{"id":5451,"date":"2013-10-11T01:41:13","date_gmt":"2013-10-11T00:41:13","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/thedomesticsoundscape.com\/wordpress\/?p=5451"},"modified":"2013-10-14T09:32:26","modified_gmt":"2013-10-14T08:32:26","slug":"shetland-oo-song","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/thedomesticsoundscape.com\/wordpress\/?p=5451","title":{"rendered":"Shetland Oo song…"},"content":{"rendered":"

Shetland Wool Week is amazing<\/a>! <\/p>\n

There is so, so much to say and definitely not time to write it all now<\/em>. However I have written a song which I performed rather badly but with great gusto at the end of my talk, “Listening to Shetland Oo” and I thought that those of you who were not there might like to read the words; <\/p>\n

SHETLAND WOOL by Felicity Ford<\/p>\n

I live in Reading, 800 miles from here,
\nIt’s famous for brickwork<\/a>, seed packets and beer<\/a>,
\nAnd… like… much of the UK…
\nOnce famous for it’s wool<\/a>, but not so, today!
\nMemories are all that we’ve got,
\nOf our once-famous sheep-breed “The Berkshire Nott<\/a>“,
\nAlas, this fine animal is now extinct,
\nThe last vestige of its genes is in the Hampshire Down I think?<\/p>\n

AND…<\/p>\n

If places were graded and sorted for their wool
\nThen Shetland would be an ACE, 1-star, and full marks
\nwhile Berkshire would be down there round about nine,
\nUnusably coarse and not very fine!!!<\/p>\n

Yes, I live in Reading, and I like its beer…
\nIts brickwork brings me inspirational cheer,
\nAnd I like to gather from familiar streets,
\nideas to turn into hand-knitted treats…
\nBut – oh no! – what can I use, to knit my ideas?
\nYou can’t knit colourwork from seed packets and beers…
\nWhat I need, is wool, that is soft and yet strong,
\nThat’s bouncy from sheep that are short-tailed not long<\/a>…<\/p>\n

AND…<\/p>\n

If places were graded and sorted for sheep
\nThen Shetland would be at the top of the heap,
\nWith its kindly-fleeced sheep breed, and also its rough –
\nBecause WHO DOESN’T LOVE SHEEP THAT ARE MADE OF STRONG STUFF???<\/p>\n

I live in Reading, and I visited these isles…
\nAnd I am blown away, but not just by your textiles…
\nINTRICATE FAIR-ISLE, INSANELY GOOD LACE,
\nBut also a deep sense of connection with place,
\nA feeling that wool and landscape grow together,
\nSurrounded by ocean and shaped by the weather,
\nStories of fishing and knitting entwined…
\nA High Street of KNITWEAR that will blow your mind!!!<\/p>\n

AND…<\/p>\n

If places were graded and sorted for knits,
\nFor gloves, socks and mittens, and hand-dyed yarn kits,
\nThen Shetland would surely get the top grade,
\nFor all of the “maakin'” and all that gets made?<\/p>\n

I live in Reading, with my cat, and my man,
\nAnd I love it there but I do hope I can
\nReturn here often, to listen to terns,
\nTo go up on the peat hills and hear the burns,
\nTo visit the WOOLBROKERS<\/a> and HUFF THE WOOL FUMES,
\nTo listen to Shima machines, record the looms,
\nAnd revel in knowing that the Shetland Isles,
\nAre still rocking the world with amazing textiles…<\/p>\n

That unlike in some other parts of the UK,
\nThe wool industry here is still thriving today,
\nThat people here still know that knitwear is hip,
\nSO THE CROFTER CAN EARN SOME MONEY FOR THE CLIP…<\/p>\n

AND…<\/p>\n

If… places were graded and sorted like wool,
\nthen Shetland would be an ACE, 1-star, and full marks,
\nAnd I am so happy to be here to share
\nThis wonderful textile that we should all wear.<\/p>\n

\"sonik-fishing\"<\/a><\/p>\n

ETA: the song was filmed and recorded by Liz Musser, so that you can now learn the tune if you want to sing along! The film is here on YouTube<\/a> if the version I’ve embedded below doesn’t quite work…<\/p>\n