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

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Knitwear designers can get inspiration from almost anything when it comes to re-creating a color scheme, an image or a texture in stitches. Sometimes the inspiration isn’t always obvious in the finished project, but sometimes it’s more literal.

That’s the way it is with the Tin Ceiling Blanket from Purl Soho. Not just because the inspiration is in the name, but if you’ve ever seen one of these old ceilings you can see that the design of the blanket is quite similar to the pattern of the tin tiles.

This is also a good example of the idea that you don’t have to use fancy stitch patterns or lots of color to make a big impact with your knits. This single-color blanket (designed by Gianna Mueller and inspired by a washcloth and towel set designed by Sandi Rosner) is made completely with knits and purls, other than slipped stitches at the beginning of rows to make neater edges.

The pattern is written out row by row, but there’s also a chart, which means this project is a great opportunity to practice reading a chart where you can check your work against the written pattern if you need to.

It comes in two sizes, a crib blanket and a throw. The yarn used in the sample is an organic cotton sold by the cone, which is a great way to get a large quantity of yarn and have fewer ends to weave in. In fact, you can knit either size of the blanket with just one cone of yarn, which isn’t inexpensive but makes you a great, sturdy, heirloom quality but still washable blanket you’ll use for years to come. (Of course you can use any sport weight yarn you like to make this blanket.)

Check out all the details and grab the free pattern from Purl Soho.

[Photo: Purl Soho]

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