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A Faroese shawl is a traditional piece of clothing from the
Faroe Islands The Faroe Islands ( ), or simply the Faroes ( fo, Føroyar ; da, Færøerne ), are a North Atlantic island group and an autonomous territory of the Kingdom of Denmark. They are located north-northwest of Scotland, and about halfway betw ...
. The most distinguishing characteristic of Faroese
shawl A shawl (from fa, شال ''shāl'',) is a simple item of clothing from Kashmir, loosely worn over the shoulders, upper body and arms, and sometimes also over the head. It is usually a rectangular or square piece of cloth, which is often fold ...
s is the center back
gusset In sewing, a gusset is a triangular or rhomboidal piece of fabric inserted into a seam to add breadth or reduce stress from tight-fitting clothing. Gussets were used at the shoulders, underarms, and hems of traditional shirts and chemises made ...
shaping. Each shawl consists of two triangular side panels, a trapezoid-shaped back gusset, an edge treatment, and usually shoulder shaping. The shoulder shaping allows these shawls to drape over the shoulders and remain in place as the wearer moves, even if the shawl is not pinned in place. Instead of a more familiar triangular, rectangular or circular shape, Faroese shawls are shaped like butterfly wings. Some have very long ends so they can be tied around the wearer's waist for extra warmth. The shawls often feature elaborate lace work. Lace knitting is a traditional handcraft of peoples of the Faroe Islands. These shawls are traditionally knit from domestic
wool Wool is the textile fibre obtained from sheep and other mammals, especially goats, rabbits, and camelids. The term may also refer to inorganic materials, such as mineral wool and glass wool, that have properties similar to animal wool. A ...
of native sheep grown primarily for meat. Natural colors of brown, black, grey and creamy white are most often used. Some shawls may have color features in place of lace, or combinations of color panels or stripes and lace panels. The notation used for recording patterns for these shawls is unique. Patterns are drawn out showing the back gusset and one side panel with numerical shaping instructions noted on the diagram. Lace patterns are drawn showing where the
eyelets Curtain grommets, used among others in shower curtains. A grommet is a ring or edge strip inserted into a hole through thin material, typically a sheet of textile fabric, sheet metal or composite of carbon fiber, wood or honeycomb. Grommets ar ...
go, but without specifying where the accompanying decreases should go. Most shawls are begun at the neck, but Faroese shawls are begun from the bottom by casting on hundreds of stitches. As the work progresses, structural decreases between the side panels and back gusset reduce the number of stitches until very few remain at the neck. Since garter stitch is used, the shawls are reversible, except where color panels are used.


References

* * (Sold as an accompaniment to the Faroese-language original). * *{{cite book , last=Stahman , first=Myrna , title=Stahman's Shawls and Scarves: Lace Faroese-Shaped Shawls from the Neck Down & Seamen's Scarves , year=2000 , publisher=Rocking Chair Pr , isbn=978-0-9675427-0-6 Knitted garments Lace Faroese culture Textile arts of Denmark