Fair Isle is a term generally linked to a traditional knitting technique that involves two or more colors being used consistently over a row. This technique was used to create designs and patterns with a variety of colors.
Check out another one of our fun reads here: Thimbles: The Underestimated Sewing Tool.
Fair Isle Knitting Involves Multiple Colors
From the name itself, it is derived after Fair Isle, one of the Shetland islands. Ever since the 1990s, the term ‘Fair Isle’ has always been associated to stranded knitting of colors, regardless of its origins. In some parts of the world, fair isle knitting involved multiple colors being knitted alternately, with the colors that are unused being stranded over the back of the new pattern.
There Are 2 Types: Simple & Traditional
There are two known kinds of Fair Isle knitting- simple and traditional. Simple Fair isle Knitting involves multiple colors being used whereas the traditional one only uses a maximum of three.
Either way, whether you’re thinking of starting a new hobby or you’ve always had an underlying passion for knitting, the following is a guide on the steps and techniques used in fair isle knitting:
#1 Organize Your Yarn
This may seem like a weird step, but you have to be careful and keep the balls of yarn apart from each other. Keep one ball of yarn to your left and the other to your right.
The last thing you would want is to have both colors of yarn intertwined with each other which would mess up your pattern or your work. Staying organized is one of the significant basic steps to be successful in this technique.
#2 Don’t Strand Your Yarns too Tight On the Backside
Make sure that you don’t put too much pressure when standing your yarns across the back of your pattern. This gives your fabric room for adjustment when necessary.
It’s a good tactic to check the tension needed for your work before you start knitting. Doing this benefits you in deciding the size of you needle- whether you need a big or small one.
#3 Practice Makes Perfect
Don’t be too hard on yourself when things aren’t going right the first time. Practice and repetition is everything. Repeating also makes you know which way of holding the yarns you’re most comfortable with.
For instance, if you find yourself being most efficient and comfortable with holding one yarn at a time, that’s perfectly okay. This technique is also called stranding.
#4 Prevent Twisting
In the stranding method, avoid twisting and tangling yarns by choosing one colors that would always be pulled above the other. This also works the other way around.
#5 Don’t Forget the Final Touches
After you’ve finished knitting the pieces that involve fair isle (if you didn’t use fair isle for the entire fabric), give the pieces a soft press.
The label on your yarn usually says this instruction, so it’s highly recommended to do this as the finishing touch. You could also just opt to simply leave a damp cloth over the pieces of your fair isle and leave them to dry. The latter has been known as a more gentle way on pressing your knits.
Knitting is a relaxing and enjoyable hobby that has gained popularity throughout the years. DYI projects have been spotlighted due to mainstream marketing.
Since then, you’re able to find directions and videos on almost anything you want to learn. There are many videos on Fair Isle Knitting so if you find yourself stumped or running into an issue do your online research to help get you to the next step. Happy Knitting!