Review: Easy Fair Isle Knitting

I know from talking to knitters and hearing what you all say when I ask that a lot of knitters are a little afraid of Fair Isle knitting and other colorwork projects. They seem really intimating because it’s hard to imagine working with two yarns at once, but once you’ve done a little bit of this kind of knitting you will see that it isn’t really that difficult at all, and the results are lovely.

British knitwear designer Martin Storey wants to take the scary out of stranded knitting with his book Easy Fair Isle Knitting: 26 Projects with a Modern Twist. The book is heavy on pillow covers, which are a fun way to liven up your living room and are relatively small projects that are good for learning.

There are also vests, cowls, socks, table covers and more (check out the patterns on Ravelry).

Some of my favorites include the Kitten and Stripe Scarf, which is exactly what it sounds like; the Waves Vest, with a combo of zig-zags and lice stitch; Little Hearts Cowl, with stripes of different colored hearts; the Soft Stripe Gloves, with a band of diamonds on the wrist and stripes up the hands; and the Simple Spots Pillow, covered with circles of different colors.

The only problem with this book is that there aren’t really any instructions for how to knit Fair Isle, just a few tips for making it easier.

This would be a great book for beginners if not for that, but you might need to check out a YouTube video or another book for the basics if you’re a complete beginner.

If you have a project or two under your belt and are comfortable with the basics, there’s a lot of cute stuff in this book. And for knitters with more experience who still like an easeir project every now and then, these are great, too.

About the book: 128 pages, paperback with interior flaps, 26 patterns. Published August 2016, Trafalgar Square Books. Retail price $24.95

Next Pattern:

Why should the fireplace get all the fun? Instead of knitting stockings this year, why not whip up a pair of Christmas themed socks? These Christmas sock knitting patterns are lots of fun to make and you can wear them to holiday gatherings for years to come.

For our friends in the southern part of the world, there are the Christmas in July socks from the Kiwi Lodge – Kylie (Ravelry link). These shorty socks are covered in Christmas trees and have bright pink heels and toes for a tropical feel. There’s also an option to make a longer sock if you celebrate somewhere it’s colder.

Twin Stitches Designs (Ravelry) has a fun pattern with mix and match colorwork motifs you can use to build your own cozy Christmas socks. From the sample socks I see Christmas puddings, trucks hauling trees, Santa belts, ornaments and a couple of different borders. There may be more patterns included but the listing doesn’t say. Make a pair that matches or use different motifs on each foot for extra holiday cheer.

If you want to stick to Christmas puddings on your holiday socks, check out this cute pattern from Stone Knits. These lovely socks feature a band of puddings around the leg and a bit of holly by the toes.

These vintage holiday light socks from Grey Owl Knits by Sarah are classic looking and lots of fun at the same time. I love this color combination but of course you can make your lights and stripes whatever colors you like or have on hand. They’re worked using stranded knitting.

And if you’d like even more of a mix of patterns for your socks, try Barbara Ceglédi’s Christmas Chaos socks, a free pattern on Ravelry. The pattern includes 25 little motifs you can choose from, ranging from snowflakes and Christmas trees to elf hats, reindeer and hearts.

Next Pattern:

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