A Knitting Ode to Scotland

September 28, 2025

When we were in Scotland last year visiting the Isle of Skye we stopped in at Shilasdair Yarns. Their shop is beautiful and the location is stunning. You could just stand in the parking lot and be satisfied, it’s that beautiful. But even if you’re not a knitter, I would still recommend popping inside. They have something for everyone. They’re passionate about yarn and natural dyeing. They have great books, kits and skeins upon skeins of beautiful yarn.

I really wanted to take some yarn home as a souvenir. It was hard to pick just one thing because the offerings are so incredible. Why, oh, why didn’t I pack a bigger suitcase? They also have some pre-made things like hats and socks if you want to bypass all of that time-consuming knitting. I opted for the time-consuming knitting and picked a project that encouraged me to buy several balls of yarn instead of just one.

They had a sample of the Mala Bead Cowl and I thought it was so pretty. The design includes 108 bobbles which correspond to the 108 mantra repetitions traditionally found in a mala bead necklace. I have to admit that I’m not a meditator or sayer of prayers so that almost ended the love affair right there. But then it occurred to me that I could make a list of my 108 favourite memories from that trip to Scotland and knit them right into the cowl. Sold!

Now for the fun part: narrowing down all of my memories from Scotland to my favourite 108.