Mary Macgregor produces small batches of sustainable Fair Isle knitted textiles to the highest quality and standards. She preserves Shetland’s rich knitwear heritage by using the oldest Fair Isle patterns and colours in a contemporary manner, producing outstanding pieces in the world’s best 100% superfine merino yarn. The resulting textiles are silky-soft, durable and affordable.
All pieces are knitted in her unique reversible Fair Isle fabric. Macgregor has succeeded in eliminating the ugly loops normally seen on the reverse of Fair Isle knitting, using instead a 2-colour knitting technique applied to 4 or 5 colours. This gives colour inversion of the same pattern on the reverse of the fabric. This fabric is totally modern and functional, and has much easier after-care.
Taking her inspiration solely from the oldest garments in the collections of the Museums of Shetland and the National Museum of Scotland, Edinburgh which were at risk of dying out through lack of use, Macgregor asked the Italian yarn company producing the 100% superfine merino to replicate the five traditional colours to her specifications.
Macgregor is a mathematical economist by training and business experience (BA Cantab, PhD), but her passion lies with geometric patterns such as Fair Isle motifs. She moved to Shetland after her children left home to start a small Fair Isle textiles business.
Her aim is to ensure that the oldest Fair Isle patterns endure and flourish.
Macgregor works under the name of BAKKA.
