I had it in mind to buy myself a fair isle jumper (in the U.S. we'd call it a pullover sweater) during our trip to Scotland. I did some online research before we left home and learned that to be considered authentic, one of the requirements is that it be fashioned from Shetland wool, as opposed to cashmere, merino, or lambs wool. I found a very useful thread on Reddit that listed several reputable shops in Edinburgh (our base of operations while in Scotland), including this warning: "Whatever you do, don't go into any of the tat shops." Of course, then I had to ask Google what a "tat shop" was. In the United States, my guess would have been a tattoo parlor, but that didn't make sense. A "tat shop" is a souvenir store.
I made some phone calls when we got to Edinburgh. Many stores in the UK are closed on either Monday/Tuesday or Tuesday/Wednesday, so that narrowed our choices. Other stores had no fair isle jumpers in stock. Still, I was undeterred and kept calling around. After only two or three calls, I reached Dicks Edinburgh and was told that they did have exactly what I was seeking. A few hours later, after we had toured Edinburgh Castle, we hopped into a cab and went straight there.
My husband and I were the only customers, and the entire staff (two women and a man) were collectively attentive to us. It took me only a few minutes to decide on the perfect jumper. It was a lovely experience from start to finish. Dicks Edinburgh is clearly a quality clothing store, and I would not hesitate to shop there again. read more