27/10/2025
When we were forming SOK, one of the first things we had to settle on was a name.
The group talked it over carefully. We wanted something that showed who we are, where we’re from, and what matters most to us.
That’s how we arrived at SOK: Shetland’s Organisation for Knitters.
“Sok” is a Shaetlan word that refers to your knitting project, whether it’s a sock or not. We wanted our name to feature Shaelan in some way to make clear that our primary purpose is to support Shetland’s knitters and protect the area’s heritage knitting traditions.
But we also wanted visitors to feel welcome and chose an English “subname” that would make our purpose clear. We are Shetland’s Organisation for Knitters. That one word, for, was the subject of discussion. Were we an organisation of knitters or for knitters? Looking at our aims, it became clear to us that our intention is to serve knitters from Shetland and outside of Shetland. Local knitters will have opportunities to gather and learn from one another traditionally, develop skills needed to earn in the modern knitting economy, and have their stories and techniques preserved for the rising generations. Knitters outwith Shetland will know where they can turn for accurate information about Shetland’s knitting traditions in a world where there are many who claim expertise despite incomplete comprehension of our skills and what they mean for us. We are very much for knitters.
We’re proud of the name, and we’re even prouder of the work it will come to represent.
Please help us to find those who will be interested in joining us. Subscribe to our social media, share this post to your followers, and visit sokshetland.org to get on our mailing list. We’d love to have you along.
