I’m Janette Budge born in Shetland and have lived in Shetland all my life. I’m married and have 2 daughters and live in the South Mainland of Shetland, near to St Ninians Isle but was brought up on the Westside of the Shetland Mainland near Aith.
I began my working life in IT with the local council and after 10 years retrained as a Clinical Aromatherapist. Like many I was taught to knit at a young age, around 6 years old we think. I’ve knitted for the most part of my life as a hobby but not always fair isle.
My daughters are now teenagers so I find I have a little more time to devote to my knitting. As I get older I seem to become more nostalgic and interested in my own knitting history and keen to share the Shetland knitting heritage to the younger generation and beyond as the skills and techniques aren’t being passed down within households as they once were. For this reason I always incorporate Shetland knitting techniques in my workshops.
My involvement with Shetland Wool Week, Shetland PeerieMakkers and the Shetland Guild of Spinners Knitters Weavers and Dyers has also fuelled my desire to return to my first love, fair isle especially yokes. I grew up surrounded by them at home as my mum was a piece worker for a local broker. Knitting fair isle yokes onto machine made bodies in the 1970’s as many women did around that time.
I’ve always been drawn to colour and love playing with colours in my fair isle patterns. I get my inspiration from everywhere, from nature through the landscape at particular times of year, from an occasion such as a wedding or significant birthday or from a person through their personality and character.