MAWS - Montana Association of Weavers and Spinners
Main Conference Class #8
Knit a Shetland Hap (K)
Friday, Aug 2
9:00 - 4:30 pm
A hap – a word meaning to cover, wrap or keep warm – was a traditional shawl of everyday wear for Shetland women. In its more common form, the hap started with a garter square and then stitches were picked up to knit a border. Often the border was knit in an Old-Shale lace pattern using different colors of wool to create interest. Haps were not originally knitted in fine wool as the best wool was kept for knitted items which were to be sold. These practical, everyday shawls were folded in half to make a triangle worn over the shoulders, then crossed across the front and the ends were tied in the back. In class we will knit a small sampler of a classic hap shawl to learn how the three separate sections are constructed. We will sample using fingering weight yarn. The good news is that this class requires no purl stitches! Come with a sense of humor and a Shetland accent?
Level: All
Material fee: $5
Instructor: Denise Jackson
Denise Jackson is a fifth-generation spinner and weaver from Great Falls, MT. She is a certified
fiber arts judge and has worked with the NWRSA on setting MT fiber arts judging standards.
Denise completed her master’s degree in communications and leadership with the goal of
becoming a better teacher and judge. Denise teaches nalbinding, lace knitting, Shetland hap
shawls, socks, all levels of spinning, fleece judging, project planning and more. She has
published several articles in Spin-Off magazine.