late 17th century. The purse has three bands of decorative Fair Isle pattern on the main body.

According to The Victoria&Albert Museum in London where the gloves and pouch are exhibited, “Knitting probably came to Shetland from England, as English words were used for the earliest knitting terms. By the beginning of the 18th century, the islanders were trading hosiery in exchange for money and goods from Dutch and German merchants. Knitters manufactured large quantities of coarse woolen stockings and blankets, as well as the finer work upon which their reputation rested”.

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