Fair Isle
Colorful knitting technique
Fair Isle is a traditional knitting technique featuring intricate, multicolored geometric patterns worked in the round, with no more than two colors per row.
Named for a small Scottish island between Orkney and Shetland where the style originated.
The term now describes any garment using this technique: a Fair Isle sweater, Fair Isle mittens.
Knitted torso covering
- cardiganFront-opening knitted garment
- vestSleeveless upper-body garment
- pulloverGarment donned headfirst
- crewneckCollarless circular neckline
jumper · jersey · colorwork · stranding · yarn · stitch · gauge · handknit
Scottish archipelago, northernmost UK
- ScotlandNorthern British nation
- North SeaAtlantic extension near Britain
- archipelagoChain of scattered islands
- subarcticZone south of Arctic
remote · cliffs · seabirds · puffins · lighthouse · crofting · fishing · maritime
Scottish archipelago, northernmost UK
- sheepWoolly farm animal
- yarnTwisted strand for crafts
- fleeceWool still on sheep
- spinningRevolving around an axis
fiber · natural · handspun · lambswool · softness · dyed · carding · worsted
Patterned textile technique
- geometricRelating to mathematical shapes
- motifRecurring thematic element
- bandsMusical performing groups
- strandingLeaving helplessly isolated
star · cross · diamond · horizontal · repeating · symmetrical · multicolored · traditional
sweater
Knitted torso covering
- cardiganFront-opening knitted garment
- vestSleeveless upper-body garment
- pulloverGarment donned headfirst
crewneck · jumper · jersey · colorwork · stranding · yarn · stitch · gauge · handknit · traditional
Shetland
Scottish archipelago, northernmost UK
- ScotlandNorthern British nation
- North SeaAtlantic extension near Britain
- archipelagoChain of scattered islands
subarctic · remote · cliffs · seabirds · puffins · lighthouse · crofting · fishing · maritime · Norse
Shetland
Scottish archipelago, northernmost UK
spinning · fiber · natural · handspun · lambswool · softness · dyed · carding · worsted · textile
colorwork
Patterned textile technique
- geometricRelating to mathematical shapes
- motifRecurring thematic element
- bandsMusical performing groups
stranding · star · cross · diamond · horizontal · repeating · symmetrical · multicolored · traditional · design
tradition
Custom passed through generations
- ShetlandScottish archipelago, northernmost UK
- ScotlandNorthern British nation
- handcraftCreate something manually
ancestry · culture · history · preservation · legacy · artisan · cottage · indigenous · authentic · folklore
- fabric patternsfloral print, pinstripes, geometric print, herringbone, houndstooth
- Atlantic IslandsAzores, Bermuda, Canary Islands, Madeira, Cape Verde
- British Textilestartan, Scottish tartan, Irish linen, waxed cotton, tweed
- Nordic FashionH&M, Rains, Swedish design, Danish design, folk patterns
- Scottish motifstartan, Celtic knot, clan tartan, saltire, rampant lion
- yarn craftsknitting, knit, crocheting, crochet, yarn
Fair Islegarter stitch
Basic reversible knitting technique
stockinette · unadorned · minimalist · simple · unpatterned
Fair Islesolid color
Single unbroken hue
monochrome · plain · unicolor · undyed · self-striping