ZZZ-ARCHIVED-From Dorset to Skye – New

Brought up in Dorset, on the South Coast of England, and now living on the Isle of Skye, off the North West Coast of Scotland, my creativity is inspired by the landscapes and history of these places.

Dorset is a beautiful county with stunning rolling English countryside and dramatic Jurassic coastline. Many a childhood day were spent exploring the cliff tops and long sandy beaches. Whether at Sandbanks, Studland Bay or further West at Durdle Door and Lulworth Cove this coastline always held a fascination and instilled a lifelong love of the sea in me.

With the hills, downs and vales formed by geological forces and further shaped by years of farming, many of the sheep who grazed this land formed the origins of the Dorset Button.

Learning, through knitting, about Dorset Buttons, the social history and their place and connection to a county that holds a special place in my heart led to TJFrog and my research to learn more about their history continues today.

Living on the Isle of Skye with its majestic mountains and rocky coastlines has fostered a greater appreciation of the forces that create our landscape. From the Cullin to the Quaraing I still have to pinch myself that I now live in such an immense striking and dramatic landscape.

Looking out to sea with views to the mainland of Knoydart and Arnamurchan and the Isles of Eigg and Rum the constant changing weather casts light patterns that distract and mesmerise. Inspiration is aplenty.

The rich geological features of Dorset & Skye inspired TJFrog’s wool label, Shorelines & Strata, celebrating their linkage through geology and each areas distinctive breeds of sheep that have long shaped the land.