Fair Isle practitioners say Channel 4’s knitting show is littered with errors about their historic craft and demand an apology
The group chat for Shetland knitters was popping off, says one member, as they settled down to watch the first episode of Game of Wool: Britain’s Best Knitter.
But their enthusiasm for the Channel 4 elimination show hosted by the former Olympian and crafts enthusiast Tom Daley quickly unravelled.
It became clear to the seasoned knitters that the Sunday primetime programme, which focused on Shetland’s Fair Isle technique, was littered with errors, prompting bitter disappointment, claims of cultural appropriation and demands for a correction from the broadcaster.
Practitioners contacted by the Guardian were frustrated that a series intended to showcase knitting to a wider audience should get so many things wrong about the historic technique. The style is named after Fair Isle, the southernmost of the Shetland Islands. It comprises a distinct set of motifs with two colours in every row and was popularised by Edward VIII.
