I moved to Shetland in the late 1970s and was delighted to find that we were taught knitting in school there!
I could already knit having been taught by my Granny Betty when I was very young but fairisle and lace knitting were new to me. Mrs Manson was my first knitting teacher at school and although strict she was also very encouraging - keeping me going through what I felt was miles of stocking stitch to get to the reward of lovely colourwork at the end! My Mrs Manson Dress starts with a provisional cast-on. You then knit in the round, gradually decreasing to the underarm creating a flattering A-line shape. The sleeves are then knitted with either a long or short sleeved option then joined to the body for the first reward of the yoke. The provisional cast-on is then unzipped before the final flourish of some more lovely colourwork!

Short Sleeved Version:
Jamieson’s of Shetland Spindrift (100% pure Shetland Wool: 105m/26g) in the following quantities:
• MC 160 ‘midnight’ 12(12,13,14,14,15,15) balls
• C 320 ‘steel’ 4(5,5,5,6,7,7) balls
Long Sleeved Version:
Jamieson’s of Shetland Spindrift (100% pure Shetland Wool: 105m/26g) in the following quantities:
• MC 160 ‘midnight’ 15(16,17,17,18,18,18) balls
• C 780 ‘lime’ 4(5,5,5,6,7,7) balls
All yarn quantities are approximations and you may need to purchase extra balls should gauge not be met or if you wish to add length.

Thank you to Heidi, Wendy and Jennifer for test knitting Mrs Manson for me and for their advice and support.

Thanks also to Kate Davies and Ella Gordon for their help and support around calculating yarn quantities.