A Highland event is destined to be a red-letter date for knitting enthusiasts.

The world’s biggest names in the pursuit are to headline the inaugural Inverness Loch Ness International Knitting Festival.

Organisers hope to emulate the success of Strikkefestival, on the small Danish island of Fano. It attracts more than 7,500 knitting enthusiasts, doubling the local population, and boosts the local economy by £4 million annually.

Guests at the Scottish event include Alice Starmore, from Lewis, an internationally recognised expert on knitting design and technique, and Danish knitwear designer Christel Seyfarth, who set up Strikkefestival a decade ago.

The two will be among the presenters at the event, which runs from September 29 to October 2.

It is anticipated the knitting festival will attract an additional 3,000 visitors to Inverness and Loch Ness. Events include specially chartered “knit-cruises” on the loch and people will be able to attend workshops on subjects such as Celtic knotwork.