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    Fair Isle Knitting
    Fair Isle Knitting
    Fair Isle Knitting
    Ebook215 pages1 hour

    Fair Isle Knitting

    By Sarah Don

    3.5/5

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    About this ebook

    Boasting intricate geometric patterns and rich, natural colors, the knits of Fair Isle have roots in the fashions of Viking invaders, Norwegian immigrants, and Spanish sailors. In this treasury of authentic designs, Sarah Don introduces readers to the basic techniques and materials needed to create this form of patterned knitting, and provides practical advice on the use of color, repeats, circular needles, fitting, grafting, after-care, and much more. Enjoy:
    • 28 traditional Fair Isle knit designs
    • Simple instructions for creating 13 authentic garments, from jumpers and pullovers to scarves and mittens
    • Easy-to-follow patterns, charts, and layouts
    Projects include distinctive designs for men, women, and children, and are perfect for beginners as well as more advanced knitters.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherDover Publications
    Release dateNov 7, 2012
    ISBN9780486145464
    Fair Isle Knitting

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    3.5/5

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    • 5/5
      this is an "old" book, fashion-wise, but I greatly enjoyed the history and story of Fair Isle. I like how the various patterns are organized and charted, and was especially surprised at how happy I was to have only black and white photos and charts. I am designing my own fair isle blanket and found it easier to visualize the designs in my colors. a great reference book!

      1 person found this helpful

    Book preview

    Fair Isle Knitting - Sarah Don

    sheep.

    The Origins and Development of Fair Isle Knitting

    Fair Isle

    A bright green spot like an emerald on the wide ocean, this place is quite a little world in itself; covered with grass of a most vivid luxuriant verdure.’

    The words of Catherine Sinclair in her book, Shetland and the Shetlanders (1840), are a perfect description of our first sight of this beautiful island. Fair Isle is one of the 100 Shetland Islands and the most isolated of the 20 which are inhabited. There are several possible Norse translations: ‘Farey’ meaning Sheep Isle, ‘Fara’, the fair Isle and ‘Foer’ meaning far off or distant.

    Although the island lies on the same latitude as Greenland the winters are less severe than those of Scotland due to the passing Gulf Stream. The surrounding waters are treacherous but the island is well equipped with two lighthouses to warn the passing ships of the very real danger. Jerry Eunson’s book, The Shipwrechs of Fair Isle tells us that 88 vessels have been wrecked or sunk since 900 AD ; but how many more have gone unrecorded?

    We set out for Fair Isle on ‘The Good Shepherd’, a 46ft cruiser that delivers visitors, supplies and mail to the island twice a week. My husband gave up trying to take pictures after the first half hour, and joined me for the remainder of the 3 hour crossing clinging to the winch in front of the wheel house. Although the crew assured us that our crossing had been ‘quite calm’ we made the return journey by air — a trip lasting 10 minutes!

    Fair Isle varies in colour through the four seasons with flowering blue squills, red and white campion, roseroof willow and scurvy grass, with carpets of sea pinks. The heather-covered moors look wild and only the Great Skuas have made their homes here. The adults continue to make ferocious ‘dive bomb’ attacks on intruders, even after the young birds have left the nests.

    As well as the many birds which inhabit the island there is a large population of rabbits and its increase has become a matter of some concern for the islanders. Grazing land is precious and the question of whether or not the rabbits are putting as much back into the soil as they have taken out is one for careful consideration. The only other wild mammal is the island’s own variety of mouse, ‘The Fair Isle Mouse’.

    Since Fair Isle was bought by the National Trust in 1954 the living conditions have been greatly improved. Electricity and sanitation have been provided but it is unfortunate that this restoration has demanded the sacrifice of some of the traditional characteristics of the buildings. Two of the old structures which remain are the churches, housing the two faiths: Church of Scotland and Methodist. It is a strongly religious community and this has been connected with the knitting craft of the island:

    Spiritual men and women, working together to produce the religious symbols and abstract forms, come nearer to their one God and closer together in their community.’

    H. E. Kiewe’s book, The Sacred History of Knitting

    Although the Shetland Isles have been part of Scotland for the last 500 years the people are more like the Norwegians in appearance, having fair hair and tanned skin. They speak with a very gentle accent, unlike that of the Scots, and their speech still includes much Norse.

    During the 18th and 19th centuries there was much suffering under the tyrannical Scottish landlords. The people were paid less than two shillings for each 100 cwt of fish which was sold at a vast profit by the landlords on the Scottish market. In desperation they tried to sail or row their small boats across the dangerous waters to get a better price for their fish and to sell their knitting.

    Beginnings

    Although one of the earliest woollen garments found dates back to the 6th century BC, it is possible that knitting began even earlier than this as there is strong evidence to show that sheep were domesticated as early as 10,000 BC.

    The earliest piece of knitting to bear any resemblance to Fair Isle designs is a pair of knitted patterned socks, found in a 4th century BC Egyptian tomb. However, it is generally thought that these were made in India for export to Egypt as the patterns are similar to Indian cotton prints from the same period.

    3. Jimmy Stout walking over the more fertile grassy slopes at the southern end of the Island.

    The great traders of the world at this time were the Arabs, travelling east to Tibet and west to Spain and other Mediterranean ports. It is thought that Arabian knitting must have influenced the multicoloured Spanish and Florentine silks of the 12th — 16th centuries. Patterns and fabrics similar to those of Fair Isle can still be found among the Basques in Northern Spain.

    moorish’ influences to the Fair Isle designs and the methods of making fast dyes from the native plants and lichens.

    Another popular theory is that the Norsemen brought the art of patterned knitting with them.

    However, Faroese patterns are heavier and geometrically constructed, bearing more resemblance to Norwegian and Scandinavian designs. Fair Isle designs are composed of ancient religious and national symbols intertwined with varied bands of delicate patterning. There are about 160 different designs and no individual pattern is ever repeated on the same garment, each band of patterning being different in some way.

    4. Shearing Fair Isle sheep in the early years of this century.

    When I visited Fair Isle, I took with me a sample knitted in a design from a

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