A new book, How to Knit a Bathroom, has brought to life the inspiring journey of the Isle of Sanday Knitters, a group of talented women from Sanday in Orkney, who turned their knitting skills into a thriving enterprise that reached fashion hotspots worldwide.
Written by Sandra Towrie, a driving force behind the Isle of Sanday Knitters, the book recounts the humble beginnings of this knitting cooperative, founded in the 1970s, at a time when job opportunities for women on Sanday were almost non-existent.
Mary Baker, the wife of the island’s headteacher, sparked the idea after spotting an ad for outworkers in a sewing magazine.
Recognising the knitting talent around her, she encouraged local women to crochet squares, which soon led to the formation of the Isle of Sanday Knitters.
The knitters’ cooperative quickly became a success, evolving from producing simple crochet pieces to crafting traditional wool jumpers.
Before long, Sanday-made knitwear graced the shelves of top-tier outlets, including London’s Harrods and New York’s Saks Fifth Avenue.
For nearly 30 years, these knitters created fashion pieces for prestigious stores and even produced custom Christmas jumpers for British TV stars Martin Clunes and Neil Morrissey for Men Behaving Badly.
With every stitch, the Isle of Sanday Knitters generated an impact far beyond fashion.
The enterprise offered financial independence for many women, helping them afford home improvements, family holidays, and even designer jeans for their children.
Sandra recounts that the camaraderie among the knitters was as valuable as the extra income, with everyone—from multitasking farmwives to mums of young children—pitching in, fitting knitting sessions around their busy lives.
The book’s title, How to Knit a Bathroom, pays tribute to one knitter’s unforgettable achievement of funding a bathroom renovation from her knitting income, highlighting the real-life benefits this cooperative brought to its members.
At its peak, demand for Sanday’s knitwear was so high that the cooperative enlisted knitters from as far away as Shetland and Wolverhampton.
Despite its success, the cooperative eventually closed in 1999, as shifts in the market and the availability of cheaper alternatives abroad took their toll.
But the spirit and legacy of the Isle of Sanday Knitters remain strong, preserved in Sandra’s book with support from the North Isles Landscape Partnership Scheme (NILPS), which funds projects promoting Orkney’s heritage.
NILPS Programme Manager Valerie Dawson said the initiative was delighted to support the book, which celebrates how a traditional craft developed into a flourishing local industry.
Officially launching on Tuesday, 5 November, How to Knit a Bathroom will be available at the Craft Hub in Sanday and The Orcadian Bookshop in Kirkwall for £9.50.
