Fair Isle knitting is a classic in knitwear design, with colorful, geometric patterns that look intricate but are typically only worked with two colors per row or round. How often you change colors horizontally and vertically can make a big difference in the amount of detail in your Fair Isle projects, but it doesn’t make the project that much more difficult to use a couple of colors or a handful.
Swedish knitwear designer Carina Olsson was entranced by the colors in Fair Isle knitting and the Shetland Islands themselves, and used learning more about this style of knitting as a way to also learn how to see colors more clearly and learn how they interact with each other. All that learning — as well as some patterns for sweaters, hats, gloves, cowls and more — can be found in her book Fair Isle Knitting: 22 Traditional Patterns from Where the Atlantic Meets the North Sea.
One thing that’s a little different about this book is the time it spends talking about seeking out colors in nature and finding yarn that coordinates with those hues. After all, nature knows what it is doing when it comes to harmonious color palettes, so borrowing those colors for our designs just makes sense.
After talking about color inspiration and variations, the book includes 22 patterns, mostly for adult-sized sweaters (which include four size options), a kid’s sweater, a vest, a handful of hats, cowls, mittens and gloves. There are also a few different project bags you can make if you’re looking for a smaller project to use up some of your stash. The patterns are listed on Ravelry but as of this writing there are only pictures from people who have made the patterns, so there are only a few showing.
There’s a book trailer on the publisher’s website, as well as a PDF sample you can download that includes photos of the projects if you want to see more.
The patterns are rated intermediate and advanced, but if you’ve worked Fair Isle projects before you should be all set to make these. Some of my favorites include the 1920s Fair Isle Sweater (based on a pattern shown in a photograph found at the Shetland Museum and Archives) and the Beachcomber cowl and mitten set, which uses bold colors more common in older designs.
After the patterns, the book includes tips for success and different techniques, including variations on corrugated ribbing, tips on steeking, managing yarn ends and washing and blocking. There’s also information on designing your own sweaters and a small collection of motifs to get you started. There’s even a bit of Fair Isle knitting history as well as an overview of the Shetland Islands.
This book might not be the best for people totally new to Fair Isle knitting, but if you’re ready to dive in and knit (or design!) your first colorful sweater this book is a fun place to start.
About the book: 176 pages, hardcover, 22 patterns. Published in 2023 by Trafalgar Square Books. Suggested retail $31.95.
