Fair Isle Knitting

by Sarah Don

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.

Genres: Knitting, Crafts

128 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1982

Reviews

[Anne Hawn · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is more a book of Fair Isle elements to use for your own designs. There are a number of beautiful sweaters in the book, but the patterns are dated. One thing I love is that it gives you the number of stitches in the repeat so that you can group patterns together that will end up at the same point. If you have a 36 st. x 36 st wide pattern, you can group it with patterns with 2, 3, 4, 9, 12, 18 and so on. There is also good information in the front about the history of Fair Isle knitting and techniques for doing the stranding.

Note, there is very little difference between this and the first version.

[Angela · Rating 3 out of 5]

Clear instruction with a short introduction to fair isle knitting. Plenty of patterns to play with if you want to get started with a sweater, hat or scarf. Not a book that I would add to my library. I think there are other books that do as good as or better a job of instruction of fair isle.